Blue Ox executives welcomed nearly 500 employees, customers, suppliers and friends to its Pender, Nebraska, headquarters Friday. The gathering celebrated the company’s 100th anniversary.
Blue Ox President Mike Hesse thanked attendees for supporting the company. According to Family Capital, an online publishing company covering the family enterprise sector, Blue Ox is among approximately 1,000 U.S. businesses to reach 100 years in operation—less than 0.5% of all U.S. companies.
Hesse said the turnout meant the world to him and his wife, Paula, the company’s director of customer relations.
“It is almost difficult to put in words,” he said. “We have been planning for this for a while, and it just hit me over the last few weeks that we made it 100 years as a family company. We have 135 employees that just care. Without those employees, we are nothing.”
Among the dignitaries in attendance was House Rep. Adrian Smith, who represents the 3rd District that includes Pender. Smith thanked attendees for their time and saluted the company’s employees for fueling Blue Ox’s success.
He said, “Congrats to Blue Ox and the entire family of companies for making a positive difference in our great state.”
Kevin and Patrice McCabe of the TV series “RV There Yet” introduced Hesse before his presentation. The event included plant tours and a luncheon.
Hesse told attendees the towing accessories supplier is planning a facility expansion once executives get certainty around trade and tariffs. Blue Ox completed a $15 million expansion in 2023 that included a new paint line.
Hesse also previewed Blue Ox’s first fifth wheel slider hitch. The company plans to launch the product in the first half of 2026, among other 2026 new product releases.
“We will have other items we are going to be launching in 2026 that are going to accentuate our flat-towing lines,” he said. “We are going to do a hard-install brake that we think is going to be a complete game-changer.”
He said the company is in the testing stages for new products and would not release them to the market until they are perfect.
During his presentation, Hesse referenced the company’s historical growth and his own education gained working for his father, former company owner Jay Hesse. He said the company’s brand resonates with customers and consumers because the brand is synonymous with quality.
Hesse credited his father for working to make the connection between brand and quality and said he and his wife want to continue his father’s work. The couple attended the Family RV Association (FRVA) rally in Georgia earlier this year, marking their first FRVA rally in numerous years.
“I wanted to go back to our roots and talk with our retail customers, like my dad did,” Hesse said. “It was such an amazing experience, and I promise you, we will be back there next year.”
