Blue Ridge Trailers has two decades in the trailer business, but every year still feels different.
2018 was no exception.
Over the past year, Blue Ridge Trailers grew our team, started offering some unique new products, and tackled challenges with creative solutions.
But there’s one thing that stays the same every year: our gratitude for our customers. Without you, none of our growth in 2018 would have been possible.
Thank you for being a part of our community. We hope you enjoy this look back on a busy, productive year, and join us for even more in 2019.
Celebrating Long-term and New Employees
A strong, dedicated team is the heart of any successful small business. We’re proud to have a staff of knowledgeable horse lovers that have been in our community for years.
In 2018, several members of our team celebrated significant anniversaries with Blue Ridge Trailers. These included:
- Our Office Manager Nicole Ramirez, who celebrated her 9th anniversary at Blue Ridge Trailers, becoming our longest-term employee
- Our Fabrication Manager Pete Krumholz and our Chief Service Technician Wayland Seale, who both celebrated six years at Blue Ridge Trailers
- Our Sales Manager Alison Windland, who celebrated five years at Blue Ridge Trailers
We were thrilled to bring Kate Morgan on board in November as our new Sales Associate. She comes from more than 10 years in the trailer sales industry.
Not only did our existing team grow, but our part-time Sales Associate, Robin Wood, also added an extra day to her schedule as our workload grew over the summer.
Our Part Time Sales Associate Suzi Windland had a big year as well. She earned her Masters Degree in Education, took a full-time teaching job at Charlottesville Catholic and topped it all off with a wedding to long-time love Drew Kelliher.
Finally, we’re so proud that our high school intern Joe Myers, who’s been working with us for almost two and a half years, graduated from Madison HS and secured a full-time welding journeymanship thanks to what he learned at Blue Ridge Trailers.
A Record Year for Trailer Service
Our Trailer Service Department had unprecedented growth in 2018, fueled in large part by return customers. Hundreds of our trailer buyers returned for regular maintenance, accessory installations, inspections and many other trailer services.
We’ve always known that high-quality customer service rewards itself. But it’s truly fulfilling to see this direct connection between our hard work and customer loyalty.
A Wide Range of New Trailer Products
New products and innovations make the trailer business exciting for both our team and our customers. We added several new items to our inventory in 2018 to stay at the forefront of the industry and give our customers more choices.
These included:
- Tandem-axle aluminum utility trailers
- RC Trailers cargo trailers, bringing us up to three manufacturers for cargo trailers
- CAM Superline’s Car Hauler series, which have removable fenders that allow for wider vehicles than a standard car hauler
- River Valley’s carriage trailer for hauling horses and carriages
- Smaller, non-industrial dump trailers that can be pulled with a tractor, ATV, or golf cart–perfect for use at a barn or for residential landscaping
We’re also excited to offer expertly designed custom cargo trailers thanks to our Sales Manager Alison Windland. Over the past several years, she has developed an expertise in designing highly specialized trailers for our clientele, resulting in a record number of custom cargo sales in 2018.
The Ultimate Lesson from 2018
As Blue Ridge Trailers co-owner Donna Martin put it, the lesson of 2018 was: “be nimble, be creative, and take care of your customers.”
Like any business, our bottom line is directly impacted by the laws and regulations of our industry. In 2018, it was all about steel and aluminum tariffs, which we had to prepare for in terms of trailer purchasing.
Our solution was to pre-order trailers before prices went up. Not only did this help us maintain our inventory, but it also meant we wouldn’t need to pass on higher costs to our customers. We were able to sell our trailers throughout 2018 at pre-tariff prices, making us very competitive.
We hope you’ll join the Blue Ridge Trailers team as we continue our hard work and growth in 2019. You can stay in touch on Facebook, Instagram or via our free monthly email newsletter. And if you ever have a question about trailer purchasing, service, or anything else, please contact us online, at info@blueridgetrailer.com, or at (434) 985-4151.