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Rick serves as group president of the coatings division, a business segment he helped create in 1997 after joining Valmont® the year before. Originally the director of business development who was charged with growing the Valley galvanizing facility, Rick’s leadership helped change that facility from a single location cost center into a profitable business segment.

Rick’s experience in the corrosion protection industry began in 1988, when he was hired as operations manager of Kinark Corporation’s galvanizing facility in Denver, which was the largest custom galvanizing operation in North America at the time. He advanced through the organization until he was promoted to vice president of galvanizing operations, where he remained before joining Valmont in 1996.

Rick served on the board of directors of the American Galvanizing Association from 1998 to 2015, including a term as president. He is also on the board of directors for the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and serves as chairman of the Manufacturers Council.

Rick earned a BS in business from the University of Kansas, where he was also in the Naval ROTC program. Upon graduation, he was commissioned an ensign and attended the U.S. Navy’s Surface Warfare School in Newport Rhode Island. He was in the Naval Reserve through 2000, achieving the rank of Captain and serving his final assignment at the Pentagon Navy Command Center. He earned his MBA from the University of Tulsa in 1987.