Jim Hawk Truck Trailers

SilverStone Group
Client spotlight
From the Cover
Jim Hawk Truck Trailers
Here Today — Here to Stay
The Jim Hawk story began in 1973, when Jim Hawk, Sr. purchased Council
Bluffs Trailer Repair.
Later that year, he became Great Dane Trailer’s newest dealer
and founded the Jim Hawk Group. Over the past 35 years, Jim
Hawk Truck Trailers has grown to be the Midwest’s largest
and most respected dealer of semi truck trailers, providing a
full line of new Great Dane reefers, dry freight vans, platform
trailers, Red River Ag product belt trailers, Load King
detachable low boys, IST Blade Trailers and Travis and East
dump trailers. Jim Hawk also offers pre-owned trailers of
all makes and models and maintains a full parts and service
department. During that time, The Jim Hawk Group expanded
to include locations in the following cities:
Des Moines Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
East Peoria, Illinois
Kansas City, Missouri
Fargo, North Dakota
Chicago, Illinois
Denver, Colorado
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Dickinson, North Dakota
The company has grown from a small shop in Council Bluffs
to over 350 employees throughout the Midwest, and more
than $150,000,000 in annual revenue. It’s also grown product
lines over the past ten years, providing traditional refrigerated
van and flatbed trailers and adding a line of off-road vehicles.
The company’s most recent addition, Stoughton Trailers,
will market a new grain trailer. Although Jim Hawk’s core
business has been and will remain the Great Dane trailer line,
the additional lines help keep business robust when the road
segment of the industry experiences a decrease.
Jim Hawk prides itself on offering outstanding customer
service. They accomplish this by employing only local people
who know both the Midwest region and their local area, as
well as being experts in the truck trailer business. Jim, Sr.
likes to say, “We’re (here) to serve the needs of the Midwest;
we’re here to stay.” The organization stands firmly behind
silverlink — Fall 2009
Pictured left to right: John P. Nelson, SilverStone Group, David Hawk, Jim Hawk, Sr. and Jim Hawk, Jr. of Jim Hawk Truck Trailers
and John H. Nelson of SilverStone Group
every sale and all service, because they “believe in giving the
best value for (the) dollar.”
Two other organizations have played an important role in
growing Jim Hawk Group—Jim Hawk Finance and Global
Financial Group. Jim Hawk Finance has helped thousands of
customers purchase trailers through Jim Hawk Truck Trailers
by offering on-the-spot financing. Global Financial Group
provides a flexible source of funding for transportation
companies by enabling them to obtain an alternative source
of working capital that can be used to finance growth,
increase inventory, restructure debt and acquire additional
business.
Jim Hawk, Sr. has been in the trailer business since 1966 and
at the age of 85 is still involved in company operations. The
Jim Hawk Group family business was honored by Creighton
University with its highest accolade, the 1997 Family Business
of the Year award. Hawk’s grandsons, Jim III and David, have
been involved with the organization for many years. Jim III
handles the day-to-day business operations, and while David
remains involved with the company, the majority of his time is
spent as co-founder of a software and gaming business that
operates in Europe and Asia.
The Hawks believe that business is about the people you have
around you – and they’ve been lucky to have some great ones
around them. Although they credit a great deal of their success
Jim called “Red” “The best insurance
man in the country,” saying that “Red”
made insurance easy to understand. “Red
would sell you what you needed, but (he)
didn’t sell things that were not necessary.”
to quality products, it’s people who have helped grow Jim
Hawk Truck Trailers into one of the nation’s largest dealers of
new and used trailers.
Jim Sr. began a business relationship with H. H. “Red” Nelson
when Jim, Sr. purchased Council Bluffs Trailer Repair and
called upon “Red” for insurance advice. Jim called “Red” “The
best insurance man in the country,” saying that “Red” made
insurance easy to understand. “Red would sell you what you
needed, but (he) didn’t sell things that were not necessary,”
Jim stated. “It was a great business-friend relationship that
“Red” and I had. Like me, “Red” started a business with a few
employees that he … has grown very successfully since then
with his son and grandson. I know that would make “Red”
very happy today.” SilverStone Group, “Red’s” heritage
organization, values its long-term relationship with Jim
Hawk Truck Trailers. It’s a pleasure doing business with an
organization that promotes a higher standard of customer
service. We wish them continued success as they serve the
transportation industry.
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