Summit Truck Group Holds Open House

A ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house was held Friday at Summit Truck Group, formerly Trans Central Suppliers, at 4701 South Limit.

About 100 people attended the event, which included lunch catered by Table of 5.

The nice turnout pleased Scott Gill, executive vice president for Summit.

“The community has really embraced us, and that is a tribute to (former owner) Linda (Alcorn), she's really helped us to get to know the people in the community, and it shows by the number of people we have out here today, so we're excited about the future,” Gill said.

Gill added that plans call for growing the business right away. “Without a doubt, we plan on adding more diesel technicians, parts sales and increasing truck sales throughout the area,” he noted, adding that the market this location will serve a 50 to 75-mile radius.

The central Missouri area was a prime location for Summit, which was originally formed in 1982 in Memphis, Tenn. The company has gone through several transitions, name changes, mergers and acquisitions over the years, Gill noted, but now Summit is ready to serve the mid-Missouri area.

“We've had a long relationship with Linda Alcorn, and she has served the area for the past 40-plus years. And when she made the decision to retire, we were afraid that this area would be underserved from International, so that's when we started working with Linda, and decided to make it a full-fledged Summit store as opposed to an associate dealer.

Pettis County Commissioner David Dick noted that his great uncle Al Heck sold International Tractors and Trucks in Sedalia at Adams Truck & Tractor from the 1920s through the early 70s.

“We have a great industrial base that obviously needs the truck (service),” Dick said, adding that he is “tickled to death” that Summit decided to locate here in Pettis County.

State Rep. Brad Pollitt noted how well the various local entities work together to attract new business to the Sedalia area.

“The community will continue to grow, and with growth comes growing pains. And we will work through those growing pains, and will continue to supply a labor force, hopefully right out of Smith-Cotton High School and into State Fair Community College to the job-ready positions,” Pollitt said.

Emcee Kyle Weymuth publicly thanked the ongoing efforts of EDSPC Executive Director Jessica Craig and Economic Specialist Sydnae Cavness, who helped arrange the ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house.

Summit Holdings is a privately-held company that does business as Summit Truck Group, Summit Bus, and Summit Idealease.

On Jan. 1, 2014, the newly merged Diamond Companies and Roberts Truck Center dealerships announced the name of their new organization and was called Summit Holdings doing business as Summit Truck Group, Summit Bus, and Summit Idealease.

The company operates 26 commercial truck and bus dealerships in Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

Summit Truck Group represents and services International®, Volvo, Mack, Ford, and Isuzu commercial trucks, and Crane Carrier specialty vehicles. Summit Bus represents and services IC Bus™, ElDorado National-Salina, and other commercial bus brands.

Commercial truck lease and rental, mobile and dedicated maintenance services are offered through 18 Idealease™ locations. Summit serves customers with more than 1,000 employees, 300 technicians, over 350 service bays, and over $27 million in all-makes stocked parts, according to the company's website.

In mid-September, Summit Truck Group, LLC, announced that they reached an agreement to purchase substantially all of the assets of Trans Central Suppliers, Inc., of Sedalia.

Trans Central Suppliers has been in business since July 1975 and has been an International Trucks parts associate dealer for over 30 years. Trans Central was already part of the extended Summit family as they were affiliated with Summit’s Kansas City location for more than 30 years while serving as an International associate. The strong, successful partnership that Summit built with Linda Alcorn and Trans Central Suppliers helped make the transition to becoming a member of the Summit Family a smooth one, company officials noted.

In the photo: Summit Executive Vice President Scott Gill accepts a plaque from EDSPC Board Vice President Kyle Weymuth on Friday at Summit Truck Group, 4701 South Limit.