Sundowner The Company
From Humble Beginnings To Industry Leader
Back in 1976, in the tiny town of Coleman, Oklahoma,
three brothers, Larry, Gary and John Shipman, borrowed
$10,000, poured a concrete floor in a hay barn on five acres
they purchased from their father Wayne, and began building
trailers.
They built every trailer themselves from start to finish,
from welding all the way to painting and finishing. Most
days they found themselves working well past sundown
building trailers, hence the name “Sundowner.” In 1980 the
fourth brother, Jerry, joined the team.
While they still use that original building today,
Sundowner’s facility now covers 500,000 square feet and sits
on 190 acres. The company employs 650 people – nearly three
times the population of Coleman. It is the largest horse
trailer manufacturer in the world with 55 models of horse,
stock, cargo and sport trailers in its product line and 94
dealerships located throughout the United States and Canada.
Total sales are nearly double its closest competitor.
Sundowner Interiors Is Born
In 1987 Sundowner produced the first living quarters
trailer and in 1994 moved that division of the company to
Elkhart, Indiana, which is widely recognized as the center
of the RV industry. In 1996, they introduced their first
slide out living quarters.
Sundowner Interiors’ production facility covers 76,000
square feet thanks to the completion of a second building in
2004. Sundowner Interiors demand the same attention to
detail and high quality workmanship in the living quarters
that has become a trademark of the Sundowner horse trailer.
All Sundowner living quarters are certified by T. R.
Arnold & Associates which is a third-party administrator
that ensures all trailers are compliant with recreational
vehicle laws.
Sundowner is unique to the horse trailer industry in that
it is the only company to produce both the trailer and
living quarters, making their three-year hitch-to-bumper
warranty the only one in the industry that covers both the
interior and the trailer within one company.
Since the beginning, unrivaled commitment to customer
service has been integral to Sundowner’s success. Meeting
and surpassing customer needs is paramount, as is continuous
product development to keep the company on the cutting edge
and a step ahead of the competition. |
