The CABP Interview: Ring Power Director of Power Systems Brian Cholmondeley and Vice President Roger Adkins

Ring Power of St. Augustine, FL, is a Sullair distributor with sales, rental, parts and service locations throughout the state. It’s also the Caterpillar (CAT) dealer for North and Central Florida. Its association with CAT dates back to 1962. Today, the company counts 18 branch locations in Florida, as well as facilities in the Carolinas, Georgia and Texas.

Ring Power’s headquarters in St. Augustine, FL.

In April 2026, Roderick Smith, Publisher, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine, sat down with Brian Cholmondeley, Senior Vice President – Director of Power Systems, and Roger Adkins, Vice President – Air Compressor Business Manager, to discuss their company’s history, their own competitive drives and how Ring Power trains new hires and prepares them for success. This continues our series of conversations with leaders of the compressed air industry.

Brian Cholmondeley, Senior Vice President – Director of Power Systems.

Roger Adkins, Vice President – Air Compressor Business Manager.

Smith: Could you give us a history of Ring Power, explaining the company’s special position in Florida?

Cholmondeley: Ring Power was founded in 1962, but it was unique how we got into the Caterpillar business.

L. C. “Ring” Ringhaver owned Desco Marine, a shipyard in St. Augustine, Florida. Desco Marine was one of the most prolific builders of wooden and fiberglass shrimp trawlers. At one time, they were the world’s largest shrimp boat manufacturer, delivering up to eight boats per month. He had an affinity for Caterpillar engines and started installing them in his trawlers. Caterpillar approached Ring to see if he wanted to become the CAT Marine dealer for Northeast Florida. He thought it was a great idea, as he could buy engines directly for the shrimp boats and sell engines, parts and service to customers in Northeast Florida.

That's how the Caterpillar affiliation began. He was doing so well, they came back a year-and-a-half later and asked if he'd like to become the authorized Caterpillar equipment dealer for Northeast Florida. Later, he bought the central territory from another distributor, doubling our territory and becoming the North and Central Florida dealer for Caterpillar.

Today, Ring Power is owned and operated by Randy Ringhaver, Chairman, and David Alban, President. We cover 44 counties in North and Central Florida. We have approximately 2,800 employees. We're not just a CAT dealer. Over the years, we've diversified into a lot of other business units.

Our Power Systems division is unique. I’m responsible for new engine sales, rental and used generators and our Air Compressor Group. In addition, I’m responsible for Phoenix Products, which manufactures custom generator enclosures and fuel tanks.

This customer has a variable-speed, oil-flooded, rotary screw air compressor located inside its facility to protect it from the Florida humidity, and an 800 cfm, non-cycling, refrigerated compressed air dryer under an enclosure.

Smith: Besides Power Systems, what are the other divisions at Ring Power?

Cholmondeley: They include Heavy Equipment, the CAT Rental Store, Utility Truck and Crane, Lift Truck, Sitech and Surface Mining. There are so many different things we offer, until you come here and walk around, you don't realize what our capabilities are. We love getting customers to come here because they say, “Oh, I didn't know you had a machine shop. I didn't know you had a paint shop. I didn't know you guys rebuilt cylinders. I didn't know you had a hydraulic shop.”

Smith: How did the Air Compressor Group get started, and where is it today?

Adkins: Air compressors were provided under the Power System Used and Rental departments. We did generator set rentals, air compressor rentals and temperature control out of one area. Back in the late 1980s, I was an outside rep renting air compressors and generators, and then I started selling air compressors. My boss said, “Hey, great job on the air compressor business. We think we're letting our generator business suffer. Which one do you want to do?” I chose air compressors. This is back in 1990, and I've been involved with air compressors ever since.

We're up to 11 air compressor sales representatives now. We have 53 air compressor technicians. We have an air auditing group and a preventive maintenance group, and we also perform leak detection. We offer sales, rentals, parts and service for Sullair construction and industrial products and Atlas Copco portable air compressors.

Our group is growing through innovation. We developed a prototype portable rental industrial air compressor three years ago, the E1035. We partnered with Sullair’s engineering and new business development group, and Sullair brought it to market.
Because of that prototype, it has developed an E425H air compressor, and we’re working together on a 1675 and 1835 cfm rental package.

Cholmondeley: When you think about that package and the insight and the vision of Roger and the team, bringing this to Sullair, it's incredible. It speaks to the vision and knowledge Roger and his team have. What he does with the Air Compressor Group is second-to-none.

These portable diesel air compressors are used in a cement plant.

Smith: What are your current roles, and how long have you been in those roles?

Cholmondeley: I’ll have been at Ring Power for 32 years in June. I'm currently the Senior Vice President – Director of Power Systems, and I've been in that role since April 2017. I've had a variety of different roles in my career here. I started as a management trainee and became the heavy equipment rental coordinator. I was a heavy equipment sales rep for 14 years in the field and then became the Assistant Governmental Sales Manager. From there, I moved over to become a Sales Manager for the CAT Rental Store and was later promoted to the General Manager of the CAT Rental Store. In 2017, I was asked to take the role of Director of Power Systems.

Adkins: My current role is Vice President – Air Compressor Business Manager, and my responsibility is rentals, new and used sales, parts and service. I started at Ring Power in 1986 as summer help. I had just graduated from high school. My father worked here, and there was an opportunity to work through the summer. I did that for eight or nine months. The great thing about Ring Power is the opportunity for growth. I graduated from painting walls to working in our heavy equipment warehouse, becoming a heavy equipment rental coordinator, being an administrative assistant of engine sales, and helping start Ring Rent, which is now known as CAT Rentals. I moved back to power systems in the early 1990s as a sales representative, then took over the Air Compressor Group. I've been involved with air compressors ever since.

Hiring the Best Talent and Looking for the Drive to Succeed

Smith: Both of you have developed incredible careers within the company. What did the company see in you, and what do you look for in employees?

Cholmondeley: I think what I brought was just wanting to work. I wanted an opportunity. In my wildest dreams, I never thought I'd be working at a Caterpillar dealership. The equipment names, the model numbers – I didn't get any of it. Over time, it became a second language. Ring Power will give you an opportunity if you want it and if you are willing to work for it. We have some of the smartest men and women working in this company, who are willing to train, teach and educate. Do the little things right, and the big things will fall into place.

Ring Power’s ownership and management are ready to take a chance. They're willing to take a risk. If you come in and you prove yourself and you're disciplined enough, we will give you a chance and an opportunity. You just have to have a mindset that you can do it, and you have to have managers willing to say, “I believe you, and I'm going to give you a shot.”

Smith: What are the attributes you look for as you coach and mentor younger people?

Adkins: When I interview, I really want to make sure I get the right person. Even if a resume looks great, I will take the time to have a conversation and get to know the candidates. We’re always looking for candidates who are confident, invest in themselves and are likeable. I've got people I've worked with for 25 years. We keep growing our territory and adding representatives.

I say, “Here's what it's going to take. When you're in the field, you're going to have to get after the competition. They're out in the field, they're working hard. These are the things you're going to need to do to be successful: time management, territory management.” We set our team up for success.

Our company has been successful in retaining employees and giving them the opportunity to advance and have a successful long-term career. The company means something to them. When we bring new employees in, we try to convey that. We want them to know this company cares about me, cares about my safety, cares about making me the best in what I do.” Because we want to be the best. I think it's what we've received as leaders, and what we provide. Employees have every opportunity to learn and win.

Smith: Who influenced you both as a leader, and how did they influence you?

Cholmondeley: From my first day, Randy Ringhaver has had faith in me and given me a shot. He's one in a million. I speak fondly of him because of how he gave the 21-year-old me a chance. The opportunities he's allowed me to jump into and perform mean a lot to me on a personal level.

This company gives you the tools to go out there and take risks, take a chance. You earn it through the deals you've done and the people you've led. They give you opportunities. I try to do that with my teams, giving them a chance when they feel passionate about a project.

Adkins: Back in the day, we had a Senior Vice President named Jim Rockenbach. He instilled in me a desire to win. When I first met him, he said, “You look like you're in pretty good shape. Do you think you could beat me in a pushup contest?” I said, “I can absolutely beat you.” And he beat me. I eventually beat him and we ended the competition. He instilled good leadership qualities in me, like listening to people.

Now, I'm preparing new leadership in the compressed air group. We’ve just put a Sales Manager in place. He’s an incredible person. He's a former Marine and has been to the Middle East. I said, “You'll never see anything in the air compressor world to match what you've seen in the real world.” He's a superstar. I have also added an Assistant Air Compressor Business Manager. I want to train, inspire and provide leadership opportunities, so when I retire, the company doesn't miss a beat. I would never want to do anything to hurt the company.

A company manufacturing tile and flooring installation systems relies on this oil-flooded rotary screw air compressor and heatless desiccant compressed air dryer.

Nurturing the Desire to Win in New Employees

Smith: Let’s talk about the desire to win. How do you develop it? Is it innate? Is it something you coach?

Cholmondeley: I think the desire to win can come from a lot of different places. My mom got divorced when I was really young, and we were poor. I was raised by a single mom working three jobs, with three kids, not knowing what was going to be on the dinner table that night or in a lunchbox the next day. That put a drive in me; I don't ever want to go through that again. It’s something inherent in me because of my life experience.

Ownership gives us every tool in the tool belt so we can go out there and win. As a manager, I ask what my team needs to win. Let me work through the minutia, the stuff that can bog people down. Let me handle that stuff. At the end of the day, what is it my teams need to win? Is it inventory? Is it training? There's no reason for us not to be winning – winning big and winning often – because of who we work for, what we have, the pride that we carry.

Smith: How do you find those people, or do you teach them?

Cholmondeley: Some of them you can teach. You can say, “This is what I would do” or “If I were in your shoes, I’d try this.” For some, it's in them for whatever reason. You can teach a lot of stuff, but that discipline and desire to win, it has to be in you. You have to want to win. You have to want to work. You have to want to be disciplined. It's a challenge sometimes, but we're going to give every reason under the sun of why we're going to win and how we're going to win.

I've got employees who maybe weren't good in a certain role, and they were drowning. We've taken them out of those roles and put them in different roles. Maybe they don’t manage people anymore, or they don’t call on customers, but they flourish. We need to find the right opportunity and put them in the right seat to do great work.

Smith: Are some people quicker studies, and more willing to take coaching?

Adkins: If you go through the interview process at Ring Power and get hired, we don’t just say, “Here's a book of how to do it. Here’s the manual. Good luck.” We don't operate like that. We have an extensive onboarding process that can last 45 – 90 days, depending on their background. We don't have them taking out engines or anything, but safely working in the shop, gaining knowledge of the products and service they’ll be talking about.

New hires go through our sales training, self-evaluation and leadership training. All these different training aids are available to them online and in person through our in-house training department.

In-house technical training is provided to all Ring Power technicians on compressed air systems, ranging from foundational courses like Compressed Air Basics to advanced instruction on microprocessor controls and variable speed drives.

Motivating Air Compressor Sales Teams

Smith: What have you found are the best ways to motivate sales teams, specifically for your Air Compressor Group?

Adkins: If you get a competitive person on the front end, there's not a lot of motivation needed. We try to hire good people who are easy to develop and are competitive. Our people want to be the best.

We had a young woman who was our fleet manager, and I said, “You would make a great sales rep.” She said, “I'm kind of nervous about being in front of the customer.” So we hired a different person, who was a woman, and she was successful in that role. She ended up moving to another role, so then the first woman said, “If she can do it, I can do it.”

If they're missing something, we’ll figure out what that is. We’ll work with them and make a change. Do you need additional training? Do you want to ride with another rep who's doing well? Maybe they're good at oil-flooded air compressors, but not good at oil-free. We have experts in each of those fields. Leadership gives us everything we need.

A major utility runs this oil-free portable air compressor and the two older oil-free rotary screw air compressors behind it.

Smith: You've got a big fleet of service techs in the Air Compressor Group. Every distributor I speak with says that's the hardest thing to hire for and retain. How is Ring Power so successful in that area?

Adkins: A lot of companies will bring someone in with 10 years of experience. Sometimes when you bring those people in, they bring baggage with them. Not all the time, but sometimes. What we've done at Ring Power, and it's a company-wide initiative, is create an apprentice program. It started as 18 months, now it's 36 months. Technicians work in various departments and go through the program. They can elect to stay with the group they're in, or they have the opportunity to move around. Growing someone fresh out of community college, fresh out of high school or trade school, for us, that's been the best move. We combine that with our mentor program, pairing apprentice technicians with seasoned technicians.

We'll hold pop-up events where we invite potential candidates to various branches. We do a lot of work with the vocational and community colleges, and sometimes we're able to pull folks out of there, but I think the apprentice program works best for us. We're developing home-grown Ring Power technicians.

Cholmondeley: It seems like we're on a really good run right now, and that comes from leadership and culture. People want to come here. I'm not bragging, but I feel strongly about what we have to offer, and that helps generate talent.

Adkins: At our new facility, we're a level one authorized training center for Sullair. There are no others in the United States. Our primary focus is to be the best for our customers.

For more information, visit https://www.ringpower.com.

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