Great Dane recognized its award winners and introduced several new programs during its seventh annual Aftermarket Parts and Service Conference (APSC), which set an attendance record in Atlanta GA.
The biennial event connects aftermarket management and sales teams with industry-leading vendors to discuss safety, technology and product updates.
“Since we began holding our Aftermarket Parts and Service Conference in 2006, it has continued to grow and improve,” said Dave Durand, Great Dane’s vice president of aftermarket. “It’s a great opportunity to get the Great Dane aftermarket team and our vendors together under one roof to educate each other on product and technology updates, discuss new ideas, collaborate on solutions and celebrate our wins from the previous two years.”
This year’s APSC included Great Dane branch and dealer employees, and representatives from many of the company’s supplier partners. The theme of the event was “Forward into the Future” and included an inspirational keynote speech by astronaut and author Captain Mark Kelly, educational sessions, a tradeshow and awards dinner.
The company also launched new programs, including Great Dane Select Parts, an elite private-label parts brand, a comprehensive online learning management system for Great Dane employees, an ASE-accredited service technician training program, and a new Service Relationship Management platform called ServiceTrak, which provides connectivity and visibility across service events.
Great Dane partnered with Decisiv Inc to build ServiceTrak, and Decisiv’s president and CEO, Dick Hyatt, also spoke at the conference, providing attendees with an in-depth look at the platform.
At the awards dinner, Great Dane announced the winners of its annual Aftermarket Parts and Service Awards, which recognize Great Dane branches, dealers and supplier partners for performance excellence in several categories, including safety, customer support, sales achievement and AdvantEDGE, which is Great Dane’s national aftermarket parts and service program.
The company also recognized Durand, David Sawyer, parts manager for TSR, and Art Hobbs, Great Dane’s branch service operations manager, with lifetime achievement awards.