Ron Nilson, owner and CEO of Ground Force Worldwide and his wife of 47 years, Pamela Nilson have lived in Kootenai County for 19+ years. Ron and Pam are originally from the Seattle area and are blessed with 5 children and 14+ grandchildren (all living in the Spokane area). Ron has over (47) years in the manufacturing industry, owning several companies over the years. GFWW builds mine support equipment for both open pit and underground mines and currently exports 75% of their products, employees 220 people in the USA and is the leading manufacturer in the industry. Currently, he has (2) factories in the USA and three overseas; (2) in Europe (1) in Asia. Ron has spent over 30 years working directly with the CATERPILLAR® and their dealers worldwide and has built a reputation for quality and commitment to his customers. Ron serves on several boards across North Idaho including; Kootenai Technical Education Campus (KTEC), Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County, North Idaho Manufacturing Consortium, and is has served as President at PF Chamber. Ron also serves on the NIC Board of Trustees and was appointed by Governor Otter to the PNWER Board. In 2007, Ron was awarded “Citizen of the Year” and also United States Commerce – “Export Achievement Award” ; 2008, Ron was awarded the Inland Northwest Partners “Hall of Fame” award; 2009, GFWW was awarded “Company of the Year” by the Chamber of Commerce and also received the Governors Choice Award – “Lifetime Achievement Award”. In 2013, Ron was awarded the “Idaho Businessman of the Year” Award.
Listed skills include Leadership, Team Building, Public Speaking, Start Ups, and 15 others.