George Fehr

George Fehr: A Legacy of Faith, Grit, and Purpose

George Fehr’s story is one of perseverance, humility, and unwavering faith. Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, he was raised in a family of eleven children where hardship was a daily reality. From a young age, George worked to help support his family—milking cows, tending gardens, and walking miles to school barefoot. He still remembers his tenth birthday, the day he received his first pair of shoes.

At fourteen, George left school to work full-time and provide for his family. With little more
than an extra set of clothes, he left home to take a job in a distant colony, where he found a church community and met the woman who would become his wife. Choosing that faith came at great personal cost—his parents disowned him—but George pressed forward, building a life grounded in conviction.

George’s dream was always to move to the United States. He obtained his green card in 1981, became a U.S. citizen in 1997, and made Texas home with his wife and four children. He began working in trailer manufacturing, eventually rising to a welding supervisor role.

In 2003, George founded Lamar Trailers with $5,000, no customers, and a dirt-floor pole barn. He built trailers by hand, painted them in his garage, and drove back roads with a paper map to find customers, offering quality work sealed with a handshake. Long nights balancing paperwork and payroll were followed by early mornings welding trailers.

The early years required sacrifice. George and his family lived lean, took on side jobs, and endured uncertainty. Through persistence, customer focus, and a commitment to quality, Lamar Trailers grew steadily. By 2018, it became the fastest-growing trailer manufacturer in its category, eventually employing more than 200 people. During this time, George’s children
joined the business and remain actively involved today.

That same year, George made a countercultural decision to pause growth, pay off all debt, and refocus on excellence. Today, Lamar Trailers is completely debt-free—a reflection of George’s belief that stewardship matters more than scale. George never set out to build a large company.

His goal was to provide for his family, create opportunity for others, and honor God through honest work. His legacy is not just trailers, but people, purpose, and a life lived in service to others. George often says you don’t need wealth or credentials to build a good life. If you’re willing to work hard and stay faithful, opportunity will follow.

The NATDA Lifetime Achievement Award honors George Fehr for his lasting impact on the trailer industry. Through principled leadership, hard work, and a commitment to quality, he has built Lamar Trailers into an industry leader and set a standard of excellence for generations to come.