Emergency vehicle upfitter LEHR recently opened a new, 40,000-square-foot facility in Houston under its Defender Supply brand. The facility was built to meet increasing demand from law enforcement, emergency and transportation agencies across Houston and the broader Texas market, officials stated in a press release.
“As part of our strategy to expand into new markets, we are thrilled to open this state-of-the-art facility to serve our growing customer base,” said Daniel Hamm, chief executive officer, LEHR. “In just one year, we’ve grown from six locations to 28 nationwide. The Houston facility marks an important milestone in our journey to scale from a regional provider into a true national platform.”
The new facility will deliver best-in-class vehicle upfitting services, creating new jobs in the region, according to the company. It has already begun producing vehicles, with multiple contracts secured in the area, with a capacity to upfit thousands of vehicles annually for first responders and other government agencies.
The Houston expansion highlights the rising demand for emergency fleets driven by population growth and urban development in addition to the industry’s shift toward scaled national platforms that can deliver consistent, high-quality services across multiple jurisdictions.
“Our expansion into the Greater Houston area is a direct response to customer demand,” said Eric Hove, president of Defender Supply, a LEHR company. “With this expansion, we are poised to strengthen our market presence, and we look forward to providing the emergency vehicle industry with best-in-class products that enable our first responders with the tools they need to succeed.”
LEHR specializes in police, emergency, utility, security and other government upfitting services, delivering turnkey solutions from initial design to final delivery. Its Defender Supply brand focuses on emergency vehicle upfitting services for law enforcement agencies, maintaining direct partnerships with Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge and Ram.