In the early 1980s, Bud Reitnouer learned a hard lesson about business: when a major customer relationship ended overnight, a multi-million dollar account disappeared with it. "Literally with the stroke of a pen, within three months, a $2 million account was lost," he recalls.
That loss represented a significant chunk of the business of his father's tool and die shop, Dormae, where Bud had worked since he was 14. Then, a Bloomsburg graduate working full-time in the family operation, Bud was helping run parts production out of a 10,000-square-foot building on Madison Avenue in Reading.
His response? Build his own product.
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03
Township
LERTA program support
Innovation resources
Zoning, infrastructure and LERTA program support
$1M short-term loan
$1M short-term loan
$55M primary financing
Township
LERTA program support
Innovation resources
Zoning, infrastructure and LERTA program support
$1M short-term loan
$1M short-term loan
$55M primary financing
Township
LERTA program support
Innovation resources
Zoning, infrastructure and LERTA program support
$1M short-term loan
$1M short-term loan
$55M primary financing
Reitnouer's recent expansion took shape because multiple organizations, including the Greater Berks Development Fund (GBDF), the only Certified Economic Development Organization (CEDO) in Berks County and an affiliate of the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA)—aligned around a shared goal: keeping advanced manufacturing and good jobs right here in Berks County.
Tour the state-of-the-art building
"I said to my dad, I want to make my own product—I don't know what it is, but I want to make my own. Because then this type of thing can't happen."
He chose aluminum flatbed trailers, an emerging market where he saw an opportunity to innovate. His mission was simple: improve on what existed. "I didn't want to just go out there and make a clone of what everybody else was doing. There's enough of that."
In a corner of his father’s machine shop, Bud engineered the first trailer over the course of two months. Today, Reitnouer commands 50% of the aluminum flatbed market and operates from a recently opened state-of-the-art, 500,000-square-foot facility.
The journey from that corner shop to this moment was never guaranteed. It was shaped by strong leadership from its visionary owners, three decades of partnerships and relationships that outlasted any single transaction.
— Bud Reitnouer, Owner, Reitnouer Trailers
"A lot of businesses are worried or focused on the competition. I don't. I focus on the customer. If you focus on the customer, you always lead. If you focus on the competition, you always follow. To anybody in business… just stay focused and fulfill someone's need."
In the early 1980s, Bud Reitnouer learned a hard lesson about business: when a major customer relationship ended overnight, a multi-million dollar account disappeared with it. "Literally with the stroke of a pen, within three months, a $2 million account was lost," he recalls.
That loss represented a significant chunk of the business of his father's tool and die shop, Dormae, where Bud had worked since he was 14. Then, a Bloomsburg graduate working full-time in the family operation, Bud was helping run parts production out of a 10,000-square-foot building on Madison Avenue in Reading.
His response? Build his own product.
NEXT
BACK
03
Township
LERTA program support
Innovation resources
Zoning, infrastructure and LERTA program support
$1M short-term loan
$1M short-term loan
$55M primary financing
Township
LERTA program support
Innovation resources
Zoning, infrastructure and LERTA program support
$1M short-term loan
$1M short-term loan
$55M primary financing
Township
LERTA program support
Innovation resources
Zoning, infrastructure and LERTA program support
$1M short-term loan
$1M short-term loan
$55M primary financing
Reitnouer's recent expansion took shape because multiple organizations, including the Greater Berks Development Fund (GBDF), the only Certified Economic Development Organization (CEDO) in Berks County and an affiliate of the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA)—aligned around a shared goal: keeping advanced manufacturing and good jobs right here in Berks County.
"A lot of businesses are worried or focused on the competition. I don't. I focus on the customer. If you focus on the customer, you always lead. If you focus on the competition, you always follow. To anybody in business… just stay focused and fulfill someone's need."
"I said to my dad, I want to make my own product—I don't know what it is, but I want to make my own. Because then this type of thing can't happen."
He chose aluminum flatbed trailers, an emerging market where he saw an opportunity to innovate. His mission was simple: improve on what existed. "I didn't want to just go out there and make a clone of what everybody else was doing. There's enough of that."
In a corner of his father’s machine shop, Bud engineered the first trailer over the course of two months. Today, Reitnouer commands 50% of the aluminum flatbed market and operates from a recently opened state-of-the-art, 500,000-square-foot facility.
The journey from that corner shop to this moment was never guaranteed. It was shaped by strong leadership from its visionary owners, three decades of partnerships and relationships that outlasted any single transaction.
— Bud Reitnouer, Owner, Reitnouer Trailers
Tour the state-of-the-art building