THE MANUFACTURER
Port-A-Cool® is manufactured in the cooling division of General Shelters Of
Texas, Inc. As a 20 year leader in manufacturing, General Shelters prides itself as a
company born and bred of the true American spirit. Through hard work, perseverance, and
dedication to the goals of superior products and service, General Shelters has grown over
the past twenty years from a company with one product in 1973, until today, being
recognized as an industry leader with many products.
The home office of General Shelters is Center,
Texas, located in the beautiful East Texas Pine Woods. Center has been
modernized in many
ways due, in part, to the technological and manufacturing advancements by General
Shelters.
General Shelters products are respected in
both the United States and International marketplaces. These products range from those
used primarily in agriculture, to portable and modular buildings. Many variations of
evaporative cooling products with virtually unlimited uses are made by General Shelters.
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In October of 1996 Inc. Magazine ranked
General Shelters #299 on the list of America's fastest-growing private companies. General
Shelters has earned its place within a remarkable group of companies that contribute
exciting potential and employment opportunities to our economy. |
The Company Story |
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| James Campbell began General
Shelters in 1973 with the intent of producing mobile homes in Center, Texas. However,
unknown to James, the Federal Government was about to start regulation of this new
industry, and the industry crash was soon to follow. |
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| After making only 10 units, James was forced
to stop production. The new challenge was to dispose of the ten manufactured units on hand
and the material inventory. James began a new business by cleverly removing the furniture
and selling the mobile homes as mobile offices that were then unregulated. James solved
the second problem by designing a portable building that could be manufactured by
utilizing the mobile home materials he had on hand. This idea also began quite a
successful operation as by the end of the next year, 1974, General Shelters had shown a
970% increase in income. |
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The original portable building designs with
which James began are still evident in many of the portable buildings and products that
General Shelters produces today. The beginning also developed into one of the largest
divisions within General Shelters. |
The Expansion Years
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When Fred Wulf joined General
Shelters, a partnership between he and Mr. Campbell was formed. Mr. Wulf actively ran the
portable building operation during it's formative and expanding years and is credited with
ambitiously beginning a network of Independent Distributors as the retail marketing
approach of the company. |
| With total commitment to product superiority
and quality service, and by consistently increasing both the number of Distributors and
their geographical locations, Mr. Wulf continued to direct the company expansion with
record annual growth. |
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As the number
of Distributors increased, so did options for portable building selections. General
Shelters expanded to offer all types of floor plans, sizes, and quality levels. As
President and Chief Executive Officer, Fred Wulf is the driving force behind the
operations of General Shelters. Mr. Wulf's unique combination of expertise in
manufacturing and managerial skills has been a guiding strength in many ways throughout
General Shelter's history. Due to his consistent hard work and dedication, it is no
surprise that General Shelters has emerged as an industry leader and one of the most
respected names in it's field today.
Customer service has always been a top
priority with General Shelters. This desire to always better serve their customers is the
reason a search for additional manufacturing plant locations began in 1980.
In June of 1981, new directions began for
General Shelters with the first new plant location being opened in Kenedy, Texas.
Operations in a second new plant began in February of 1984 in Munday, Texas.
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The period from 1981 to 1989
as devoted to perfecting operations at both new plants. Company income initially rose
sharply during these expansion years and then continued by maintaining a very steady sales
volume. |
| This consistency demonstrates the strength of
the General Shelters products and the effectiveness of it's management team. During this
recession period, many lesser companies suffered severe revenue losses, even to the point
of total company failure. |
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After 17 years of successful, stable growth,
General Shelters in 1990 established it's Cooling Division, which has developed to be the
largest and most promising single division of the company. In the first year, the Cooling
Division manufacturing plant doubled in size in order to handle the increase in
production. The
Port-A-Cool® Division has expanded the
geographical horizons for General Shelters to encompass the continental United States and
several international markets. Overall sales during this period have shown an astounding
70% increase. |
| In 1996 General Shelters moved into an over
260,000 square foot manufacturing facility. This move has provided the much needed growth
for
Port-A-Cool® production
and has also enabled General Shelters to enter the new areas of increased cooling pad
production and Rotational Molding. |
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In order to accommodate all the planned
growth and new manufacturing directions, General Shelters has planned a great deal of
personnel growth. Promotions are scheduled from within the company, new expertise will be
brought into the company from other markets, and many new jobs will be provided for in the
community.
The future for General Shelters seems to be synonymous with
new products. Several new products are currently being researched and many are already in
development. Each new product has been created on the leading edge of engineering and
exhibits the types of technological advancements that have made General Shelters one of
today's leading companies with a future destined to dynamic growth and expansion.
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