Today we’d like to introduce you to Bill Tillson
Hi Bill, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Gorilla Fabrication started because there was a need for a Fabrication Shop in Charleston. We originally started out building small with dog boxes. These boxes are typically used during hunting season. One of our clients had asked if we would be interested in making a BBQ Grill Trailer, which we designed and built. From there, for several years we made BBQ grills amongst making smokers for restaurants in the Charleston area for clients like Rodney Scott, Jim N’ Nicks, Swig & Swine, and Smokin’ Gringos.
We started to receive requests to build Food Trucks along with making vintage trailers into Food Trailers and even partnered up with a client to make our very first Classic Pizza Truck. Our clients are from all over the U.S. from Denver, CO to New York, Florida, Texas, Washington State, you name it. We realized that there was a need for Vintage-Style Trailers that could withstand being on the road and to hold the commercial equipment. We decided to start building vintage trailers from the ground up to ensure just that. Our trailers and our Bed Enclosures for our Pizza Trucks are 100% welded steel frames. Vintage Trailers of the past, and even some trailer manufacturers still today, do not offer Steel Framed Trailers. Most end up having the base, or chassis, steel frame but the rest of the framing ends up being wood, which will eventually cause structural problems since many of our clients are constantly on the road and at different events throughout the week.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not always been easy being a small business. We go through hard times and good times like any other business. We adapt to the times, we focus on reaching clients through Social Media outlets, email campaigns, marketing, etc. Building a business from a backyard operation to one with a handful of employees creates more stress than struggle. The struggle is the part that keeps you going, but the stress is what keeps you up at night. We have seen times that are very lean and those force you to evaluate your operation and adapt.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The team at Gorilla is absolutely amazing. Many people would look at us and think that we are Blue Collar because we weld, work with wood, run electrical and plumbing, lay tile, and anything else you can imagine that would need to occur to build a Mobile Business. However, I call them artisans because these guys love collaborating with clients to come up with something unique and stunning.
We specialize in totally custom builds involving vintage vehicles. From restoration to new fabrication we do the entire process. That starts with design and layout, drawing blue prints, building the vehicle out and collaborating with customers all throughout the process.
I would like to think that we are known for ability to work with customers to execute their exact needs. Often times that means finding solutions to new issues. The product that we are most known for is Classic Pizza Trucks.
We have built scores of these classic trucks. They have a Classic Cab, but with a modern chassis and engine. Who would want to drive a “work truck” and it not have power-steering? No one that I know. We understood that in the very beginning that we needed to ensure that we could make a vehicle that would be able to travel with a 2,500 lb wood-fired oven so we started researching how we could marry a Classic Cab with a Modern engine/Chassis so that our clients would not only be happy, but willing to book events and travel.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Absolutely! When a lot of places closed down to include “Brick & Mortar” restaurants, a lot of our clients decided to utilize their Food Truck, which let me tell you was nice from time-to-time because cooking at home can sometimes being a chore in of itself. The other was an up-tick for the need to go Mobile. While there had been price increases and supply-change issues in the beginning, most issues have been remedied and we have seen a little bit of a decrease in material cost.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.GorillaFabrication.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gorilla_fabrication/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GorillaFabrication
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GorillafabricationSC
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@gorilla_fabrication
