There’s a compelling story behind every successful aftermarket business. However, the journey that led Kahgo Truck Parts to become a premier Los Angeles truck parts distributor and recently join the Power Heavy Duty network was exceptionally challenging.
While the full-line distributor’s U.S. presence began in 2014, its history in heavy-duty truck parts runs much longer. Co-owned by brothers Gabriel and George Laterovian, Kahgo Truck Parts is a continuation of the truck-parts retail business started by their father decades ago in Syria.
“My brother and I grew up with and within his business, knowing we would handle it one day,” said George Laterovian. “However, after the war in Syria in 2011, my family left everything it had and emigrated to Lebanon.”
Eventually settling in the United States, the family quickly took root, doing what they knew best – selling heavy-duty truck parts. In 2014, Gabriel started a small store in Sun Valley, California, and two years later was joined by his brother, George.
They founded K&G Latirovian and determinedly grew the business, building strong relationships with an ever-expanding base of customers and suppliers. They soon relocated to North Hollywood, also in the Greater Los Angeles area, opening its nearly 26,000-square-foot distributorship – Kahgo Truck Parts – with Gabriel serving as the president and George as the CEO and chief financial officer.
The choice to continue the family tradition of parts distribution wasn’t one of convenience. It was driven by passion for the industry. As the brothers put it, “We love the speed needed to minimize customer downtime and the specific knowledge required to achieve success.”
The family’s business acumen, can-do attitude and deep knowledge of the aftermarket and truck parts led to rapid growth. Kahgo Truck Parts now has more than 20 employees, two more warehouses for additional storage and larger components, a robust online storefront and strong export business. They also operate an in-house, professional-grade photography studio to better showcase products.
Their plans for future growth: more.
“We are inclined to grow more and more,” said the COO Elizabeth Ghukasyan. “Power Heavy Duty will allow us to be a part of the broader market, create stronger relationships with leading aftermarket parts providers, reduce procurement time, and give us access to more resources to support our business.”
As Kahgo Truck Parts continues its journey, Jim Pennig, vice president of business development for the VIPAR Heavy Duty Family of Companies, said Power Heavy Duty will be with them every step of the way.
“Kahgo Truck Parts is a great addition to our network – they have strong experience and sales across nearly every product line,” Pennig said. “They do a great job serving owner-operators, fleets and service shops in a very ethnically diverse market. They have multi-lingual employees that help them fluently communicate and conduct business by building trust and long-lasting relationships.”
