For GreatWest Kenworth, the past 40 years have produced a success story driven by excellent customer support and growth. Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the company not only has survived, but also has thrived during the business cycles and downturns the economy has thrown at it over the years.
“We’ve grown from our one location in Calgary to four company dealer locations and a parts facility,” says Jeff Storwick, who serves as co-president of GreatWest Kenworth, along with his brother, Paul. “The growth has really been driven by our customers. With five locations, we’ve expanded to serve customers even better, and they’ve responded by being loyal to our company and Kenworth trucks.”
Today, GreatWest Kenworth has its corporate headquarters in Calgary. According to Storwick, customer loyalty is so strong that the company’s latest data shows that the dealership has excellent market share in both Class 8 and medium-duty trucks.
“We’re a third-generation family business, soon to be fourth generation,” Storwick says. “That heritage – coupled with our 165 employees, many have been with us for 25-plus years – gives us a solid working relationship with our customers. They know us and trust us in new and used truck sales, our PacLease franchise for leased trucks, and in our service and finance department.”
Over the years, GreatWest Kenworth’s excellence has been recognized by Kenworth and its peers – it’s one of the truck OEM’s most decorated dealerships, having won Kenworth’s Dealer of the Year award, while also consistently taking home Gold and Silver awards for excellence.
“GreatWest Kenworth is truly dynamic, and they stay ahead of the curve in offering superior service and support of the Kenworth product line,” says Gary Moore, Kenworth assistant general manager for marketing and sales, who was on hand at the company’s 40th anniversary celebration in September. “They set the bar high for others to follow.”
Storwick expects sales to continue to blossom and market share to grow even further thanks to the introduction of the T700 and the truck OEM’s continued medium-duty product development. “In the coming years, the medium-duty marketplace is going to be even bigger for us thanks to the evolution of medium-duty trucks from Kenworth,” he says. “From Class 5 to Class 7, the products have really found a home in our market, thanks to their quality and durability. And we expect our vocational and oil field sales to remain strong. Historically, heavy work trucks with custom specs have been our bread and butter. That will continue as our region further develops.”
