December 2009 TRUCKER TALK
ROCKWOOD’S ROCK
BY FORMER OWNER-OPERATOR KIM GRIMM
There are only a handful of truck accessory products that are still designed and produced in America, and Rockwood Products is proud to be on that short list. I’m sure that most of you out there have heard of Rockwood, and if you don’t already have some of their products in your truck, I bet you wish that you did. Over the last eighteen years, Carl Carstens, founder of Rockwood, has not only built the best truck interior wood and stainless products available, but his innovative and creative ideas have also helped to create an entire industry that did not really exist at all before his company was formed.
In 1991, Carl Carstens got the idea to customize the interior of his 1985 Peterbilt 359. He knew that the things he wanted inside his truck were not available from anyone else, so he would have to make them. He also knew that he wanted quality pieces that were made to outlast the truck itself. Carl took the truck off the road and began working on it in 1992. In March of 1993, the truck was taken to the show in Louisville, KY to compete in the beauty contest being held there. Carl got a lot of positive reactions from attendees and fellow competitors at that show. He also bought a new trailer at this show, intending to pull it behind this rig (after all, he was still a truck driver at the time), but the trailer never saw a load. Instead, Carl went home and built the business we all know and love today.
Originally, the company was called Truck Trim, which described what his company was making. But, as Carl told me, you can’t protect a name with the description of a business, so in 1995, when he incorporated, it was changed. The street and town that his building is located on/in is called Rockwood, and that seemed to perfectly describe what he was doing – putting a rock-like coating on wood – and like they say, the rest is history. This building, which Rockwood still operates out of, is surprisingly small, but with efficiency and great employees they are able to get the job done. One of Carl’s employees, Phil Grosshuesch, put it this way: “We have a big imagination, not a big building.”
In the eighteen years that Carl has spent revolutionizing large car interiors, he has built a strong company that not only has an extensive line of universal products, but he also allows customers to order one-of-a-kind pieces. All of the products that Rockwood offers are made in America, most right there in that small building in Rockwood, Wisconsin, which is located just outside of the city of Manitowoc. And although the company is relatively small, Rockwood’s in-house designers and fabricators can make most of these custom parts in a short amount of time. “Customers seem to like the idea that we can make their vision appear right before their very eyes,” said Carl, adding, “We urge customers to come to us with their ideas.”
Carl’s first designer was Chris Luebke. Carl worked with Chris on ideas, bought the machine he needed to get started, and from there the business grew at a steady rate. Today, Rockwood has about eighteen employees and their products can be found in just about every chrome shop in the country, as well as many new and used truck dealerships (visit www.rockwoodproducts.com to find a dealer near you). Ask anyone who owns a truck equipped with Rockwood products inside what they think about them and I’m sure you’ll get the same answer almost every time – “The best you can get!” Over the years, Rockwood accessories (and their employees) have proved to be in a class by themselves.
The main machine that Carl at Rockwood Products uses today works on both wood and metal. Most people will work with one or the other, but Carl is proud of the fact that they can work on both – and have been for the last ten years. Working together with the designer, Tony Welnicke, Phil Grosshuesch programs the computer that runs the Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machine that cuts the wood or metal. Phil, who has been with Rockwood for five years, told me that working for Carl is like the old saying “find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” because that is how he feels about his job.
Debbie Nate, Carl’s secretary, has been with Rockwood for eight years. Debbie not only answers the phone and takes care of the orders, but she also helps pack the orders. She really enjoys talking with the customers and likes it when she gets to go to the truck shows and can put a face to a name. Working mostly with the wood is what Rick Bowe has done at Rockwood for fifteen years, while his fiancée Heidi Schultz is in the packing and shipping department. Heidi also gets to do some special engraving and painting from time-to-time, saying, “There is never a boring day around here.”
His full time job is with Manitowoc Crane, but for the last sixteen years John Neuser has worked for Carl part time, grinding and sanding both stainless and aluminum, and then polishing and buffing the final products. Scott Gosz has been painting, sanding and prepping wood at Rockwood for eleven years. When I asked about Carl, he said, “There is real time, and there is Carl time.” Everyone knows that it’s just the way it is – Carl can (and will) get easily sidetracked as he answers just one more phone call or runs one or two more errands on his way to where he is supposed to be (he was even a little late for our lunch date). But, if you know Carl, it is easy to understand why. Carl does not know the word “no” (well, he might know it, but he rarely ever says it). When asked to help, with anything, Carl’s answer is always “yes” – he is one of the most generous and humble people you’ll ever meet.
Most everyone at Rockwood does more than one job with no complaints. When I asked Lindsay Denor about her job duties, the list was long. When Carl says “yes” to something, it usually gets accomplished through Lindsay’s hard work. For the last three years, it has been her job to take care of the Rockwood website (www.rockwoodproducts.com), put magazine ads together, take pictures, make posters and banners, create DVDs, and produce Rockwood’s catalog of all their products. In her “spare” time, she is learning to run the engraving machine at the shop for special orders. And although Carl can sometimes promise too much to too many, Lindsay says that she busts her butt to get things done. I think that sums up how all the employees at Rockwood feel – do whatever it takes to get the job done, and do it right!
Several years ago, Carl also began making custom trophy bases for the “Best of Show” winners at most of the larger truck shows around the country. These unique works of art often include custom engraving, LED lights and beautifully polished wood – they are the nicest, most sought-after awards out there!
In 2008, Rockwood put together a 2003 Peterbilt 379 truck to showcase their products and pull around their show trailer. This slick black and white rig is outfitted with all the latest and greatest products that Rockwood has to offer, and is absolutely spectacular. Appropriately named “Runnin’ Late” (because Carl usually is), this truck is taken to most of the major truck shows across the country and featured on Rockwood’s current (very funny) t-shirt. After fourteen years without a truck, Carl finally got back what he had been missing!
Rockwood Products and all of their employees do their very best to produce what they call “The Ultimate Choice” in truck interior products. Ask any of their employees, or Carl himself, and they will tell you that hard work and pride goes into each and every part they make. We all know that when you’re an over-the-road driver, your truck is your home – why not make it something you’re proud of. If you don’t already have some of their products in your truck, what are you waiting for – they are the best! And although all of the employees do a great job, Carl Carstens is still the ultimate “rock” behind Rockwood Products.