National Trucking Week

Wednesday, September 10 Supplement to the Winnipeg Free Press Manitoba Trucking Week 2014 15 By Jennifer McFee For the Free Press Photo by Darcy Finley W ith a remarkable record of fast-track growth, Trailer Wizards Ltd. is blazing a trail to success. Winnipeg branch manager Rene Liban joined the company in 2010, the same year that Lions Gate Trailers bought out GE Trailer Fleet Services, formerly known as TIP. Lions Gate rebranded itself as Trailer Wizards to keep all of its providers under one umbrella across the country. Since then, expansion has been exponential with no plans to slow down. "They took over the existing equipment and brought on the existing employees that were in the Winnipeg branch. At the time, there were two people and 198 trailers for rent or lease," Liban recalled. "There was a two-trailer bay shop with a house trailer for an office on two and a half acres of land at Oak Point Highway." After buying property in the new Brookside Industrial Park, the local branch was able to expand. "Today we're sitting on 19.1 acres. We have a 37,700-square-foot shop and office building. tCurrently, I have 13 trailer technicians on duty and seven office staff with 900 trailers for rent," Liban said. "With our new shop, we have 14 trailer bays for repairs and two wash bays for cleaning and washing our equipment. We also stock and sell our own parts in our 9,000 square-foot shop area just for parts." The Winnipeg branch is currently the only location in Manitoba, it is one of 16 Trailer Wizards establishments from coast to coast. "The company owns approximately 20,000 trailers across Canada. Quite a few of the large trucking companies rent from us. We also sell trailers. It's been fantastic. A great company to work for and they're very safety-oriented. If there is anything we need to make our jobs safer and enhance what we're doing, we do it," he said. "Our growth has been primarily driven by our high quality equipment and exceptional service. We do our best to meet the needs of the customer every time." Looking to the future, more opportunities exist for further development — both at Trailer Wizards and in the industry in general. "We are looking to continually grow. When we moved from our previous location back in March 2013 to the new facility here, we moved over with five technicians and three office staff. Now we have 13 technicians and seven office staff," Liban said. "I see that we'll continue to expand because we're taking sure and positive steps in growing our business. We have the physical capacity to have up to 30 technicians on the floor servicing equipment, and are continually looking to expand our customer base not only in terms of rentals and sales but also in terms of maintenance and service work. For job seekers who would like to be on the road to a rewarding career, Liban encourages them to check out the company's website for job postings in Manitoba and straight across the country. Currently, the Winnipeg location is looking to hire licensed trailer technicians and body technicians. "We have an excellent benefit and pension program. We train our people well by sending them away for training or bringing people in to train them, whichever is necessary. We're constantly looking at innovative techniques and equipment, and we're keeping up with all the new technology that's out there," he said. "It's an excellent company to work for. The people are great and for me, I enjoy growing our customer base and dealing with the day-to-day business." Not to forget the rest of the community, Trailer Wizards also shows its appreciation through its support for ongoing charitable initiatives. "We're a big supporter of the food banks across Canada. Our employees and customers are also encouraged to make donations at events such as customer appreciation days" he said. "We also support Special Olympics by donating a trailer that they decal and put banners on for advertising to be in the truckers' convoy that takes place every September. As well, we donate trailers to Tim Hortons to use for their construction out near Pine Falls. It's important to us to be able to give back." "We do our best to meet the needs of the customer every time." Trailer Wizards conjure up growth From left, Gary Myroniuk VP Prairie Region, Anne McKee EVP Trailer Wizards, Bruce Probetts Shop Manager Win- nipeg, Rene Liban Branch Manager Winnipeg, Shawn Rushton Shop Manager Edmonton, Colin Slade Director of Parts, Stephane Morin Shop Manager Montreal. Weofferexcellentpay,benefits&pensionplan. Sendresumestojobs@trailerwizards.com orfax1-855-907-1722 NOWHIRING ExperiencedTrailerTechnician &BodyTechnician.

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