Company Profile: High Lifter Products

It’s impossible to even consider using one’s ATV for purpose of mud crossing without the name High Lifter entering the equation. Furthermore, these are the guys behind the annual Mud Nationals events; so it pretty much goes without saying that they are a force in the industry. But how did it all start for the company out of Louisiana? Let’s take a deeper look.

The story begins in 1996 with a fella by the name of Mike Smith. Mike had seen homemade lifts for ATVs and wanted one for his own trusty Honda. Mike had a secret weapon to make such things a reality in his son Scott, who happened to be co-owner of a local construction company.

Mike asked Scott to devise a weld-on kit for his 1996 Honda 400 Foreman so that he could run larger tires/ achieve more ground clearance over the factory spec. It didn’t take long for the two of them to realize that this wasn’t just a good idea for their own use but a product that the whole industry was lacking. The trouble of course was that they realized such a kit could never be sold and marketed in its current configuration as a weld-on accessory.

Over the next few months, work began on taking the weld-on concept to a much more user-friendly bolt-on lift kit. In the early days prototypes and failed designs were plentiful. “We designed dozens of bolt-on kits before arriving at the finished product, a front lift for a Honda 400,” says Mike.

Since Mike also had a full time job at the time, he lacked the time and ability to properly pursue completing the lift kit and taking it to market. Rather than see this unique accessory go by the way side, Scott and Mike both decided that Scott should take over and make this whole High Lifter lift kit thing a reality.

Once the front lift for the Honda 400 was completed, Scott began to run ads in the local Thrifty Nickel. This generated enough interest in the lift that he was able to purchase more ads in Thrifty Nickels in 10 other southern cities. Within a few months, High Lifter was spending more on Thrifty Nickel ads than their first ad in Dirt Wheels magazine- which, hadn’t even matched the exposure they were now getting.

Scott knew he needed a “shop” to work out of if the business were to establish a legit identity. He took out a loan to purchase some basic equipment and built a small workshop right behind his house. Scott spent his nights after work building and selling the lift kits. “All inventory was kept in a small plastic dish-sized tub,” says Scott with a laugh. The next order of business would be a name. Again, father Mike came through with something simple but effective. “The name High Lifter was selected as being reasonably indicative of what the product is – a lift that makes ATVs higher,” says Mike.

In 2003, High Lifter wanted to get some friends, customers, and ATV enthusiasts together for a weekend of fun, while showcasing products and sharing ideas. As a result the High Lifter ATV Mud Nationals were born. Now this annual event has become the largest Utility ATV gathering in the world, boasting more than 14,000 attendees (and growing each year). ATV enthusiasts and riders from across the US and Canada come together for a week-long extravaganza of mudding fun and racing action.

In 2007, High Lifter announced a collaboration with Polaris to create high performance modifications and accessories for the newly-announced 2008 RANGER RZR. Shortly thereafter, Team High Lifter-Polaris Racing was formed. This team partnered the most experienced riders, fabricators and mechanics with world-class engineers at Polaris to create a racing machine that won nine trophies in their first two outings. The team continues to dominate the ATV mud racing scene. Near the end of that same year, building on the success and popularity of High Lifter events like Mud Nationals, we announced the beginning of construction of a brand new off-road racing park located on 574 acres of land in Keithville, Louisiana.

Inception of the “High Lifter Pro Series Racing” professional ATV mud racing points system was established as an organizing body to organize, promote, and bring national awareness and recognition to ATV Mud Racing as a sport.

In 2008, High Lifter was named Small Business of the Year by the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce and The Forum News. This award honors the achievements, sustainability, productivity and contributions to the community of area businesses. The entrepreneurial skills of Scott Smith, along with an outstanding support staff of employees have made High Lifter Products one of the leading ATV aftermarket businesses in the nation.

From humble beginnings as a father/ son idea, the company has grown from a backyard hobby into a 35 employee, multi-million dollar corporation. These days business operations are carried out of their 28,000 square foot location in Shreveport, Louisiana. This building includes a retail showroom, a performance shop, executive offices, and is surrounded by theee large warehouses. They also operate through website, www.highlifter.com, which is visited by millions of unique visitors per month, and includes a full product catalog, a chat room and forum, games, an online ATV magazine, and many, many more informative and entertaining features.