Red Dot Corp., a leader in heating and air conditioning for commercial and military vehicles, announced the appointment of Ken Montelongo as the company’s new aftermarket regional manager. Montelongo joins Red Dot alongside the company’s broader effort to bolster its aftermarket segment and foster even deeper, more rewarding partnerships with customers and distributors.

Montelongo is one of several major new hires the company has made to provide distributors with unique knowledge and experience in local markets, and to improve back-end support and performance, including Scott Latimer, regional sales manager; John McCormack, senior supply chain manager; and Brian Kennedy, aftermarket manager.

“At Red Dot, we know that we’re only as good as our distributors, and Ken will play a key role in supporting and bolstering our partnerships in the aftermarket segment,” said Pat Carroll, vice president of sales at Red Dot. “We can’t wait to equip our distributors with the industry expertise and market know-how that Ken brings to the table. We’re thrilled that Ken’s joining the Red Dot team, and we think our distributors will be too.”

With more than two decades of sales experience, Montelongo brings a versatile skillset to his role at Red Dot. Most recently, Montelongo directed sales at Genuine Parts Co. as the district sales manager in Sacramento, California, where he oversaw equipment and tooling sales for all NAPA Auto Parts stores in northern California and northern Nevada.

Montelongo will leverage his deep familiarity with those markets as Red Dot’s aftermarket regional manager, where he will primarily focus on strengthening the company’s foothold throughout the West Coast. Working directly with customers in the region, he will partner with distributors to identify opportunities for growth.

Prior to joining Genuine Parts Co., Montelongo managed online sales and advertising at Folsom Buick GMC, and was the owner and general manager of Unique Motors and Marine.

“With my experience in aftermarket, I know how much weight the Red Dot brand carries with customers – and what a distributor needs to be successful,” said Montelongo. “I’m excited to join the Red Dot team to help make sure that we are the first and only call any distributor ever needs to make.”