Covington Heavy Duty Parts may be new to the TPS Distributor of the Year program, but the distributor isn’t new to the traits that make a company a Distributor of the Year finalist. Product availability and expertise wins customers; extraordinary customer service retains them.
“That’s always been our focus,” says Vice President Todd Pate. “We treat the $100 customers like they’re a $1 million customer. Like they’re the most important person in the world. Because in that moment they are.”
He adds, “If someone comes to us because they need a part, we want to do everything we can to get it for them.”
In celebrating 50 years in business this year, it’s clear Covington Heavy Duty Parts is good at doing just that.
The company was founded by Don Aughtman in 1971. Forestry industry trucks made up most of its early customer base, but over time as Hoffman relocated the company to progressively larger facilities it gained a more diverse customer base. Pate says that’s when his father Jimmy started buying parts for his small fleet from Aughtman, who was a close family friend.
“[Hoffman] would always joke with dad back then, ‘You know trucks better than me. You should buy me out,’” Todd says.
[RELATED: Get to know our 2021 DOTY finalists: Covington Heavy Duty Parts]
