After over forty years of putting in work, you notice the changes and similarities in a place. That’s what John Kuhn, this month’s ‘Meet An Expert’, feels. Having been working at Zip's AW Direct for over forty years, Kuhn now works as General Manager.

Kuhn grew up on a dairy and row crop farm outside of New Hampton, Iowa. While growing up, he helped out on the family farm with anything that needed to be done - from chores to running equipment. “I feel like my farm background helped stage my interest in machinery and general operations,” said Kuhn.

In 1982 Kuhn started working at Zip's in sales where most of his time was spent sending out photos, writing specs on different trucks, writing quotes and following up with customers on the phone. Some would reference to him as the general jack of all trades.

By the mid 90’s, Kuhn transitioned more into managing inventory control. Nowadays, he works closely with our sales staff to layout the specs of a truck to ensure the customer's vision is met. He will then order the chassis and wrecker bodies for the truck build.

Of course, that’s not all he does. "Everyday is a learning day," said Kuhn. A good chunk of his job is answering the phone to solve a problem. 

Kuhn's favorite part of the job is giving company tours to community schools and organizations while bring awareness to the blue-collar skills to the next generation. "Zip's has some of the best installers, body technicians, and painters in the industry. Be able to showcase their craftsmanship and employment opportunities to the youth is pretty rewarding."