Built Canadian tough
Jason Longley has been part of the transportation industry for more than 20 years, starting with Cervus Equipment/ Peterbilt, and for the past four years as the general sales manager for Miska Trailer Factory, a utility trailer manufacturer based in Hamilton, Ont. Established in 1994, Miska’s motto is “built Canadian tough.” Longley oversees the day to day sales, marketing and business functions of the company. In 2021, he was elected to the Board of Directors for the Canadian Transportation Equipment Association, an opportunity Longley says he relishes as a great way to give back to the industry.
What do you enjoy most about being a supplier to the landscape trades?
The most satisfying aspect of being a supplier to the landscape trades industry is being part of our customers’ success. We take great pride in the feedback from our customers in the landscape community that rely on Miska’s equipment as the backbone of the trailer fleet.
What have been the biggest challenges over the past few years? How have you and Miska overcome those obstacles?
I am confident this won’t come as a surprise: the biggest challenge was keeping up with the demand throughout the pandemic. We typically pride ourselves on having 800 to 1,000 trailers in stock, and it was challenging to keep up with heightened demand. Miska overcame those challenges by working diligently to increase our raw material levels to ensure we limited production disruptions due to supply chain challenges.
What innovations and new product introductions are you most excited about?
At Miska, we pride ourselves on being the market leader when it comes to providing the most innovative designs. I was thrilled to be back in person at Landscape Ontario Congress in January to share the excitement about our new Ultra Low Pro Dump Trailer with the lowest deck height in the industry, providing our customers with stress-free loading. Our engineering team is always busy tweaking and improving our trailers such as our patented industry leading Dump Trailer Ramps. Over the past four years we’ve launched a number of new products, including Steel and Aluminum Dump Bodies, Drop Deck Trailer and the 20/30 Ton Floats.
What do you think are the keys to being a successful supplier to the landscape trades?
A supplier should always be listening to and understanding the needs of the landscape trades. I believe the key to being a successful supplier is providing the best quality product with competitive pricing and delivering on your commitments.