Dec. 7 – Freightliner of Chattanooga hosted an impressive grand opening celebration last Thursday at its massive new dealership in north Georgia, just south of Chattanooga, TN. Father-and-son team Buddie and Pat Carroll, who have operated Freightliner of Knoxville just up the road since 1990, began operations from their new facility in October after operating out of temporary facilities for two years.
The Freightliner “Country Classic Celebration” began with an open house at the dealership for more than 3,000 invited customers. Visitors got tours of the facility, lunch, live music, and a chance to visit 25 vendor booths. That evening, a private concert by country artist Ricky Skaggs entertained 500 special VIP guests.
The 12-acre facility, located off of I-75 at exit 141, features two buildings. The main building covers some 74,000 square feet, with another 20,000 square feet in the body shop. There are 33 service bays, a truck wash area, complete paint and body shop, a dynamometer, four fast lane service bays for repairs that take less than an hour, professional driver lounges with recliners and TVs, even showers and laundry facilities.
Pat Carroll notes that having such a facility not only provides more comfort and convenience for customers, but also helps the dealership attract the best employees. Those employees showed their appreciation during the concert Thursday night. They surprised Buddie, Pat, and Buddie’s son Dean by presenting them with clocks engraved with messages of appreciation from the employees.