Views of an Employee.

“Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan.” -Unknown

Up until the past few weeks I’ve never had to deal with politics much more than researching who I’m going to vote for. A few weeks ago, the controversial Governor Walker visited my place of work (CURT Manufacturing) to award the company with some grant funding approved for road improvements, a project that was applied for in 2010 under the previous governor. Contrary to some of the misinformed comments, if you click here you will quickly find that this road development grant is in no way a “campaign contribution” reimbursement check, as some people have implied. CURT Mfg. has NEVER contributed a single dollar to help fund a political campaign! A lot has been said about CURT Manufacturing in recent weeks, I want to take this opportunity to dispel some of the fallacies I’ve found.

First of all, I would like to make it clear that this grant money helps all citizens, not just CURT or CURT employees. There are hundreds of vehicles from compact cars to multi-ton steel toting semi’s that come in and out all day long. The day after the governor’s visit, there was a head on collision on Highway 12 directly in front of the entrance to our facility involving two cars in which neither was a CURT employee. Looking at the wreckage from our office windows, it was plain to see that if there was a stop light there, it probably wouldn’t have happened. The grant money received from the federal government is for a stoplight to increase public safety, not to help with expansion expenses.

Second, CURT Mfg. has worked with many gubernatorial administrations since the company’s inception in 1993, and CURT will continue to work with every administration from either side of the aisle. CURT received this grant the same way millions of college students do each year…by filling out the appropriate paperwork and meeting or exceeding the requirements that the state government has put in place!...Job creation at CURT began a long time ago and hopefully will continue well into the future!  

All of this negative attention has been a little hard to watch. CURT has been bashed all over the internet for many things, some of which are completely fabricated. CURT is a relatively small company with less than 400 associates nationwide. We consider it an honor to have the governor of our state ask to come and tour our facility. Not because of his policies or party, but to show the public that there can and will be economic growth even in this current climate. There is a reason CURT has won the Wisconsin Manufacturer of the year award twice. Just last year CURT was awarded the Eau Claire Area EDC’s Paragon Economic Impact Award.  CURT Mfg. is a proud  American company. Our core products are all manufactured right here in northern Wisconsin. They are sold or installed by retailers all across the United States and Canada, most of which…Small businesses! CURT Mfg. and its customers meet the towing needs of American and Canadian citizens!

Travis Mai
Social Media & Tech Specialist
CURT Mfg. LLC

This is CURT!

(Turning Needs into Wants)

In many of my blog posts I relate towing to different events that have transpired in my life. Today I wanted to do something a little different and talk about events that have transpired throughout the history of CURT Mfg. (my employer) that have resulted in my ability to blog about towing.

Anyone that Google’s Curt Tambornino can easily find the origins of CURT Mfg. Starting in ‘93 when Curt and his wife Tammy circled a slew of retailers throughout Wisconsin selling their imported trailer balls out of the back of an Eagle Talon as C & T Distributing. While humble beginnings and underdog stories are heartwarming and inspirational, I wanted to talk more about how their decisions and leadership skills have affected not only the company’s good fortune, but mine as well.

Leadership: Jack Welch former CEO of GE once said “To be a leader, you have to make people want to follow you, and nobody wants to follow someone who doesn’t know where he is going.” I don’t think there is a single associate within this company that within one or two weeks of employment doesn’t know exactly where this company is going…to the TOP!  I’ve worked for many different companies and this is the first one where I couldn’t tell you the number of times that I’ve personally spoken with the president or vice president of the company. A good leader can’t lead from behind a desk. A good leader inspires and spawns new leaders in his/her wake. This is the only way to be truly successful.

Creativity: People invest a lot of time, money, and pride into their vehicles. Before CURT Mfg., the trailer hitch was nothing more than a boxy flat-black purely functional tool attached to the rear of the vehicle. Curt saw the growing market of custom step rails, brush guards, and bed rails booming in the aftermarket community.  This is when he took the same concept to trailer hitches by custom designing them to fit and compliment each vehicle with either square or round tubing. That and the addition of a high-gloss powder coat finish turned the trailer hitch from a need to a want!

Investment: To me, this is where CURT truly stands out from all of our competition and is the reason why MANY small businesses fail.  By investment I don’t mean putting money back into the business for its own expansion, although that happens here on a continual basis. (Click here to read about CURT’s latest expansion.) CURT truly invests in its customers and associates.  At the end of the day if our customer isn’t happy, that means that we have a problem…not our customer.  This also means we must take the necessary steps to improve. Even if we have to take a step back! As far as the investment in our associates…When I had my first interview I was asked (like most interviews) why I wanted to work for CURT Mfg. If this was any other interview I would have found a way to put “duh, cause I need money” nicely. For the first time I could actually be honest and say “because I’ve never heard anyone say that they didn’t like working here.” Once hired, I was quickly swept away by the hard work, drive, and ambition of everyone. I went from a person that needed to work to a person that wanted to work. In less than 4 years I went from fabrication to shipping to powder coating to customer service to my current position as Social Media & Tech Specialist in our eCommerce department which allows me to do what I truly love, create and write! The first job I’ve ever had that I’ve felt that if I keep up my end of the bargain, so will the company!

CURT Mission Statement: CURT Manufacturing stands for EXCELLENCE in our products and our associates. CURT aspires to be the industry LEADER by recognizing that the Customer is KING and our Associates are our greatest ASSET.

  

CURT is not the only company that culminates these key ingredients of success.  There are many out there, and if more companies took these steps to not only grow their business, but their employees as well, America would not be in the shape it’s currently in. So if you’re reading this and you’re a business owner or manager; GET CREATIVE, LEARN TO LEAD & INVEST IN YOUR PEOPLE NOT JUST YOUR PROFIT!

Travis Mai - Hitch Guy

  

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If You Build It...

Growing up, hunting and fishing was always a big deal in my family. Being of age to hunt was more exciting to me than even getting my driver’s license. It meant that instead of just hearing all the greatly exaggerated stories of my father and uncles, I would now be able to take part in creating them.

40 Acre View

For years my father, brother and I have been talking about building a fully enclosed deer stand where we hunt, but every summer we find ourselves too busy to build one. The reason we need one so bad is the 40 acres of land we hunt can be covered with one rifle,  and if we are spread out all over it the less the chances are of us having deer come through.  For the past few years only two of us would be able to hunt the land in a small ground level turkey blind leaving the third man to go elsewhere. This left us quite cold and unable to see a good portion of land due to undergrowth blocking the blind windows no matter where we put it.

Throughout the 26 years my parents have been married, my dad has been saving every worthy scrap piece of construction material he could get his hands on because, “I’m going to build something with it someday.”  My mother has never shared his positive outlook on this aesthetically agonizing pile of (exploitive deleted) spread around the garage. We decide that two days before opening deer season we would load up the trailer, tow it all out there, and build a pillbox big enough to house all three of us.

We argued about our designs and ideas the entire way to the hunting land, but as soon as we got there our ideas started taking shape.  We got that thing up faster than the bounce rate of a Bernie Madoff alimony check. I began by immediately unloading all the tools and materials and my brother started working on cutting the vertical posts to 8 ft lengths while my father began to figure out the foundation.  We leveled out the ground and nailed the foundation together in less than a half hour.  The floor, walls and windows took a little more than 2 hrs to complete. 

Opening morning everything went off without a hitch, we climbed into the “Death Tower” around 3am toting chairs, snacks, and a propane heater. When we got settled we were able to strip down to nothing more than jeans and a t-shirt. It didn’t take long and we were teasing each other about all the frozen openers that we had shared and the fact that it took my Dad a quarter century to finally build us a tree house. Amongst all the chuckling and knee slapping we came up with a pre-determined shooting order, not really caring if we actually would see a deer.  The order was so that if a 10pt. or better came out it would be my Dad’s, if not it would be me then my brother. 

Current regulations stated buck only and over the past 10 years we had only seen one per season and it had been 3 years since any of us had even tagged a deer. About five minutes into first light I got the first buck (small 8pt.) A couple hours later a 14 pt. and a 6 pt. came out at the same time. A total of three empty .300 Win Mag casings laid on the floor and a total of three bucks laid on the ground, no more than 3 hrs into the season…simply stellar! Let the “Field of Dreams” jokes begin!

Travis Mai - Hitch Guy  

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Heat of the Moment

(When the Lack of Common Sense Leaves you Cents-less)

Working in the towing industry, I've came across many towing horror stories. I’ve heard of just about everything, from trailers coming uncoupled, to vehicle exhaust burning up treasured possessions. Although there are times when the equipment is to blame, the problem normally lies with the careless preparation of the person that these tragedies affect. Often these mistakes occur when feeling rushed or excited.

I've had a few close calls myself.  A couple years back I bought a used Harley that I needed to trailer home to do some jet work on the carburetor.  In the midst of all the excitement I hastily grabbed some straps, hooked up the trailer, and headed to pick it up.  When I drove the bike up on the trailer I noticed that one of the ratchets on the straps was rather rusty.  Mistakenly, I didn't ask the seller if he had an extra strap I could use.  Around 20 miles down the road I looked back and couldn't see the bike.  At that moment my knees went weak, and I felt more nauseous than a dog with a grass filled stomach. I pulled over and ran back to the trailer. Luckily the bike I just dropped thousands of dollars on had only tipped over and suffered minimal scratches. I wasn't able to see it due to the tall rails on the trailer.

Improper loading of trailers and cargo carriers can also wreak havoc on your vacation and your wallet. A few months ago I spoke with a person who loaded up his family and set out on a cross-country vacation. While getting ready for this excursion, he realized that they needed more cargo room than his SUV could provide. To accommodate for this, he purchased a cargo carrier. When it came time to leave he loaded up all of their suitcases on the cargo carrier, cinched them down and left. The poor guy got about 12hrs into his journey when his family noticed the foul smell of burning plastic. Once stopped, he could see 3 ft flames in his rear view mirror. He then realized that the carrier and the exhaust on his vehicle were parallel with each other. Not only did they lose precious traveling time, they had to replace all of the clothing and belongings they packed in order to continue their trek.

Times are tight, and for most families fitting a vacation into the budget is difficult to near impossible. Every dollar counts and the last thing you need is to spend money you don't have just so you can have clean underwear. Understandably, the shear excitement of a break from reality can cloud your judgment. To quote Star Wars: “You will know, when you are calm, at peace, passive.”-Yoda.  So before you leave on your next excursion, take the time to look over the smaller details.

Travis Mai - Hitch Guy ™

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EPIC TRAILERS OF HISTORY! (A Story of Stuff)

For millennia, people have had an infatuation with stuff, more importantly having their stuff with them, while in pursuit of more stuff. The need for trailers in some shape or form has essentially been a NEED since the invention of the wheel… once again, because of all this stuff. Today I’m going to go through an abbreviated list of the many different types of trailers that have been used throughout history.

Cart (5000 B.C.)
The cart is the original two-wheeled trailer. Used since the invention of the wheel, and pulled by virtually every capable domesticated animal . It was needed to carry and transport goods (STUFF) from point a to point b.

Chariot (3000 B.C.)
This early horse-drawn trailer was originally designed as a status symbol for early Mesopotamians. Leaders of war quickly adapted the chariot to mow down enemies while staying relatively safe. To acquire what, you ask?-STUFF

Sleigh (800 A.D.)
The oldest Sleighs found were excavated from the Viking built Oseberg ship in 1905. Still used today for both work and recreation, the sleigh works better than the wheel when transporting people and goods (cold STUFF) across ice, snow, and mud.

Les deux carrosses

Rickshaw (1700 A.D.)
Although, push versions of the rickshaw were documented much earlier by the Dutch, it wasn’t until 1707 that a modern pull behind version was documented in a painting by Claude Gillot entitled Les deux carrosses. The rickshaw was made popular by the Japanese as a mode of transportation for upper class citizens (Stuffy STUFF). Rickshaws are still employed today mainly as a mode of entertainment rather than transportation.

Covered wagon (1750 A.D.)
Much like the modern day SUVs, the covered wagon was designed much like ships of their time, capable of toting a hefty 12,000lbs of cargo and passengers (STUFF). Horses and oxen supplied the engine to provide early German settlers in America a means of safe travel into the unknown wilderness.-Oregon Trail anyone?

Sleigh escavated from Oseberg Ship

Locomotive (1800 A.D)
Nearly every child in America has had a fascination with trains.  Locomotive derived from the Latin (loco)-“from a place”, is an engine pulling a system of cars (basically trailers) on a stationary track carrying all types of cargo (STUFF to the masses).

Modern (1900A.D.-Present)
Since the mass production of automobiles there has been a trailer designed for every type of lifestyle imaginable. Whether it is Equestrian, ATV, Motorcycle, Camping, Watercraft, Semi, Utility, or Long distance rentals, trailers in some shape or form are here to stay.

Even though human beings as a species are no longer considered nomadic beings, we still hold on to our roots traveling to places which sustain our livelihood and happiness. STUFF plays a huge role in our daily lives no matter who we are or where we were born. In a way, it is STUFF that drives us to compete and achieve things never thought possible by our predecessors, generation after generation. Show me a minimalist and I’ll show you a person who has benefited from STUFF!

Travis Mai - Hitch Guy™


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“Dark of the moon on the sixth of June”

During the past few days I’ve been sick with the flu, and for as long as I can remember this has meant piling on the blankets, grab a bottle of Sprite, some saltine crackers, and watching every movie and television show possible. What really got my attention and interest was “The History Channel’s: Modern Marvels- The CB Radio”

Back before cell phones, Facebook, and the Internet, the social craze of the nation was the Citizens Band radio, more commonly known as the CB radio. Much like the internet, the government tried their best to regulate it. Initially they imposed a $20 dollar licensing fee which was soon expunged after the FCC was overwhelmed by nearly a million applications per month. This amazing tool not only connected truckers it connected every person with the minimal means to do so. In the 1970’s the average cost of a CB radio...$142, not bad considering that put in today’s dollar, that’s roughly 100 bucks less than a new iPad! CB radio technology has advanced through the years, and for $180 you can get a multi-band CB with Bluetooth Technology enabling you to make and receive phone calls from your radio!

This social enigma consumed pop culture for nearly a decade. Spurring a music genre, several films, and in one instance a film inspired from a song “C.W. McCall’s Convoy”.  This is where the “Get Connected film fest” began. Starting with “Convoy” which in this movie trailer you can clearly see how Oscar-worthy this epic truly was. Although rather cheesy, Convoy did a great job illustrating the inspiring power of people and trailers getting connected.

My first experience with the CB was when I was 12 years old my family moved from Colorado back to Wisconsin.  We used them to coordinate and monitor our trailer and boat packed with furniture that we were towing with the hitch on our Ford Explorer.  Now we mostly use CB and Marine band radios to coordinate our positions during coyote hunting.

So next time some Luddite knocks your Facebook page, ask them if they liked or ever used the CB radio!

Other films inspired by the Citizens Band social movement.

The Dukes of Hazzard (1979)
Breaker! Breaker! (1977)
Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
High Ballin (1978)
more…

Travis Mai - Hitch Guy
  

For more info on towing and towing lifestyles please visit: www.hitchinfo.com and "Like" us on Facebook! 

A Console Too Far

Car designs have dramatically changed over the years, from the original purely functional Ford Model-A to a Mercedes SLK with more gadgets and features than the cockpit of a Boeing 737. It seems to me that cars available in the United States are all specifically designed and marketed towards a single occupant.  I understand that most of us are on our own when driving; but wouldn’t it be nice if our cars brought us closer?

Cars are like love, no one forgets their first.  For me it was a 1986 Pontiac 6000 LE with a missing engine mount, and terrible shocks and struts.  The paint was sun damaged too, but none of that mattered to me. The radio worked great and more importantly, I was able to find a girl that was willing to get in it.  Although the car wasn’t much for speed, cornering, gas mileage, or even cargo area, it handled really well at the drive-in.  Why don’t cars come with bench seats anymore?  I feel that in the last 20 years, the design focus went from fraternization to fast food.  They’re making vehicles so wide that even holding hands is uncomfortable.  The only extra-large “cup holders” I want in my car are my hands.  Why is food so much more important than overcoming the social awkwardness accompanied by youth?

Now I understand that none of us like to think of our sons or daughters ever jumping into a “shaggin’ wagon”, but isn’t that better than seeing them have trouble squeezing out of a 3 cylinder Metro alone?  We’re the fattest country on the planet and our sedentary lifestyles are getting worse, starting with our cars.  We need to remember what cars were meant for in the beginning; to get out and see more of the world and to get connected! Not just another couch allowing us to do less. Next time you go out to eat, please get out to eat, and leave the car in the parking lot.

Travis Mai - Hitch Guy

For more info on towing and towing lifestyles please visit: www.hitchinfo.com and "Like" us on Facebook!