MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Rodney Ehrlich, co-founder and CTO of Wabash National, passed away on Oct. 9. He was 72 years old.

Wabash Canada’s president and CEO Brent Larson expressed his sadness of the company’s loss.

He had this to say: “I had the distinct honor of working closely with Rod for several years as SVP, sales and marketing at Wabash National. While I was there, I had the awesome responsibility, along with our talented dealers, branches and sales reps, of translating Rod’s vision and designs into solutions for our customers.

“Rod’s brilliant ideas and product innovation literally transformed the conversation from thinking of trailers as “boxes on wheels” to thinking about trailer design and its related components, in a “total cost of ownership” perspective. No other trailer engineer or company has done more for this way of thinking, than Rod Ehrlich. It was one of the most treasured responsibilities I took on, from such a brilliant and good man that he was.

“In addition to his innovative and entrepreneurial talents and skills, Rod was an enormously positive and engaging person. His razor-sharp sense of humor always left me smiling. His good nature and kind, respectful approach left every customer, and associate feeling heard, relevant, and more informed from just listening to him.

“I feel fortunate that I was one of few executives who had the opportunity to work closely with Rod. The industry and everyone he has ever touched, are better because of him. I will miss him dearly.”