Thomas Built Buses President and CEO Kelley Platt presented the company’s 2010 Dealer of the Year award to Nelson’s Bus Service, Inc. at the annual Thomas dealers meeting last month.

“The hallmark of this year’s dealer of the year is an organization so dedicated to customer service, that they’ve woven it into their name," Platt said at the Oct. 4 ceremony. "Nelson’s Bus Service, Thomas Built’s 2010 dealer of the year, ensures that their customers see the value of the entire relationship and provides them with a superb service strategy to ensure support long after the sale.”

The 70-year old school bus contractor, dealer and repair company based in Whitewater, Wis., has been a Thomas dealer since 1974 and evolved from working on one school bus when it opened in 1940 into a leading school bus dealer and contractor in the Midwest. Nelson’s currently operates a facility of just over 21,000 square-feet on five acres of land in Whitewater and will open a new 15,000 square foot facility on 19 acres in McFarland, Wis.

“I’m proud of the exceptional team effort demonstrated by every member of the Nelson’s organization that made achieving this award possible," said Chris Arnett, who owns Nelson's Bus Service along with Dave Nelson. "The dealer of the year designation is earned by the work we do every day and is a direct reflection of the confidence and continued partnership that our customers bestow upon us.”

The Dealer of the Year is selected from four regional winners and is presented annually to Thomas dealers who demonstrate outstanding performance in customer satisfaction, customer service and support, financial performance and overall relationship with Thomas Built Buses.

Honored as regional dealers of the year, in addition to Nelson’s, were:

• NESCO Thomas Bus Sales of New York, Bay Shore, N.Y. (Eastern region)
• Whayne Supply Company, Louisville, Ky. (Southeast region)
• I State Truck Center, Inc., Billings, Mont. (Western region)

At the same event, gold, silver and bronze awards for dealership excellence were presented to selected dealers in recognition of outstanding performance in service, parts support and bus sales.