15+ Years in Automotive Manufacturing

Toshware

800 W. First Street, Homer, Illinois

Toshware was a family-owned manufacturer in Homer, Illinois, that supplied original-equipment saddlebags and trim to Harley-Davidson. The company had deep roots in the motorcycle industry. Its founder, Bruce Vetter, is the younger brother of Craig Vetter, the motorcycle designer who founded Vetter Fairing in Rantoul in the 1970s and now lives in Carmel, California. In 1986, while Bruce was consulting for Bell Sports, Harley-Davidson asked for an original-equipment bag. Bruce took on the job himself and expected to make about 750 bags. He made 26,000 over five years, and Toshware became one of a handful of companies in the country supplying original equipment to Harley-Davidson.

Rob joined the family when he married Bruce’s daughter, Kate, and joined the company in 1999. He worked alongside his father-in-law, learning product design, tooling, production, testing, and delivery to a major OEM customer. He advanced from shop manager to chief operating officer and then CEO. Toshware stayed a family business throughout. Bruce served as president, his wife Kelly ran human resources, Kate managed the office, and Rob ran operations.

During his time there, Toshware employed 35 to 40 people, both at its Homer facility and in home-based piecework. Rob led the company’s move into liquid urethane molding. He trained with Hapco to develop a proprietary process for bonding urethane to fabric, which produced a weatherproof, lockable saddlebag that held its shape.

Rob’s manufacturing background informs his work in as City Manager, particularly in working with local employers and managing large infrastructure projects.