From Kris-Way’s home office in South Portland, Tom Keefer, the company’s president, keeps his hands on the wheel of the business he started in September 1978. Kris-Way, a Maine-based success story, is an independent, locally owned entity.

Keefer learned the truck-leasing business while working for a national leasing company. His job, though, didn’t allow him to establish roots in any one area, since he was frequently required to relocate.

Weary from constantly being on the move, Keefer began seriously to consider starting his own business. The thought of owning a company located where he and his family wanted to live appealed to him, and Maine seemed to be the best candidate for a permanent location.

Guided by experience, Keefer was confident that his familiarity and the good relations he enjoyed with his customers would lead to potential contacts for new business.

On Sept. 17, 1978, Kris-Way Truck Leasing Inc. was born. The fledgling company opened its doors, leasing space and mechanical support from a truck dealership. With two trucks leased to a local potato chip firm, Kris-Way was on its way.

In 1979, the business branched out to occupy an additional facility, on property owned by Hannaford Bros., used exclusively to maintain the Hannaford fleet.

The burgeoning business quickly outgrew its modest digs. So in 1980, it moved down the road in South Portland and rented a portion of its present building.

The business continued to grow. The building it rented from Hannaford was subsequently torn down for warehouse expansion, requiring Kris-Way to seek additional facilities for its continued expansion. In 1983, Kris-Way purchased the 50,000-square-foot South Portland facility that it inhabits today.

Business growth was ushered in by:

An increased demand for leased vehicles;

The development of Contract Maintenance;

Regulatory change.

The company was positioned to take advantage in all three areas. Kris-Way’s lease and rental fleet grew dramatically throughout the ’80s, and its contract-maintenance product expanded the scope of potential customers.

Regulatory reform allowed for the development of “single source leasing,” allowing customers to lease both equipment and drivers from one single company. Anticipating the change, Kris-Way acquired a small leasing company that had the drivers and management it needed to satisfy the needs of those customers that required both drivers and equipment.

That service was the forerunner of Dedicated Contract Carriage, yet another service that favored Kris-Way and the entire truck-leasing industry.

Another out-growth of the trucking industry, warehousing has evolved to allow Kris-Way to become a total transportation company interfacing with all aspects of the distribution process.

Today, Kris-Way, Maine’s dominant independent truck-leasing business, operates from seven facilities in Maine and New York. The Schodack Landing, N.Y., site is dedicated to Hannaford Bros.; the Clifton Park, N.Y., facility operates exclusively for Kraft Foodservice.

Maine locations include:

Portland and Biddeford;

The Waterville location, which began in 1984;

The newcomer Bangor branch, which commenced operations in 1991;

The South Portland site, which continues to be corporate headquarters and where trucks are also serviced.

Bottom-line savings in personnel costs, environmental considerations, and large capital investments motivate companies, both large and small, to use Kris-Way’s services rather than maintain their own trucks and service facilities.

Keefer credits his company’s success to “enjoying all the out-growth of the industry. The Maine market is receptive to change and Maine transportation is a big part of Maine industry.”

Kris-Way excels in remaining responsive to its customers’ changing needs with new ideas, many of which have been initiated by their customers. “We have fine customers who continue to enjoy growth. They are leaders in their own fields,” Keefer said. “As they grow, we also grow.”

Kris-Way’s affiliation with AMTRALEASE has also enhanced the business. The corporation is a charter member of AMTRALEASE, a group of 75 independent lessors nationwide. Members provide reciprocal road service, refueling, and replacement vehicles. “It’s our responsibility when trucks are stuck,” Keefer said.

Kris-Way appreciates dealing with other independent lessors, since they have “an ownership interest in supporting each other.” The collaborative efforts have evolved into co-op advertising and group purchasing. Members also benefit from attending quarterly maintenance and management meetings, where information is exchanged.

“AMTRALEASE acts as our corporate staff, bringing together the latest information and technology from 75 independent thinkers,” Keefer said. “It’s a big part of our growth.”