'Lucky' Son Takes Family Dairy Farm Into Successful Trailer Sales Business
Fri March 25, 2011 - Northeast Edition
Not everyone turns their family dairy farm into a successful trailer sales business, but that's exactly what Russell "Lucky" Dimmick Jr. did.
In 1967, Russell Dimmick Sr. and his wife Sharon sold their construction business and purchased a new dairy farm in Randolph Center, Vt. Their son, Lucky, had expressed an interest in diversifying the family business into other areas.
The decision was made to try their hand at trailer sales and Lucky's Trailer Sales Inc. was founded in September 1984 on the family's 400-acre, 200-cow dairy farm.
Their first trailers were two Barrett all aluminum cattle trailers.
"We purchased these two cattle trailers at a Yoder & Frey sale in Ohio and we started doing some trailer brokering, putting potential trailer buyers in touch with trailer owners," said Russell Dimmick Sr.
"I'm not sure at the time that any of us had a vision of what this business was going to grow into. But today, cattle trailers are a very tiny part of our business. We had such a good experience with those first two Barrett trailers that we eventually picked up the Barrett franchise and later on we became dealers for Wells Cargo, Trailstar, Landoll and Transcraft, to mention a few manufacturers.
"We converted the equipment repair shop on our farm into the trailer shop and there were really just three employees — myself, my wife Sharon, and my son, Lucky," he said.
From 1984 to 1991, the company experienced strong growth to the point where being located on the family farm was no longer practical. It needed a location more convenient for customers to find and easier for what had become daily deliveries of new trailers and trailer parts.
The company leased a log cabin on Route 107 just off Interstate 89 in South Royalton, Vt. The repair shop remained at the family farm; all sales were handled from the facility on Route 107.
The company had grown from three employees to seven.
Between 1991 and 1993, the company experienced another strong growth period and a shop was leased near the sales offices in South Royalton. At this point the company had grown to 12 employees.
In March 1997, 13 years after the company had been founded, Lucky's Trailer Sales moved into a brand new facility that measured 80 by 184 ft. and the company was employing 22 people.
During the 26 years that the company has been in existence, Lucky's Trailer Sales has experienced astounding growth, according to the Dimmick family.
Lucky's has sold trailers of all shapes, sizes and applications, up and down the east coast of the United States. Its primary focus, however, is serving customers in the Northeast. To accomplish this it has invested in stocking trailers from a very large variety of manufacturers it represents, including Big Tex Trailers, Mission, Sure Trac, Hillsboro, EBY, Talbert, Transcraft, Reitnouer, Trail King, Mac, Trailstar, Peerless, Deloupe, Vanguard, Wells Cargo and Cargo Pro, among others.
The company has a very large multi-bayed shop where all types of trailer repairs and service are conducted.
"We have invested in over $2 million worth of parts stock so that we are generally well equipped to handle a repair on any trailer that we have sold. We also have a huge showroom, which features many of the accessories such as hitches, lights, tires, rims, etc., that any of our customers may need," Lucky Dimmick said.
"In this part of the country moving snow is a big deal. To accommodate our customers we sell and install approximately 450 snowplows a year. We've also expanded into the sale of truck and service bodies to accommodate municipal accounts, contractor and commercial customers that are in need of such items. For these types of products we offer Knapahied, Rugby, Hillsboro, Brandon, EBY and others.
"Due to the demand our service repair shop has expanded to 10 bays and we have two parts trucks on the road doing deliveries. Our sales staff has expanded to six full-time trailer specialists."
The company currently has more than 40 employees.
Auctions, Fairs and Expos
Lucky's Trailer Sales's relationship with Yoder & Frey Auction Company extended well beyond the purchase of those first two trailers. For about 20 years, Lucky's has exhibited at Yoder & Frey's large equipment auctions held each February in Kissimmee. The company found that many of its customers traveled to Florida in February to escape the harsh winters and it has always been a very good event for them, according to the company.
In addition to the Florida auctions Lucky's Trailer Sales also has exhibited for years at the Freyburg Fair in Maine and the Northern Loggers Show and Expo.
Getting the Word Out
"We are big believers in advertising," said Russell. "When a retail business like ours is located in a rural section of Vermont you have to advertise to get the word out. So, we spend a lot of money to make sure that our name is known and then we take great care to be sure our customers have a great experience here. They are only going to come back and tell their friends about us and make the long trip up here if they are completely satisfied before and after the sale, and that satisfaction is our goal.
"I used to joke that we called the company Lucky's because you would be lucky if you found us, particularly back when we were operating back on the farm. We must be doing something right; in good years we've been known to sell nearly 1,500 trailers.
"Taking care of our customers properly has paid big dividends. Today we routinely supply trailers to some of the largest hauling companies in the Northeast."
Not Just Cows
During many of the years of the farms operation in Vermont the farm also doubled as a dairy farm/dude ranch. Guests came to the farm from all over the country and at times from other countries to live and work on the farm and experience that lifestyle.
For more information, call 802-763-2585 or visit www.luckytrailers.com. CEG
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