Ranger Distribution values reading at all ages

Every employee participates in a quarterly book club at Elkhart’s Ranger Distribution Inc. The assignment covers all staff, from the company founders to the warehouse workers. 

“Knowledge is important, and one of the ways to gain knowledge is through reading,” says John Curran, co-founder of RDI, which supplies RV manufacturers with electrical components and other parts. “We want everyone to get one thing or two things from any book we read.” 

During weekly individual meetings they discuss the book to ensure accountability and progress. Books they’ve read include “Greenlights” by Matthew McConaughey, “Good to Great” by James C. Collins and “With Bare Hands” by Alain Robert. 

Reading is part of the employee-owned company’s culture. Founders Curran, Brent Diver and Rod Humphreys made the commitment to ensure staff at all levels have opportunities to improve.  

Frank Espitia has benefited from RDI’s culture of self-improvement. After working on the warehouse and operations sides of the business, he’s now in the role of outside sales representative. 

“It’s always a great thing for the company to invest in our people,” Frank says. “We try to push (promotion from within) at the company level, just to help everyone be better at business or personally.” 

Taking lessons home 

Reading is more than a work assignment for Frank.  

Along his wife, Esther, they actively encourage their five children to read at home. They even take time to enjoy the same books as their children to spark family discussions. 

“Investing in the kids helps them improve their lifestyle, makes them better as people, makes them be a better person as they get older,” Esther says. 

“Learning never stops,” Frank adds. 

The couple brings their youngest kids, 16-year-old Isaac, 11-year-old Sam, and 2-year-old Amalia to the Osolo Branch to pick out books. 

Esther knows reading builds lifelong skills.  

“Readers are critical thinkers, they know how to work within structure and use imagination,” she says. 

Reading the same books as her kids exposes her to new authors and different genres, often discovering she liked a book she wouldn’t have picked for herself. 

A community investment 

Like with families, RDI co-founder Brent Diver says they know the company’s book selections are received differently by each person. But, he says, something always can be learned from the content.  

“We can read a ton of books and not everyone is going to like every book. But we’re going to expose them to things that they wouldn’t otherwise do on their own,” he says. “If we can pull just one thing from a book it can last a lifetime.” 

The Ranger team’s commitment to reading doesn’t stop with its employees. Its Summer Reading Challenge partnership with Elkhart Public Library, now in its fourth year, helps the company promote community-wide literacy. 

“One of our core values is accountability. Part of that is committing to giving value without expectation. That means giving to charities that benefit the community, and this is a great example,” RDI’s John Curran says of the partnership. 

The values make their way into each part of the business. 

“We as a company like to provide more than just service, like if our customers have any issues,” Frank Espitia says. “We’re trying to be resource for our customers, like the library is for the community.”