MOORESVILLE, NC - Downey Products is celebrating its 25th anniversary of manufacturing aluminum-framed tonneau covers for pickups.

Gerald Downey founded Downey Products in 1977 after working for a canvas company in Syracuse, N.Y. Downey was intimately familiar with the techniques of applying canvas to aluminum frames in the creation of commercial awnings. While considering a tonneau for his own truck, he realized that the traditional method of attaching the cover to the bed (using up to 60 snaps embedded in the side of the truck bed) did not appeal to him, particularly with the harsh winters Syracuse experienced. Instead, he took the idea of a framed commercial awning and applied it to the bed of his truck.

The benefits of the design were quickly recognized by Downey's friends and neighbors, who began requesting Downey's framed tonneaus for their own trucks. Realizing the potential of his creation, he left his employer and began Downey Canvas Products. Working solo in a converted gas station, he supplemented business by producing other canvas products including: commercial awnings, tents and canvas bags. Soon, word about the tonneaus spread -- from friend to friend and the business grew one customer at a time.

By 1985, business was booming and Downey was joined full-time by his son, Darrin, who had been helping out evenings and weekends. Darrin realized that there was a greater market for the product and began showing the framed tonneaus at regional trade shows. Eventually the tonneau business grew to such an extent that it became the full focus of the company's efforts. The company then incorporated as Downey Products, Inc. and hired a full-time staff including Darrin's wife, Sandra, who brought with her years of sales and purchasing experience. As VP of sales and marketing, Sandra continued Darrin's expansion plans to increase market share for the product, while Darrin concentrated on the research and development of new products.

Downey Products relocated to North Carolina in 1995 to a 22,000 square foot headquarters and manufacturing facility that has grown larger in recent years in response to Downey's tremendous success. The company moved primarily because of North Carolina's strong economic environment and because it's centrally located, enabling quicker distribution to customers from New England to Florida.

In 1999, Downey was sold and Shawn Reeder was appointed president. For the past five years, the company has enjoyed double-digit growth figures and the future looks bright for Downey.

"We're focused on the development of high-quality, innovative products," said Shawn Reeder, president, Downey. And we are exploring other avenues, some tonneau related, some not. This includes a vertical integration of technologies and the ability to produce some of our own raw materials.

Downey is also advancing its market reach by adding distributors in Canada and Puerto Rico. The company has further stepped up sales efforts with new point-of-purchase materials. According to Reeder, these strategies are all part of Downey's long-term business plan.

The company's origins as a retail installer have given Downey Products a customer orientation throughout the years to this day. In their 25 years of operation, Downey has listened to and evaluated customer comments and suggestions to continually engineer improvements in their tonneau covers.

"We decided early on that we didn't want to make the least expensive tonneau cover, we wanted to provide what would appeal most to a truck owner," Reeder said in summing up the company's philosophy. "We're not in the business for a one-time sale, we want people to come back again and again because they know the Downey family of products are manufactured to the highest standard of quality.

The company's flagship product is the Downey SST", available for import and domestic pickups from 1973 through the present. The SST uses an attractive, heavy-duty black anodized aluminum frame that can be installed in as little as 15 minutes and looks great even when the cover is off.

The Downey LTD' represents the next generation in soft tonneau covers, thanks to its innovative lift-top design. The Downey LTD retains all the features found on the SST tonneau, with the added benefit that it lifts up for easy access to the truck bed, without unsnapping the cover. Cargo is safely out of sight when the LTD top is latched shut using a simple one-handed system, yet the tailgate still operates normally for easy access. The LTD latching mechanism easily attaches to the frame, and heavy-duty gas struts help it open and close with ease.

Designed to retail at a lower price point than the Downey SST, the Downey Silver Edition (SE) differs from the SST in that it features a clear-anodized aluminum frame and mill-finished installation clamps, as opposed to the SSTs black anodized aluminum frame and clamps.

For years, owners of pickup trucks with built-in toolboxes were unable to locate a cover that would fit the truck's bed. But Downey offers a custom-cut version of its popular SST tonneau, able to accommodate pickups with a built-in toolbox.

All tonneau models come in a variety of color options and carry a lifetime warranty on the frame and snaps as well as a five-year warranty on the fabric.

Downey Products is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C. For more information, contact the company toll-free at (800) 736-1610 or visit their website at www.downeyproducts.com.