Joe Laux is honest about it. He doesn’t love the harsh, cold winters of the upper Midwest. Between the bone-chilling winds and regular blizzards that bombard Wisconsin and Minnesota for months on end, Laux says he knows there are dealers in other regions who don’t experience the same weather challenges he and his team at River States Truck and Trailer face each winter.
But Laux also knows that as tough as winter is for his team, it is twice as hard on his customers. And for someone as committed to his customers as Laux, when the temperature starts falling each year, he can’t imagine being anywhere else.
“I’ve always believed part of good leadership is being involved,” says Laux, who joined River States Truck and Trailer in 1993 and has served as president since 1995. “I want to be here working with my team and supporting them so they can continue to serve our customers.”
And at River States, serving customers has always been priority No. 1.
“We believe in consistent, repeatable and dependable customer service at all times,” Laux says. “That’s what we want our customers to expect and that’s what we want to deliver.”
Founded as a White and Freightliner dealer in 1972, River States Truck and Trailer has grown over the past four decades into a six-location dealer covering both sides of the Mississippi from and operated from its headquarters in La Crosse, Wis. Though it no longer represents White trucks, River States remains a Freightliner dealer and also sells Sprinter vans. The company has a finance department and state-of-the-art body shop and, across its entire network, employs nearly 200 people.
The company is heavily committed to customer training. In addition to the standard system and component training courses found throughout the dealer channel, Laux says River States holds educational seminars on bonus depreciation and vehicle financing and connects customers with tax professionals and investment firms. Each offered at no cost, Laux says these value-added services help strengthen the partnership between River States and its customer base.
