Meet the Team: Lance Kammerer
What do a cop, a flight attendant, a pro angler and a car salesman have in common?
Lance Kammerer.
An Area Sales Manager for Cutting Edge Supply since June 2022, Lance has made several interesting and exciting shifts throughout his career path.
Born and raised in Sacramento, Lance moved to San Diego straight after high school with the goal of becoming a cop. He originally attended Grossmont College and then transferred to Southwestern College as they hosted the Sheriff’s Academy.
“It was hard to become an officer at the time, but you could take AOJ classes through Southwestern that were actually taught by the Sheriff’s department,” said Lance. “I did that for about a year and a half and then went into the Academy.”
At 21, he was hired as a deputy sheriff for San Diego County, a role he continued in for the next five years before deciding he was ready for something totally new.
“I am a very upbeat person, love laughing and having fun and being an officer really kind of dragged me down,” shared Lance. “I worked in the jail for the first year and a half and there was nothing fun about it. I still can’t eat baloney to this day because that’s how the jail always smelled. I was single at the time and decided to go be a flight attendant for Southwest. It was so fun. I did whatever I wanted when I wanted.”
The flexibility as a flight attendant allowed Lance to compete as a professional bass fisherman, earning a #3 ranking on the west coast.
“I was sponsored and it sure was fun, but it was also expensive to enter those tournaments,” shared Lance. “I was sleeping in the back of my truck and trying to work to save up money for the next entry fee. A lot of the guys I ran with in those tournaments are on TV right now, fishing those big boy tournaments and that’s what they still do for a living.”
After a five-year stint at Southwest, Lance shifted his career trajectory once again, taking a job in 2000 as a car salesman in Orange County. The decision panned out as he was promoted to a sales manager of six GMC dealerships across Orange County.
In 2007, Lance cracked into the heavy equipment industry, taking a sales position at Tricon Metals, a job that spanned more than 15 years.
“I really enjoyed working with Tricon, but it just seemed like every five years we were dealing with new ownership,” said Lance. “I used to sell clad plate to Cutting Edge and the fact that they were a family-owned business was something that appealed to me. Since joining the Cutting Edge team and seeing things up-close, it’s really clear that they are setting the gold standard in the industry.”
Based out of Mesquite, Nevada, Lance spends at least four nights a week out on the road visiting customers. With his extensive knowledge of abrasion-resistant steel plate, he services the mines in Northern Nevada while also supporting the Outside Sales reps across Reno, Sacramento, Bakersfield and Vegas.
“My customers and teammates can always expect top-notch service and a smile,” said Lance. “Like I said, I’m an upbeat guy. I’ll drop anything if there’s a problem and my customers know I’ll immediately be on my way.”
Empty nesters now that their son has recently turned 18 and off working in cyber security, Lance and his wife have become the Best Friends Animal Society’s “number one kitten foster family.” He’s also an avid golfer, hunter and still enjoys fishing for fun.