Ex-Guard 2018 Q2 Newletter

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CANADA IN

C O N T E N T S

1 . FLEET TESTIMONIAL 2 . DOUG’ S DIGEST OF TREMENDOUS TIPS 4 . NSRMCA 6 . DEALER SPOTL IGHT VI SION VOLVO 10 . LT DEEP GUARD

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11 . OPEN HOUSES 12 . TRUCK WORLD 14 . ATA TMC

FLEET Testimonial Since installing your product, we estimate that we have already recovered our costs of the product. Having Ex-Guards on our fleet has saved us from front end damage such as parking lot collisions, animals, and cars on icy roads. Our drivers like the product and the extra security they provide.

16 . GUESS THI S TRUCK 17 . DASHCAM VIDEO 18 . SALES CORNER 22 . GUESS TRUCK ANSWER

Jeff Holmes Holmes Freight Lines, Inc. BRAMPTON, ONTARIO, CANADA

DOUG’s Digest OF TREMENDOUS TIPS

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To all you Dealers…… I heard some of you may have received some damaged guards. We want you Happy!! So……whenever you receive a shipment of guards, look them over carefully before signing anything from the carrier. Don’t sign off if they are damaged! If you see damage, take a picture and contact our great staff at our Customer Service Department. That can help you or steer you in the right direction!

TIP 1

DOT gotch’ya down after you pulled into a weigh station and they say you’re overweight?? Then to make matters worse they say they can’t see your front license plate so they can write you another ticket??? Are they blind or what??! We can help you solve one of these problems! Purchase an Ex-Guard license plate bracket LP-10 so everyone can see your front plate!

TIP 2

TIP 3

Wow! I just got a call from one of you XG owners saying that you tried to adjust one of the u-bolts to take up some slack and you snapped it! Fear not! Doug is here to the rescue! We have a bunch of them here so give us a call!

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N E W S L E T T E R

// NSRMCA Western/Central Regional Meeting Las Vegas, Nevada

Dennis Geipel Western Sales Consultant

Bob Saxton Director of Marketing

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N E W S L E T T E R

THE NSRMCA SHOW KEEPING HCR Contractors Safe

2018 NATIONAL STAR ROUTE ASSOCIATION EVENT

Having worked with this industry for several years, it is clear to see how this industry is a ‘good fit’ for Ex-Guard, and how we could assist HCR straight truck and tractor/trailer mail haulers deliver their vital product with “certainty, celerity, and security, in accordance with the operating schedule”. Many of the HCR routes begin their day at dawn, and end at dusk, running a set schedule while others provide around the clock service going from point to point, city to city, and state to state. With the HCR routes covering so many miles per day, it is no wonder many of the drivers for these HCR contractors encounter deer and other four legged creatures. It is a high priority with the Postal Service that the HCR contractors reach their destinations on time, but the safety of the driver and equipment is of utmost importance. Protecting these Contractors is our business and we take it very seriously. Ex-Guard is very supportive of the United States Postal Service and all the mail haulers across the U.S. I have had the honor and privilege of working with many of the Contractors that are members of the NSRMCA for over 3 decades prior to my career with Ex-Guard.

Western Region Manager Dennis Geipel and I recently attended the Western/Central National Star Route Mail Contractors Association (NSRMCA) as a vendor for their meeting held at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, NV on Monday, January 15th through Wednesday, January 17th. Dennis and I visited with many HCR contractors and mail haulers in Las Vegas that stopped by our vendor booth. Many of these same visitors gave us testimonials as to how the Ex-Guard grille and bumper protection system performed on their respective vehicles. The majority of the comments we received were very complimentary as to how Ex- Guard minimized downtime because of its well-proven ability to sustain multiple wildlife collisions little or minimal damage to trucks. To give all of you some background, the NSRMCA represents over 17,000 United States Postal Service Highway Contract Route Carriers (HCR). The HCR routes consist of contract box delivery routes, which resemble a Postal rural route; and also larger contract routes that consist of the utilization of straight trucks all the way up to tractor/trailer long haul routes. The Association has two basic objectives of providing legislative and regulatory protection for its membership and ultimately for the entire postal highway contracting industry.

Bob Saxton Director of Marketing EX-GUARD INDUSTRIES

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DEALER SPOTLIGHT

ARE YOU AN EX-GUARD DEALER? Email Marketing@Ex-Guard.com with your story to be featured in our newsletter.

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Our History

It all started 52 years ago with one man who had a great love for trucks. A love that evolved from driving tractors and operating machinery on his father’s farm near New Dundee. One of 12 children, John Slotegraaf Sr. was born in Holland and came to Canada with his parents. Growing up with a fascination for trucks, Slotegraaf Sr. came to believe that mechanics are the doctors of trucks, performing repairs as if they were surgeries. His vision was to open a shop that highlighted the importance of proper truck repair and the employees that do so. With a loan from a friend in 1966, Slotegraaf Sr. began his mission by opening the first, small repair garage at King and Eagle streets in Cambridge, ON. The first shop was so small that it could only accommodate cars and pickup trucks. Two years later, he moved to a larger three-bay facility, a site not far from today’s head office in Cambridge on Franklin Boulevard. He called the business Central Automotive Services and made his mark over the first 27 years repairing every kind of truck on the market. Since then, the company has grown tremendously. Renamed Vision Truck Group (VTG) in the early 2000s, VTG specializes in not only truck repair, but as a truck dealership for both Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks North America with a Volvo sales office in Mississauga and four Mack Trucks sales offices across Ontario located in Cambridge, London, Stoney Creek, and the newest addition, Etobicoke. Adding to the growing success, there is also a Body Shop that specializes in repairs and service and a new 50,000 square-foot parts and distribution warehouse, both situated close to head office in Cambridge. Known to many employees as a punctual and dedicated president, Slotegraaf Sr. had a mission to expand the company so that truck drivers and mechanics alike could have the best experiences in the trucking industry imaginable. It’s easy to see that vision has come to life and will only keep on reaching new heights as John Slotegraaf Jr. leads the company.

It was during his father’s six-year battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease that Slotegraaf Jr. assumed a more prominent leadership role and ultimately took over as president.

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Today, the company thrives from the leadership of Slotegraaf Jr. and chief financial officer Steve Brenton, the son of former vice president Boyd Brenton as they continue lifting the company towards greater heights with the help of over 300 employees across seven locations. In 2016, Vision Truck Group was named Dealer of the Year by Mack Trucks. “Vision Truck Group exemplifies the kind of organization customers are drawn to, and for good reason,” said Jonathan Randall, senior vice president of sales for Mack Trucks North America. “The service, support, and dedication they provide keeps their customers on the road and earning, and Mack Trucks is proud to be their partner.” Our Vision Our priority is always the customers. It may sound cliché and every organization may say it but Vision Truck Group truly goes above and beyond in highlighting the importance of the customer. This can be seen through every department’s hard work and dedication. For example, did you know that Vision Truck Group was the first in putting the Uptime Center Process into motion? The main purpose of the development of Uptime Centers was to reduce wait times because technicians began noticing that trucks with short repairs would often get stuck behind those with more timely repairs and that the concept of “first come, first serve” wasn’t working so well. “This idea was pioneered by Vision Truck Group Mississauga in 2013, and then the process was refined, developed and implemented by Mack and Volvo North America,” said Travis Brown, Vision Truck Group Director of Service Operations. “We started a process and once Mack and Volvo heard about its success, they took the reins and now there are over 110 Uptime Centers across North America.”

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Through these types of examples, it is evident that at the very core of Vision Truck Group is the goal to provide customers with the best options in the trucking industry. Even in sales, customers can take advantage of free demo programs which allow them to test drive trucks for extended periods of time in order to gauge whether or not a specific truck is right for them. Beyond that, the VTG Parts Department offers a wide range of year-round promotions and discounts that help customers save money, time, and future expenses. We know that trucks, repair, and maintenance can cost a pretty penny so we do all that we can to partner with companies such as Ex-Guard to provide the best possible deals to benefit the customer. Moving forward, Vision Truck Group has plans to expand further across Ontario while maintaining business practices that put the customer first. Community Involvement Vision Truck Group is a proud supporter of the community and the organizations that we are a part of. Our charitable involvement is a way for us to give back to the people and groups who have been loyal to us over our 52 year history. Twice annually, we review applications for charity sponsorships and donations; we have an external council that provides a thorough unbiased review so that each and every application is met with equal consideration. Over the years, we have supported various organizations such

as Canadian Cancer Society, McMaster Children’s Hospital, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Milton District Hospital, EduDeo, Bible League Canada, as well as minor sports sponsorships. Additionally, for the past eight years Vision Truck Group has also been participating in the SickKids Foundation Annual Heat Wave Volleyball Tournament to raise money for children living with cancer. This year, three teams are already signed up to play in the Cambridge tournament during the first weekend of June. At the end of the day, it all comes down to making peoples’ lives better and easier. Whether that’s customers, community and charity members, or employees, our company is what it is because of the people that surround us and help us be better collectively.

Alena Kondratieva Marketing Coordinator VISION TRUCK GROUP

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N E W S L E T T E R

FEATURING THE EX-GUARD ®

LT DEEP GUARD

** D (Deep Base) Available in XG-125, XG-150, XG-195, LT-325, LT-350 LT-D325 Featured Below

designed to compliment the vehicle contours

Made of a high-tensile steel, stronger PER POUND than aluminum or stainless steel

Allows FULL DRIVING LIGHT RANGE

Easy install into tow hook receivers

SINGLE HAND Latch RELEASE system

Collision avoidance systems fully functional

AVAILABLE COLORS Metallic Silver, Black

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Dennis Geipel proudly represented the Ex-Guard brand at the DSU Peterbilt Truck Expo & Vendor Fair, showcasing the different options for front-end protection on Peterbilt Trucks. DSU PETERBILT TRUCK EXPO & VENDOR FAIR

Dennis Geipel Western Sales Consultant

Tag Truck - Memphis Customer Appreciation Day

“What a great event 50 vendors and we were given the perfect spot right inside the front doors, most vendors were out under the tent. A lot of response from not only TAG customers, but other dealers as well. We received very good feedback as the owners came up and shook hands and spoke well of Ex-guard.” - Dave Edwards

Dave Edwards Southeastern Sales Consultant

CIT Trucks celebrated the complete renovation of its Kenworth Truck dealership with a grand re-opening with over 300 attendees and 25 exhibitors. “It was an opportunity to show Ex-Guard’s support for CIT and to represent our product to over 23 fleets including Gulley Transport and All Star Transportation.” -Malcolm Holt. CIT Trucks | Fenton Grand Re-Opening

Malcolm Holt Midwest Sales Consultant

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Ex-Guard at THE 2018 Truck World Canada Show

Truck World 2018 was a major success. Thousands of owner/ops, fleet personnel, truck lovers, and many other types of people involved with the truck world walked the halls of the International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. All major truck manufacturers had booths there showcasing their newest and greatest trucks. Every type of aftermarket replacement parts and accessories for your semi could be found in of the 5 halls of booths, as well as every imaginable service that is connected to the Trucking Industry. Every type of trailer available as well as accessories for each were prevalent as well. Hino launched their XL truck series to the Canadian market and Mack also debuted the Anthem. The decals on the Mack, Freightliner, and Western Star trucks were impeccably designed! The food was decent although expensive as it always seems to be at trade shows. Coincidence, maybe? The poutine was the best I have ever had! I am an American and now realize that the US does not know how to do poutine! Another side note… I love Timmies!!

Local high schools and college students attended the show to see the industry and to get as much free stuff they could get their hands on.

Thursday and Friday’s crowd was largely made up of fleet staff and corporate drivers and Saturday consisted of many Owner/Operators and their families.

We spoke to drivers and fleets alike who use our Ex-Guard and loved hearing their satisfaction with our quality, ease-of-use, and lack of required maintenance.

We spoke to many owner-operators that were excited to purchase our product to protect their investments. They were impressed with the lightness, strength, ease of use and cost of the guards.

I had an amazing time on my first trip to the Toronto area and hope to see many more attendees in 2020!

Melissa Godron Marketing Assistant EX-GUARD INDUSTRIES

Melissa Godron Marketing Assistant

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// 2018 Truck world MISSISSAUGA, ON

Tim Searle Sales Consultant

Jeremy Drever Head of Research & Design

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ATA TMC SHOW THE 2018

2018 TMC Annual Meeting & Transportation Technology Exhibition Information | 2018

Ex-Guard was well represented at the ATA Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition held from March 5th through March 8th at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. Bob Saxton, Director of Marketing, in conjunction with Sales Consultants Dennis Geipel and Dave Edwards, occupied Booth # 914 for Ex-Guard. We offered our expertise and demonstrated the benefits of two of our top selling grille guards, the XG-125 and LT-325. Booth visitors were amazed at the robust strength

Dave Edwards Southeastern Sales Consultant

Dennis Geipel Western Sales Consultant

Bob Saxton Director of Marketing

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and latch adjustment features of the XG-125 as well as the easy-to-use latch featured on the economical and lightweight LT-325. We had many Ex-Guard customers stop by our booth just to say ‘hello’ and tell us how pleased they are with Ex-Guard products and service they received from our dealer network. The positive comments we receive are a great tribute to all our dealers that service Ex-Guard customers. We enjoy receiving this type of positive feedback because we consider our customer to be our most important asset. Overall, there were 400 exhibitors that attended this 450,000 square feet show. OEM truck companies were well represented with the new International LT series, the new Mack Anthem,

and the redesigned Freightliner Cascadia. They are all beautiful trucks and the technology behind them is impressive as well as amazing. We also caught a glimpse of the future with the display of a Cummins AEOS truck as well as information concerning hybrid trucks. It will be interesting to see what is on the road in 20 years! Of course, there were other exhibits besides trucks. They ranged from custom aftermarket parts to replacement parts keeping your fleets in tip-top running order and reducing downtime. You name it, and it was at this show. There is no doubt if you were one of the 5,000 attendees at the show, you certainly could not help but enjoy the show and find a vendor to help you and your business progress.

We look forward to seeing you again in 2019!

Bob Saxton Director of Marketing EX-GUARD INDUSTRIES

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N E W S L E T T E R

GUESS THIS TRUCK

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A. INTERNATIONAL LT B. KENWORTH T680 C. WESTERN STAR 4700

D. MACK Cxu E. Peterbilt 386 F. STERLING A9500

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CHECK OUT THis // testimonial VIDEO from JDC Logistics, LLC

Dave, the Ex-Guard Southern Sales Rep, interviewed JDC Logistics, LLC about their love for Ex-Guard and got the scoop on why they won’t use any other brand! JDC Logistics is based in Orlando, FL and trust the LT-325 Ex-Guard to keep their trucks and drivers safe. As they say, “Our mission is to provide transportation services to our customers safely and efficiently by utilizing quality personnel and resources” and Ex-Guard is the front end protection of choice!

 YouTube.com

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// CANADA

Tim Searle Canadian Sales Consultant

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Sales Corner Featuring Tim Searle My Name is Tim Searle. I was born in the country town of Warwick, Queensland, AU and grew up there. After high school, I attended a TAFE (Technical and Furthered Education) College. Since then, I have been involved in various Business Development, Sales & Marketing environments within the timber & new construction industry. In 2003, I visited Canada for the first time and instantly fell in love with the country… green grass, lakes, no poisonous snakes or spiders and most of all, met my future wife. During this first visit and seeing the amount of deer close to the highways, I couldn’t understand why deer guards weren’t more popular. The amount of deer I saw in Canada reminded me of the Kangaroos back in Aussie and we all had a Roo bar. It didn’t matter if it was a semi-truck, Ute (pick-up truck) or passenger car, if you were in Roo country, you put a Roo bar on! Plain old common sense. h introductory challenges in the Canadian market, but now the market is seeing and experiencing the value we bring to them, a better product creating better value for money. The Ex-Guard company is truly an amazing, innovative, customer-focused company providing valuable benefits to the end user where it counts the most. This unique quality has resulted in many significant fleets now specifying Ex- Guard as their No. 1 choice of front end protection. I feel very privileged to be part of this brand’s expansion

into the Canadian market and this experience has allowed me to meet many wonderful people in both the dealership and fleet markets. It is very exciting to see and hear the relief and cost-benefits our guards are bringing many fleet owners. It’s extremely satisfying and rewarding to have fleet owners come up to you at the recent Truck World Show in Toronto saying, “ ‘We really like your product, it is the only guard we use now’, ‘I now put your guards on all our trucks’, ‘You have an excellent product & have saved us a lot of money.’ ” I look forward to continuing to develop and expand our brand in the growing Canadian market, working together with our growing dealer network, and providing many more happy customers.

Take care and be safe with Ex-Guard!!

Tim Searle Canadian Sales Consultant EX-GUARD INDUSTRIES

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I look forward to continuing to develop and expand our brand in the growing Canadian market

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Sales Corner Featuring WAYNE WOROBEC

// CANADA My name is Wayne Wrobec and I was born In Vancouver, British Columbia, CA. I attended to school in Vancouver, finished high school and went on to graduate from the University of British Columbia, Faculty of Commerce. I met my wife while I studying there together we have three children. We also adopted a teenage girl that was abandoned by her family. My first job was with a company called Bowman distribution. We distributed hardware and industrial supplies to the automotive and truck industry. I worked with this company for 24 years while raising our children. After the company changed sales policy and turned all of their sales agents into employees, I left the company in 2001 and join Magnum Trailer. At Magnum trailer, I was asked to help develop their aluminum accessory business. For several years, we grew their cab protection toolbox and other accessories segment. At the time, Ali Arc was the only bumper manufacturer of note. We. We decided to do some research on the bumper business and determined that it was a worthwhile venture. I did research on market needs, listening to users, dealers and fleet owners and determined that a quick release bumper was the best way to enter the market. I worked with two engineers at Magnum to develop the latch assembly that is Magnum’s key feature as well as other features that made the

Magnum popular from the get-go. While I was developing the Magnum business in the US after the recession of 2007 and 2008, I started to notice the Ex-Guard bumpers. The dealers were very satisfied with the service and quality of the bumper. It was a different threat to our business compared to Herd and Ali Arc. In 2014, Magnum was sold to a financial company that buys companies. This company was not familiar with the truck industry and their primary goal was to increase profit and decrease costs. Being very against this mindset, I left in the fall of 2016. I had been watching the Ex-Guard bumper business grow dramatically. They were not common in Western Canada so I reached out to them bout doing some work with Ex-Guard. I started with Ex-Guard In the winter of 2016 and had a heart attack shortly afterward. I was surprised and very grateful with the patience the company management had towards my sudden health issue. I don’t think there are many companies that would keep a guy on a contract that has a jammer weeks after starting, but Ex-Guard did. I persevered and returned to the marketplace as soon as I could and we have been slowly growing the business the right way ever since.

My territory is in Western Canada and there are only about 8 Million people that live here. All three of the

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I believe the future of front and protection is the Ex-guard product.

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N E W S L E T T E R

Moose bumper manufacturers make their products here so it is Pretty competitive in this little corner. Still, we make gains and slowly win the confidence of the dealers. Also challenging is selling for a foreign company in the middle of a trade skirmish. A lot of Canadians have feelings about buying foreign-made goods, yet the trucks are all made in other countries so they need to get over it, LOL. In the early stages It was difficult. I did a good job convincing my dealer friends that Magnum was the best and now I had to show them a new way. It is hard to argue that the needs of the market were changing. Pressure is always on the requirements of the modern fleet. Well, there will always be a driver or a truck owner that wants a specific look or is willing to put on a very heavy and expensive bumper. I believe the future of front and protection is the Ex-guard product. There’s nothing else on the market like it and I am confident that in time Western Canada will be a very common place to see Ex-guard. My wife Terry and I are empty nesters now. Terry and I have traveled the world a lot. We have more trips planned in the future. We enjoyed boating With our family and friends. I like to mention that I have spent many years protecting our coastline from the invasion of salmon and other species. We hope we can. Continue to travel for a long time. We have recently started to do some gardening as we have a good spot for one, and we have a couple of big cats including a Bengal that some of you may have heard while talking to me when I am in my home office.

Wayne Worobec Canadian Sales Consultant

Wayne Worobec Canadian Sales Consultant EX-GUARD INDUSTRIES

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N E W S L E T T E R N E W S L T T E R GUESS THIS TRUCK ANSWER:

A.

LT-325B

TRuCK ANSWER: A. INTERNATIONAL LT

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