FARMINGTON HILLS, MI — Dennis Jones, vice president of sales and marketing for Auto Truck Group (Bensenville, IL), was installed as the 44th president of the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA). Jones accepted the gavel from immediate past president Tom Rawson, CEO of RKI Inc. (Houston, TX), on Feb. 27 at the President’s Breakfast & NTEA Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA.
Jones began his more than 30-year career in the truck industry upon graduating from The College of St. Thomas in 1973 when he was hired to work at the Truck Division of International Harvester. The affiliation would lead to many other facets of the business, including fleet management and ultimately truck equipment.
In the mid-1980s, Jones found himself at the other end of the spectrum with the Auto Truck Group.
“This was a major transition for me. I went from buying truck equipment from distributors to selling and installing truck equipment for the very customers by whom I used to be employed,” he said. “Building a facility from 13 acres of weeds, opening it without a truck on the ground and operating it for many years has been a very rewarding adventure.”
Jones said that the NTEA has been a big part of his truck equipment career. He said he considers the association as his “go-to” organization for answers to truck equipment issues.
“Auto Truck personnel call the engineers in the NTEA’s Technical Services Department just as if they were calling one of our own companies regarding an internal issue,” said Jones. “This is because the NTEA feels like one of our own companies. That is how we view our relationship with the association — they are part of the Auto Truck Group family.”
Auto Truck Group has been a distributor member of the NTEA since 1973. Jones has served on the NTEA Board of Trustees since 2003.
“I am both excited and committed to the role of president of the NTEA and the opportunity to lead the board in furthering the association’s ability to serve this great industry. The NTEA has given so much and in so many different ways already, yet I believe as our industry changes we have only just begun our work,” said Jones.
Continuing to meet the changing needs of our membership by offering meaningful programs and services will be a top priority according to Jones.
“I am proud to have been elected to the position of president of the association. The NTEA is one of the most respected groups in the entire work truck industry,” said Jones.
For more information about NTEA, visit: www.ntea.com.
