HIGH POINT, N.C. — Thomas Built Buses President and CEO Kelley Platt presented the company’s 2010 Dealer of the Year award to Nelson’s Bus Service Inc. at the annual Thomas dealers meeting last month.

“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,” Platt said. “Nelson’s Bus Service … 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. Founder W.C. Nelson repaired his first school bus in 1940.

Over the years, Nelson’s has grown into one of the leading school bus dealers and contractors in the Midwest, Thomas said. Nelson’s currently operates a facility of about 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 said. “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.”

The Dealer of the Year award, which is selected from four regional winners, is presented annually to a Thomas dealer that demonstrates outstanding performance in customer satisfaction, customer service and support, financial performance and overall relationship with Thomas.

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)
• I State Truck Center Inc., Billings, Mont. (western region)

Also at the event, gold, silver and bronze awards for dealership excellence were presented to selected dealers for outstanding performance in service, parts support and bus sales.