Member Profiles

Featherlite, Inc.

Featherlite, Inc., headquartered in Cresco, Iowa, is a North American leader in the designing, manufacturing and marketing of quality aluminum specialty trailers, specialized transporters, custom mobile marketing trailers and luxury motorcoaches. The Featherlite trailer brand name itself was founded in 1973, and Featherlite, Inc. was established in Grand Meadow, Minn., in 1988. Five years later and after rapid growth, Featherlite, Inc. moved its corporate headquarters to Cresco, Iowa, where one of its manufacturing plants was already located. In 1994, the company was made public through an initial public offering of common stock. The following year, Featherlite acquired Diamond D Trailer Manufacturing in Shenandoah, Iowa, a nationally recognized steel trailer manufacturing plant. In 1996, Featherlite reached into a new market of luxury motorcoaches and acquired VantarŽ, International, Inc. of Sanford, Florida.

The company has grown substantially in the number of people it employs throughout the last decade. Featherlite employs approximately 900 people in its Cresco and Davis Corners locations in Howard County, with an annual payroll of $28 million to employees. Together with their other facilities, Featherlite employs over 1200 people in four states. Featherlite has a highly diversified line of products and is known for their ability to custom design trailers and luxury motorcoaches. Featherlite products include horse, stock, car, mobile marketing, vending, hospitality, dry freight, ATV, snowmobile and motorcycle trailers, race car transporters and luxury motorcoaches.

Annually, Featherlite manufactures approximately 10,000 trailers. Featherlite trailers are distributed through 250 full line dealers located throughout the United States and Canada, and FeatherliteÕs luxury coaches are sold and serviced at four locations across the United States. Featherlite annually contributes thousands of dollars to the local community. In 2001, the company contributed $221,700 to the city and county tax base, used to provide services to the citizens of the city and county. In addition to this, they contributed approximately $52,500 in cash and gifts-in-kind to organizations and charitable causes in local communities. One of their most recent contributions included a $50,000 donation to the new Northeast Iowa Community College center in Cresco, as well as $50,000 toward the purchase of welding equipment for the 10-station welding lab. Featherlite's presence stretches across the United States, and Featherlite has built a reputation of building quality aluminum specialty trailers. Featherlite is the "Official Trailer" and "Official Coach" of NASCAR. Featherlite built its first race car transporter back in 1992 for owner Richard Childress and the late Dale Earnhardt. Today, Featherlite manufactures approximately 90 percent of the transporters that haul race cars of NASCAR Winston Cup teams. Other motorsports sanctions Featherlite sponsors include CART, IRL, NHRA, Worlds of Outlaw, NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour, NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, among others.

Featherlite is the official sponsor of many other equine, livestock and powersports sanctions as well, including National Western Livestock Show, Iowa State Fair, World Pork Expo, All American Quarterhorse Congress, National High School Rodeo Association, the Paso Fino Horse Association and the World Snowmobile Association. For more information on Featherlite, visit their website at www.fthr.com and for employment information at Featherlite's manufacturing plants in Cresco, call Human Resources at 563-547-4725.