HIGH POINT, N.C. — Thomas Built Buses Inc. recently recognized its 2019 President’s Club and President’s Club Platinum Dealers.

For the first time in its history, the school bus manufacturer leveraged video conferencing software to gather representatives from its North American dealer body to ensure top dealers received recognition for their achievements, according to a news release from Thomas Built Buses.

Sonny Merryman Inc. of Evington, Va., was named the 2019 Dealer of the Year, the sixth win for its team since the awards were established in 1986.

“While we couldn’t gather in person this year to recognize and thank all of our outstanding dealers, those of us at Thomas Built Buses are very appreciative of the way our dealers remain committed to their customers,” said Caley Edgerly, president and CEO of Thomas Built Buses. “All of our dealers provide exceptional customer service, and our President’s Club dealers truly go above and beyond. To all of them, we offer our recognition, our gratitude, and our praise. Thank you for keeping the world moving.”

President’s Club and President’s Club Platinum awards are given to top dealers in recognition of achieving key performance indicators based on customer satisfaction and efficient operations.
Together with its dealers, Thomas Built Buses is dedicated to delivering an experience for customers that includes timely communication, minimized downtime, reduced costs, and a customer-focused mindset, according to the manufacturer.

Here are the Thomas Built Buses’ 2019 dealer award winners:

2019 Dealer of the Year

•    Sonny Merryman Inc., Evington, Va.

Regional Winners

•    Midwest Region: Sonny Merryman Inc., Evington, Va.
•    Northeast Region: W.C. Cressey & Son Inc., Kennebunk, Maine
•    Southeast Region: Matthews Bus Alliance Inc., Orlando, Fla.
•    Western Region: BusWest, Carson, Calif.

President’s Club Platinum

•    American Bus Sales & Service, Annapolis, Md.
•    BusWest, Carson, Calif.
•    Carolina Thomas LLC, Greensboro, N.C.
•    Hoekstra Transportation Inc., Grand Rapids, Mich.
•    Interstate Transportation Equipment Inc., Hopkins, S.C.
•    Kerlin Bus Sales & Leasing Inc., Silver Lake, Ind.
•    Matthews Bus Alliance Inc., Orlando, Fla.
•    Mid-South Bus Center, Murfreesboro, Tenn.
•    NESCO Bus & Truck Sales, Bay Shore, N.Y.
•    New England Transit Sales Inc., Tyngsboro, Mass.
•    Schetky Northwest Sales Inc., Portland, Ore.
•    Sonny Merryman Inc., Evington, Va.
•    Transportation South Inc., Pelham, Ala.
•    W.C. Cressey & Son Inc., Kennebunk, Maine

President’s Club

•    Autobus Thomas, Drummondville, Quebec
•    H.A. DeHart & Son Inc., Thorofare, N.J.
•    Matheny Motor Truck Company, Mineral Wells, W.Va.
•    Matthews Buses Inc., Ballston Spa, N.Y.
•    Rohrer Enterprises Inc., Duncannon, Pa.
•    The Bus Centre, Acheson, Alberta
•    Thomas Bus Sales of Georgia, Forest Park, Ga.
•    Western Mountain Bus and Auto Sales Inc., Nampa, Idaho