Detroit Chassis Celebrates 25 Years of Innovation and Community Impact

Detroit, MI – February 28, 2025 – A spirit of achievement, resilience, and community pride filled the air at Detroit Chassis’ 25th Anniversary Celebration and Black History Month event on Friday, February 28, 2025. The milestone occasion, held at the company’s headquarters at 6501 Lynch Rd., Detroit, MI, honored the company’s journey, its contributions to the city’s economic landscape, and the visionary leadership of Michael and Carlton Guthrie, Co-Chairmen of Detroit Chassis.
The celebration commenced at 11:00 AM, welcoming distinguished guests, business leaders, and employees who have played a pivotal role in the company’s success. Among the event’s many highlights was a special proclamation presented by Congressman Shri Thanedar, recognizing the Guthrie brothers for their exceptional leadership and lasting impact on Detroit’s manufacturing sector.
A Legacy of Excellence
Since its founding in 1999, Detroit Chassis LLC has been a model of innovation, producing premium chassis and vehicle assembly solutions. More than just a business, the company has been a beacon of economic empowerment, providing career opportunities, supporting local initiatives, and reinforcing Detroit’s reputation as a powerhouse of American manufacturing.

Michael Guthrie reflected on the company’s journey in his speech: “When we started Detroit Chassis, our mission was clear—to build world-class products while creating jobs and opportunities for our community. Today, 25 years later, we celebrate our success and the incredible people who have made it possible.”
His brother and business partner, Carlton Guthrie, echoed the sentiment from his remote location. “This celebration is about more than our achievements – the future. It’s about inspiring the next generation of Black entrepreneurs, engineers, and leaders who will continue to drive innovation in Detroit and beyond.”
Honoring Black Excellence and Business Leadership
As part of the Black History Month commemoration, the event illuminated the contributions of Black business leaders, and workforce trailblazers. The Guthrie brothers’ leadership exemplified the strength and perseverance of Black entrepreneurs who have paved the way for economic progress in the city, demonstrated by those with 25-year work anniversaries:

Congressman Shri Thanedar emphasized the importance of recognizing and supporting minority-owned businesses in his remarks: “Detroit Chassis represents the best of American industry—resilience, innovation, and commitment to community. Michael and Carlton Guthrie have built a successful business and uplifted countless lives through their leadership. I am honored to present them with this proclamation in recognition of their incredible work.”
Celebration of Community and Growth
The event also featured comments from Ford Motor Company and the Shyft Group, recognition of the many Associates with 25-year work anniversaries, and reflections from longtime community partners: DPD—11th Precinct, JA of Southeast Michigan, The National Association of Black Suppliers Scholarship Fund, and The Children’s Center.
Guests enjoyed a celebratory luncheon, shared personal growth stories and reflected on Detroit Chassis’ unwavering commitment to its workforce and the broader community.
As the celebration concluded, one message stood out: Detroit Chassis is more than just a business – it is a family, a legacy, and a faith-based force for progress. With 25 years of success behind them and a future filled with promise, Michael and Carlton Guthrie remain dedicated to advancing manufacturing excellence and economic empowerment in Detroit.
About Detroit Chassis LLC Detroit Chassis LLC is a leading supplier of chassis assembly and vehicle upfitting solutions, serving major automotive and commercial vehicle manufacturers. Headquartered in Detroit, the company is committed to quality, innovation, and workforce development, driving economic growth in the region.

State-of-the-Art Technology Command Center with Real-time Reporting

Detroit Chassis recently showed its new Command Center to visitors from an OEM automotive manufacturer and Commercial Step-Van Body Builders, and they were highly impressed.

This change is a dramatic move in the right direction away from the antiquated manual process that involved hours of tedious collection of paperwork, copying documents, distribution, and manual input. Maurice Lucas, Data Analyst, came aboard and quickly discovered opportunities to eliminate wasted time and energy by eliminating the old way of doing things, introducing the possibilities of a new process.

It involved training Quality Inspectors on the use of Tablets. Though met with resistance initially, they all agree that implementing this new technology helps them do their job. For example, Janice Johnson, Quality Team Leader, and Rob Colvard, Manufacturing Team Leader, were hesitant to use the new process when first introduced. Still, now they see the value in entering information that gets communicated in real-time, allowing
the organization to move quickly and respond to issues.

It works like this: Real-time data gets captured in Airtable for Downtime and Quality. Data is transferred from Airtable to a SQL database which then feeds the Tableau Analytics Website accessible online from your computer. This technology allows Operations, Quality, Engineering, and Materials to see issues as they occur to focus on driving Interim and Permanent Corrective Actions. The Team appreciates the system’s ability to track the problems by Zone, Workstation, Inspector, and Associate to determine the fix and reduce downtime and defects.

Great job, Team and thank you, Maurice! We appreciate your Silicone Valley thinking that propelled DCP forward. Our Command Center is a cutting-edge breakthrough and will help us achieve World Champion performance.

This process improvement is only one of the ways Maurice contributed to the Team. He also helped automate the data analysis process for Customer Service. Unfortunately, we will miss him as he returns to California. Still, we know that he will hold us in his heart, and though he will be miles away and living in a different time zone, he can continue to make a positive impact remotely.

Thank you for your contributions to the Detroit Chassis Team.
The Best Motorhome Chassis is Built in the Motor City.

Why We Celebrate Women’s History Month

In 1980, a group of leaders convinced Congress and the White House of the need for our nation to celebrate and recognize women’s role in history on an annual basis. It is important because the contributions of women through the years have often gone unappreciated and forgotten but each year, in March, Women’s History Month is a time for reflection, appreciation, and celebration. Women’s History Month is an important time to recognize
contributions both large and small that have changed our lives for the better.

We celebrate women’s accomplishments and the contributions that they have made to make life better for others. Most women history makers equip, empower, and encourage not only other women but men and the community to believe they can achieve. 

The LEADING LADIES at DCP are forever a part of the history and their efforts are engrained in the fabric of what makes this company work. Many of them have been with DCP since the very beginning. So for more than 20 years, these women made their careers contributing to further the quest to World Champion Performance through their commitment to excellence in manufacturing and specifically to the Motorhome and Commercial Step-Van Industry.

So, for all you do, LADIES…this one’s for you!

Ingrid Walker, MT Team Leader
Janice Johnson, Quality Technician Team Leader
Juliette Griffin-Tyus, Quality Coordinator
Karana Harrell, Operations Coordinator
LaShandra Williams, MT Team Leader
Rozita Stewart, MT Team Leader
Tamara Johnson, Production Leader
Edwina Milligan, VP Human Resources
Linda Ratliff-Watkins, Director of CS

Thank you for your contributions to the Detroit Chassis Team.

The Best Motorhome Chassis is Built in the Motor City.