Kenworth Truck Co. has achieved a significant milestone in providing the industry’s leading level of customer support with the recent opening of its 400th dealership location.
“Our 400th dealership represents the dedication of Kenworth dealers in building a strong network of locations throughout the United States and Canada that provide superior support no matter where our customers travel,” said Kevin Baney, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing.
“The Kenworth PremierCare Certified Gold program continues to drive the customer support level higher as Kenworth dealers invested over $155 million in facilities in 2017 alone, added service technicians, increased PACCAR engine training and expanded evening and weekend service hours,” said Baney. Kenworth now has 134 Kenworth PremierCare Gold Certified locations.
Rihm Kenworth opened Kenworth’s 400th dealership in Minnesota City, a suburb of Winona, Minnesota, which is more than 100 miles southeast of the Twin Cities. “Dealerships like Rihm Kenworth – Winona are dedicated to enhancing the ownership experience and maximizing uptime for our customers by providing state-of-the-art facilities with well-stocked parts departments and well-trained, well-equipped technicians to service their trucks,” Baney said.
The 16,600 square-foot, full-service dealership will offer customers 12 service bays, including a wash bay and 2-hour truck diagnostics through Kenworth PremierCare ExpressLane. The shop, 3,000 square-foot parts department and comfortable drivers’ lounge are already open for business. Rihm Kenworth – Winona is located at 6830 Martina Road, on 5-1/2 acres along U.S. Highway 61, which connects to U.S. Interstate 80 and U.S. Interstate 35.
“I was pleasantly surprised to learn that our new Winona location is Kenworth’s 400th dealership in North America,” said Kari Rihm, president, CEO and dealer principal of Rihm Kenworth. “Winona is not only a college town, but also is home to the Port Authority of Winona, one of five river ports in Minnesota for barges traveling north and south on the Mississippi River.
“The fact that Kenworth reached this milestone in the small city of Winona demonstrates the strength of Kenworth’s dealer network and the importance of the investments we’re making in building and opening new locations and buying and renovating existing facilities,” she added.
Last year, Rihm Kenworth also broke ground on two new facilities—one in Coon Rapids, and the other in South St. Paul. After the expected mid-February opening of the new 68,000 square-foot full-service location in South St. Paul, it will serve as Rihm Kenworth’s new corporate headquarters. It represents an investment by Rihm Kenworth of nearly $13 million.
“Since trucks go everywhere, truck fleets and operators need to know that they can get the industry’s best level of parts and service support in small towns like Winona, as well as in the Twin Cities,” she added. “And with distributors, vocational truck operators and regional and long-haul trucking companies all vying for the best drivers, Kenworth trucks can offer some pretty compelling incentives in attracting them. With a new well-equipped full-service dealer location in Winona and two more new full-service dealerships on the way in South St. Paul and Coon Rapids, truck and fleet operators will have access to those Kenworth trucks. Plus, they can receive more industry-leading parts and service support to help their drivers get back on the road quickly.”
