Lippert Announces the Promotion of Ryan Smith to Group President, North America
January 25, 2021
Elkhart, Ind. — Lippert Components, Inc. (Lippert™) announces today that Ryan Smith has been promoted to Group President over Lippert’s North American OEM Businesses. Previously, Smith held the position of Senior Vice President of Sales and Operations. In his new role, he will oversee all operational direction for Lippert’s North American RV, Marine, and Adjacent Industry OEM businesses. To date, these divisions have over 9,000 team members and produce approximately $2 billion in sales over a rolling twelve months.
Smith’s entire professional career has been spent in the RV and Marine industries, as he joined Lippert in 2008 through the Seating Technologies acquisition. He was eventually named VP of Sales and Operations over Lippert’s RV and Marine Interior Divisions, helping grow a business segment that started at $30 million in sales in 2008 to over $750 million in annual sales today. As Group President, Smith will be instrumental in Lippert’s growth, both organically and through acquisitions.
“As Lippert drives toward $3 billion in sales, we need to continue to evolve our structure as we have frequently done over these years of exciting growth,” said Jason Lippert, CEO & President of Lippert. “Ryan has been a rock for Lippert’s executive leadership, our team members, and our customers over the last 12 years. Today, he leads the charge for over 9,000 (and growing) North American OEM team members and is doing an absolutely amazing job. Ryan plays a key role in our acquisition selection and integration into our North American OEM businesses, how and where we add capacity, product evolution, and the development of divisional goals and team structures. He is great at holding our business units accountable to produce great results and execute our strategic plan. Ryan and his operations teams did a phenomenal job managing our manufacturing operations and team members through this past year, which will probably be remembered as the most challenging year in our time.”
“I am honored and humbled by this promotion and would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of my mentors, team members, and business partners who have supported me throughout my career,” said Ryan Smith. He continued, “While the RV and Marine Industries are not small by any means, they are very tight-knit families that I have had the privilege of being a part of for my entire career. I have had the unique experience of being part of Lippert’s first period of rapid growth and expansion since 2008. Today and beyond, I believe we are embarking on a new kind of growth – equally as exciting – by expanding our business beyond Elkhart County across North America. We’ve spent the recent years really building the strongest and most capable teams that we have ever had, and we are truly prepared for this next phase of Lippert’s evolution. I look forward to continuing our operational growth while providing additional speed through advanced manufacturing improvements, processes, and automation, all while providing exceptional customer service.”
Along with his esteem for the work he has already done, Jason Lippert acknowledges and commends Smith for his ability to lead by example coupled with his contributions that he adds to Lippert and the RV and Marine industries as a whole. He continued, “Ryan is an excellent representation of our core values and sets the tone for our culture with our teams, and he will lead our OEM manufacturing teams through this next period where the RV, marine, and adjacent markets may see tremendous growth due to the record demand for these products. I’m very proud to have watched Ryan’s evolution and to be leading alongside him, and I am truly grateful for the value he adds to the Lippert organization.”
About LCI Industries®
From over 140 manufacturing and distribution facilities located throughout North America, Africa and Europe, Lippert™ supplies a broad array of highly engineered components for the leading manufacturers of recreational vehicles, automobiles, watercraft and prefab homes. It also operates in adjacent markets, including hospitality, transportation, construction and agriculture. Lippert™ serves a wide range of aftermarket segments, providing high-quality products for the recreational vehicle / caravanning, automotive and marine industries. With over 12,500 team members and a diverse portfolio of best-in-class brands, Lippert™ adopts a team-based business philosophy and has proven that, by putting people first, the possibilities for growth and development are truly endless.
Lippert
52567 Independence Ct.
Elkhart, IN 46514
Email: marcom@lci1.com