WASHINGTON, D.C. — Top dealers and dealer trainers of 2014 were recognized at Thomas Built Buses’ annual dealer meeting here on April 18.

The school bus manufacturer presented its 2014 Dealer of the Year award to W.C. Cressey & Son Inc. of Kennebunk, Maine, a full-service dealer offering sales, parts and vehicle service.

“We are so proud of all of our dealers this year for raising the bar and instilling continuous improvement into their dealerships,” said Caley Edgerly, president and CEO of Thomas Built. “This year, though, W.C. Cressey & Son really went above and beyond by providing top-notch customer service in the northern New England area.”

Also at the event, President’s Club and President’s Club Platinum awards for dealership excellence were presented to select 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.

For the full list of winners, go here.

Thomas Built’s dealer meeting also included awards for top dealer trainers. The 2014 Thomas Dealer Trainer of the Year award went to Trace Tolby of Auto Safety House.

Tolby was recognized for providing hands-on service maintenance and training to customers in Arizona. Tolby has been with Auto Safety House for the past five years.

Thomas Built Buses’ Train the Trainer program was developed to provide local technician training opportunities to customers. Since its inception in 2009, nearly 40,000 technicians have been trained through the program.

The Thomas Dealer Trainer of the Year award winner was selected from five regional winners:

• Midwest Region: Dave Nelson, Nelson’s Bus Service Inc.
• Western Region: Trace Tolby, Auto Safety House
• Southeast Region: Vinny Rivera, Carolina Thomas
• Northeast Region: Roger Harrod, Matthews Buses Inc.
• Central Region: Chuck Doom, Thomas Bus Gulf Coast