Established in 1936 , the business , originally named New York Trailer Builders Supply , occupied a small 1,800 square-foot space at 229 West 58th Street near Columbus Circle in New York . The second-floor storefront allowed customers easy walk-in access to trailer parts and accessories .
In 1984 , larger storage requirements moved the business across the Hudson to New Jersey settling at 1401 Route 23 South in Butler . The store was renamed NY-NJ Trailer Supply . Because of the move , the company was ideally situated to service its clients located throughout northern New Jersey and the Tri-State area .
The family run business thrived for over half a century , until tragedy struck in the early 1990s . The owner had a stroke , and his wife was struggling to keep the business running . In 1993 , family friend Rawn Leegwater and his family purchased the business .
Leegwater , who had been working on race cars since childhood , and his brother , who was full-time mechanic , saw the opportunity to expand NY-NJ Trailer Supply by adding a service department . With this also came a warehousing capability to ensure ample stock . The pair quickly grew the location from 2,000 to 6,000 square feet . The addition of the service shop allowed for quick installation of hitches and the ability to service various types of trailers , including enclosed , equipment and utility trailers .
Leegwater leveraged his professional background in residential and commercial construction to cultivate a large customer base of construction and landscaping businesses and uses his service department to generate steady revenue and grow customer loyalty .
32 NATDA Magazine www . natda . org