Although The Commercial Vehicle Solutions Network (CVSN) is a young association, that has not stopped its members-independent aftermarket distributors-from reaching their goals. Since the association’s inception, the members have met their main objective of reducing the number of industry meetings, and they continue to grow their membership base.
The incoming CVSN president is Ken Duval, president, Canadian Wheel Industries Ltd., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. His two-year term will begin in Baltimore, where he will be sworn in at the association’s annual meeting, taking place September 16th to 20th.
Unlike many in the industry, Duval’s career didn’t begin in the back of a shop or under a truck. He was a chartered accountant in public practice for 14 years when he came across the opportunity to buy Canadian Wheel Industries in 1992.
“Most of the staff knew me because of my role as the auditor, and I think that created anxiety for them; they thought of me as just a numbers cruncher. But it didn’t take long for them to realize I was less of a numbers cruncher and more of a guy who is not afraid to work,” Duval said.
“On the flip side, it didn’t take me long to realize that I couldn’t help my employees do their jobs better or know what to expect from them unless I knew exactly what they did everyday.
“So I worked the counter, I helped in the warehouse and I went out on the road with the salespeople and met our customers. I found out what was necessary to help this business function, while also learning as much about the industry as I could,” he said.
Duval was slated to be president of the National Wheel And Rim Association before the merger with the Council Of Fleet Specialists took place, so instead, “I took a two-year hiatus to function as treasurer of CVSN.”
