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A.R.E. Bringing Special Custom to Show

Originally Published at on Jan 08 2012 • view original

In the mid-1940s truck caps were created to be used over the truck beds by those who mainly worked outside or performed manual labor.

Later, the caps evolved in both design and function and were also called campers. Campers became a great way to store heavy equipment, work in the field, or enjoy the great outdoors.

Caps also kept things in truck beds from getting wet, getting blown away and even stolen. However, many of the first few decades cap models were were known to rust and wear out at rapid rates.

They were also not always securely anchored on the vehicle or secure enough to store valuables.

The truck caps of yesteryear have now undergone a complete metamorphosis from the outside in. Caps are no longer square, bulky, or unattractive utility accessories. They are now being customized to fit the needs of many types of customers for professional, occupational, and personal lifestyle preferences.

Usually, when truck owners purchase their truck, they know all too well the exorbitant expenses involved when it comes to obtaining necessary customizations by the dealer. Customers today are also very aware the car or truck dealership will often not have the ability to provide the perfect customization for each buyer.

Seeing a need for more choices within the truck cap industry was the catalyst for A.R.E’s founder, Sal Gatti of Massillon,, Ohio, to start his truck cap business in 1969. A.R.E. (which was named after Gatti’s children Ann Marie, Ralph and Elizabeth), is one of the largest manufacturers of truck caps and fiberglass tonneau covers in the industry today.

Through the years, the number of products the company has grown as has their ability to ensure their products are of the highest caliber. The A.R.E. brand focuses on ensuring high quality truck accessories by using only ISO 9000. This is a specialized system adhering to very strict guidelines which ensures a product is certified. “When our business first started making the caps, they were made out of aluminum. Now we make them out of fiberglass,” A.R.E.s Director of Marketing Bryan Baker said.

A.R.E. has dozens of different choices customers may make in order to provide the correct cap which accommodates their needs.

They offer dozens of different weights, designs, and features such as walk-in doors and extra windows to provide additional visibility in the back.

A.R.E.s caps are specially fitted for Ford and Dodge trucks and cost anywhere from $1,000 dollars to $2,500 dollars.

The cap manufacturer also sells many other products such as bed slides (very handy when hauling heavy equipment). These simply allow one to slide the bed out with ease bringing equipment closer to where it is needed. “Bedslides hold up to 1200 pounds,” Baker said. “Our company also customizes tonneau covers and paints them to match the vehicle’s interior and exterior. We have invented most of our products except for the slide and sell a few thousand tonneau covers a week.”

Last year, “Ford donated an F-150 as a project vehicle to the tonneau and cap cover corporation.

The reason for their donation was for A.R.E. to build a $150,000 dollar truck which will be auctioned off in 2012 at a Barrett Jackson auction with proceeds benefiting SEMA charities,” Baker said.

The truck is called their Hall of Fame truck because it features many tributes to those who have been inducted into Football’s Hall of Fame. “We literally put the truck together in a matter of months,” Baker added.

Football leather accents on door panels and special moldings complement the interior of the Hall of Fame tribute truck.

The seats are upholstered with Katzkin brand premium leather. Both the seats and tachometer sport Hall of Fame insignia in chrome. Football memorabilia accents can be found throughout the trucks interior and exterior.

Eighty-eight signatures surround the exterior of the truck’s tonneau and pictures of the inductees are highlighted with LED accents. There are televisions, a Direct TV satellite receiver and an outdoor Play Station 3 included complementing the trucks amazing audio and entertainment system.

“We also added polypropylene carpet in the bed which is virtually indestructible,” Baker said. For their innovative product offerings and work, A.R.E. has earned many awards at SEMA including Chrysler’s Design and Aftermarket Excellence award, Consumers Digest Best Buy award, Ford’s 2010 Product award, and Best Utilization of a GM Truck Bed Award.

A.R.E., along with their incredible Hall of Fame F-150, will be on-site at the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas November 1 through the November 4, 2011.

To learn more about A.R.E. or the Hall of Fame Truck auction visit them at SEMA booth # 33134 in the South Hall Upper Level, or visit: www.4are.com.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 8th, 2012 at 11:10 am and is filed under SEMA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.