Kenworth Sales Co.’s new $13 million, 122,000-square-foot flagship location represents a far cry from the small three-person family-run shop that the truck dealer’s founders opened 62 years ago.
“Our founders would not recognize this company today,” said Kyle Treadway, Kenworth Sales Co. president and grandson of founders W. Jay and Veda Treadway. “My grandfather’s office was the trunk of his car as he traveled the mountain west selling trucks. Dad (Gene Treadway) was only 17 years old — his job was to sell parts, while my grandmother ran the office, paying all the bills at the end of the day,” Treadway recalled during the recent grand opening celebration of Kenworth Sales Co.-Salt Lake City.
The celebration heralded the opening of Kenworth’s largest dealership location in North America, involving one of Kenworth’s oldest dealers. The special ribbon-cutting ceremony featured four generations of the Treadway family.
A member of the Kenworth dealer network of nearly 300 locations in the United States and Canada, Kenworth Sales Co.’s new full-service facility offers an indoor showroom where customers can view Kenworth models in comfort. There are 55 service bays with eight bays dedicated to preventive and express maintenance services, including Kenworth PremierCare ExpressLube. Six 5-ton bridge cranes, full-length service pits and gear rebuilding capabilities make it easier for technicians to service trucks quickly and efficiently.
Kenworth Sales Co.-Salt Lake City includes a spacious body shop with a paint booth, plus an indoor truck wash and a fuel island. A state-of-the-art driver’s lounge provides wireless Internet access, washer and dryer facilities, vending machines and work space for drivers.
The facility is three times larger than the dealer’s former main facility and is on 28 acres at the intersection of Interstate 215 and State Route 201, about seven miles southwest of downtown Salt Lake City. “This new facility is in a unique location, as we’re at the crossroads of the west here in Salt Lake City,” said Treadway. “We serve those traveling the heartland to the coast and those traveling from California and beyond.”
Kenworth Sales Co.-Salt Lake City is located at 2125 S. Constitution Blvd., in West Valley City. Hours of operation are from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The phone number is 801-487-4161 or toll-free 800-222-7831.
Kenworth Sales Co. operates 18 dealerships in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, and offers customized full-service leasing programs through its participation in PacLease.