Draw-Tite’s executive staff and marketing managers are (l-r) Tom Benson, vice president distribution and MIS; Larry Bieszczad, vice president finance; Roger Wilson, vice president sales and marketing; Mike McCann, product manaager; Mark Kennedy, director of marketing; Jim Mellow, president; Gerald Brunet, vice president operations; Todd Rader, manager, marketing communications; Dave Young, vice president engineering; and Terry Dambman, vice president national accounts.

Mellow believes this forum is an excellent example of not only listening by giving the customers an opportunity to give their opinions and ideas directly to Draw-Tite, but also an example of how Draw-Tite creates partnerships with its customers while their customers become better business operators by sharing ideas among themselves.

And whether it is creating partnerships with the dealers and distributors that market Draw-Tite's products, with car manufacturers, or the Draw-Tite work force, the company's success has a lot to do with its ability to listen to these partners. That philosophy has catapulted Draw-Tite to the top of heap.

Mellow said, "Our true foundation is that Draw-Tite was the first in the market, and the only one in the market for many years, to build custom designed, one-piece welded hitches designed for vehicles. We engineer and manufacture products for vehicles. That's our product foundation. We think we are doing a lot better job of that today than we have ever done -- in a more sophisticated and efficient way. Speed is of the essence today. We would like to have that hitch on the dealer's shelf before the car manufacturer delivers the first new model of a vehicle to the local automobile dealership. Trying to meet that goal is one of our strengths. Our product strength is our heritage and that will never change. We will always build the best products available. That's our foundation."

Since Mellow came to Draw-Tite the company has literally changed the hitch and towing accessory market. He said, "Draw-Tite did not invent the product, but we changed the whole market place back in 1984 when we introduced the receiver style Class II's. Back then, the only receiver was a heavy-duty receiver, and nobody had receiver style Class II's. Dave Young, our vice president of engineering, literally defined that opportunity, designed the product, and now the whole market place does it. And we are looking at some other ideas now, perhaps once again to reinvent and revolutionize the towing marketplace."

A solid foundation and a vision for the future are the ingredients for Draw-Tite's continued success. And while Mellow provides the leadership, one of the things you notice about Draw-Tite during a visit is that Mellow's is not an autocratic management style, rather a team approach.

Roger Wilson, vice president sales and marketing, explained, "As you walk around you will see people that are seasoned, creative, innovative and enthusiastic. They are happy to be here. We could not be successful without those 500 or so people we have. It amazes me every time I walk through the plant; they will look over, nod their heads and smile -- and they are happy that you care and happy that you wander around." Continued