North American Trailer was founded in 1982 and acquired by Blaine Brothers family of companies in 2008 with the goal of being able to sell and service the whole rig — trucks and trailers.
“From that point, it just kept growing,” says Spencer Dally, CEO and grandson of one of those original Blaine brothers. He succeeds his father, Dean Dally, at the head of the family of companies, which also includes Blaine Brothers, TruckAline and Hydraulic Specialty. Spencer Dally oversees 11 locations across all of those lines, with 400 employes and 130 service bays. And they’re still looking to grow, Spencer Dally says.
North American represents Fontaine and Fontaine Specialized, Sidedump’r, Countryside, Stoughton, and MAC Trailer and MAC LLT.
“Our goal has always been to take care of the front of the truck to the back of the truck,” Dally says. “We do what we can to make sure the customer is taken care of.”
North American is a first-time finalist for the Trailblazer Award, powered by Successful Dealer. With the company’s do-everything, all-the-time attitude, it’s no surprise.
“We work around the clock,” Dally says, with a priority on doing what they can to manage costs for the customer and solve problems. He says North American even works with other trailer shops and dealers to make sure its customers are provided for. “We work very well with everyone around us.”
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As a third-generation family-owned company, Sales Manager Ty Kline says even with so many locations, communication keeps it feeling like a small company. Family values wind through the company and through corporate direction.
“The family really has invested a lot into the businesses and our people,” Dally says. “We are in the people business.”
The Dallys showed those values off with their 10-year succession plan. Spencer Dally says the family didn’t want anyone on the team to worry about leadership succession and changes at the top.
“We don’t want people to wonder,” he says. “It’s been very cool … we just hope it has set the right tone. It’s been very intentional for almost 11 years.”
Dally says intentionality will get the company through the next 25 years. As the planning went on, leadership made the rounds, communicating the family’s values and being proactive about announcing upcoming changes. Kline says as decisions were announced, there was a complete lack of surprise from employees.
“That’s really showing our communication and the dedication of all the managers,” he says, adding it was a huge boost to morale and proof positive North American is doing things right.
Wendy Sorquist, director of marketing for the entire operation, says the culture, along with partnerships with schools, helps the company recruit new talent. When they do find the right person, there’s a process to make sure the candidate is the right fit.
“We try to make a lot of good decisions in those early months,” Dally says. “That 12-month-to-three-year period. There’s a series of things we do to make sure it’s a right fit and we’re not hiring to hire.”
And those efforts have paid off. North American has very low turnover. It also hosts events to help celebrate its workforce, such as holiday parties and get-togethers, along with regular recognition for embodying the company’s values.
“Happy employees create happy customers,” Kline says.
North American has plenty of happy customers, but the company isn’t sitting back.
“We’re meeting customers where they’re at,” Sorquist says, be it online or in person, with a hot lunch from one of the company’s grill trucks. North American is making investments in e-commerce and other technological solutions to help it stay in front of its customers.
Kline says North American has gone so far as to install one if its techs in a customer’s shop to lend a hand or even taken over a facility to improve maintenance. It also hosts networking events, education and cookouts for customers, and it’s involved in both industry and community groups.
“Our community involvement is something we take great pride in,” Sorquist says. North American has race sponsorships and loves to support causes important to its customers, such as child cancer research, food banks and more.
Looking ahead, Dally and his team see more growth in the cards, but only if they can do it the Blaine Brothers way. He says the company has put a lot of energy into its culture and it’s eager to grow, but as long as they can do so and still uphold the values that have built it into what is today.
“We’re just going to do the right thing,” Dally says. “Sometimes, dang it, you’re going to take it in the shorts. But we’re going to do the right thing.”
The Trailblazer Award was created in 2023 recognize and honor North America’s trailer dealer community for their essential support of the transportation industry. The Trailblazer Award is graciously sponsored by Hendrickson and Procede Software. To learn more about the program, go the award page.
