All Part Of The Plan

The skyrocketing popularity of Gateway Bronco vehicles is reversing the trend of automotive jobs leaving the USA, especially the Midwest. The company is growing its team of experts to keep up with demand, adding talented and committed people to every aspect of the business. This is all part of the plan.

It should come as no surprise that Gateway Bronco was prepared for its explosive growth. Founder and CEO Seth Burgett has a successful history of innovation, including the principal inventor of a medical device robot used in cardiology and neurology surgery. More recently, he was granted a patent for developing a set of headphones with physiological sensors, producing one of the world’s first heart rate monitoring sport headphones in a partnership with Under Armour and JBL. An award-winning engineer, Burgett attended MIT, Stanford and holds an Executive MBA from Washington University’s Olin School of Business, where he earned the Inspirational Leadership award.

“When I founded Gateway Bronco five years ago, we were confident that collectors and enthusiasts would love our restomod classic Broncos,” explained Burgett. “I also wanted to create a sustainable company that could scale up with demand. That is why I implemented a plan to attract and integrate team members as we grew. Now we are expanding at every level to continue meeting our quality and delivery commitments.”

Gateway Bronco has a 60,000 square foot factory in Illinois, just outside of St. Louis.

“Our facility is vertically integrated from metal fabrication to powder coating, paint, and final assembly,” said Burgett. “Most importantly, our shop has the space and expertise to build the first-generation Ford Bronco the way Henry Ford envisioned, on a production line using a Lean production process. These processes leverage my experience as an engineer and a Six Sigma Black Belt.”

Since the beginning, Gateway Bronco has recruited some of the best talent in the nation. Most of the team are master craftsmen or journeyman level technicians with a strong core of managers to ensure production consistently meets quality expectations.

While many companies were buffeted by soft demand and supply chain issues over the past two years, Gateway Bronco has adapted by investing in its people and infrastructure. In just five years, that investment is paying off with Gateway Bronco completing its 100th vehicle.

But Gateway Bronco is only beginning. The company just added another 10 people, doubled the staff in the autobody shop and promoted several key contributors. Key structural changes included promoting Kristin McCaw to Chief of Staff and Denise Lile to Director of Operations. A trio of others moved into critical roles that increase their responsibilities.

“Enhancing our customer service department was a crucial step in expanding the company,” added McCaw. “We built a process that allows customers waiting for their classic Ford Bronco or F-150 to request a personalized update on their Bronco and its projected delivery.”

Gateway Bronco has plans to continue augmenting its workforce. When manufacturers relocated to cheaper foreign shores, Gateway Bronco invested in the future of the American Midwest. From college internships to in-depth training and promotion schedules, the company is nurturing the craftsmen, customer service experts and logistics gurus of tomorrow.

It’s all part of the plan.