250 years of America on display

FINDLAY — Findlay-based HTI Trucking is participating in the America 250 celebrations this year in a big way — you could call it a "53-foot mural" sort of way. The company has taken one of its trailers and, with the help of another local business owner — Greg Hogrefe of Hogrefe Illustration & Design — they have transformed it into a huge, two-sided, portable mural depicting key events in the history of the U.S. The idea for the trailer mural came when HTI's Taylor Ireland participated in the 2024 Hancock County Leadership Program, where she first heard about the communal push for America 250. "During History Day Sarah Foltz, who was director of the Hancock Historical Museum at the time, talked about America 250 and challenged us as companies in the area to contribute to the mission," Ireland said. "I thought, we'll take a 53-foot reefer trailer, decal it with a timeline of important events in American history" and take it into the community. Ireland brought the idea to Hogrefe who helped select images to make up the two-sided mural and bring the project to life. The designed wrap around the trailer was finished and installed in December 2025. "We've taken it to a few different places, for people to see it and leave their mark on America 250," Ireland said. "For a donation to a local military association, people can go in the trailer and sign their name or the names of veterans they know. Some people have written Bible verses as well." HTI Trucking is a HIRE Vets awardee, a distinction granted by a federal program that surveys businesses across the country. About 800 companies were recognized in the U.S. this year, Ireland said, and HTI was one of them. "We're a veteran-owned company, so any patriotism we can showcase we do," she said. "We appreciate our veterans, the sacrifice that had to be made. When people see our America 250 trailer, we hope they for a moment in time might pause and reflect on everything that took place to get where we are today, and be grateful." The historical events depicted in the mural begin with the "prep work" done for the establishment of a new nation in 1775, Ireland said. Other faces and integral moments found in the mural run the gamut from elder statesmen like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln to the 20th century's world wars, the attack on the Twin Towers in 2001 and the civil rights and women's suffrage movements. "I wouldn't say I struggled, but there are so many other things we could've put on there," Ireland said. "But we wanted to pick images that were based off of our home front and protecting America and the American people." She said they considered making the images smaller to try and fit more on the sides of the trailer, but decided against it because HTI wanted people to be awed by the magnitude of the moments depicted. "When we thought about making them smaller to get more images on it, we thought it would take away from the impact," she said. "When you walk up to those images they're taller than you, and there are about 17 different images that make up the mural." To add another level of interactivity to the experience, HTI took each image from the mural, printed it on a poster and typed a paragraph to go with each image for viewing when the trailer appears in public. "It's been a fantastic educational piece; it really brings the history to life," Ireland said. HTI has taken the trailer to a number of community events this year already, like VetFest and the company's third annual Families and Freightliners Fest. They are gearing up for an appearance at the Red, White and Boom Parade in Columbus today and a spot in the downtown Findlay Independence Day parade Saturday. Coming up, the trailer will be on display in Kenton in mid-July, at the Hancock County Fairgrounds at the end of the month and at Liberty-Benton and Tiffin in September. HTI is also considering bringing the muraled trailer to a national trucking industry conference in Texas later in the year. "If anybody's interested in hosting it, I'm always interested and willing to explore all options," Ireland said. To stay up to date on the trailer's schedule or appearances as 2026 goes on, visit HTI Trucking's Facebook page.