ST. LOUIS – Alan Davenport and Bobby Willingham has been named the HDA Truck Pride 2014 Truck Service Expert of the Year. Davenport and Willingham were presented the award at the HDA Truck Pride Annual Meeting in San Antonio with an audience of more than 600 people.
The two met while working as technicians at a trucking company. In September 1989, they decided to leave and start their own independent repair facility in Newberry, South Carolina. These two adventurous technicians started their journey with a four-bay facility. After their third expansion, they finally realized their dream, when they were able to buy out the tractor dealer that blocked their view to the main crossroads.
Today, they operate out of a 21,600-square-foot facility with 16 full-service bays, 14,000 square feet of parts, a retail showroom and 18 employees. Davenport and Willingham is a full service commercial vehicle shop that does everything from engine work to trailer repairs.
To be honored as the HDA Truck Pride Truck Service Expert of the Year, the company must excel in a number of categories. First and foremost is the magnitude to which their company embraces and supports the HDA Truck Pride Truck Service Experts brand in their marketplace. Davenport and Willingham proudly displays the HDA Truck Pride brand on its exterior signage, inside banners, work uniforms and store displays. The business utilizes the Truck Service Experts brand to enhance its business operations, marketing and networking.
Technical expertise and constant improvement are extremely important categories of distinction. When it comes to training, if a member of the team is not able to participate in the live training webinars that HDA Truck Pride offers, they take the time afterwards to listen to the recorded sessions. The company participated in HDA Truck Pride’s “Day of Diagnostics” session in October 2014 with constructive input and crucial feedback.
Co-owners Willingham and Davenport say they believe in continuous improvement and ongoing training for their entire team. They have participated in two of the HAD Truck Pride Regional Training Fairs to enhance their business acumen through business training and the online business calculator tool. “We’ve got to take advantage of these training opportunities and keep ahead of the game. If you’re doing the same thing you did yesterday, you’re falling behind,” said Willingham.
Davenport and Willingham has a strong relationship with its HDA Truck Pride sponsoring member, Truck Supply Co. of South Carolina. This relationship expands beyond just the business realm and into charitable events, industry events and social functions. The folks from Davenport and Willingham and the team from Truck Supply Company of South Carolina can often be found traveling together to expand their knowledge of the industry, as well as their business and technical skills.
