Born out of necessity , iCon Trailers had an unconventional start . Ben Froese , owner of Southern Trailers , was struggling to find inventory for several dealerships he owned . With the manufacturing connections the dealership staff had , putting together their own trailers was the obvious next step .
“ It was just about putting all the pieces together ,” remembered Dave Friesen , Manager at iCon Trailers . “ As the dealership team , our mentality is always , ‘ how do we solve this issue ?’ Well , what is the issue ? It ’ s the shortage of supplies .”
Once the group ’ s common goal of resolving the problem was identified , they were able to start the manufacturing process quickly , figuring out details as the issues arose . Since the initial plan , the staff had been working hard to establish the manufacturer as a distinguished brand .
“ We have a unique product on the market ,” explained Friesen . “ If someone is on a dealership lot and you explain our trailer ’ s function and the way it is built , they ’ ll lean towards the iCon Trailer , even if it is more expensive . Even if our trailer costs $ 1,000 more than a different brand , if the customer knows the details of our trailer , we ’ ll sell our product all day long .”
Acting in the interest of a brand-new company , Friesen knew it would benefit iCon Trailers most to be a production manufacturer and prioritize a higher quantity of trailers . The decision was made to lower lead times and get more trailers out into the world .
“ Right now , we ’ re working on getting our name out there with what we call ‘ cookie-cutter models ’,” Friesen divulged . “ We don ’ t have a lot of variety yet . Though we ’ re not completely opposed to it , we don ’ t do a lot of customization .”
The manufacturer currently has a lead time of about twelve weeks , though Friesen is still open to signing new dealers . It ’ s a priority for the company to work with strong dealerships and get trailers on their loads .
“ We want to satisfy our customer ,” said Friesen . “ With a situation like this , the squeaky wheel gets the grease . If there ’ s a dealer that wants to work with us , become a great ally and push out product , we ’ re open to that . It ’ s about more than lead times . We ’ re in the business of creating relationships .”
Luckily for dealerships , iCon Trailers does not only nurture relationships . The company ’ s values align with creating an enhanced product , too .
“ Somewhere along the line , an enclosed trailer was manufactured , and since then , everyone has been copying the same build over and over ,” remarked Friesen . “ It ’ s typical . We took the frustrations that we had with our enclosed at the time and created our own unique enclosed trailer . Our market segment is the hardworking American people . We don ’ t sell what ’ s cheap .”
According to Friesen , iCon Trailers boasts a better jack , sturdier coupler and a well-engineered frame . The company does not target one-time users . Instead , their team builds a trailer they expect to hold up , even if you own a construction company .
“ Any chance we get , we inject knowledge into what the dealers hear from us ,” he explained . “ A trailer is a trailer is a trailer , but ours have some fundamental differences .”
Adrian Reimer , Sales Representative at iCon Trailers , has plans in the works to visit the company ’ s dealers and educate salespeople . Education is important to the company ’ s staff , since they believe an educated salesperson is the most important factor to getting their trailers sold .
“ Dealerships ’ salespeople have control over what kind of trailer to sell to the customer ,” shared Friesen . “ The brand they like is what they will sell .”
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