American LaFrance, an old-line maker of fire apparatus, has formed a Commercial Truck Division to spur growth of its Condor heavy low-cab-forward series and develop new products.


Jeff Cook, who has led Condor sales efforts over the past two years, will head the new division as a vice president. The company has been selling the Condor in construction and refuse markets since acquiring it and the South Carolina factory it's built in from Freightliner Corp. 11 years ago.

"We have a proven track record of quality and reliability with Condor that is evident in the repeat orders we receive today from customers that purchased some of the first Condors off the line in 2000," said Cook.

"The economy has made the larger truck companies think twice about spending money on new products for low volume applications, especially if they involve any degree of modification," he continued. "With the dedicated resources that we have in the Commercial Truck Division, we can move quickly and efficiently toward developing solutions for customers in niche markets."

American LaFrance LLC is a leading manufacturer of fire, rescue and vocational vehicles. Through its predecessor entities, the Company is the oldest fire apparatus manufacturer in the United States, dating back to its founding in 1832.

In the early 1920s, it created the American LaFrance Truck Co. to capture anticipated sales following World War I. However, as used military trucks flooded the market, it merged with Republic Motor Truck Co. to form LaFrance-Republic Trucks in 1929.

A series of acquisitions by other companies followed, including ownership by Freightliner. Today it is held by Patriarch Partners LLC, a private equity and investment firm in New York.

American LaFrance continues to build leading lines of fire apparatus including its Eagle custom fire chassis, Liberty series, LTI aerial ladders, and a series of custom pumper products.

The company is headquartered in Summerville, S.C., with additional manufacturing facilities in Ephrata, Pa. It operates service centers out of those locations, along with a company branch in Los Angeles.

"We have a 1923 American LaFrance commercial truck that greets you when you enter our corporate office. It reminds me that someone else had my responsibilities almost 100 years ago," Cook said.

"It is an exciting time for our company. In the past, we didn't have the resources or structure to reach too far out of our comfort zone. With our new organization, it is not only encouraged, but required. It is going to be fun."

More info: www.americanlafrance.com.