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Las Vegas — Meridian Specialty Vehicles, a Mercedes-Benz Preferred Bus Upfitter, recently announced the expansion of its geographic footprint and dealer base into Canada with the addition of Autobus Thomas (autobusthomas.com) of Drummondville, Quebec, as its newest stocking bus dealer.
In recent years, Meridian has reported steadily increasing sales thanks to state-of-the-art production techniques, design innovations, and one-of-a-kind features that deliver best-in-class quality, safety and manufacturing consistency.
“With demand for Meridian vehicles continuing to climb, it only made sense for us to expand our dealer presence into Canada,” said David Ronsen, president and CEO of Meridian Specialty Vehicles. “After more than a year of negotiating a purchase agreement with Mercedes-Benz Canada, achieving Transport Canada Pre-Clearance status, establishing a Foreign Trade Zone for seamless import/export and carefully selecting Autobus Thomas as our first dealer, we’re confident that we’re teed up for short- and long-term success in the Canadian market.”
With over 30 years of experience in commercial bus sales, Autobus Thomas has a stellar reputation for providing quality support during and after its sales. “Autobus Thomas is very excited to be partnered with Meridian Specialty Vehicles as its first Canadian bus dealer. Meridian is building exactly what our clients have been asking us for in an 8-20 passenger shuttle bus,” said Bernard Dubé, president and CEO of Autobus Thomas. “The Canadian shuttle bus and paratransit markets are ripe for high-end, economical, and affordable Mercedes-Benz-based buses like those manufactured by Meridian. We simply do not have any product in our market today that meets their quality standards or price points.”
Autobus Thomas is currently stocking Meridian product that is ready for immediate delivery.
Visit meridiansv.com for more information.
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James Brown, CEO of El Paseo Limousine
Santa Clara, Calif. — El Paseo Limousine recently acquired Classic Limousine, a 21-year-old service located in Cupertino, Calif. El Paseo CEO James Brown and Classic Limousine CEO Amnon Levy used Tenney Group to help facilitate the sale. Levy is retiring and plans to pursue other opportunities outside the industry.
El Paseo is taking ownership of Classic’s 13 vehicles, which include 10 Lincoln Town Cars, two GMC SUVs, and a Chevy Van Express. Brown is excited about the acquisition, saying business revenues will also increase over $1,500,000.
“We figured it was a no-brainer,” Brown said. “We’re very big in corporate and Classic Limousine was one of our main competitors.” Brown said the Classic brand will be absorbed into El Paseo, and both chauffeurs and employees will be staying on to ensure an easy transition.
“Over the years, I have been aware of Tenney Group and recognized them to be a leading agency in the country to buy and sell transportation companies,” said Amnon. “The sales process was very smooth, and they lived up to all my expectations.”
El Paseo Limousine has been serving the Bay Area and beyond since 1987. Named by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing private companies in the United States, El Paseo Limousine has become a mainstay of the greater San Francisco Bay Area chauffeured transportation industry. Serving large corporate accounts from throughout the country, and now, from throughout the world El Paseo has earned a reputation as a company that stays one step ahead.
Visit elpaseolimo.com for more information.
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Orlando, Fla. — Allied Specialty Vehicles (ASV), a leading manufacturer of motor vehicles for commercial, fire & emergency, and recreation markets, announced an exclusive partnership with CleanFUEL USA, an industry leader in propane auto gas technology. Under the partnership, CleanFUEL USA (cleanfuelusa.com) will provide products and services to expand ASV’s line of alternative fuel vehicles, namely propane auto gas.
“ASV has a long relationship working with CleanFUEL USA on propane auto gas fleet installations for type A school buses at Collins Bus. Expanding this relationship across all ASV vehicle brands will increase the breadth of propane auto gas systems we can offer to our customers,” said Tim Sullivan, ASV president and CEO. “We’re proud of our commitment to offer green energy alternative fuel options such as propane that have long-term benefits to the environment.”
The partnership agreement calls for CleanFUEL USA’s propane auto gas systems currently installed by third-party upfitters to be transitioned to ASV factory-certified installations. Sullivan says this change will not only offer customers a full OEM warranty, but it will increase installation efficiency and improve overall quality control. The two companies will also work together to develop customer service centers that will offer spare parts and maintenance services for a full suite of CleanFUEL USA propane auto gas systems for multiple ASV product lines and their customers.
ASV also announced an exclusive partnership with Westport (westport.com), a global leader in alternative fuel, low-emissions transportation technologies. The partnership expands the availability of the compressed natural gas (CNG) Westport WiNG™ Power System to the company’s commercial bus products.
The Westport WiNG™ Power System is a dedicated natural gas fuel system for light-duty specialty vehicles built on Ford truck chassis and backed by a Ford Factory 3-year/36,000-mile engine and powertrain warranty. As a leading CNG Ford Qualified Vehicle Modifier (QVM), Westport designed its system to meet Ford’s OEM standards. Westport also conducts rigorous, OEM-approved safety testing, including extensive simulations and physical crash testing that meets or exceeds OEM and U.S. federal safety standards.
Visit alliedsv.com for more information.
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