Since early January, TPS has shared in-depth conversations with this year's seven nominees, detailing how they found their way to the truck dealer business, how they've navigated the industry, their efforts to lead their businesses and more. These conversations are leading up to the announcement of the 2024 ATD Truck Dealer of the Year Award, which will be announced Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, at the ATD Show in Las Vegas by Procede Software CEO Larry Kettler and TPS Editor Lucas Deal.
Our next dealer to be featured is Brian O'Donnell, president of Valley Truck Centers in Cleveland, Ohio.
Brian O'Donnell, Valley Truck Centers; ATD Truck Dealer of the Year nominee
My family has been associated with the truck dealer industry since the mid-1970s. My mother and father owned Lease Line Limited, a small business providing lease financing, as Ford Credit didn’t offer leases. They provided commercial financing to Valley Ford Truck prior to my career start with the company in 1978.
During my two years attending The Ohio State University, I worked in the body shop at a Chevrolet dealership to put myself through school. Pre-law at OSU while working full time proved to be unsustainable, and I moved back home to Northeast Ohio.
