Trudell Holdings, parent company of Trudell Trailer Sales, has announced its acquisition of majority ownership of Northeast Great Dane, with anticipated closing on the transaction to happen Dec. 1, 2017.
Certain members of management of Northeast Great Dane, including current President John Gendelman and his executive team of Sean Novick, Gerry Newcomb and Frank Korn will have a significant ownership interest in Northeast Great Dane, LLC post-closing. Gendelman will continue to serve as president of Northeast Great Dane, LLC.
With locations in Auburn, Massachusetts, Syracuse, New York, Buffalo, New York, Florida, New York, and Hillsborough, New Jersey, Northeast Great Dane has been the area’s Great Dane full-service dealership since 1973. The firm serves the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions and specializes in new and used trailer sales, aftermarket truck and trailer parts, graphic design and installation, and trailer service capabilities including mobile service, the company says.
“The acquisition gives us the opportunity to expand our Great Dane trailer dealership business. With the five Trudell Trailer Sales locations and adding the five Northeast Great Dane locations we are now able to further enhance our collective customers’ experiences from the Upper Midwest to New England. Tom Leuner and John Gendelman have built an organization with an outstanding reputation and a high degree of respect within the industry. Having known John for more than 20 years, I am looking forward to working with him and the Northeast Great Dane team moving forward,” says Dennis Van Lannen, CEO/Owner of Trudell Holdings.
“This is very exciting news. Great Dane has a world-class dealer network and I am proud to see two great organizations merge to fortify the future of our distribution,” adds Rob Ulsh, vice president of Dealer and International Sales for Great Dane. “For many years, Trudell Trailers and Northeast Great Dane have been highly successful as independent representatives of our brand and I look forward to seeing what the two companies will do together.”
Chris Hammond, executive vice president of Sales for Great Dane adds, “Our key partners at Trudell Trailers and Northeast Great Dane will become Great Dane’s largest independent dealer group covering two strategic regions for Great Dane. Trudell is a leader in the Midwest and Northeast is a leader in the North East and we look forward to their continued success.
“By bringing together strong management teams to work alongside the Great Dane corporate team I see a very bright future as these organizations champion the needs of our customers together.”
Northeast Great Dane is the sixth acquisition Trudell has made in the past 10 years. The company says 165 people are employed at the Northeast Great Dane locations. No job losses will result from the acquisition, which brings total employment to 400 within the Trudell Holdings businesses, the company adds.
“Northeast Great Dane has always felt like a family-owned business,” says Gendelman. “First, I would like to thank Joe Leuner for putting faith in me and giving me my start in the industry and introducing me into the Leuner family. Secondly, I thank Tom Leuner for making me a successful part of Northeast Great Dane and for being a mentor and great friend for more than 40 years.
“Now I’m looking forward to joining another family. I have known the Trudell organization for many years and look forward to working closely with Dennis and his team as we continue to build on our success and growth over the coming years. Trudell and Northeast Great Dane have run very similar businesses, and together we will grow and prosper even more for the good of our dearly-cherished employees, customers and vendor partners. Our goal will remain the same, be the best in the business.”
