Sara VanFleet is the owner of DB Trucks in Glendale, specializing in the restoration and repair of custom water trucks and fire tenders.

It is an essential service for a state dealing with a water crisis and prone to wildfires. Van Fleet talked about her experience breaking into a male-dominated industry.

The Glendale Independent caught up with the VanFleet for a question and answer session:

Name: Sara VanFleet
Business: DB Trucks, 6509 W. Orangewood Ave., Glendale

What do you do? DB Trucks manufactures, refurbishes, and sells water trucks and fire tenders. We provide water trucks to several types of industries including construction companies, pool companies, firefighters, farms, and arenas.
What are the hours? We are open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and by appointment only on Saturdays.
Personal background highlights? As an avid entrepreneur, having built my first business from the ground up into a successful structured settlement company, starting a new company completely out of my wheelhouse was very challenging and exciting. After graduating from the University of Delaware and subsequently moving to Arizona, I was fortunate to work with and learn from successful people and decided to start my own business. Ironically, my deep love of horsemanship, especially competitive show jumping, led me to interface with companies that provided sales and service of water trucks. The farm where I ride my horses had an old and failing water truck that was constantly needing something. The lack of attention and professionalism of the water truck companies we had to interface with did, indeed, provide the idea, opportunity, and necessity to start DB.
What are some professional background highlights as a water truck dealer? I am proud of all the variety of trucks that we have built that have been essential tools for construction crews to aid in the building of infrastructure all from our shop in Glendale. We have sold and shipped trucks across the U.S., internationally as well as to U.S. Territories. In addition, we are extremely proud of our many fire tenders, trucks that transport the water necessary for fire crews to fight forest fires in Arizona and California as well as several other states. Firefighters do such essential and courageous work, and it is an honor to help them do their job. Most of our work is custom thus, many of our builds are unique and solve many different needs and problems for our customers.
How difficult was it to get your own business started and to build a customer base in what has traditionally been a male-dominated industry? Learning water trucks and getting the business off the ground has been one of the most challenging things I have ever done. So many people, including potential clients, were skeptical that a woman could understand and survive much less thrive in this industry. Honestly, most people don’t look at me and say that I am someone who would know as much about trucks as I do. To this day, people are surprised when they realize I know just as much about water trucks as I do. If you continually back what your company has promised and exceed the customer’s expectations, they eventually realize you know what you are talking about. As I did not have a knowledge base in this industry, it took time to learn to garner respect from employees, customers, and the industry as well.
How much has your business grown in the last couple of years? It has grown a lot in the last year. The first two years were a challenge because we were a startup and we had to work hard just to get the cash flow and parts and inventory to grow. Now, we are a step ahead because we have enough money in the business to order parts ahead of time and look ahead. Last year we put in a paint booth to paint water trucks and equipment. It is very large and allows us to repair and paint semi-truck sized equipment. Every year, we attempt to add something to the business that provides value to our customers and DB as well.

What are you excited about regarding the current state of your business? We are now on a path of growing our base and getting bigger contracts plus broader recognition. We are now able to seek out larger orders from some of the largest companies in the Valley. Growing our inventory and capacity is allowing us to handle larger orders in the six- to seven-truck range. Steady and sustained growth is our goal and that is very exciting to all of us at DB as it appears we are on the right path to succeeding.
What is your favorite community cause and why? My partner and I support several veteran support groups and are deeply committed to that cause. We contribute to several charities the primary ones being Shriner’s Children’s Hospital and Camelot Therapeutic that provide horse interface for persons with challenges.
My family I grew up in Philadelphia; my parents are school teachers, and my brother lives in Tucson. My partner Howard and I have been together for 19 years, and we run our companies together.
What are your interests and hobbies? I am a competitive equestrian show jumper. I love to ride horses and compete in events all over the West, including Canada.
What are your guiding philosophies? You can’t get around working hard. There are no easy paths to success. I go to work every day thinking I am going to work harder than anyone.
What is your advice to today’s youth? It is the same as my guiding philosophy: work hard and don’t be discouraged if you don’t always make it. Fail, try again, and keep going. It is a long journey. Resilient people eventually find success.