Ed Prochaska, co-owner of Prairie Power Center, grew tired of mowing his extra acre of land. He had purchased the land to combat the quickly expanding commercial development area just off Highway 151 in Sun Prairie, Wis.

“It got to be where if I’m going to have this acre of grass that I have to mow, I’m going to put something on it. That’s where the trailers came in,” Prochaska says.

Prochaska had attended a trade show dedicated to trailers last September and decided to invest in a line to increase business at his Sun Prairie location.

Prairie Power Center now carries the Sure-Trac trailer line, which has models for commercial and homeowner use. The models range from 8-16 feet and include dump, utility and equipment trailers.

The trailer industry has seen rising sales over the last few years. Open utility trailer sales make up 50% of the U.S. trailer market, according to McGladrey, a business-consulting firm. Enclosed and custom trailers markets have also grown 7% annually from 2010-15.

Though Prairie Power Center’s trailer sales currently amount to a small percentage of overall sales, 10% of sales at most, Prochaska sees the trailer industry demand growing. He hopes to expand by offering enclosed trailer sales, but that requires an increased knowledge of the product, he says.

“With all the combinations, colors, sizes, doors, ramps, I didn’t want to throw that into the mix, too,” Prochaska said. “Let’s get good at this and then look to do something else with enclosed trailers. That would be the next step, but that’s another learning curve.”

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