About Royal Truck & Utility Trailer

At Royal Truck & Utility Trailer, our passion is to be the best resource for the transportation industry.

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Our History

As a third-generation family owned business, we are proud of the positive impact we have had in the trucking industry and the legacy our team has created of delivering high quality products and personal service to our customers.

Take a look at our timeline to see some key moments in our history. Between these milestones are stories of starting small, taking risks, working hard, steadily growing, and building long-term relationships. Come by one of our facilities to experience what Royal Truck & Utility Trailer is all about.

1970
Roy Bumgardner and his partner, Al, established Royal with two men and two service bays

1971
Roy purchases his partner, Al’s, interest in Royal

1977
Roy’s son, Carl Bumgardner, joins Royal’s Service Division

1984
Royal expands its offerings by creating its Equipment Sales Division

1987
Royal expands its Service Division by adding six service bays

1989
Royal expands its offerings by creating a Parts Sales Division

1994
Royal builds a new facility to accommodate its growing Parts and Equipment Sales Divisions

1997
Royal sells both of its original facilities and purchases one large facility in Dearborn, MI

1998
Royal expands its Equipment Sales Division by becoming a Talbert Dealer

2001
Roy’s grandson, and Carl’s son, Ken Bumgardner, joins the Parts Division after earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration

2003
(I) Roy is laid to rest after 33 years of service to the company he founded and built with Carl; (II) Carl becomes Royal’s new President; (III) Ken becomes Carl’s Partner and Vice President

2004
Ken’s beloved dog, Loki, becomes Royal’s mascot

2008
(I) Royal expands its product offerings by purchasing Ren; (II) Royal expands its product offerings by becoming a MAC Dealer; (III) Royal purchases a neighboring five-acre property with a warehouse in Dearborn, MI, which becomes Royal’s Parts Division’s distribution center

2010
Royal expands its Parts Sales Division by becoming a Great Dane Authorized Parts Distributor

2011
Royal expands its Parts Division by beginning to sell heavy truck parts

2012
Royal expands its Equipment Sales Division by becoming a Great Dane dealer

2013
(I) During its first year as a Great Dane Dealer, Royal astonishingly receives the Great Dane Dealer of the Year Award; (II) Royal expands its geographic footprint by opening another full-service facility in Wixom, MI

2013
(III) Roy’s granddaughter, Carl’s daughter, and Ken’s sister, Julie Igielski (formerly Julie Bumgardner) joins Royal – after becoming a CPA and spending time at other companies in the private sector – as Partner and Chief Financial Officer; (IV) Royal expands its Parts Division’s capabilities by joining VIPAR

2014
Royal expands its geographic footprint and product offerings by acquiring a full-service competitor in Warren, MI, All Type Truck and Trailer Repair

2016
(I) Royal expands its geographic footprint and product offerings by acquiring a full-service competitor in Detroit, MI, Hulet Body Co.; (II) Royal expands its geographic footprint and product offerings by acquiring a full-service competitor in Gaylord, MI, Walker Brothers Distributors, Inc.

2017
(I) Royal expands its product offerings by acquiring a full-service competitor in Detroit, MI East Michigan Trailer Sales; (II) Royal expands its Equipment Sales Division by becoming a Morgan Body Dealer

2018
(I) Carl becomes Chairman of the Board of Directors; (II) Ken becomes Chief Executive Officer; (III) Royal purchases property in Northville, MI for a potential relocation of its corporate office.

2019
Royal purchases land in Toledo, OH for the development of its first facility outside Michigan

2020
(I) Royal achieves the remarkable landmark of being MAC’s top Dealer in North America for more than a decade straight.

2021
Royal expands its geographic footprint and diversifies its product offerings for customers by acquiring Arista Trucking Systems, which specializes in designing and installing commercial truck equipment.

2022
Royal is proud to announce that, after purchasing Hudsonville Truck and Trailer Service Co., in Hudsonville, Michigan, at the close of 2022, we are now Michigan's only full-service dealership for Utility Trailer, MAC Trailer, and Titan Trailer.

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Royal Truck & Utility Trailer Headquarters

311 E. Cady St.
Northville, MI 48167
P. (313) 524-2529

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Anthony Sciara

Chief Legal Officer 

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Anthony Sciara is our Chief Legal Officer, Corporate Secretary, and a Member of our Board of Directors. He has been a licensed attorney for nearly 15 years. Anthony earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Eastern Michigan University in 2002 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois (Chicago) Law School in 2006. Anthony represented the company for eight years as outside counsel before formally joining the team in October of 2019. Anthony handles and/or supervises all legal and compliance matters for the company, including executive strategy, corporate transactions, and dispute resolution. In addition to his responsibilities with the company, Anthony serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Northville Educational Foundation, participates in the Association of Corporate Counsel, and was previously an Adjunct Professor of Lawyering Skills at the University of Illinois (Chicago) Law School. Anthony is most proud that his position allows him the opportunity to solve problems for us in creative ways, which minimizes risk and maximizes success. The thing Anthony loves most about being part of Royal Truck & Utility Trailer is the sincere and uncommon passion that ownership, leadership, and other employees share for the success of the company. 

Julie Igielski

Chief Financial Officer 

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Julie Igielski is the Chief Financial Officer at Royal Truck & Utility Trailer. Julie attended Michigan State University and earned her Bachelor’s in Merchandise Management in 2004 before attending Eastern Michigan University to get a Master’s degree in Accounting. After graduating with her MSA, she received her Certified Public Accountant license. Prior to joining the Royal team in 2013, Julie held various accounting positions at both publicly and privately owned companies. Since deciding to continue on in the family business nearly 8 years ago, she has helped us accomplish so much. Julie is in charge of all of our finances, creates all of our financial statements, works closely with our CEO and COO when making executive decisions, and works with the bank when acquiring new properties and companies. She is most proud of her CPA license and all of the growth and success she has helped Royal achieve. The thing she loves most about her job is being able to work with her family and her co-workers who have become her family over the years. We are so happy that Julie decided to join the team, we are so appreciative of all she does for us every day. 

Adam Pigeon

Chief Operating Officer 

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Adam Pigeon is the Chief Operating Officer here at Royal Truck & Utility Trailer. Adam joined the team in 2009 after graduating from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelors of Science in 2008. He first joined us as a Parts Counter Representative and advanced to Parts Purchasing Manager. Adam was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in January of 2015 and under his leadership we have seen such tremendous growth. Adam is tasked with overseeing all of our day to day operations between all four facilities and works closely with Corporate Officers, Department VPs, and Directors to implement the company’s strategic plan. When asked about his favorite part about being a part of Royal Truck & Trailer, he shared that he loves the people he works with every day. Something Adam takes pride in is all of the company growth that he has helped achieve over his time at Royal. With over 10 years experience, he has become knowledgeable about the industry and strengthened his skills in operations management, leadership, team building, and contract negotiation. Adam has served on multiple industry advisory and councils and boards. Adam is such an asset to our company and we are so proud of everything he has accomplished during his time with us at Royal Truck & Trailer. 

Ken Bumgardner

Chief Executive Officer

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Ken Bumgardner is the CEO of Royal Truck & Utility Trailer. Ken is an extremely hardworking individual with interpersonal and problem-solving skills. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in Business Management in 2001. Ken has been with the company since he was 12 years old, he was always helping out at the shop to spend time with his dad before joining the team full time in 2001. Before becoming our current CEO, he has held various positions working his way up in the company, such as: cleaner, parts runner, parts counter, parts manager, trailer salesman, office manager, vice president, and president. Ken wanted to join the family business because of his very close relationship with his family, and he loved working with and spending time with his dad. On a daily basis, he is in charge of merger and acquisitions and overseeing our C-level executives. In addition to these responsibilities, Ken also makes sure everyone at Royal is happy in their roles; he thoroughly enjoys working with all of the members of our team. Something he is very proud of is the acquisition of East Michigan Trailer Sales in 2017 because of how it has impacted the dynamic of Royal. He is on the Board of The National Trailer Association and formerly was on the Board of The Michigan Trucking Association. Under Ken’s leadership, we have accomplished great new highs and cannot wait to see what else we can accomplish in the future. 

Ken Bumgardner

Chief Executive Officer

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Ken Bumgardner is the CEO of Royal Truck & Utility Trailer. Ken is an extremely hardworking individual with interpersonal and problem-solving skills. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in Business Management in 2001. Ken has been with the company since he was 12 years old, he was always helping out at the shop to spend time with his dad before joining the team full time in 2001. Before becoming our current CEO, he has held various positions working his way up in the company, such as: cleaner, parts runner, parts counter, parts manager, trailer salesman, office manager, vice president, and president. Ken wanted to join the family business because of his very close relationship with his family, and he loved working with and spending time with his dad. On a daily basis, he is in charge of merger and acquisitions and overseeing our C-level executives. In addition to these responsibilities, Ken also makes sure everyone at Royal is happy in their roles; he thoroughly enjoys working with all of the members of our team. Something he is very proud of is the acquisition of East Michigan Trailer Sales in 2017 because of how it has impacted the dynamic of Royal. He is on the Board of The National Trailer Association and formerly was on the Board of The Michigan Trucking Association. Under Ken’s leadership, we have accomplished great new highs and cannot wait to see what else we can accomplish in the future.