Kenworth of South Texas in San Antonio was named 2008 Kenworth Dealer of the Year for the United States and Canada at the annual Kenworth Dealer Meeting held recently in Columbus, Ohio.
“We are especially proud of our employees,” says Jay Ellison, president of Kenworth of South Texas, which operates dealerships in Corpus Christi, Laredo, Pharr and San Antonio. “We also thank our many customers for their business and loyalty.”
In addition, GreatWest Kenworth in Calgary, Alberta, was named 2008 Kenworth Medium Duty Dealer of the Year for the United States and Canada; Central Illinois Trucks in Normal, Ill., was named 2008 Kenworth Customer Support Dealer of the Year for the United States and Canada; and Kenworth Sales Co. in West Valley City, Utah, was named 2008 Kenworth Used Truck Dealer of the Year for the United States and Canada.
Kenworth of South Texas was chosen as Kenworth Dealer of the Year from among the truck maker’s six Gold Award winners for 2008. Other Gold Award winners are Custom Truck Sales – Regina (Regina, Saskatchewan), Edmonton Kenworth (Edmonton, Alberta), GreatWest Kenworth (Calgary, Alberta), Kenworth Sales Company (Salt Lake City) and MHC Kenworth (Colorado).
“Kenworth of South Texas set a very high standard of excellence in 2008 by selling the entire Kenworth heavy- and medium-duty product line, operating excellent facilities and providing outstanding customer support,” says Bill Kozek, general manager of the Kirkland, Wash.-based truck maker and Paccar vice president.
During the Kenworth Dealer Meeting, Kenworth also honored its 12 Silver Award winners for 2008: Central Illinois Trucks, Inland Kenworth – U.S. (California, Arizona and New Mexico), Kenworth Maska, Kenworth of South Louisiana, Kenworth Quebec, MHC Kenworth (Midwest), MHC Kenworth (Oklahoma), MHC Kenworth (Texas), Michigan Kenworth, Sahling Kenworth, Wisconsin Kenworth and Worldwide Equipment.
GreatWest Kenworth offers the Kenworth T170 Class 5, T270 Class 6 and T370 Class 7 models, which are suited for a wide range of medium-duty applications. “GreatWest Kenworth has a strong commitment to medium-duty customers, and aggressively expanded its business with dedicated medium-duty employees, outstanding customer relations and training,” Kozek says.
Jeff Storwick is president of GreatWest Kenworth, which operates dealerships in Calgary, Clairmont, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Red Deer. “We’ve worked diligently to build our medium-duty business, and last year we sold Kenworth medium-duty trucks to large national accounts down to local landscaping, vacuum, disposal, construction and agricultural businesses,” Storwick says. “Our employees have done a great job.”
The other six Kenworth dealer finalists recognized for excellence in the medium-duty category were Papé Kenworth (Central California), Inland Kenworth (Canada), Kenworth Montreal, MHC Kenworth (Midwest), MHC Kenworth (Tennessee) and Worldwide Equipment.
Central Illinois Trucks was chosen from among three finalists for their award, which is presented in recognition of outstanding parts and service support. Other dealers recognized for providing excellent customer support are Kenworth of South Texas (San Antonio) and Wallwork Kenworth (Fargo, N.D.).
“This award recognizes the hard work of our employees, who are committed to provide a very high level of customer service every day,” says Erick Miner, president of Central Illinois Trucks, which operates dealerships in Bensenville, Champaign, Joliet, Morton, Normal, Peru and Springfield.
In addition to Kenworth Sales Co., other dealers recognized for outstanding used truck efforts were Central Illinois Trucks, Cooper Kenworth, Coopersburg Kenworth, Lower Great Lakes Kenworth, MHC Kenworth (Colorado), MHC Kenworth (Texas) and Wisconsin Kenworth.
“The used truck customer is an important part of our business, and our team has made a dedicated effort to serve those customers,” says Kyle Treadway, president of Kenworth Sales Co., which operates 18 dealerships in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. “It is very gratifying to be recognized for those efforts, and we are proud of our dedicated professionals.”
