Four Acres Trailer Sales, Inc.

As the largest retail dealer of cargo and utility trailers in Delaware and the largest Wells Cargo dealer on the East Coast, Four Acres Trailer Sales has come a long way from its modest beginnings three family generations ago on the original four acres of farmland in northwest Wilmington.  Co-owner and President, Glenn Davis, said that it all started with a trailer park and RV sales before the business turned to only trailer sales in the mid ‘70’s. Until the mid ‘90’s the business was operated on a part-time basis by parents Leroy and Betty Davis. Glenn, with his sister and brother-in-law (Joyce and Gary Prettyman) came into the picture at that time to operate it full-time. Unit sales then started to increase dramatically.

Today, the company is the exclusive dealer for Wells Cargo – an Indiana based manufacturer offering over 200 different models for industrial, commercial and recreational applications.  Four Acres Trailer Sales represents eight domestic manufacturers offering different size utility trailers for light and heavy use. The company maintains a six-day per week service facility for it customers.  While its core business is trailer sales, the company also sells truck caps, bed liners, hitches and auto carriers.

In early 2003, Four Acres Trailer Sales reached out to the Delaware Small Business Development Center and its Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) for help in increasing its public sector business. Under the guidance of PTAC, the company registered on the Central Contractor Registration database and started to pursue bid leads from PTAC’s BidMatch service.

Four Acres Trailer Sales began to experience almost immediate success with its bids to Federal and local government entities resulting from the BidMatch leads.  Government related business now account for at least five percent of the company’s gross sales, up from almost negligible levels five years ago. Glenn Davis said that “the BidMatch leads can take major credit for the company’s public sector sales growth”.

As examples of specific BidMatch leads that culminated in successful outcomes, Glen cited profitable awards from Federal and local government entities.  The U.S. Navy Ordinance Division called on Four Acres Trailer Sales to furnish a cargo trailer outfitted for its special needs. A U.S. Air Force base in Cincinnati, Ohio awarded the company a contract for specialized box trailers for its medical division.  The Kentucky State Police ordered customized closed cargo trailers to be used in DUI enforcement. There were follow-on orders from the Kentucky Veterinary Department. The San Antonio Police Department bought a customized cargo trailer to be used for its emergency response teams. The San Bernadino County Fire Department recently ordered a dozen enclosed cargo trailers from Four Acres Trailer Sales. The company’s trailer prices range from $6K-50K per unit.

While most of the company’s government contract award success has come from outside Delaware, there have been ongoing and repeat sales to the Delaware National Guard and Dover Air Force base.  Over sixty percent of the company’s business comes from repeat and word-of-mouth sales.  The company owners are pleased with the repeat business, particularly from government buyers. They expect to grow the company’s government business with continued help from the PTAC of Delaware and its BidMatch service.