HIGH POINT, N.C. — Thomas Built Buses has named Midwest Bus Sales the 2004 Thomas Built Buses Dealer of the Year. Midwest Bus Sales has four locations and is the Thomas Built dealer for Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, western Missouri and northern Illinois.

The Dealer of the Year award is presented each year to a Thomas Built dealer who shows outstanding performance in customer satisfaction, customer service and support, financial performance and overall relationship with Thomas Built Buses.

John O’Leary, president of Thomas Built Buses, presented the award to Don Kincaid, owner of Midwest Bus Sales.

“Midwest Bus Sales combines product knowledge, sales expertise and an unwavering dedication to customer service,” said O’Leary, who presented the award at Thomas’ annual dealer meeting in Tarpon Springs, FL. “Their professionalism and responsiveness reflects positively on the Thomas name and we’re proud to be associated with them.”

“This is one of the most gratifying honors I’ve accepted in my 39 years in the industry,” said Kincaid. “This award acknowledges the exemplary performance of our entire staff, whether they’re in sales, parts or customer service. It’s particularly rewarding knowing that our team has been successful in Thomas’ eyes”

Midwest Bus Sales has 50 employees and has been a Thomas Built Buses dealer for 13 years. Its dealerships are located in Kansas City, KS; Van Buren, AR; Oklahoma City, OK; and Princeton, IL.

Thomas Built Buses is the leading manufacturer of school buses in North America. Thomas Built Buses is a subsidiary of Freightliner LLC, the largest heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America and a leading manufacturer of Class 3-8 vehicles. Freightliner produces and markets commercial 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.