Get to know us
We proudly staff some of the finest individuals in the industry. Read on to find out more about the support structure that keeps AII together.
Rick DeAndero - president
Rick has the most seniority since he and Butch started the whole thing back in 88 when it was just the two of them. He is still at his desk most days at 6:00 am and loves to help employees and customers work through issues while Lee tries to keep him out of his hair!
Email: rick@americanindependentinc.com
Service
Lee Schofield - shop manager
Lee has been with AII for over fifteen years and has the most intimate knowledge of the shop and its contents. He’s a busy guy who handles the pressure well and always does his best to help answer questions promptly.
Email: lee@americanindependentinc.com
Butch Eckhoff - head mechanic
With over 40 years of experience with Caterpillar components, and one of the original founders of American Independent, Butch has been a fundamental part of our team. After 5 years at Shepherd Cat as the “transmission guy” and 10 years with IPD, Butch was the other half of a partnership that started it all in 1988. At the time, the customer list could be counted on one hand and they were all local contractors who knew Butch from the reputation he had earned at IPD and Shepherd.
Today Butch doesn’t turn many wrenches, but in many ways is more a vital member of our team than ever. He now helps to diagnose and quote component repairs in the shop, while also being a go-to guy for questions from AII mechanics and customers alike.
Email: butch@americanindependentinc.com
Sales
Trevor DeAndero - sales manager
Trevor began coming to work at AII with his dad at age five! As he grew up he went from sweeping to parts washing to tear down to shipping to quoting and finally to his current position of Parts and Sales Manager.
He has been instrumental in developing many of the important tools the company so heavily depends on today such as our tear down guide and gear grading system. His knowledge of computers and the internet have taken A.I.I. to new levels by expanding our customer base and making our systems more efficient.
Email: trevor@americanindependentinc.com
Robert Belleville - sales
Robert is new to AII but he has loads of experience including his time in the Marine Corps when he served two terms in Iraq working on trucks and heavy equipment in the field! He’s also a bit of a computer whiz who easily transitioned to and improved our way of doing things.
Email: robert@americanindependentinc.com
Nestor Garcia - sales
Nestor handles shipping and receiving and can usually be found on a forklift preparing the days orders or working on inventory. He also serves as our official Spanish translator.
Email: nestor@americanindependentinc.com
Accounting
Maria Pancheri - office manager
Maria is the glue that holds us all together! She has the dubious task of making sure the mounds of paper that flow into her department are sorted out and invoiced accurately and then somehow kept organized/documented in a way that satisfies Rick and the bean counters. She also takes care of HR, environmental and safety with the help of her small staff. She can be reached for questions regarding the administrative side of our business.
Email: maria@americanindependentinc.com