Merritt Companies Celebrates 75 Years of American Manufacturing, Family Leadership, Legacy Built on the Road

Third-generation family business marks three quarters of a century of growth, innovation, and commitment to the North American trucking industry.

Merritt Companies, parent organization to Merritt Aluminum Products Co. (MAPCO), Merritt Trailers, and Magnum Trailer and Equipment, is proud to mark a defining milestone: 75 years of continuous family ownership and operation in service of the people who keep North America moving.

What began in 1951 as a two-bay shop in Portland, Oregon, founded by Everett Lee Merritt and Guinivere Theron Merritt, has grown into one of the most trusted names in the trucking accessories and trailer manufacturing industry. Today, Merritt Companies operates multiple brands and facilities across the country — a testament to seven decades of adaptation, investment, and an unwavering commitment to quality.

A Family Business, Built Generation by Generation

From the start, Merritt was a family endeavor in the truest sense. Guin Merritt served as the company’s bookkeeper for its first 20 years while Everett L. Merritt led the company as President until his retirement in 1978. Their sons, Everett T. and Lee Merritt, joined the business after college in 1966 and quickly took on leadership roles — opening the company’s first branch location in Bakersfield, California, the following year.

By 1969, all four family members held executive authority and stockholder positions, establishing the foundation of the family-led governance model that defines Merritt Companies to this day.

Growth followed quickly. A new 14,000 sq. ft. facility in North Portland opened in 1960 and expanded to 27,000 sq. ft. by 1965. Branch locations in Bakersfield and Denver followed, and by the mid-1970s Merritt had opened a 52,000 sq. ft. factory in Amarillo, Texas, built to produce livestock and grain trailers at scale. When market conditions shifted, the company adapted — relocating equipment, rebuilding operations in Denver, and ultimately completing a 52,000 sq. ft. Denver factory in 1979 that restored full production capacity.

That ability to navigate challenges without losing ground became a defining characteristic of the Merritt business.

Consolidation, Expansion, and Staying the Course

The 1980s brought further change. Branches in Bakersfield, Troutdale, and Moundridge were consolidated as the cattle industry centralized in the American heartland, and by 1988 all operations were unified in Denver. Rather than retreating, Merritt expanded its market reach through independent dealers and territory sales representatives across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada — a distribution model that remains central to the company’s go-to-market strategy today.

A major factory expansion in 1994 more than doubled the Denver facility to 130,000 sq. ft., followed by continued investment in service infrastructure and production efficiency through the 2000s. In approximately 2012, Merritt opened a sales and service branch in Fremont, Nebraska, to better serve the central livestock industry.

The pace of growth accelerated again in 2016, when a significant restructuring divided the business into two distinct operations, with MAPCO emerging in a purpose-built 100,000 sq. ft. facility in Fort Lupton, Colorado, doubling aluminum production capacity. The move freed up 40,000 sq. ft. in Denver for expanded trailer manufacturing — a structural decision that positioned both businesses for their next chapters independently and at scale.

Third Generation Leadership

In 2019, Everett T. Merritt retired as President of Merritt Trailers, Inc., passing the torch to his son Taylor Lee Merritt, who became CEO of both Merritt Aluminum Products Co. and Merritt Trailers, Inc. With that transition, Merritt Companies entered a new era — one built on the same values established in a two-bay Portland shop nearly seven decades ago, and one looking forward with renewed energy and ambition.

Under Taylor’s leadership, the Merritt family of companies has continued to grow, most recently expanding its portfolio with the addition of Magnum Trailer and Equipment, broadening the organization’s reach across the trailer and truck accessories markets.

Three Brands. One Standard.

Today, Merritt Companies operates three distinct businesses that together serve dealers, fleets, and owner-operators across North America.

Merritt Aluminum Products Co. manufactures industry-leading aluminum truck accessories — including cab racks, toolboxes, fenders, and more — from its Fort Lupton, Colorado facility. Known for quality, responsiveness, and the strongest dealer support in the business, MAPCO serves both the light truck and Class 8 sectors through a nationwide dealer and distribution network.

Merritt Trailers designs and produces livestock and commodity trailers built to perform in the demanding conditions of American agriculture and freight. With roots going back to the company’s founding mission, Merritt Trailers carries forward a legacy of precision manufacturing and deep industry knowledge.

Magnum Trailer and Equipment rounds out the family with a complementary product and dealer footprint, expanding the group’s presence and bringing additional resources and capabilities to the Merritt network.

Across all three companies, the standard is the same: build products that perform, support the people who sell and use them, and operate with integrity.

Looking Forward

Reaching 75 years is a milestone Merritt Companies holds with deep pride — and equal humility. The road was not always straight. Markets shifted, facilities moved, industries changed. But through every cycle, the Merritt family stayed in the business of building things that last, for people who depend on them.

That commitment — to craftsmanship, to partnership, and to the long game — is what the next 75 years are built on.

To every customer, dealer, driver, and partner who has been part of the Merritt story: thank you. This milestone belongs to all of you.