Jeffery Anderson was still in high school when his father purchased
a Louisiana trailer dealership, thinking it would be a good part-time
business. However, it soon became apparent that the dealership,
now called Cowboy Trailers, could grow into a full-time business
for the entire family.
In the early days, Anderson worked at the dealership after school,
but he eventually took to managing it while in college. It’s fair to
say that juggling college classes and working full time was no easy
task.
“It was pretty tough. At 19-years-old, you aren’t quite ready to
take on a full-fledged business, but we had to do what we had to
do,” Anderson said. “Back then, cell phones weren’t as popular
as they are now, but I had a beeper and a cell phone. I would go
to college and the dealership would beep or call me, so I’d have
to leave class and figure out what to do.”
Those phone calls and beeper messages eventually paid off.
Anderson took over full ownership of Cowboy Trailers three
years ago.
Working with an assortment of manufacturers, Cowboy Trailers
mostly sells utility, cargo, horse and living quarters trailers. In
addition to his top sellers, Anderson also moves a fair amount of
dump, enclosed, gooseneck, RV trailers, and truck beds.
The dealership’s website boasts that, in its early stages, an average
of 150 trailers left the lot every year. Last year, though, over 650
units were sold. Anderson attributes his dealership’s success to
a simple adage.
“Do what is right - no matter what,” Anderson explained. “When
I lay my head down at night, I want to sleep well. So, we do
what it takes to make that happen. Moving into the utility and
cargo industry helped sales by offering the right thing to the right
people. That’s how we’ve found success.”
Though he can celebrate the successes of his business, Anderson
is fully aware of the hardships that come with running a dealership
- including “hiring the right people.”
Anderson said, “Sometimes it’s just hard to find good, key people.
I was fortunate enough to find many long-term employees. My
secretary has been here for over thirty years. When we bought
the business, she was here and she’s been here ever since.”
Cowboy Trailers is currently looking for a new technician to add
to its ranks, but Anderson says it all comes down to “finding the
right chemistry.”
“I don’t expect everyone to be best friends, but I do want
employees to respect each other while they’re here and to
respect what they do for the company,” he explained.
16 NATDA Magazine www.natda.org