Southland celebrates Whoop-Up Days with charity breakfast
By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on August 25, 2023.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com For six years the owners of Southland Trailer Corporation has celebrated Whoop-Up Days with a pancake breakfast at its headquarters in the industrial section of Lethbridge just off 43rd St. N.The event started out as a treat for the company’s large and diverse staff with proceeds going to charity.
But it has blossomed into a community event featuring music with The Tom Price Band and a festival atmosphere. It is one of the biggest on the Whoop-Up Days calendar which features numerous breakfasts and barbecues throughout fair week.
For Scott Sailer and his brothers Ryan and Jason, supporting the community is hugely important given how the community has supported their family business for more than four decades.
On Thursday, with The Batter Boys of Calgary making breakfast while Price, drummer Matt Lepinski and bassist/singer Roy Bartz providing the entertainment on the Calgary Stampede community stage, hundreds chowed down in return for a $2 donation which when to the Lethbridge Therapeutic Riding Association.
Lethbridge-based Southland is the largest trailer manufacturing company in Canada with more than 430 employees and they’re looking to hire even more. It has five plants producing stock and is in the process of constructing a sixth here.
Sailer and his two brothers have been in the business since they were young and took over the business about 10 years ago.
“We had a vision of what we kind of wanted to do with everything and through hard work and the right attitudes, we did OK,” said Sailer.
The company builds a wide range of product including flatbed and cargo trailers, as well as goosenecks, car haulers, toy haulers, dump trailers, gravel trailers and gravel boxes.
“We’re expanding and pushing more into eastern Canada and then down south” into the United States, he said.
“We just try to create a nice culture and treat everybody equal,” said Sailer, adding LTRA is a great cause.
Last year, despite rainy weather, the breakfast attracted 1,100 people and the Sailers were hoping Thursday’s event would see about 1,200 to 1,500 being served breakfast. Follow @albeebHerald on Twitter 4
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