Rihm Kenworth has won the 2022 Successful Dealer Award. The announcement was made Tuesday during a special awards banquet in Nashville, Tenn., to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the award program.
Rihm Kenworth beat out 2019 award winner and returning finalist Doggett Freightliner, second-time finalist Peach State Truck Centers and first-time finalists M&K Truck Centers and Thompson Truck & Trailer to win this year’s award. The 2022 Successful Dealer Award program is sponsored by Automann, Interstate Billing Service, Karmak, National Truck Protection and Premium 2000.
“I am so grateful and humbled to become a member of a class of heavy-duty truck dealers all with highly distinguished careers, high-performing enterprises and personal contributions to the great trucking industry,” said Rihm Kenworth President and CEO Kari Rihm during Tuesday's award presentation.
Rihm went on to thank her family, the Rihm Kenworth workforce, industry sponsors and fellow dealers for supporting and motivating Rihm Kenworth to continue growing, evolving and striving to be the best dealer entity it can be. Looking back, she said she can remember points in her career where 'success' wasn't quite as defined, which made Tuesday's announcement all the more rewarding.
“I can recall many days at the beginning of my tenure of a truck dealer when I did not feel successful. I just felt tired and and afraid I'd fail. I especially remember one day J.B.[Rihm] was in my office and I was tearful and he asked why. I said because I just want to be successful. He said, 'But we are successful" and started to list the reasons why. Sometimes amid all that we do and are responsible for, we don't have the perspective we should, and it takes someone else to point it out.”
Rihm also thanked those who came before her, both within the industry and her operation.
“We're dealers; we're not competitors. We're part of a great industry,” she said. “Competition for business is one thing — building a stronger network to support the overall industry is another. Even if it sharing our time, it's smart to get to know our competitors. We can all use our success and influence to strengthen our communities by sharing our talent, resources, time and passion — after all, the business we are in supports our way of life in this country and strong communities create success for everyone.”
