Davenport and Willingham has been named the HDA Truck Pride 2014 Truck Service Expert of the Year. Alan Davenport and Bobby Willingham were presented the award at the HDA Truck Pride Annual Meeting, in San Antonio, Texas, with an audience of more than 600 people. The excitement and pride in the room was tangible while our recipients spent the next two days meeting with vendors and members to share advice to help others improve their business processes, technical skills and the attributes of the Truck Service Experts program.
Alan Davenport and Bobby Willingham 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, S.C. 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. They needed the space and the building frontage exposure. Today, they operate out of a 21,600-square-foot facility with 16 full service bays, 14,000-square-foot of parts and retail showroom and 18 employees. Davenport and Willingham is a full service commercial vehicle shop that does everything from engine work to trailer repairs and everything in between.
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 their exterior signage, inside banners, work uniforms, and store displays. Their business utilizes the Truck Service Experts brand to enhance their 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 their 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 our “Day of Diagnostics” session in October of 2014 with constructive input and crucial feedback. Co-owners, Bobby Willingham and Alan Davenport believe in continuous improvement and ongoing training for their entire team. They have participated in two of the HDA Truck Pride Regional Training Fairs to enhance their business acumen through our Business Training and 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,” says Bobby Willingham.
Davenport and Willingham has a strong relationship with their HDA Truck Pride sponsoring member, Truck Supply Company 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. We are honored to announce Davenport and Willingham of Newberry, S.C. as the HDA Truck Pride 2014 Truck Service Expert of the Year.
