PURPOSE BUILT VEHICLES

Hoppel Fabrication Specialties created our Special Vehicles Division in 2014 from a vision that was inspired many years ago. President and CEO Steffon Hoppel developed a passion for vehicles at the very young age of 12. Together with his father and mentor Jack Hoppel they built his first mini rod tractor where he was quickly introduced to the local truck and tractor pulling competitions. At the age of 15 his passion for metal and vehicles grew yet he had no exposure to the fabrication industry and lacked the necessary skills to reach the next level. Equipped only with a hacksaw, half inch drill and stick welder they custom fabricated the bed of his first tow vehicle for the mini rod tractor.

He pursued his newfound passion throughout high school enrolling in the Industrial Metal Arts program and focused on perfecting the craft of all things “metal”. Challenged to create his own custom project, he decided to step up to the next level since he had accessibility to utilize the experience of Marlington's teaching staff, along with their welding and fabrication equipment. It was at this time he designed and built a new creation “Sweet 16” a custom Mini Rod with 2 V8 engines.

This gained him more exposure in the pulling arena yet also created a whole new set of challenges. He quickly discovered the need to push his boundaries in order to think outside the box creatively. Equipped with desire and determination to increase his design skills he built a new tractor named “Quicksilver”. The passion for the pulling circuit grows quickly raising the bar to expand his metal craftsman skills inspiring a desire to “create” at an even higher level in an effort to remain competitive. During the years of 1984 through 1985 they custom built the “War Eagle” a 2WD pulling truck, quickly followed by a custom hauler with bed and sleeper. The War Eagle continued to win competitions while innovation was conceived resulting in modifications, improvements, and ongoing upgrades enabling it to compete for 15 years.

Committed to constant improvement and driven by passion Steffon used his experience, skills and equipment acquired over the years to serve as the catalyst to translate another vision into reality and formed the business Hoppel Fabrication Specialties. In 1985 the new journey of being a business owner begins to take shape. Using the network created from past exposure to the pulling circuit he begins building parts for fellow pullers, fabricating industrial parts and offers welding repairs to the public. The business grows, and again presents new challenges on a different level requiring him to retire from pulling competitions. Focusing efforts on his newest vision, he makes the decision to sell all vehicles he spent the past 24 years designing, creating and upgrading. Dedication, Innovation and Devotion opens the door to new opportunities for his business and he incorporates Hoppel Fabrication Specialties in January of 2001.

A familiar sight crossed his path in 2002, the 1972 Chevy Hoppel and Son tow vehicle. He decided to repurchase the truck with yet another vision to design it as a promotional marketing vehicle representing Hoppel Fabrication Specialties. He completed the rebuild in 2003 renaming it the “Harley Truck” in commemoration of the 100 year anniversary of Harley Davidson Motorcycles. His passion for vehicles and metal fabrication continues but this time on quite a different scale as Steffon pushes the boundaries moving from trucks to a fully customized chopper. Creative design begins in 2006 and in 2008 “Metal Therapy” is no longer a dream but a vision transformed into reality.

Fast forward to 2014 ... Special Vehicles Division aka SVD is a larger vision turned reality and capable of serving a dual role. From a public perspective the primary goal has always been to develop, create or modify any wheeled vehicle for a specific purpose and / or industry with the vision to create “Purpose Built Vehicles”. Whether it's Construction Vehicles or a Utility Terrain/Task Vehicle the focus is to design, develop and build an industrial labor reducing tool considered “Best In Class” and set it apart from rivals to gain a competitive advantage in its own industry. This methodology has also spawned an assortment of prototype vehicles for production feasibility and testing various concepts.

While the primary focus of SVD is not to design and build hot rods or choppers, we will on occasion spearhead a project for an organization to inspire a vision. We will create, design and build a promotional marketing vehicle enabling brand recognition to represent their corporate identity the public can visualize. The current Promotional Vehicle we have underway at this time is a 1947 COE custom restoration for Enviroscapes a local landscaping company located in Louisville Ohio.