The generosity of this industry is incredible.
Last Thursday, honestly not an hour after writing a column for Truck Parts & Service on the familial nature of the aftermarket, I received this news announcement from MHC. The Midwestern dealer is raising $17,000 for a customer battling ALS.
I was blown away by the generosity, though I probably should’t have been. Just like the independent aftermarket, the dealer market is an industry of relationships. The people in this market care about each other, their customers and their communities.
In the last few weeks we’ve published articles of dealers, OEMs and trade organizations donating to Hurricane relief. Before that we covered a Summit Truck Group’s donation to the Ronald McDonald House, and K&R Truck Sales and West Michigan International raising money for young adult and crisis assistance charitable groups.
And this is just the news we receive. Stories like this are happening in our industry every day. One of the best parts of our Successful Dealer Award program is reading about the community involvement and charitable efforts made by our finalists each year.
This year’s winner, Inland Kenworth, led a program to auction off a Kenworth T680 for Truckers Against Trafficking—a program that netted $89,000 for the non-profit, the largest one-time donation in the group’s history.
Other finalists were equally generous. CIT Trucks is active in its support of the Special Olympics and many health-based charities; Doggett Freightliner helps cover medical bills for area residents; Four Star Freightliner has created a memorial scholarship for a recent employee who lost his battle to cancer; Peach State Truck Centers is a major donor to Emory University’s cancer institute and hosts a blanket/clothing drive to aid Atlanta-area homeless.
