The winner will be announced at American Truck Dealers (ATD) Show 2018 in Las Vegas in March.
Rick Reynolds, president of Peach State Truck Centers in Atlanta, is one of seven nominees for 2018 Truck Dealer of the Year – a national award that recognizes commercial-truck dealers for business performance, industry and civic leadership and community service.
“I’m humbled to be nominated for the award. My father was nominated 20 years ago and it’s a privilege to follow in his footsteps,” said Reynolds. “My father and brother, who both passed away within the past 18 months, were my partners. They had a major influence on the success of the business.”
His father started the business in 1974. Today, the dealership group includes 11 sales and service and parts facilities with 600 employees in Georgia and Alabama representing Freightliner Trucks, Western Star, Ford Commercial Trucks, Mitsubishi Fuso, Sprinter Vans, Thomas Built Buses and Autocar.
After working in public accounting and commercial real estate for 16 years, Reynolds joined Peach State Truck Centers in 1995 working as a service adviser. To become more familiar with the industry, he enrolled at the American Truck Dealers (ATD) Academy and graduated in March 1996. Over the next decade he climbed the ranks working as the manager of its new leasing program, director of fixed operations and then became responsible for mergers and acquisitions. He became dealer principal in 2007.
“It is a privilege to lead Peach State Truck Centers. Our vision is to become the dealer of choice in the markets we serve by providing products and service to our customers that deliver solutions to their challenges which results in success for their business,” he said. “I’m grateful for the loyalty of our customers, the commitment of our employees to serve our customers and the strong partnership with all the OEM brands we represent.”
In 1997, Reynolds and his father founded the Thomas B. and Patricia R. Reynolds Family Foundation, which supports numerous causes such as medical research, expanding religious opportunities around the world, improving the lives of troubled young men, providing homes for abused spouses and children, improving access to affordable elderly care and promoting the arts.
In addition, over the past 15 years, Peach State Truck Centers has provided financial assistance to the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, a nonprofit cancer research and patient care center in Atlanta.
“It has always been our family’s view to extend the good fortune of our business success to the community,” he added. “Our financial support provides these organizations with the valuable funds to extend, educate and enrich the lives of others.”
Reynolds serves an advisory board member at the Winship Cancer Institute as well as a board member and officer at several religious ministries with global outreach.
Over the past four years, the dealership group has received numerous national and regional awards from Ford (medium-duty truck and parts sales), Freightliner (truck and parts sales), Daimler Trucks Remarketing (sales and community outreach), Thomas Built Buses (top dealership and product training), Western Star (top sales professionals), National Minority Truckers Association (distinguished service) and Successful Dealer (finalist for dealer of the year).
Over the past decade, Reynolds has served in numerous industry leadership positions, which include Freightliner (dealer council chairman, vice chairman and member), Sterling Trucks (dealer council chairman, vice chairman and member), Georgia Motor Trucking Association (chairman, vice chairman, treasurer and member), Mercedes-Benz Vans U.S.A. (dealer council member), Georgia Automobile Dealers Association (member), Cummins (warranty dealer council), ATD/NADA (20 Group member), Used Truck Association (member), National Truck Equipment Association (affiliate member), Alabama Trucking Association (affiliate member) and Georgia Motor Truck Association (affiliate member) and more.
The national Truck Dealer of the Year award is sponsored by ATD, Heavy Duty Trucking magazine and Procede Software.
The other nominees are Joseph Alosa, Sr., president and CEO of New England Kenworth in Concord, N.H.; John Arscott, CEO of The Pete Store in Baltimore, Md., Mark Bergey, president of Bergey’s Truck Centers in Souderton, Pa.; Jon Vandehey, president/CEO of Mid-State Truck Service in Marshfield, Wis.; Lee White, II, president of Old River Companies in South Richland, Miss.; and Craig Young, president of Young Truck Sales in Canton, Ohio.
The nominees were selected by ATD board members and dealer association executives. Professors from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in Bloomington, Ind., will evaluate the nominees based on dealership performance, industry leadership, civic contributions and community service.
The winner and runner-up will be announced during the 55th annual ATD Show (formerly the ATD Convention & Expo) in Las Vegas, which runs concurrently with the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Show from Thursday, March 22, through Sunday, March 25, 2018.
ATD, a division of NADA, represents more than 1,800 medium- and heavy-duty truck dealerships.
For more information, visit www.atdshow.org.
This is the fourth article in a seven-part series highlighting the nominees for 2018 Truck Dealer of the Year.
