Truck service is a family affair for John and Jacob Nichols, owners of the recently opened Kenworth of Effingham. John, who is a second generation owner of the Indianapolis-based Palmer Trucks said the company has been in business for 51 years. His son, Jacob, will be the third generation to own the company. “We are a family owned business,” Jacob said. The company celebrated the opening of their Effingham Facility, located on Outer Belt West, with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday. Representatives from the Effingham County Chamber of Commerce, the City of Effingham, and area truckers attended the event.
Jacob Nichols discusses the business.
Effingham was selected for the shop due to its high volume of truck traffic. “We have worked this market for many years and found that the Effingham market would be a great opportunity to service this area because of all the trucks that go through here,” Jacob continued. The project to open the Effingham location took around year.
General manger at the new facility Joe Carter said that the day-to-day challenge about running the shop was being there for customers. “The challenge of day-to-day operation? It really boils down to customer service,” Cater stated. “We’ve been in business for 51 years for a reason” he continued. The shop has 17 full-time employees, mostly local.
General Manager Joe Carter on customer service.
Effingham Mayor Jeff Bloemker spoke at the ribbon cutting saying that the new facility would “take Effingham’s presence as a trucking and transportation hub to the next level.” Palmer Trucks/Kenworth of Effingham has been opened since October. Carter said that they have been slowly ramping their operation since then.
Mayor Bloemker’s speech before the ribbon cutting.