INTRODUCING GRILLE GUARDS FOR PICKUPS
INTRODUCING GRILLE GUARDS FOR PICKUPS
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Walcott Iowa 80 Trucker Jamboree 2019 Highlights
The 2019 Walcott Trucker Jamboree at the worlds largest truck stop was a success! We had a ton of fun meeting truck drivers from all over the US.
2019 NSRMCA Show
2019 NSRMCA SHOW
NATIONAL STAR ROUTE ASSOCIATION EVENT
The seminar took place at the Golden Nugget Hotel in Las Vegas, presented by David Hendel, attorney for the National Star Route Mail Contractors Association (NSRMCA). This seminar focuses on HCR and CDS Contracts Terms and conditions for postal service contractors to maximize business operations.
The postal service plays a vital role in the employment and service of our transportation industry. Ex-Guard uses the NSRMCA as an opportunity to learn more about the postal service industry including claims, disputes, and the legal rights of drivers. Learning the annual changes in regulations as well as the day-to-day struggle that the postal service encounters help the Ex-Guard research and development department expand to keep in close contact with the needs of this developing area.
As the demand for shipping online orders increases, so does the demand for drivers in the postal service. Ex-Guard continues to support and learn from the leaders in the postal transportation industry.
Sales Corner – Tom Holt
My experience in the trucking industry started Thanksgiving 2011 when I accepted a position at Ex-Guard. Talk about baptism by fire, abruptly entering an industry and sorting yourself out, this was it. Of course, my territory was a breeze, Maine to Mississippi. Once I found where I fit, I discovered that my first object would be to educate my prospects on the peace of mind and high monetary returns that justified “wearing” guards. One of my early customers, Quest Global of Cartersville Georgia, after having installed guards on over 100 of their trucks, taught me the value of our guards. James Vogler said, “These Guards [XG-150], are worth their weight in Gold.”, and not only that he proved it to me from their records. All this takes me back to my early years in selling.
In 1967 my father bought a small industrial plastics business that had been dwindling through inattention. I, at eighteen years old, and my older brother were tasked with the job of making it successful. Being just a few months out of high school and untrained in sales, I tackled the sales end of the business and started knocking on doors. Not two years later, My Uncle Sam, who with a letter in the mail, intervened into my career in 1969. I was drafted into the US Army, trained as a combat medic, after which I was assigned to an x-ray position and served in Germany. During this time I had formal leadership training, I experienced a different part of the world. Learned German and visited the place where my Grandfather was born in Switzerland. Many of the soldiers that served with me missed the value of these experiences, but for me, I’ve carried them all my life and utilized them in my career.
After two years I returned home to Tennessee and picked up where I left off in the family business. Not much had changed, I began revisiting my customers and connecting with new ones. I’m a curious person, which has helped me in understanding problems and developing solutions for customers. One big problem that a lot of our industrial clients faced occurred from acid corrosion, once I learned this, it wasn’t long before I was able to help them get a more resistant product that would outlast the pipes they were working with. Experiences like this enabled me to build an ever-widening circle of prospects and introduce them to uses of our products that would increase their efficiency and reduce their expenses. One thing I noticed in 1971, upon my return, was that customers were anxious to meet with me. This differed from the years before 1969, turning into a very successful venture that continued until 1989. Thus mounting my career of consultative selling.
I’ve taken my curiosity and creative solution thinking paired with my leadership training in the army into my career at Ex-Guard. In the same way that I was able to help my customers solve their acid wear problems, I was able to take an even stronger product and introduce it in the Eastern part of the U.S. for Ex-Guard Industries. I have had the opportunity to interact with many dealers and fleets to assist them in the decision to protect their investments, eliminate much of their accidental downtime, achieve lower operating expense and peace of mind. Having an excellent and durable product made this much easier.
I have come across some very good stories from the road such as the one at MDI, where I was shown a bent XG-125 guard that had prevented a Ford Mustang from running under the steer tire of a Freightliner Columbia traveling at 65 MPH, avoiding serious injury or even death. Another one where a driver of a Mack had rear-ended a trailer of an extremely slow-moving truck, the Mack driver’s XG-125 guard had reduced the estimated cost of repair from $75,000 to $25,000. Then there was a Freightliner Cascadia equipped with an XG-150 grille guard. The Cascadia was traveling at Interstate speed when a car pulled directly in front of it from the shoulder, the strength and design of the guard caught the car broadside, as if in a safety net, pushing it down the highway until it came to a stop, the driver and passenger of the automobile escaped with minor injuries.
I’ve dedicated my life to working with people, selling them quality products that have improved and saved their lives. Looking back, I’ve worked hard to represent the character that my father instilled in me as a young man, starting fresh out of high school first as a machinist then in sales. He was a hardworking, honest, dutiful, and resolute man. I’ve used this as a model of character in my career. Even though these may be rare qualities to find nowadays, I’ve worked to develop these character traits with my team members at Ex-Guard. We have a great team, and I’m confident they will continue to represent these values as Ex-Guard expands. What are my plans for the future? I plan on following the road wherever it takes me, enjoying the ride and the stories along the way.
Tom Holt
Business Development Manager, Ex-Guard Industries
2018 Trucker Jamboree
THE EX-GUARD BOOTH
On Thursday, July 12th, the Ex-Guard Marketing Team set up a display booth at the Iowa Truck Jamboree held at the I-80 World’s Largest Truck Stop in Walcott, IA. The Jamboree is a 3-day jam-packed event which includes a display of antique trucks, a Super Truck & Beauty Contest, live music, Trucker Olympics, fireworks and some great food! It was our first time at the show as an exhibitor, so we were taking it all in. The weather was extremely hot and muggy all 3 days with a few rain showers, but the event was worth attending with all the beautiful, old and customized trucks that were on display.
It was amazing to see how many antique trucks were restored to their original condition or in some cases, a ‘better than new’ condition! I’m sure many of these trucks brought back some good memories to the crowds of people that walked past them, snapping every picture they could take.
There were 42,812 attendees at the jamboree. Many Ex-Guard fans stopped by our booth to simply say ‘hi’ and let us know what a great product our company has to offer. Inside the booth, we had our lightweight black LT-325 guard on display equipped with the popular single-hand quick release latch system. We also displayed a silver XG-150, offering one of the best bumper and grille guard protection systems available to the trucking industry.
We heard many testimonials from people telling us how their vehicles sustained a deer hit with very little or no damage equipped with the Ex-Guard Grille and Bumper Guard Protection System. As a matter of fact, a couple of attendees that gave their testimonial were so excited about our product, they spoke with people that dropped by our booth and let them know about their amazing experiences with Ex-Guard products.
It was a great experience and we will be back next year!
Bob Saxton
REPRESENTING QUALITY
I’ve never been to the World’s Largest Truck Stop on Interstate 80 but as an Iowa native, I’ve been past it many times. For this to be my first visit to the truck stop as well as exhibiting the World’s Best Front End Protection, Ex-Guard obviously, I was psyched!! Each one of the show trucks was unique and some were just a class of their own like the Freightliner Classic saluting our Veterans and the 2006 Peterbilt 379 named ‘End of Watch.’ It was fun meeting so many truck drivers with different stories and different backgrounds and hearing what inspired them. Of course, there were tons of Ex-Guard users and admirers that stopped by to reiterate just how great of a product we offer. The collision stories we heard ranged from elk to deer to trailers backing into them but my favorite was the bear story. One driver hit a black bear at full speed with the XG-150 guard and said the bear ‘went flying, rolled over a few times and then got up and lumbered off!’ Once again, there was absolutely no damage to the truck and our Ex-Guard lovin’ driver was able to keep rolling. With all of this in mind, I can’t wait until next year and I hope to see more of you there!
Nathan Holt
AMAZING TRUCKS
Although the weather at the 2018 Trucker Jamboree was hot, humid and rainy, it was a very successful first show for Ex-Guard. I spoke with tons of fleet drivers and owner/operators who all had stories to tell about animals they had hit. Many drivers had Ex-Guard Grille Guards so they were saved from truck damage and downtime where the other drivers weren’t so lucky.
The show trucks were amazing and the details on some of the trucks were incredible! My favorite truck of all was a 2006 Peterbilt 379 called ‘End of Watch,’ a memorial to fallen police officers, which won first place in two different categories. Overall, I had a great time and can’t wait to return!
Melissa Godron
FIRST TRADESHOW EXPERIENCE
As a new addition to the Ex-Guard Marketing Team, I was able to meet and learn about our customers at the I-80 Trucker Jamboree! This being my first event with Ex-Guard and as a person with not much experience in this area, I was very impressed with the creativity and style of the trucks. Everyone was so friendly. It was fantastic!
Caitlyn Smallridge
Dealer Spotlight – Vision Truck Group
Dealer Spotlight – Vision Truck Group
It all started 52 years ago with one man who had a great love for trucks. A love that evolved from driving tractors and operating machinery on his father’s farm near New Dundee. One of 12 children, John Slotegraaf Sr. was born in Holland and came to Canada with his parents. Growing up with a fascination for trucks, Slotegraaf Sr. came to believe that mechanics are the doctors of trucks, performing repairs as if they were surgeries. His vision was to open a shop that highlighted the importance of proper truck repair and the employees that do so. With a loan from a friend in 1966, Slotegraaf Sr. began his mission by opening the first, small repair garage at King and Eagle streets in Cambridge, ON. The first shop was so small that it could only accommodate cars and pickup trucks. Two years later, he moved to a larger three-bay facility, a site not far from today’s head office in Cambridge on Franklin Boulevard. He called the business Central Automotive Services and made his mark over the first 27 years repairing every kind of truck on the market.
Since then, the company has grown tremendously. Renamed Vision Truck Group (VTG) in the early 2000s, VTG specializes in not only truck repair, but as a truck dealership for both Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks North America with a Volvo sales office in Mississauga and four Mack Trucks sales offices across Ontario located in Cambridge, London, Stoney Creek, and the newest addition, Etobicoke. Adding to the growing success, there is also a Body Shop that specializes in repairs and service and a new 50,000 square-foot parts and distribution warehouse, both situated close to head office in Cambridge.
Known to many employees as a punctual and dedicated president, Slotegraaf Sr. had a mission to expand the company so that truck drivers and mechanics alike could have the best experiences in the trucking industry imaginable. It’s easy to see that vision has come to life and will only keep on reaching new heights as John Slotegraaf Jr. leads the company.
It was during his father’s six-year battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease that Slotegraaf Jr. assumed a more prominent leadership role and ultimately took over as president.
Today, the company thrives from the leadership of Slotegraaf Jr. and chief financial officer Steve Brenton, the son of former vice president Boyd Brenton as they continue lifting the company towards greater heights with the help of over 300 employees across seven locations. In 2016, Vision Truck Group was named Dealer of the Year by Mack Trucks. “Vision Truck Group exemplifies the kind of organization customers are drawn to, and for good reason,” said Jonathan Randall, senior vice president of sales for Mack Trucks North America. “The service, support, and dedication they provide keep their customers on the road and earning, and Mack Trucks is proud to be their partner.”
Our Vision
Our priority is always the customers. It may sound cliché and every organization may say it but Vision Truck Group truly goes above and beyond in highlighting the importance of the customer. This can be seen in every department’s hard work and dedication. For example, did you know that Vision Truck Group was the first in putting the Uptime Center Process into motion? The main purpose of the development of Uptime Centers was to reduce wait times because technicians began noticing that trucks with short repairs would often get stuck behind those with more timely repairs and that the concept of “first come, first serve” wasn’t working so well.
“This idea was pioneered by Vision Truck Group Mississauga in 2013, and then the process was refined, developed and implemented by Mack and Volvo North America,” said Travis Brown, Vision Truck Group Director of Service Operations. “We started a process and once Mack and Volvo heard about its success, they took the reins and now there are over 110 Uptime Centers across North America.”
Through these types of examples, it is evident that at the very core of Vision Truck Group is the goal to provide customers with the best options in the trucking industry. Even in sales, customers can take advantage of free demo programs which allow them to test drive trucks for extended periods of time in order to gauge whether or not a specific truck is right for them.
Beyond that, the VTG Parts Department offers a wide range of year-round promotions and discounts that help customers save money, time, and future expenses. We know that trucks, repair, and maintenance can cost a pretty penny so we do all that we can to partner with companies such as Ex-Guard to provide the best possible deals to benefit the customer.
Moving forward, Vision Truck Group has plans to expand further across Ontario while maintaining business practices that put the customer first.
Community Involvement
Vision Truck Group is a proud supporter of the community and the organizations that we are a part of. Our charitable involvement is a way for us to give back to the people and groups who have been loyal to us over our 52 year history. Twice annually, we review applications for charity sponsorships and donations; we have an external council that provides a thorough unbiased review so that each and every application is met with equal consideration.
Over the years, we have supported various organizations such as Canadian Cancer Society, McMaster Children’s Hospital, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Milton District Hospital, EduDeo, Bible League Canada, as well as minor sports sponsorships.
Additionally, for the past eight years Vision Truck Group has also been participating in the SickKids Foundation Annual Heat Wave Volleyball Tournament to raise money for children living with cancer. This year, three teams are already signed up to play in the Cambridge tournament during the first weekend of June.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to making peoples’ lives better and easier. Whether that’s customers, community and charity members, or employees, our company is what it is because of the people that surround us and help us be better collectively.
Alena Kondratieva
Marketing Coordinator
Vision truck group