EDA Office of Foreign Trade • Riverside County, California • USA
August 2012
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EXPORT
6
By Phil Pitchford
C
arr Manufacturing made no secret
of what it wanted out of Steve Norris
when the Temecula company hired him
as its director of sales and marketing
–
the ability to sell the company’s
high-end, after-market vehicle
accessories to a worldwide audience.
At that time, Carr, founded in 1945,
was active only in the U.S. and Canada.
But President and CEO Jeff Carr,
grandson of founder Vernon Carr, saw
the potential for international business
and tapped Norris to make it happen.
“
Jeff brought me in specifically to grow
the business globally and to also get
us into e-commerce, direct marketing
and social media,”Norris said. “Jeff saw
that as a great opportunity for us.”
About 18 months later, Carr
Manufacturing now has customers
in Mexico, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia,
Dubai, Brazil, the United Kingdom,
Germany, Belgium, Australia,
New Zealand and Venezuela.
“
We are pretty much in all of the
European Union countries now, and
there are more on the books for the
next 12 months,”Norris said. “The
bulk of our sales occur in the United
States, but international is now a
growing part of our business and a
strategy that is really paying off.”
Carr sells about 250 items, mostly in
the category of sidesteps, tow-hook
and hitch steps, toolbox steps and
light bars. A sidestep, for example,
attaches to the side of a truck or other
large vehicle and allows the owner
to get into the vehicle easier. The
same principle applies to many of
the company’s other step products
But, unlike other after-market
products, Carr’s steps can be installed
by the vehicle owner, with minimal
mechanical knowledge required.
The company operates a 24-hour
technical support line and offers
YouTube videos on the Internet to
demonstrate how to install products.
“
Steps and light bars – that’s what we
do and what we are known for,”Norris
said. “If anybody wants to add additional
lighting to their car or truck, we can fit it.”
Along the way, Norris discovered
that conventional wisdom doesn’t
Seven Decades in the U.S. and Canadian Markets,
Carr Manufacturing Sees Exporting a Double
Digit Part of Their Business in Next Five Years.
Steve Norris, Director of Marketing
Carr shop in 1945
