At the young age of twelve , Shane Thompson had already developed the idea of being an entrepreneur .
“ I had a hotdog and hamburger stand ,” he explained of his early business acumen . “ I did that until I was sixteen or seventeen – that ’ s when I started selling trailers .”
Only in his mid-thirties , Thompson , by many accounts , is still considered a younger part of the trailer industry ’ s workforce . However , his early entry means he is now a seventeen-year veteran . It is an industry that , as a younger man racing stock cars with his brother , he was not outright looking to join when he came across it with his business partner . That does not mean he was not prepared , though .
“ We always had trailers during that time , whether it was racing trailers or a couple of utilities ,” Thompson remembered .
Eventually , his business partner came across a local sub-dealer who made claims of selling over 800 trailers every year . Skeptically hopeful , they bought three to see what all the fuss was about . Then , they bought more , building up a history of sales that would get them in contact with the larger manufacturers .
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TOP 5 TRAILER BRANDS : Forest River , N & N Trailers , Impact Trailers , Quality Steel & Aluminum Products , Coleman Travel Trailers
TYPES OF TRAILERS : Car Hauler , Concession , Custom , Dump , Enclosed , Heavy Equipment , Motorcycle , Snowmobile , Tiny Home , Tow Dolly , Towable RV , Toy Hauler , Utility
Now , Action Trailers is one of Canada ’ s largest distributors , selling thousands of trailers across North America to consumers every year . The dealership started with only two individuals but has now grown into a staff of more than 35 with four service bays .
“ I have devoted my whole life into this business ,” Thompson said . “ This has impacted us to where the company is today ”
His devotion and passion also opened new connections with some of the largest manufacturers in the industry . Action Trailers is Forest River ’ s largest sole cargo trailer dealer in North America and the largest N & N Trailers distributor in Canada . On top of all that , Action Trailers works with Forest River and locally based companies to produce an exclusive line : The Action Series .
4728 Engremont Drive Strathroy , Ontario N7G 3H3 519-245-8802 actiontrailers . ca
18 NATDA Magazine www www . natda . natda . org .