TYSONS, Va. – Terry Minor, president and CEO of Cumberland International Trucks in Nashville, Tenn., is one of six nominees for 2019 Truck Dealer of the Year – a national award that recognizes commercial-truck dealers for industry leadership, business performance and community service.
“As an entrepreneur, it’s very satisfying to receive confirmation from the industry you participate in with recognition of this magnitude. My feelings have gone through many cycles from humble excitement to prideful remembering how far we have come in such a short period of time,” said Minor. “To win this award would be a big stamp of confirmation that we are doing things right by the community, our customers, manufacturers and the associations we support.”
Minor’s path to becoming a dealer was not predetermined. His first job in trucking industry was working as the outboard supervisor for Carolina Freight in Birmingham, Ala., in 1993. Before becoming dealer principal in 2007, he worked for Navistar in numerous positions over a seven-year period, including vice president of sales covering its Southwest region.
“Through each of these Navistar roles, I gained valuable insight and experience in each critical area of dealership operations,” Minor said. “I was then given the opportunity to enter Navistar’s dealer program, which began the process to purchase a struggling International Trucks dealership in Nashville, Tenn., in April 2007.”
The dealership, renamed Cumberland International Trucks, has steadily increased its revenue and market share over the past several years and today employs 179 people at two dealership locations in Tennessee. The dealership also includes IC Bus and Capacity Trucks franchises.
“I never dreamed I would get the opportunity to become a dealer much less one that has seen the success we have created. The future is bright for my organization and our industry as long as we continue to look for ways to change and stay in front of technology and new trends,” Minor said. “The greatest experiences I have found in being a dealer is developing young talent in the company to higher levels in the organization they never dreamed of achieving. I particularly enjoy building relationships with our customers and helping them solve problems together.”
Over the past 11 years, Minor has been involved in many charitable causes and fundraising events from supporting local schools, youth sports and other groups.
“The most satisfying community service to me is supporting veterans with our annual participation in the Green Beret Foundation’s trust fund, which helps the spouses of servicemen,” he added. “In addition, I particularly enjoy, along with my wife, helping people and kids anonymously that we know personally are having hardships who would never ask for help. Being a dealer has been a blessing that allows me a big platform to affect a lot of lives.”
Minor was selected as Navistar’s Dealer of the Year in 2017 for best dealership performance in North America. Other achievements from Navistar include three Circle of Excellence awards for dealership performance, its President’s Award for operational excellence, and a Diamond Club award for parts sales. The dealership’s truck leasing and rental business has won Idealease’s Gold award 19 years in-a-row.
“I believe that we can always do better,” he said. “We have to constantly look to change and we have to learn to change faster to remain relevant to the customer. In business, you are only the best until something better comes along.”
The national Truck Dealer of the Year award is sponsored by the American Truck Dealers (ATD), Heavy Duty Trucking magazine and Procede Software.
The other nominees are David Kriete from Kriete Truck Centers in Milwaukee, Wis.; Kim Mesfin from Affinity Truck Center in Fresno, Calif.; Harry Moyer from Lowe and Moyer Garage in Fogelsville, Pa.; Trey Mytty from Truck Center Companies in Omaha, Neb.; and John Nichols from Palmer Kenworth in Indianapolis.
The nominees were selected by ATD board members and dealer association executives. Professors from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in Bloomington, Ind., will evaluate the nominees based on dealership performance, industry leadership and community service.
The winner and runner-up will be announced on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019, during the 56th annual ATD Show in San Francisco, which runs concurrently with the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Show from Thursday, Jan. 24, through Sunday, Jan. 27.
ATD, a division of NADA, represents more than 1,800 heavy- and medium-duty truck dealerships in the U.S.
For more information about ATD Show 2019, visit atdshow.org.
This is the third article in a six-part series featuring the nominees for 2019 Truck Dealer of the Year.
