HIGH POINT, N.C.… Thomas Built Buses has named California Bus Sales and Service Center, Inc., of Fresno, Calif., the 2002 Thomas Built Buses “Dealer of the Year.” The announcement was made during the company’s annual dealer meeting. This is the second time California Bus Sales has won dealer of the year. The first time was in 1990.

John O’Leary, president of Thomas Built Buses, presented the award to A.E. “Gene” Oliver, president of California Bus Sales and a 29-year veteran in the school bus industry. With a staff of 50 people, California Bus Sales provides sales and service to nearly 1,200 school districts in the states of California and Hawaii.

“California Bus Sales has confirmed that it has the sales expertise and dedication to provide Thomas customers with outstanding service,” O’Leary said. “This dealership exhibits the professionalism and knowledge that makes us successful in this industry.”

Areas in which California Bus Sales demonstrated outstanding performance for 2002 included:

• Customer satisfaction
• Outstanding service and customer support
• Financial performance
• Overall relationship with Thomas Built Buses

“The success of our dealership has been built with a loyal and dedicated staff,” said Oliver. “Our business is really focused on the school bus industry, which enables us to understand our customers’ needs. Our goal is to exceed those expectations.”

Thomas Built Buses is a subsidiary of Freightliner LLC and is the leading manufacturer of school buses in North America.

Freightliner LLC, headquartered in Portland, Oregon is the leading heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America. Freightliner produces and markets Class 3-8 vehicles under the Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star, American LaFrance, and Thomas Built Buses nameplates. Freightliner is a company of DaimlerChrysler, the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturer.