The National Association of Trailer Manufacturers (NATM) hosted its 27th annual convention and trade show in New Orleans, Feb. 11-13. The recent trade show had a total of 869 attendees, 230 booths sold and 178 exhibitors.
All of the exhibitors surveyed agreed that the NATM show was a quality exhibition that benefits their company. First time exhibitor at the NATM Trade Show, Jerry Koster of ALT Enterprises said, “It’s been a successful show. It’s been excellent; NATM has done a wonderful job of bringing customers to us.”
Educational workshops included “Fatigue of Welded Connections,” “Listen to the Steel: Learning from Failures,” “Introduction to Project Management,” “Charting the Course Through Demographic Change,” “Unlocking the Hidden Costs of Welding,” and “Is Green the Right Color for You?” In addition to luncheons, receptions and the trade show, the association presented multiple awards including the Associate Member of the Year, Green Manufacturing Award, Young Professional of the Year, and the Outstanding Member Award at the Association Awards Breakfast.
Randy Lemasters of Statistical Surveys was presented the NATM Outstanding Associate Member Award. This award is presented annually to an NATM trailer manufacturing associate member recognizing his or her contributions to NATM and trailer manufacturing industry. Lemasters will be retiring from Statistical Surveys. This is Lemasters’ second retirement. He retired 12 years ago from NuWa Trailers where he was the Vice President of sales. He then joined Statistical Surveys to develop the Recreational Vehicle Dealer report and was instrumental in its implementation. He also helped design and develop the file on the electronic cube delivery system. Randy worked with NATM in developing the five trailer types that Statistical Surveys, Inc. now uses to report industry sales.
Load Trail, LLC, of Sumner, Texas, was awarded the NATM Green Manufacturing Award to recognize their innovative solutions for trailer manufacturing with reduced impact on the environment. PPG Industries, Inc. is a founding sponsor of the Green Manufacturing Award and annually donates $5,000 to the charity selected by the award recipient. This year, Ron Yarnell, OEM Sales Manager, assisted NATM President Mike Lloyd with the presentation of the award and check to Load Trail who generously selected Roots and Wings International Ministries of Honey Grove, Texas, to receive the $5,000 contribution.
Load Trail received the Green Manufacturing award for their work in changing its pre-treatment chemistry (Iron Phosphate) to a technically advanced, non-regulated zirconium pre-treatment, which was specifically formulated for Load Trail and named “Load Trail Green Z”. Additionally, Load Trail achieved the following: corrosion protection increased dramatically, chemical concentration reduced from approximately 3-4 percent to 0.5 percent., zirconium pre-treatment at the use concentration of 0.5 percent requires no post rinse reducing water requirements, chemical heat requirement reduced from 150 degrees F to 80-90 degrees F, extensive reduction in propane usage and safer work environment for pre-treatment employees. Previous chemistry had a health rating of 2 and current chemistry has a health rating of 1.
NATM presented two deserving individuals the NATM Outstanding Young Professional Award, which is given in recognition of the accomplishments of an individual 40-years-old or younger who has been innovative and successful in the trailer manufacturing industry. Marty Lorick, Jr., Triple Crown Trailers, was one recipient of the Young Professional Award. Marty began his career in the trailer industry at 9-years-old working in his father’s trailer manufacturing facility. When his father stepped down in November 2006, Lorick, Jr., assumed ownership of the family owned business. Since then, Lorick, Jr., forged Triple Crown Trailers into one of Florida’s leading open-trailer manufacturers. Lorick currently serves on the NATM Convention Committee.
Bernardo Duran III also was presented the Outstanding Young Professional Award for his work on the NATM Technical Committee and his numerous submissions of educational articles for NATM’s bi-monthly publication, Tracks. The magazine’s readership is regularly impressed with the educational information offered in his thorough, detailed articles on corrosion and galvanizing. Duran has regularly volunteered to support and aid in the work of the association despite his high level of involvement in academic and research associations outside of NATM.
The Outstanding Member Award is presented each year to an individual, who has made a significant contribution to the trailer manufacturing industry. This year’s recipient, Ricky Baker, founder and president of Big Tex Trailer Manufacturing, has been an active member of NATM since 1993, began building trailers in 1976 and, in March of 1983, began producing trailers in Odessa, Texas. His company has become known as one of the most diverse and largest utility trailer manufacturing company in America. Baker has served multiple times on the NATM Board of Directors, sponsored the first legislative roundtable at his manufacturing facility and continues to support the involvement of his employees on the NATM Board and committees.
