The third time is the charm for Trailer Equipment, who on Friday won the 2026 Trailblazer Award, powered by Successful Dealer.
Roger Swieburt, sales manager, accepted the award on behalf of CEO Russ Wellman, President Mackenzie Wellman and the entire Trailer Equipment team.
"It's a real honor to be here, standing up for Mackenzie Wellman," Swieburt said at the National Trailer Dealers Association (NTDA) Convention awards banquet in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. "She's a special individual."
Trailer Equipment was previously a finalist for the Trailblazer Award in 2023 and 2024, and this year beat out other finalists Atlantic Great Dane, Great Dane of Utah, North American Trailer and Total Trailers. The Trailblazer Award, which recognizes comprehensive trailer dealer operational excellence, is sponsored by Hendrickson and Procede Software.
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For Trailer Equipment, based in Byron Center, Mich., the award represents validation for the owners, managers and employees at the company, which has grown tremendously since its founding by Ross Wellman in 1982. Since then, it’s grown to two locations and 135 employees with plans for future expansion.
"(Wellman) would probably say she was honored and humbled," Swieburt says. "She couldn't be here because she's back home, doing the things that blaze a trail."
Trailer Equipment recently opened a new headquarters facility on the outskirts of Grand Rapids. The big yard and shop, combined with a flat organizational structure that empowers employees to make decisions quickly, means Trailer Equipment can handle deals and challenges their competitors can’t.
“We’ve got a competitive advantage from our leadership and our culture. We’re able to call each other and make deals very fast,” says Director of Service Jon Lynam. “The quicker they get on the road, the more money they can make.”
Sales Manager Roger Swierbut says the facility and the company’s excellent customer service means also Trailer Equipment can handle not only high-volume deals but also a high volume of custom deals.
“We can do both in an efficient, effective way,” he says.
The company’s services are so broad, Advertising and Marketing Manager Robert Arnold had to write a book about it. It’s attached to every email the company sends and sales staff also leaves a printed version when they make calls. Because Trailer Equipment does so much — truck washes, parts and service, sales, free mudflaps — customers may not understand all of the solutions that are available.
Arnold says he’s proud to work there and his colleagues are too. And it’s not just the chili cook-offs, football and baseball games and other employee events, such as the increasingly popular efforts to give back in the community and industry. It’s the training and investment Trailer Equipment puts into their staff, both professionally and personally. It shows in how the staff works with customers.
Lyman says in today’s transactional world, Trailer Equipment is still a relationship-centric business. “We’re trying to bring that relationship back, not just with coworkers but with customers too,” he says.
Rachael Martens, controller, adds the efforts the business has put into its culture have been game-changing. From its leadership succession plans to its many professional development programs, Trailer Equipment has tactics to make the workplace better for everyone.
“It’s been fun to watch other staff be able to grow and be excited about the future and future goals,” she says.
That includes when the company hires new staff, especially technicians.
Lynam says Trailer Equipment has the same problem the rest of the industry has — it’s tough to find a good technician. But rather than complaining, the company has taken action. It is working to set up a ground-up training program specifically for trailer repair and to get the state of Michigan’s certification tests changed to add trailer repair, making it easier for technicians and shops to be certified.
Trailer Equipment also gives employees the tools to change careers if they want to, paying for tuition or CDLs, and gives each employee a printed, clearly mapped, career progression they can follow. The company even offers training on new and emerging tech and solutions and cross-trains employees across different departments so everyone understands how their jobs affect their coworkers.
“We view them as talent and then they feel that way,” Lynam says.
One thing the staff is sure to be excited about is bringing the Trailblazer Award home. Lynam says the staff has been talking about the award ever since it was first announced. Now, it's theirs to hang on the wall.
