By Kristen Poland

WEST COLUMBIA — A crisp fall breezes usurp sultry summer humidity, America turns its attention from beaches to football fields.

At least one South Carolina company is ready to capitalize on this year’s pigskin frenzy by introducing a product it says will enhance the pre-game tailgating experience for fans across the region.

Tailgating at football games has become as bone fide an American ritual as fireworks on the Fourth of July or pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. Basic tailgating may only include a bag of potato chips and a cooler of beer, but many tailgaters invest in elaborate setups that include grills, tables, chairs and all the fixings of a proper cookout—burgers, steaks, sausages, cole slaw, potato salad and, of course, plenty of beverages.

Rogers Steel in West Columbia recently began selling its Game Day Trailer to accommodate those tailgating enthusiasts. The Game Day Trailer is a flatbed trailer painted with the team logos and colors of local and regional colleges and universities. It comes with a grill (gas or charcoal), tables and a lockable storage compartment.

Each trailer is 5 feet by 10 feet and is equipped with stabilizing legs that flip down to create a sturdy platform for grilling, eating and socializing. The sides of the trailer feature wooden tabletops that accommodate those sitting on chairs inside the trailer and those standing or perched on stools outside the trailer. 

“This product is for people like me who hate to eat with their plate on knee and their drink on uneven ground about to fall over,” said company owner Joe Rogers. “You can pack all of your gear—blankets, chairs, coolers, food—right in the trailer and you don’t have to worry about transporting a grill because it’s built in. When you’re finished, you throw everything back in the trailer and drive home without worrying about hot coals or having to do any of the usual cleaning and packing,”

In December 2006, Rogers purchased the company formerly known as Mike’s Specialties, which had been in business for 20 years. Historically, the company has made utility trailers, trailer accessories and supplies for industrial customers. The desire to create a retail product incubated in Rogers’ head for a while before he invented the Game Day Trailers.

“We were trying to figure out what we could do with the basic flat-form trailer. What else could you do with that structure, running gear, lights, etc. I’m not sure when inspiration hit—it wasn’t a bolt of lightning,” Rogers said, adding that the idea likely stemmed from attending tailgating parties at both South Carolina and Clemson football games with his friends and family.

“I don’t tailgate as much as really intense fans, but I do like football and I’ve been to lots of tailgates. My in-laws do an incredible tailgate at Clemson,” Rogers said. “I’ve always been puzzled over the logistics of carrying all that stuff and how you could make it easier.”

The trailer’s main feature—the grill—presented Rogers with the biggest challenge in perfecting his product. The company toyed with the idea of manufacturing its own grills, but decided it would be simpler to install already-made grills onto the trailer. However, installing the grill turned out to be more difficult than they had anticipated.

“When we first loaded a grill onto the trailer and took it for a ride, pieces fell out of the grill from all the bouncing up and down of the ride,” Rogers said. “We had to spend a lot of time figuring out how to adapt the usual backyard grill to something that would ride down road with reliability.”

The use of collegiate logos is formally endorsed by each participating university. Currently trailers are available for the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, Wofford College, The Citadel, Winthrop University, the College of Charleston, University of North Carolina-Asheville, North Carolina State, Western Carolina and Middle Tennessee State.

The company anticipates adding several more schools in coming weeks. Rogers also offers a trailer painted in hunter's camouflage colors.

“We could’ve just painted the trailers in each school’s colors, but I felt like the affinity people have for these schools is strong enough to be a marketing edge and if we had that license or approval of each institution to use their logos, then that should mean something at least to a portion of fan base,” Rogers said. “Also, we must pay a royalty to the school for each trailer sold, so any time somebody buys a trailer, they’re making a contribution to that school.”

The price tag—$2,650 for a charcoal grill model and $2,750 for gas—gears the product toward upper middle-class to upper-class customers who are already active tailgaters. Still, Rogers emphasizes that the trailers needn’t be limited to football, or even to tailgating. Baseball and other sports fans could also use the trailers. In addition, the trailers can be useful for camping, hunting or virtually any outdoor event.

Each trailer is made to order and requires about a two-week turnaround time. Rogers is happy to customize trailers to meet the needs and expectations of his customers. One  customer recently placed an order for a Citadel trailer and requested that a satellite dish holder and a mount for a flat-screen television be installed on the trailer. Wofford University asked that flag pole holders be added to all trailers sold to its fans.

Rogers hopes to expend his line of Game Day Trailers to include NFL and NASCAR teams, as well as more college football teams from the region and across the nation. He also plans to offer a deluxe package that would include stools, grilling accessories and other items necessary to host the perfect tailgating party. The trailers can be ordered through the Rogers Steel Web site at www.gamedaytrailers.com.

 “We understand how important convenience is,” Rogers said. “We want to be a one-stop shop for tailgating.”