SHELBYVILLE, Ky. — Carol Lawrence, manager of Gateway Trailer Sales, is a regular at the annual National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville.

“We are looking forward to the show to see old friends and customers, and meeting new ones,” she explained.

Visitors this year should expect more of the quality trailers that Gateway Trailer has provided in the past. “Load Trail gooseneck flatbeds, a bumper pull equipment trailer and a small utility trailer will all be at the show, with discounts and free upgrades to the trailers sold at the show,” Lawrence said.

The business has been around for more than a decade. “Gateway Trailer Sales, Inc. was started by Larry Stivers in about 1998,” Lawrence explained. “I came to work with Larry in 2005 to sell horse trailers. He told me I needed to take ‘trailer lessons’ and walked the lot with me explaining axle sizes, weight capacities and such.

“Soon after that, I caught the ‘trailer bug’ and have loved it ever since.”

Dedication to the company continued after Stivers died. “When Larry passed away in February of 2009, the business continued with the same philosophy that he had. We don’t sell trailers because we want to get rich; we sell them because we just love selling trailers,” she said.

The Gateway Trailer Sales gang consists of a trio of dedicated individuals determined to preserve Stivers’ philosophy. “There are three of us at Gateway: myself, Justin ‘Killer’ Martin, and Chase Stivers, Larry’s son,” Lawrence said.

She detailed just some of the trailers Gateway has: “Our trailer sizes range from 4-by-8 single-axle trailers that can haul about 3,000 pounds to large gooseneck flatbeds with weight capacities well over 24,000 pounds. Our best-selling trailer of all time is the hydraulic dovetail gooseneck built by Load Trail, or P J Trailers.

“Almost all of our bumpers pull utility style trailers we sell are manufactured by Sure Trac. We are also known for custom order trailers, small to large and open or enclosed.”

Besides offering an array of trailers, the business also provides the service to sustain and support said trailers. “We have a full-service shop offering repairs, service work, hitches installed – pretty much anything to do with trailers we are able to take care of.  The service work is performed by Justin, a local guy that is well known for his ability and willingness to tackle anything thrown his direction,” Lawrence added.

“Parts and general sales are handled by myself and Chase. We sell trailer parts, truck and trailer accessories, along with the trailers.”

The economy has had a slight dip in sales, but sales are still going strong. “Some years we’ve sold over 300 trailers, but with the slower economy we are in the middle 200s for units sold in the last couple of years,” she said.

Watch for Gateway Trailer Sales associates at the Louisville show next week; they are ready to meet and greet and share information about their tip-top trailers.