Stellar Industries Adds Three Regional Sales Managers

Eric Best will cover the North-Central region, which is currently managed by Kirk Uhlenhopp, Kevin Ellis will cover the Northeast region and Richard Holley will cover the Southwest region, which is currently managed by Steve Jones.
June 13, 2024
4 min read

Photos by Stellar Industries

Stellar Industries, a 100-percent employee-owned and -operated manufacturer of high-quality mechanic trucks, cranes, tire service trucks, hooklifts, trailers and service truck and van accessories, named three new regional sales managers to its sales team. Eric Best will cover the North-Central region, which is currently managed by Kirk Uhlenhopp, Kevin Ellis will cover the Northeast region and Richard Holley will cover the Southwest region, which is currently managed by Steve Jones.

Both Uhlenhopp and Jones will remain on the Stellar sales team with newly defined territories. 

In their new roles, Best, Ellis and Holley will be responsible for the sale and support of mechanic and service trucks, service cranes, service truck and van accessories and fuel, lube and utility trailers. Each brings unique professional experiences and proven track records in the industry.

Eric Best – North-Central Region

Best brings more than 20 years of experience in sales and leadership, with a significant portion of his career dedicated to digital marketing. He has previously led a national sales team as the director of sales, where he successfully managed a $20 million territory and built strong relationships across various industries, including direct sales to auto dealers and distributors.

Best is excited to return to his local roots. He grew up in Garner, Iowa, where Stellar is headquartered, and is looking forward to contributing to the success of a hometown, employee-owned company.

“I look forward to fostering long-lasting partnerships and fostering new relationships in the Midwest,” says Best. “Stellar has been an instrumental part of my life and I am ecstatic to help continue to grow its dominance in the industry.”

Kevin Ellis – Northeast Region

Ellis has an extensive career spanning 28 years in the truck equipment business, with a significant focus on bucket trucks and mechanic trucks. In his previous role, he served as a sales operations and order fulfillment manager, where he managed the inside sales team and overseeing the entire quote process from inception to delivery. 

Ellis possesses a strong commitment to quality and he is eager to represent Stellar’s exceptional products to its customers. “I am excited to join the Stellar team,” he says. “Touring the plant showed the commitment, quality, and professionalism of the entire company to be number one in the mechanic truck industry. I look forward to standing in front of the customer representing such an exceptional product.”

Richard Holley — Southwest Region

Holly brings a wealth of knowledge to his role as regional sales manager. In his previous role, Holley was an esteemed salesman for bucket trucks. He’s eager to understand and sell Stellar products, as well as provide the needed support post-sale for all of his customers. 

“I’m excited to work for an American company with a solid reputation like Stellar,” said Holley. “I’m ready to get started in learning about and growing the customer base in the southwest.”

For more information, visit stellarindustries.com.

 

About the Author

Michael Roth

Editor

Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.

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