Mississippi Valley Equipment Company
Meet The Team
Karl Bogle
Karl Bogle, MVE's CEO and majority owner, started his pile driving equipment career with Mississippi Valley Equipment Company back in July, 1977. The course of his career reflects his intimacy with the equipment he sells. Following a stint of some four years as corporate parts manager, Karl took on the role of overall corporate service manager. After ten years running service, Karl was ready for the position of territory manager of sales, assuming responsibility for overseeing pile-driving equipment rentals and sales for nine states-MO, N/IL, IA, WI, MN, ND, SD, NE, OK and KS. After fourteen years in this role, he was promoted to Vice President until November 2013, when he accepted the position as MVE's Chief Operating Officer. Most recently Karl became CEO and majority owner in 2023.
CEO
Mike Whisler
Mike Whisler, MVE's Chairman, continues a tradition as the third generation of Whisler leadership for the company. A St. Louis native born in 1965, Mike literally grew up in the pile driving business, starting 25 years ago as an apprentice welder in our fabrication department. Since that time, Mike has worked his way up through the company, including a five year stint as Service Manager, on to Vice President for 12 years before taking over as President in May, 2005. After operating as MVE's CEO and president for the past 11 years, Mike has assumed the role of Chairman / CFO for MVE in July, 2016.
Chairman /CFO
Loyal Smith
Loyal Smith joined MVE/MKT in March 2015 to lead the accounting department. Having been in the accounting field for most of his career, he has been involved with manufacturing, distribution, and construction industries primarily. When not working, he likes to hike and travel.
Director of Accounting
Bob Clapsaddle
Bob Clapsaddle began working for MVE February 1, 2016 as a sales territory Manager. He has an extensive background in the construction industry beginning in 1988 when he attended the US Army Corp of Engineering School. Bob spent 8 years working for the Army Corp of Engineers is several different divisions and in four different countries outside of the United Sates. Bob primarily covers the Midwest and southern areas of the United States in developing new accounts as well as maintaining relationships with current customers.
Sales Manager
Nick Whisler
Nick began at MKT working part time for the service manager spraying weeds, painting, and servicing machines. Nick came back to work with MKT as an engineer in June 2014 after graduating from Missouri University of Science & Technology with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. After two years of service with MKT, Nick was promoted to VP of Engineering & Product Development taking responsibility of the improvement of MKT's current product line and the development of new products to meet the ever changing demands of the pile driving industry. Most recently Nick was promoted to President of MVE/MKIT.
President
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Ken Sifford
In 1988, while working on his bachelor's degree in business from the University of Missouri at St. Louis, Ken began working part time in the shop at MKT Manufacturing, Inc. Taking part in inspection and assembly, Ken acquired a good foundation of knowledge of the equipment and their components. In 1992, Ken moved to the distribution side of the business to manage MVE's Parts Department and later assisted management in the service department as well. In 2011, Ken moved into the Sales Department where he worked closely with both his peers and our customers to serve their equipment needs. Most recently, in 2016, Ken was promoted to VP of Operations for MVE. Ken still maintains his customer base while being more involved with the day to day operations of the company. With many years of experience and customer service excellence as his focus, you can be confident we will deliver what you need, when you need it!
Vice President
Chris Cayce
Chris has spent many years with both Mississippi Valley Equipment Company as their service manager as well MKT Manufacturing Inc. as their distributor and product support rep. Chris' many years working on all kinds of different pile driving has given him a depth of foundation industry equipment second to none. After Chris' time as MKT product support rep. he resumed his role as MVE's service manager and is educating the next generation of equipment owners, operators, and mechanics on best pile driving practices along with equipment maintenance. If you have any service questions please reach out to Chris for his expert help.
Service Manager
Bob Clapsaddle
Phillip Solari grew up in St. Louis, MO, where he developed a passion for ice hockey from an early age. His love for the sport led him to Lindenwood University, where he pursued his education and played on the university's hockey team.
After college, Phillip built a career in sales, focusing on residential construction and food processing equipment prior to his role with MVE. Outside of his professional life, he enjoys playing golf and cheering on St. Louis sports teams. Phillip is known for his dedication to helping customers achieve their goals, always striving to provide the best service and solutions.
Territory Sales Manager
Bill Kruse
Bill is a parts manager who works with customers and clients to fulfill parts needs, as well as provide accurate and timely orders.
Bill knows that having reliable access to parts with excellent customer service is crucial to a productive job site/company.
Bill has supported organizing and expanding an already large MKT inventory.
Bill has more than 10 years of experience in warehouse and customer service environments, and looks forward to helping make sure you have the parts you need, when you need them.
Please contact Bill by email or phone for any parts needs you may have.
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Parts Manager