Any startup owner knows they will face challenges in their first few years , but Brandon and Crystal Arthur of Rex Trailers never imagined how rocky their start would be . The couple opened their doors in March 2020 , when the world was shutting down .
“ I had heard the word COVID but had no idea the nightmare it would be . The timing couldn ’ t have been worse ,” recalls Crystal . “ Pennsylvania literally shut down the day we got our license . A friend at the State Capitol gave me a heads-up . The workers didn ’ t know about the shutdown , but we did . We refused to leave until we had our license . By the time they came back from lunch , that changed . They were like , ‘ Here ’ s your license . Please leave .’”
“( After we opened ), we managed to get trailers . Then , the supply dried up due to wood and steel shortages . We never closed our business but never had trailers on the lot . My husband would deliver orders directly to customers as soon as they were complete .” continued on page 29
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