Midwest Bus Parts, a parts distributor for public and private bus fleets, has joined the Power Heavy Duty network. Adrian Berning founded the company in 2000, and his son, Derek, joined Midwest Bus Parts in 2005 after graduating college. Working together, they focused on growing the Big Lake, Minn., distributor by most every measure – customers, sales, employees, products, inventory and footprint, both digital and physical, Power Heavy Duty said. In addition to establishing an online sales platform in 2012, the company recently moved to a larger facility with 20,000 square feet of warehouse space.

“Becoming a Power Heavy Duty member allows us to be more competitive and create stronger supplier relationships to better serve our customers’ needs,” said Derek Berning, now president and CEO of Midwest Bus Parts. “We disrupted the industry by being one of the first independent aftermarket parts distributors specializing in school buses. We started relatively small and there was really no precedent for our business model, which has allowed us to grow unimpeded by expectations.”

“The consistent growth and customer-first focus makes Midwest Bus Parts a great addition to the Power Heavy Duty network,” said Jim Pennig, vice president of business development for the VIPAR Heavy Duty Family of Companies. “They have a winning business strategy that is executed by an enthusiastic and highly knowledgeable team of bus-industry experts.”