Sweetwater Metal Products (SMP) was founded in 1969 by Charles R. (Dick) Cleveland. Dick was a fabricator by trade. Originally, SMP manufactured chrome furniture. After about five years, that business faded away and SMP pretty much became a sheet metal shop. In 1975, a man named David Foster, owner of Kingston Pike Marine in Knoxville, Tennessee, approached Dick about making boat trailers. In April of 1975, our first boat trailer was built. SMP sold boat trailers to boat dealers and boat manufacturers all over the country for many, many years. In the 90's, the boat trailer business began to fade away as most of the boat manufacturers decided to build their own trailers in-house. In early 1995, a friend of Dick's, Bobby Bright, a salesman for Plexco Pipe, approached Dick with the idea of a need for a pipe straightening machine for coiled HDPE pipe and a trailer.The original prototype for the pipe straightening machine, at the time referred to as a "line prepper," was first developed here in our shop. That machine would later come to be known as the McElroy LineTamer®. Now, our complete trailer line is focused on the HDPE industry. Although Dick passed away in August of 2009, our biggest desire has been to continue his legacy.
​
Our Team:
Paige Kyle, Owner/President, employed since 1992.
Daniel Hunt, Production Manager, employed since 2012.
Kevin Kyle, Owner/Vice President, employed since 2022.
Crystal Swanson, Co-Owner/Secretary-Treasurer, employed since 2014.