Thomas Built Buses recently presented the company’s 2010 Dealer of the Year award to Nelson’s Bus Service Inc. at the annual Thomas dealers meeting. The Dealer of the Year award, which is selected from four regional winners, is presented annually to Thomas dealers who demonstrate outstanding performance in customer satisfaction, customer service and support, financial performance and overall relationship with Thomas Built Buses.
“The hallmark of this year’s dealer of the year is an organization so dedicated to customer service, that they’ve woven it into their name,” says Kelley Platt, Thomas Built Buses president and chief executive officer. “Nelson’s Bus Service, Thomas Built’s 2010 dealer of the year, ensures that their customers see the value of the entire relationship and provides them with a superb service strategy to ensure support long after the sale.”
Nelson’s Bus Service is a 70-year-old school bus contractor, dealer and repair company based in Whitewater, Wis. Over the years, Nelson’s, which has grown into one of the leading school bus dealers and contractors in the Midwest, currently operates a facility of more than 21,000 square feet on five acres of land in Whitewater and will open a new 15,000-square-foot facility on 19 acres in McFarland, Wis. Nelson’s has been a Thomas dealer since 1974.
Chris Arnett and Dave Nelson, co-owners of Nelson’s Bus Service, accepted the award on behalf of the company. “I’m proud of the exceptional team effort demonstrated by every member of the Nelson’s organization that made achieving this award possible,” Arnett says. “The dealer of the year designation is earned by the work we do every day and is a direct reflection of the confidence and continued partnership that our customers bestow upon us.”
Honored as regional dealers of the year, in addition to Nelson’s, were NESCO Thomas Bus Sales of New York, Bay Shore, N.Y. (Eastern region); Whayne Supply Co., Louisville, Ky. (Southeast region); and I State Truck Center Inc., Billings, Mont. (Western region). At the same event, gold, silver and bronze awards for dealership excellence were presented to selected dealers in recognition of outstanding performance in service, parts support and bus sales.
