Where it all began and why it still matters 40 years later
By Garrett Spencer, General Manager
This year, Spencer Fire Trucks celebrates 40 years in business, a milestone that is hard to believe when we look back at our humble backyard beginnings. With five boys under the age of eight, a small fruit farm, and two full-time jobs, our parents decided to embark on a backyard business they never dreamed would become what it is today. It started like so many small family businesses do, with limited money and time, long nights, sacrifices, and plain hard work.
Our father started with a simple goal: use the skills he had to solve a problem no one else in Southwest Michigan was solving. At 34, while farming and serving as a volunteer firefighter, he recognized his department’s need for a tanker truck and set out to use his talents to build one that was dependable, affordable, and, most importantly, suited exactly to what the department needed. That work was built on trust - listening closely, showing up when needed, and building relationships that mattered as much as the truck itself.
Today, we operate our family-owned business much the same way it began, guided by two core principles our parents instilled in us: surround the company with good people and build lasting relationships with people who care deeply about the work they do. Those values have brought us to where we are today, and they remain the foundation for how we grow moving forward.
The same approach our father used to build a tanker for his department in 1984 still guides our work today. Every fire department operates differently, whether it’s a rural volunteer crew, a fast-growing suburban department, or an urban team navigating tight streets and harsh winters.
Because of that, flexibility has never been optional at Spencer; it’s fundamental. Over 40 years of working side by side with departments across the country, we’ve gathered countless ideas and insights from real-world use. We use that experience to design and build apparatus around each department’s operational realities. We don’t start with a standard model. We start with how a department works.
Our relationship-first, flexible approach has driven steady growth, multiple expansions, and continued demand. Our most recent facility addition brings our manufacturing footprint to 65,000 square feet, giving us the versatility to improve efficiencies while maintaining the high level of customization Spencer is known for.
But growth has never been the point. The mindset that started in a backyard, listening first, solving real problems, and taking pride in work done the right way still guides every build that leaves our shop. Our goal has never been to be the largest fire truck manufacturer in the country. Our goal is simple: to be the best, today and for the next 40 years.