Quadratec Inc., one of the world’s largest independent retailers of parts and accessories for Jeep vehicles, recently announced the promotion of Fred Konkle to category manager, effective immediately.

One of the company’s longest-tenured employees, Konkle brings three decades of proven aftermarket automotive experience in sales, purchasing, pricing and vendor relations to his new role.

“Fred has been a dedicated employee of Quadratec for over 30 years and I’m excited to watch him bring his knowledge, experience and drive to this new role,” said Dan O’Connor, director of category management. “He knows what sells, understands our customers, is respected by our partners, and most of all, lives Jeep. Behind his expertise, we are positioning ourselves to significantly grow his respective categories moving forward.”

Konkle will be responsible for overseeing several critical categories including winches, hitches, camping, overlanding, truck bed covers and doors, as well as collaborating with vendors to ensure Quadratec offers the best inventory for its customers. Additionally, he is tasked with understanding industry, consumer and category trends, and translating those insights into actionable business strategies to help Quadratec meet consumer and company goals.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to jump in and work closely with the category management staff we’ve assembled in order to help grow our company and serve our customers,” Konkle said. “I look forward to expanding opportunities for our vendors to get their products in the hands of our customers.”

Konkle joined Quadratec as a sales representative in 1992 and was one of the company’s original first five employees. Most recently, he served as an assistant category manager and content management specialist.