Brief Overview of Tri-Hi
Tri-Hi Transportation, Inc. is a family owned and operated company. The
integrity and reputation of Tri-Hi Transportation is the key to its success.
Tri-Hi Transportation will provide the best possible service to every
customer because they are the sole purpose of our existence. In doing
this Tri-Hi and each of it's employees is dedicated to treating each customer
and fellow worker with the highest respect. The reputation of the company
is the customers and employees guarantee for outstanding service and long-term
relations.
The History of Tri-Hi
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Our Business is dedicated to our late mother and friend Kathy Lokemoen.
We love you and miss you.
Tri-Hi Transportation is located in beautiful North-Central Wisconsin.
Locally owned and operated by the Lokemoen and Hein family, Tri-Hi has
become successful in the transportation business because of strong family
values and superior customer service and satisfaction. Tri-Hi transportation
started moving freight in 1989. However, Tri-Hi's history in the transportation
business dates back to 1976.
The Lokemoens were dairy producers in the early '70s. In 1975 they decided
to get out of the dairy business and pursue other interests. The events
that took place in the years following changed their lives forever!
In 1975, after selling their dairy cattle, the Lokemoen family was left
with three barns filled with hay and straw. In 1976 the drought left the
local farmers buying most feed in the fall. That year the Lokemoens bought
equipment to transport their leftover feed from the dairy business to
the farmers that needed it because of the drought. The equipment consisted
of a homemade trailer that was pulled by a half-ton pickup. In the late
'70s, the hay business continued to grow and in Marathon County, Wisconsin
producers of ginseng for export into Hong Kong had also been enjoying
substantial growth.
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By 1980, the Lokemoens were dealing with farmers in Minnesota, North Dakota,
South Dakota, and Iowa to buy straw. This enabled them to buy more equipment.
The trailers purchased were 40-feet and 42-feet long. Changes in trailer
lengths allowed them to run 48-foot trailers. So they put their trailer-building
experience to work and converted all trailers to 48-feet long. They also
modified a truck and trailer to enable them to load another truck and trailer
on top of the first unit. They would then "piggy-back" to a farm in North
or South Dakota, then load each trailer separately with straw and head back.
Most of the business now was for the Shang (Ginseng) farmers and since most
of the hauling was done in the fall, they looked to other ways to keep the
trucks busy. They had been doing business with the farming community for
years by this time. Hauling potatoes from Antigo, Wisconsin area markets
were a natural choice for them. They started running loads to Georgia, Florida,
North and South Carolina, and the Virginias. Hauling potatoes into the South
was great, but the occasional empty loads returning were not profitable!
Kathy Lokemoen, started finding return loads with a new brokerage company
called KLT services.
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In 1990 original founder Doug Lokemoen started Tri-Hi Transportation and hauled freight in tandem with KLT Services.Tri-Hi began with two trucks that would
pick up LTL shipments in Wisconsin, which would then be brought back to
the terminal, re-consigned and reloaded for shipment to the west coast.
As the LTL customer grew more trucks were obtained. The two companies eventually
merged into one because of steady growth. Lynn Hein, (sister) joined the team in 1991. In 1993 Matt Hein, (husband to Lynn) joined
the business. Tri-Hi's LTL business slowed down in the mid 1990's so there was a new concentration on truckload shipments. This sparked some massive growth for the company,
which needed to add personnel. Once again Tri-Hi looked to a family member
and Eric Lokemoen, Brother of Doug and Lynn, joined the business in 1999.
Steady growth and family ties caused them to grow into new facilities and
office complex.Now operating a fleet
of trucks, Tri-Hi is one of the leaders in the area in refrigerated Transportation
and strives to provide a quality work environment for its employees. They
take pride in operating their business with strong family values which produces
superior customer satisfaction.
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