Great work, Great Dane: Looking back at Great Dane's history
With only one in four companies lasting more than 15 years, and just a fraction of a percent making it more than a century, to survive and thrive for 125 years is a rare feat. To achieve this corporate milestone, Great Dane has continually adapted and innovated to remain a leader in the goods mobility industry.
Our content director Kevin Jones visited the company’s Savannah headquarters and sat down with Great Dane President and COO Rick Mullininx (who started at the company as an engineering intern) and Executive VP of Sales Chris Hammond (the third generation of Hammond family leadership) to dive into Great Dane’s past, present, and future, discussing the pivotal milestones, legendary figures, and strategic vision.
To listen to the podcast, click start on the player below.
What are some of the most crucial events, developments, or innovations in Great Dane’s 125-year history?
Mullininx: Our history is defined by changing and adapting to the times. From starting as a blowpipe company to making steel products and then trailers, it’s a history of evolution. From an innovation perspective, we’re proud of the first reefer trailer with the bunker blower, which revolutionized how fresh produce was transported. More recently, our ThermoGuard lining, a patented innovation, is indicative of our modern approach, enhancing insulation, supporting sustainability, and increasing customer profitability by preventing moisture from getting into the foam.
Hammond: In the modern era, the Crown family’s acquisition of Great Dane in 1997 stands out. This changed us from a smaller, private fleet company to playing in the big leagues due to the knowledge the Crown family had from owning Pines Trailer, impacting our average order size significantly.
Going further back, the first flatbed trailer, built in 1911, was a huge milestone. The company also served as the contractor for the largest building still standing in Savannah. Few people know we also built a 43-ft. boat for a customer sometime in the 1950s.
Other significant developments include buying the Johnson Truck Bodies company, and then creating our Great Dane-branded truck body. Innovations like FleetPulse, which started here and is now its own company, and ThermoGuard, are also key. The founding of TTMA (Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association) in 1941, where Great Dane was a charter founder and had its second chairman, was also an important industry milestone.
What have been some of Great Dane’s biggest challenges in the past, and how have they informed current strategies?
Mullininx: Some of the most challenging times were in the 1980s when Great Dane, after being taken public as part of Transway, was left with significant debt from a Transway LBO. Almost 100% of our profits went to pay interest on that debt. The Crown family’s acquisition was truly transformational, allowing us to merge with Pines Trailer and acquire assets during down cycles, which was foundational.
Today, we face the longest freight recession in recent memory and a downturn, comparable to the 2008-2010 banking crisis. However, this is also an opportunity to strengthen the company and make investments so we can emerge stronger. We are also emphasizing investments in our infrastructure, facilities, automation, and IT to transform Great Dane and help ensure our success. As a privately held Crown company, we have the advantage of a long-term perspective, focusing on big-picture investments rather than short-term shareholder communications.
Hammond: The financial struggles before the Crown family bought us were significant. Their ability to manage us through very tough times was crucial. The 2008-2010 financial crisis was tragic for our industry, where we built only 79,000 trailers in our segments that year, compared to 280,000 a decade later. Drawing on how we managed through that and got stronger was important for our leadership, especially new leaders who hadn’t experienced it.
During COVID, I extensively studied our company’s history in World War II. Seeing how Great Dane dedicated itself to serving the world during those tough days reminded me that if we could get through that, we could get through anything. I even pulled out old pictures and kept them on my desk as a reminder.
People and relationships
Who are some of the legendary characters who have made a significant impact on Great Dane?
Mullininx: It absolutely has to be Kit Hammond, Chris’s father. He was the quintessential sales guy, always making you feel like a million bucks and brightening any room he entered. His sales book, “Only the Best,” which emphasizes integrity and honesty, was so impactful that we updated parts of it for our sales team.
On a personal level, an early mentor for me was Jim Cox, who worked in the R&D lab when I was an intern. He encouraged me to join Great Dane because of the broad exposure to different types of engineering you get here, unlike more specialized roles in other industries. This broad experience, from R&D to manufacturing and design engineering, truly connected my career.
Hammond: It’s hard to keep it out of my family, but I will. Ron Gordy, whose niece is our VP of commercial excellence, and whose daughter runs our trade shows, was legendary. He ran our customer service, quality, and warranty departments and was the best at resolving customer problems, making sure the customer knew that we cared—and if we made a mistake, by God, it would be solved fast and it wouldn’t happen again.
Another legendary figure is Dewey Cribbs. He was a Great Dane employee for an incredible 50 years, and he was the plant manager of our Savannah factory (our only factory until the 1970s). He was a man of steel who ensured things got done. He even had the Great Dane dog etched on his headstone, which shows his dedication to the company.
How has Great Dane maintained its customer-first approach as it has grown and evolved over more than century?
Chris Hammond: My father was very customer-centered, almost to a fault. He could take a mistake we made and turn it into a lifelong friendship with a customer by immediately and even over-solving the problem, ensuring they knew we would take care of it.
Even with our current size, we absolutely maintain that hands-on connection. I tell people we’re not performing brain surgery, so don’t overthink it. It’s still about human beings trying to get things done for their companies and families.
People care about their families, careers, and lives, and we are here to serve them. If you think that way, it’s not hard; just pick up the phone. Our customers consistently tell us they appreciate working directly with our engineering team and leadership.
Can you describe Great Dane’s approach to supplier and dealer relationships?
Mullininx: We still rely on partnerships to succeed and always look for win-win relationships with our suppliers and dealers so we can grow together.
During challenges like the COVID-19 supply chain disruptions, which was like whack-a-mole, requiring everyone to be on their toes, scramble, and work together to continue producing and delivering high-quality products.
Hammond: It’s really simple: “How do we go together and win?”—that’s all a dealer or supplier wants. They know they can’t win if others lose, so it’s about managing and winning together.
Sometimes it’s a grind to find that common ground, but recognizing when alignment isn’t possible allows everyone to move on to better opportunities.
How does Great Dane approach safety as a core value, and make it work?
Mullininx: Safety is deeply rooted in our family-focused culture and our care for people; it is one of our core values. We want our colleagues go home the same way they came, maybe tired, a little dirty maybe, but safe and whole. To make it work on the factory floor, we are purposeful about every incident, utilize behavior-based safety, and encourage everyone to watch out for each other.
We have a dedicated director of safety, Dave Ritchie, whose focus is on improving safety. He was the first chairman of the TTMA Safety Committee, showing our commitment to sharing ideas across the industry, not just within Great Dane. This creates a culture where everyone on the shop floor is involved, thinking about working safely and going home uninjured.
Hammond: The focus on safety is relentless. We talk about our safety numbers every week, and my teams have a Tuesday stand-down in the shops for safety discussions. We’ve had to change the mindset from the “tough guys” mentality of the past to ensuring everyone reports incidents and addresses them. Our ultimate goal is to win the TTMA safety award because we are obsessed with making our employees the safest in the industry. I credit our former CEO, Dean Engelage, who was dogmatic about safety, creating a muscle-memory around being obsessed with it.
How does Great Dane attract and retain talent, especially younger generations?
Mullininx: We recognize that each generation is different, and we have adapted our onboarding and training processes to help new employees, including younger generations, assimilate and succeed. We make investments to ensure they feel like they are part of something important and meaningful, that their work is valued, and they can succeed in their work.
We connect our products to their impact, reminding people that we transport pharmaceuticals, food, and even vaccines, which sparks a realization that it’s more than just “a box on wheels”. This connection to essential services is vital for attracting and engaging talent.
Looking ahead
How does Great Dane view the current pace of change, particularly with new technologies like AI?
Hammond: I believe the pace of change is relative to the time and the speed it feels like. It feels fast today, but it felt fast in earlier generations too, relative to their technology. For example, Great Dane went from a blowpipe company to a steel company to making flatbeds and vans in about 20 years, which felt incredibly fast in an era without widespread telephones or computers.
Today, with AI, it definitely feels super fast. While I acknowledge that I’m coming from a higher technological plane than previous generations, AI is rapidly deploying, upsetting labor markets, and structurally changing how we do business, just as computers and telephones did.
I don’t doubt that companies will eventually use AI to make purchasing decisions, feeding formal proposals to their AI. We already provide information in formats customers can feed into their systems. However, for a differentiated product and company like Great Dane, there’s still room for human interpretation and people to manage complex requirements.
Mullininx: While every generation may experience it, we are definitely experiencing an unprecedented pace of change today. With machine learning, AI, and digitalization, the effects of living in the Fourth Industrial Revolution are real.
What future innovations can we expect from Great Dane, particularly looking ahead to its 150th anniversary?
Hammond: By the 150th anniversary, you’ll likely see more efficient equipment, perhaps even trailers that look different, potentially with rounded fronts for aerodynamics, as the core customer need remains dry or cold space efficiently transported from A to B. Efficiency of fleets—whether it’s energy, miles per gallon, or weight/aero for electric trucks—will drive these innovations. We are actively working on electrified axles, which will carry forward significantly.
Despite political shifts, I believe electrification is here to stay. If the world started over, it would likely choose the simpler electric option over complicated diesel engines. While US initiatives might slow down temporarily, the global agenda, particularly in Europe and China, continues to drive electrification. In Europe, I saw firsthand how prevalent electric vehicles are. The sheer quietness of electric buses, for example, points to a clear path forward for electrification.
Mullininx: Looking to the 150th anniversary, I predict Great Dane will be more digital, with more generative and agentic AI coming into play to boost productivity and performance in our data-driven environment.
In terms of products, smart trailers are going to be key. Autonomous tractors will require smart trailers to monitor critical factors like tire pressure or wheel temperatures, as simply having a camera to detect a fire is too late. Telematics will make fleets more productive through better utilization and predictive maintenance, becoming “table stakes” in 25 years, with all trailers being smart. Different telematics platforms will integrate into a system-agnostic data hub, allowing all data to be used and analyzed regardless of its origin. Innovations in aerodynamics and sustainability could also be significant.