Worldwide Equipment has purchased Cherokee Kenworth, which operates locations in Columbia and Greenville, S.C. The two locations are Worldwide Equipment’s first venture into South Carolina. Both locations will integrate into the operations of the larger dealer network and officially opened as Worldwide Equipment of South Carolina on Dec. 12.
”We’re excited about the opportunity to do business in South Carolina,” says Scott Blevins, chief operating officer of Prestonburg, Ky.-based Cherokee Kenworth. “In addition to offering our existing customers a wider service area, we expect to make several new long-term partnerships to replicate the success that we’ve had in the surrounding states. With the quality of employees, products and customers, there’s plenty of potential in these locations.”
The Columbia location will offer new and used truck sales, parts and service, finance, insurance and leasing, and the Greenville location will also offer a full range of services with an additional leasing office in Piedmont. Existing staff will remain in place with few exceptions, and additional positions currently are being advertised. “A few members of our existing staff will facilitate the transition to our network, but the additions we’ll be looking to make will be from the local areas in both cities,” Blevins says.
Columbia and Greenville are two of Worldwide Equipment’s three new dealerships added in 2011. The company also operates 13 other full-service dealership locations, along with 20 parts and leasing stores, in West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio. The company anticipates growing its facilities and locations in the near future.
