From one-person startup, manufacturer Retrax now a major Grand Forks employer

Looking at Becky Mobley out on the production floor, you might not know that two years ago she had never worked in manufacturing.

"When I first started, I didn't think I would fit in," Mobley said of her job at Retrax.

Having worked in schools, hospitals and nursing homes before Retrax, this was out of her comfort zone.

"I came in with zero experience and they made me feel comfortable. They didn't make me feel like an oddball or like I didn't know anything," Mobley said. "They treated me like I was human."

Retrax sells customized truck bed covers all over the country and internationally, from Canada to Brazil to Mexico.

"The real secret of Retrax is our people," said Scott Fuller, general manager.

Blane Geddes, who has worked for Retrax for six years, said he moved to North Dakota for its job opportunities during the 2008 financial crisis. "It's fun. I actually go home most days and think to myself, 'I had fun today,' " Geddes said.

Retrax was started in 1997 by Tim Mulvaney. Only a few days after opening his first shop in April of that year, Mulvaney was told to evacuate. After the Flood of 1997, Mulvaney returned to find mud and water all over the shop.

He started his business just building one cover at a time, Fuller said. Over the years he added employees and the company began to expand.

"This is very much a one-person startup," Fuller said.

In 2013, Retrax became part of Truck Hero, a group of companies all in the truck accessories market, located all over country.

"We still remain a local company, as far as attitude. We're self-contained in Grand Forks," said Fuller. "Truck Hero provides some resources we might not have had on our own."

Retrax is now made up of 191 employees spread between two buildings, one at 417 S. 46th St. and the other at 5400 32nd Ave. S. Retrax moved all of its manufacturing into the 32nd Avenue building in 2018.

"We had been so crowded because of our growth," Fuller said. "The rapidness of our growth is astonishing."

Mobley said in her time with the company, she has seen many new faces, but not a lot of turnover. "People generally stay here," she said.

"Our strategy is to treat employees well, that is the path to success," Fuller said. "And that has really been proven over the years."

Retrax holds team-building activities during its large quarterly meetings, Fuller said, with activities like building a tower out of balloons and tape.

"I actually won that competition," Geddes said, smiling. "Of course, I had a couple engineers on my team so that helped."