Dan Putnam, a 27-year district manager for Multiquip, died this past weekend of cancer at the age of 53 after a long struggle with the disease. Putnam died at his Newport Beach, Calif., home.
Putnam was well known and very popular among rental companies. “Big Dan the MQ Man was a fixture to many of us in Southern California,” wrote one rental customer. “We recall Dan showing us the latest Multiquip products, with his surfboard strapped on the back of his van, sometimes with wet trunks and a damp towel. His competitive nature drove him to participate in annual events such as The La Jolla Rough Water Swim and Camp Pendleton’s Mud Run. His kind nature, positive outlook and health encouragements, will truly be missed.”
Putnam was the son of former MQ Power chief executive Ken Putnam, who was essentially the No. 2 executive of Multiquip for decades, working closely with CEO Irv Levine. Ken Putnam told RER that after recently leaving Multiquip, Dan “joined his brother Tod at Putnam International, selling construction equipment to the rental industry. Concurrent with his selling, he was attending school to become a physical therapist, which was a longtime dream.”
Putnam is survived by his father Ken Putnam, mother Mary Ann Fernandez, brothers Tod and Steve and three children, Bryant, Malia, and Garrett.
