| |
1914 - Milton Konetslcy, a young man who manufactured little trailers, converted Model T Fords to what today are called pickup trucks. Mr. Konetsky was active in the Company until his death in 1965. |
| |
1918 - The Company was incorporated as "Reliance Trailers and Truck Company." Reliance was now manufacturing its own types of trucks and a small line of trailers. Engines and gear trains were purchased directly from Mr. Ford. The Company would gear them down and build up a truck designed to place railroad cars around switching spots in various rail yards. In those days Northern California had no roads. All business traffic was by schooners that traveled up and down the coast. Sawmills moved their products from green chain to dry yard to pier by way of rails that extended to the end of piers. Reliance trucks pulled and placed the cars that carried the lumber and were sold primarily in Northern California but were delivered all over the Western Hemisphere as far west as the Dutch East Indies.
|
| |
1921 - Bill Tice, Reliance's first salesman, was hired. A Californian, Bill retired in 1972 after over fifty years of Company service.
|
| |
1925 - Reliance decided to manufacture only its own line of trailers, concentrating on the West Coast truck-trailer industry and Pacific rim area, including the Hawaiian islands.
|
| |
1936 - Progress continued Carl Russ, who later helped run the Company, was hired as an assembler.
|
| |
World War II Years - Reliance was taken over by the Federal Government for the manufacture of products necessary to the war effort. Mr. Russ ran two shifts for the duration. After the war, he was Manufacturing Manager) and Bill Tice (as Vice President of Sales) continued building trailers and other products, including buses and van bodies until the end of 1970. Reliance was at this time the largest van body builder in Northern California.
|
| |
1958 - The Company franchised Don Ling as a distributor for the Redwood Highway area.
|
| |
1965 - Control of Reliance passed to the founder's widow.
|
| |
1969 - A new company, Redwood Reliance Trailer Manufacturing, was formed with the purchase of the Company's Manufacturing assets. Redwood Reliance took over January 1, 1970, with Mr. Ling serving as President.
|
| |
1970 - Ken Gradek, the second employee of Redwood Reliance, started a sales and service outlet in Eureka.
|
| |
1974 - The Company moved its headquarters from San Francisco to Cotati in April 1974, a number of Reliance's long-time employees came to help teach new employees the demands of quality and workmanship required by the Reliance reputation.
|
| |
1975 - This company was merged with Redwood Reliance Sales company to become a wholly owned subsidiary of Redwood Reliance. Mr. Gradek is the President of the Eureka Corporation.
|
| |
1979 - Reliance started a sales and manufacturing company in Los Angeles, headed by Jack Pocock.
|
| |
1983 - Superior Trailer Works, an old-line Los Angeles company, was purchased. The two Southern California operations were combined under the name Superior to manufacture the Superior line of trailers and to sell the Reliance product. Mr. Pocock continues as President.
|
| |
1988 - Don and Brian Ling formed a new corporation, Redwood Empire Leasing, with Duke Yolo. The corporation started in business by purchasing 15 full-maintenance lease trucks from the lease fleet of Yolo Bros. Leasing.
|
| |
1993 - Duke Yolo became the General Manager for Redwood Reliance Sales Company. He managed both the Eureka and Cotati branch, in addition to Redwood Empire Leasing, a full maintenance lease company which he and Brian Ling owned. The Cotati Sales Company relocated to Windsor, California..
|
| |
1994 - Redwood Empire Peterbilt (Eureka Branch) and Redwood Empire Leasing were merged into Redwood Reliance Sales Company.
|
| |
1996 - Duke Yolo and Brian Ling bought Redwood Reliance Sales Company from Don Ling. Superior began to manufacture Super Dumps as well as transfers and pups. continuing to market Reliance.
|
| |
1998 - Duke Yolo and Brian Ling bought Alloy Trailers in Spokane, Wa. They change the name to Reliance Trailer Mfg. LLC.
|
| |
2001 - Brian Ling and Duke Yolo purchased the assets of the Sturdy-Weld Company in Lynwood, WA. Today the Sturdy-Weld line of steel and aluminum dump bodies, pup trailers, and square transfer dump trailers is being produced at the Reliance facility in Spokane, WA. Superior Trailer Works ceased to distribute the Reliance Products. JN Pocock purchased the remaining shares of Superior Trailer Works
|
| |
2003 - The Cotati manufacturing plant is consolidated to the Spokane location. The Windsor Peterbilt store and sales department are moved into the larger Cotati facility. Eureka location assumes the end dump manufacturing.
|
| |
2004-Present - The Company invested in a major re-organization which left Brian and the Ling Family owning the Reliance Manufacturing Company in Spokane, as well as Redwood Reliance Sales Co. (which moved back to its previous location in Cotati, CA). Duke Yolo left the Company and founded Charter Sales Co., which operates a full-market lease fleet and sells used trucks and trailers in Windsor, CA.
April, 2005 - Southwest Reliance Trailer Sales, LLC was formed by Brian Ling and Eric Stublaski, to fulfill the needs of customers and seize the opportunity to service the products that each had sold in the Arizona market over the previous 15 years. In addition to service and sales, SWRTS was also set up to install the dump bodies sold locally, allowing for the customer to realize better savings opportunities. Having a local Reliance distributor has enabled the customer to have convenient access to parts and dependable service in the “Reliance Way."
|