Welcome back to Leading the League, where we highlight brands that help jobbers grow. This time, we sat down with Mike Hesse from Blue Ox, a company many jobbers know from the RV world, now making big strides in the automotive towing space.
A Century-Old Company With a Fresh Opportunity
Mike shared that Blue Ox is a fourth-generation, family-owned business that just celebrated its 100th anniversary. The company has always leaned on three core ideas: build quality products, back them with strong customer support, and always do what’s right.
As Blue Ox grew in the RV space, they noticed that many jobbers were already installing their flat-towing products. This signaled a huge opportunity to partner more directly with automotive shops, and that’s what led them to team up with The AAM Group and its member jobbers. In his words, they realized they could apply the same success they’ve had in the RV market to the automotive side, and that made partnering with AAM and its members a really exciting move.
Blue Ox Base Plates Are a Win for Jobbers
If you’ve ever dealt with flat towing, you know that almost every time someone changes vehicles, they need a new base plate installed. Mike’s vision for product design centers on making the installation as simple as possible for the people doing the work.
He explained that Blue Ox uses advanced tube-laser technology to shape their base plates for each vehicle. The result is smoother installs and dramatically less labor time which is often around half of what competing products require. Mike says this is intentional. They want jobbers making a strong margin while spending less time wrestling with hardware. That same focus carries over into their receiver hitches, weight-distribution systems, and other towing products.
Blue Ox designs with modern vehicle technology in mind. Even though ADAS isn’t active when a vehicle is flat towed, the install still needs to clear sensors and avoid interference. Mike explained that Blue Ox’s engineering team builds those considerations into every design so jobbers can install confidently without worrying about unexpected ADAS conflicts.
Training and Support on the Road
Blue Ox takes a hands-on approach with its partners. Yes, they have displays and dealer programs, but that’s just the starting point. Mike and his wife actually made it their personal goal several years ago to visit every RV dealership and now, every jobber, they possibly can. Mike says every road trip includes planned stops at jobber locations.
Blue Ox has a team of product trainers who travel the country in Blue Ox-equipped trucks. These trainers roll in with slide-out trays full of demo units, show jobbers the full product line, walk them through how everything works, and go over the best installation techniques. According to Mike, it’s the best way to build real partnerships: face-to-face, hands-on, and honest. Their goal is not only to educate but also to learn how and what they could be doing better.
Feedback That Actually Helps
Because Blue Ox is out in the field so much, they hear real-time feedback from the people installing their products every day. Mike shared that their new slider fifth-wheel hitch, launching early next year, was developed directly because jobbers told them it was needed. Same with updates to adjustable ball mounts and other towing products. He says he learns something every single day he’s on the road, and that feedback loop is a major driver of how Blue Ox continues to evolve.
Committed to Protecting Jobbers
A lot of jobbers worry about price undercutting online, and Mike addressed that head-on. Blue Ox does not sell directly on Amazon and enforces MAP pricing strictly across its distributors. He says they’re serious about protecting local shops, serious enough that they cut off partners who break those pricing rules, no matter how big they are.
Mike made it clear that Blue Ox is committed to brick-and-mortar jobbers and refuses to operate in a way that creates channel conflict or forces shops to compete with unfair online pricing.
Why Family-Owned Jobbers Feel Like a Natural Fit
Mike mentioned more than once how much he enjoys working with family-owned jobbers. As a family-run business himself, he says those shops tend to share Blue Ox’s values, commitment, long-term thinking, and doing what’s right for the customer. In his mind, that alignment is what makes the partnerships so strong and so mutually beneficial.
At The AAM Group and Total Truck Centers, we believe jobbers, distributors, and supplier partners all bring irreplaceable value to the industry, and Blue Ox is a great example of a brand that embraces that philosophy. Big thanks to Mike Hesse for joining us and giving our jobbers a closer look at Blue Ox’s approach, vision, and commitment. Stay tuned for the next episode of Leading the League for more insights and industry conversations.
