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Thomas Built Buses Honors Top Dealers for 2016

Carolina Thomas is named Thomas Built’s Dealer of the Year. The school bus OEM also awards regional winners and President’s Club recognitions.

May 3, 2017
Thomas Built Buses Honors Top Dealers for 2016

Carolina Thomas was named Thomas Built Buses’ 2016 Dealer of the Year at an awards ceremony in April.

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Carolina Thomas was named Thomas Built Buses’ 2016 Dealer of the Year at an awards ceremony in April.

DALLAS — Thomas Built Buses recently recognized its top-performing dealers of 2016 at its President’s Club awards gala.

The school bus manufacturer’s annual event was held at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas in April.

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Thomas Built’s 2016 Dealer of the Year award went to Carolina Thomas LLC, a full-service dealer offering sales, parts, and vehicle service in North Carolina.

“Our dealers worked extremely hard in 2016, making it a banner year for Thomas Built Buses as well as securing our position as the leader in the pupil transportation industry for yet another year,” said Caley Edgerly, president and CEO of Thomas Built Buses. “We are proud of all of our President’s Club winners who went above and beyond to provide exceptional customer service, support, and training to their customers. We are especially proud of our 2016 Dealer of the Year, Carolina Thomas, for a job well done.”

“We are honored by this award,” said Tom Schaaf, vice president and general manager of Carolina Thomas. “We love Thomas Built buses, and we work hard to serve our customers throughout the lifecycle of their buses — from spec’ing to financing, maintenance, and training. However, we still have far to go because our customers deserve our very best.”

President’s Club and President’s Club Platinum awards were given to top dealers for achieving key performance indicators. A dealer must reach the President’s Club Platinum level to qualify as the Dealer of the Year for its region.

Here is the full list of Thomas Built Buses’ dealer award winners:

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2016 Dealer of the Year
Carolina Thomas LLC, Greensboro, North Carolina

Regional Winners
Midwest Region: Matheny Motor Truck Co., Mineral Wells, West Virginia
Northeast Region: W.C. Cressey & Son Inc., Kennebunk, Maine
Southeast Region: Carolina Thomas LLC, Greensboro, North Carolina
Western Region: BusWest – Southern California, Carson, California

President’s Club Platinum
American Bus Sales & Service, Annapolis, Maryland
BusWest – Southern California, Carson, California
Carolina Thomas LLC, Greensboro, North Carolina
Interstate Transportation Equipment Inc., Columbia, South Carolina
Kerlin Bus Sales & Leasing Inc., Silver Lake, Indiana
Matheny Motor Truck Co., Mineral Wells, West Virginia
Matthews Buses Florida Inc., Orlando, Florida
Mid-South Bus Center, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
New England Transit Sales Inc., Tyngsboro, Massachusetts
Schetky Northwest Sales Inc., Portland, Oregon
Sonny Merryman Inc., Evington, Virginia
The Bus Centre, Acheson, Alberta
Thomas Bus Sales of Georgia, Jefferson, Georgia
Transportation South Inc., Pelham, Alabama
W.C. Cressey & Son Inc., Kennebunk, Maine

President’s Club
Auto Safety House LLC, Phoenix, Arizona
Autobus Thomas, Drummondville, Quebec
H.A. DeHart & Son Inc., Thorofare, New Jersey
Matthews Buses Inc., Ballston Spa, New York
Midwest Bus Sales Inc., Bonner Springs, Kansas
Midwest Bus Sales Inc., Van Buren, Arkansas
NESCO Thomas Bus Sales of New York, Bay Shore, New York
Rohrer Enterprises Inc., Duncannon, Pennsylvania
Telin Transportation Group, Lakeville, Minnesota
Thomas Bus Gulf Coast GP Inc., Houston, Texas
Transwest Trucks Inc., Commerce City, Colorado
Truck Center Companies, Omaha, Nebraska
Warner Bus Industries Ltd., Winnipeg, Manitoba
Western Mountain Bus Sales, Nampa, Idaho

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