History of Westerner Seat Covers
Westerner Seat Covers is the original manufacturer of "The Westerner," a unique style of durable and vintage fabric seat covers. The heritage of our product begins with Stan Allen and his company, ALCO, which was founded in Utah, USA. The legacy began when Stan attended a horse show, where he came across saddle blanket fabric. This specialty fabric was a heavy-weight material made using new yarns that didn’t meet color requirements and would have otherwise been destined for landfill. Stan recognized that if this fabric worked for horse saddles, it could also be suitable for covering the seats of his Jeep. As an avid off-roader, he needed a product that could withstand the extreme conditions of both the hot desert in Moab, Utah, and the bitter cold mountains near his home in Logan, Utah. At that time, in the late 1960s, vehicle seats were primarily constructed with vinyl, which became uncomfortably hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Additionally, the plasticizers used in vinyl at the time were poor, causing the material to become brittle and crack over time. Stan purchased some of the saddle blanket fabric and asked his wife to sew him a custom seat cover as a birthday gift. Once installed, the unique seat covers attracted attention, particularly from his outdoor-enthusiast peers, who eagerly requested their own sets. Together with his wife, Mary, Stan embraced the opportunity to turn this demand into a business. They made the difficult decision to change careers, and their horse and saddle blanket seat covers quickly gained popularity. ALCO expanded to employ more than 200 workers and, at its peak, was producing 60,000 seat cover sets per month.
Terry Murdock, Stan’s nephew, was mentored by him and encouraged to open a manufacturing facility in Canada to bring this style of seat covers to the Canadian market. At the time, Stan focused his sales efforts west of the Mississippi River and was not interested in expanding to Canada. In response, Terry, along with his brother-in-law Nile Creason, founded Unifair Supplies in 1976. Terry managed the manufacturing facility, while Nile traveled across Western Canada to establish a network of dealers and retailers. They branded their product "The Westerner" and quickly became known for the outstanding quality of their seat covers. At the time, Canadian manufacturers in the eastern provinces produced seat covers, but their products did not meet the durability requirements needed for Canada’s harsh environment. The Westerner stood out due to its unmatched durability, affordability, unique styling, and functionality. As Nile pursued other endeavors, Terry continued manufacturing Westerner seat covers until 2010. By then, he had produced approximately 950,000 sets.
After Terry, his son, John Murdock, established Western Automotive Supplies to continue the Westerner brand of seat covers. A few years later, John introduced a new line of vinyl and "Boss" seat covers. The vinyl used was an industrial-grade material, which, while highly durable, was not the first choice for most consumers in terms of comfort and aesthetics. The "Boss" seat covers, on the other hand, were constructed with the same weight and durability as The Westerner brand. However, they had a drawback: solid-colored seat covers, like "Boss," tended to show dust and grease more than the tweed-style (multi-colored) fabric. When John attempted to sell this new style of seat cover in major cities such as Vancouver, Toronto, Utah, Las Vegas, and Phoenix, he found that these markets were not receptive to such heavy-duty fabric. This led him to search for an equally durable yet more broadly appealing material to suit the needs of customers across North America. Between 2012 and 2014, we launched a series of original equipment (OE) style seat covers and camo-style seat covers. In 2016, Westerner Seat Covers introduced a replacement for the "Boss" seat covers with our Ballistic line. Although Ballistic fabric was not new, it had always been produced at a lower quality by other manufacturers. With his keen eye for detail and dedication to quality, John developed a more durable version of Ballistic fabric seat covers, which remains unmatched in the industry. Most recently, Westerner Seat Covers has introduced authentic leather seat covers and an improved vinyl fabric. Our new vinyl is not only aesthetically beautiful but also meets the highest OEM quality standards while being durable enough for demanding industries such as mining, forestry, oil, and agriculture. Although 2020 brought the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was also the year we launched a website that we are truly proud of—one that showcases our capabilities and high-quality products.
What makes Westerner Seat Covers (Western Automotive Supplies) truly unique is our company culture. Our staff, service, and quality set us apart as the best team in the automotive aftermarket industry. We look forward to serving you at Westerner Seat Covers with a proudly 100% Canadian made product.
- John Murdock President
