Nathan Uphus Receives 2021 Regular Member Young Professional Award

By Meghan Ryan, NATM Assistant Director

The National Association of Trailer Manufacturers (NATM) named Nathan Uphus, Sales Manager at Felling Trailers, the recipient of the 2021 Outstanding Young Professional Award. NATM presented the award during the 2021 Membership Meeting held virtually on Feb. 18, 2021.

The NATM Regular Member Young Professional Award is presented to an individual under the age of 40 who has been involved and successful in the trailer manufacturing industry. One member from both the Associate and the Regular Membership is honored each year.

Nathan Uphus served as chair of the NATM Compliance Committee in 2020. This committee is responsible for the annual arduous task of updating NATM’s Guidelines for Recommended Manufacturing Practices for Light- and Medium-Duty Trailers, also known as the Guidelines. The Guidelines consists of over 500 pages of laws, regulations, rules, standards, and industry best practices. The information is gathered from resources such as the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc., the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association, the Traffic Safety Administration, the Maintenance Council and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association amongst others.

Uphus helped lead the committee to update the Guidelines so that NATM’s members can easily stay abreast of changing regulations and vet the addition of recommendations and best practices. A great deal of time and effort goes into annually updating the Guidelines to provide members with the most current information derived from the Code of Federal Regulations, state and federal statutes, industry standards, and best practices. The job is monotonous and exhausting, but Uphus went above and beyond what is required of a committee chair and volunteered Felling Trailers to host the onsite Guidelines committee meeting in 2020. As the backbone of NATM’s Compliance Verification Program, it is crucial for the Guidelines to be accurate, and Uphus took his leadership role seriously.

Uphus has been on the Felling Trailer team since 1999 and has grown with the company over the years, first by working in the finishing department, then through welding, multiple production and parts departments, and then into sales in 2004. After 14 years of selling trailers, Uphus was asked to take on the role of Sales Manager in 2018.

“When I started with the company in 1999, it was a fairly small operation catering mainly to the upper Midwest region.” Recalls Uphus. “While growing at the time, it was nowhere near the size it is now. We’re continuing to expand our reach not only in the market area but in product offering as well. We’re no longer known as a ‘small trailer’ manufacturer,” said Uphus. Uphus’s motivation for continuous change within the company was his enthusiasm for the challenge. “I like to be involved in as many aspects of the business as ownership will allow me to, I find it challenging to learn new roles.”

For more information about Nathan Uphus and his company, Felling Trailers, visit www.Felling.com.