Demco › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › ›

Boatmate Trailers Hosts Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee

By Meghan Ryan, NATM Assistant Director

As part of the National Association of Trailer Manufacturers’ (NATM) ongoing efforts to increase government affairs outreach and education, NATM trailer manufacturer member Boatmate Trailers, LLC hosted Congressman Tim Burchett (TN-2) on April 20, 2022 at their facility in Maryville, Tenn. Congressman Burchett took office in January 2019 and currently serves on the House Foreign Affairs and Transportation & Infrastructure committees. He also sits on the subcommittee on Aviation; Highways and Transit; and Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.

Rep. Burchett was accompanied by his Chief of Staff Michael Grider to tour the facility. Boatmate’s CEO Ron Miller, President Owen Shelton, Vice President Daniel Luby, Production Manager Josh Hawkins, Transportation/ Purchasing Manager Todd Scott, and ERP Systems Manager Alex Ransom had the opportunity to sit down with Rep. Burchett to discuss the history of Boatmate and share the success and growth the company has had.

Boatmate was founded in 1983 and specializes in premium inboard, I/O and pontoon/tritoon trailers. Operating under 60,000 square feet, the company currently has 172 employees. As a result of increased demand for boats in 2020, the company implemented a weekend shift and currently builds trailers seven days a week. They increased production from 6,300 trailers in 2018, to 8,400 in 2021, and are now on pace to build 9,200 trailers and are looking to grow.

Touring the facility, the Boatmate team demonstrated new technology they have implemented in their trailer manufacturing processes. Of particular interest was