In the city best known for putting on a good show, last year’s inaugural Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) attracted the heavy-hitters in heavy-duty distribution and supply to the warmth of Las Vegas. It was indeed a big show and it aims to get bigger yet.
Dave Engstrom, chairman of the Joint Operating Committee, the organizing body of HDAW, is the man currently steering this conference toward becoming the must-attend industry event, consolidating the many conferences and shows scheduled throughout the year into one comprehensive meeting.
Engstrom draws on his experience as co-president of Mutual Wheel Co., a heavy-duty distribution company based in Moline, IL, with 11 locations and 110 employees in Illinois and Iowa.
Mutual Wheel Co. sports a colorful history fanning back 114 years to when the company began as a collaboration between 11 area carriage and buggy makers who needed a source for wheels.
“They manufactured wood spoke wheels, first for carriages and buggies, then for cars. They sold to Henry Ford and to the Dodge brothers,” Engstrom said. “They had an export office in New York and were sending wheels all over the world.”
Mutual Wheel departed from its wood spoke wheel-making roots in the late 1920s when the steel wheel eclipsed the market and replaced their wooden predecessors. “All the original owners were all either gone or retired,” said Engstrom. “When my grandfather purchased the company, he decided not to retool to make steel wheels. He started sourcing wheels and axles from other companies and that grew into what we do today-heavy-duty distribution.”
Today, Mutual Wheel Co. represents more than 90 truck and trailer parts manufacturers. Engstrom, who along with his two brothers Bob and Rich fill a job they refer to as “Office Of The President,” attributes some of their success to their willingness to keep shelves stocked.
