About Us
The Grigsby Truck Company Promise
When you’re passionate about something, it shows. Our excitement for accomplishing your goals comes through in every truck we touch. On projects big and small, we put our experience to work for you to deliver an incredible vehicle that’s innovative, reliable, durable and everything you hoped it would be.
Grigsby Truck Company is a true family business run by husband and wife team, Walt and Lauren Grigsby. Together, they bring military experience, logistics/sourcing knowledge and mechanical/body shop talents to run a company that solidifies their commitment to never lose sight of the open road.
Co-Owner, Walt Grigsby
Coming of age in Northern Arizona, hand built off-road trucks were Walt’s mode of teenage freedom, satisfying his need for adventure. Having scaled mountains, traversed deserts and blazed trails in these rigs, Walt understands (and still carries today) that desire to explore it all!
You could say that gears and oil are in the Grigsby genes, Walt’s father was endlessly restoring vintage cars and trucks—completing projects ranging from collision repairs to custom classics for movie sets. People knew to call “Big Walt” when only handcrafted excellence would do. Young Walt spent summers honing considerable skills in his father’s body shop where he cut his teeth on classic 1980’s Toyota 4×4’s. With growing interest and exceptional vision, he completed an ambitious build at just 17 years old. The amalgamation of great pieces from a handful of salvaged trucks, the vehicle comprised a main body, frame and driveline from one, updated front-end from a newer model, custom suspension and a tricked-out rebuilt engine from yet another. The entire project was completed in-house by Walt with just a bit of guidance from his dad.
After high school, the question of “what’s over that mountain” became “what’s over that ocean” and Walt continued to honor his nature for exploration while serving his country in the U.S. Marine Corps. His top-tier vocational aptitude enabled him to choose Marine Corps Aviation Maintenance as his Military Occupational Specialty. He spent five years maintaining and crewing the Marine Corps’ CH-46 Sea Knight, affectionately known as the “Battle Phrog.” Walt served in Bosnia and other Mediterranean zones, often deployed at sea with Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs).
In the summer of 2001, Walt embraced civilian life again and earned his degree in Aviation Maintenance from San Diego Miramar. The desire for a more self-sufficient and rural life fueled Walt’s desire to relocate to Bend, Oregon. And now, it is here, in the Oregon wilderness, that Walt’s deep-rooted passion for durable trucks is called into action for the valued clients of Grigsby Truck Company.
Co-Owner Lauren Grigsby
Lauren’s sense of adventure was shaped early on. She grew up in a military family with an artilleryman father, home was wherever the family Suburban took her and she grew accustomed to discovering new experiences just around the bend—always with the familiar night sky as her constant. She finished high school in Austin, Texas and followed family tradition by joining the service with a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) Scholarship to attend Texas A&M University. While earning her degree, she spent four years in the Corps of Cadets, completed Officer Candidate School in 2001 and commissioning in to the Marine Corps in 2002. During her time in the military, she served as a Logistics Officer, completing two deployments to the Al Anbar Province of Iraq supporting wartime military operations in 2004 and 2006. Through that experience, she gained sophisticated logistics skills to serve a lifetime, including ground logistics operations, budgetary/operational forecasting, convoy operations, vehicle maintenance scheduling, supply chain management, safety standards implementation, and facilities management. She transitioned to the civilian workforce in 2006, gaining skills in human resources, business analysis, process improvement, and project management for IT application development on various government contracts.
In 2011 we moved to Bend, Oregon, where we set a purpose each day to build a durable life with our two children, our goofy wirehaired vizsla, and two superior cats. When not working, Lauren will always find ways to fit in reading, volunteering, exploring outside, and playing with her kids. She remains passionate about dark skies. And on many a clear night, she and Walt gaze with their children upon the familiar celestial features that once grounded Lauren’s own sense of place.
