Prevost Commemorates 15th Service Center with Grand Opening Celebration

The tremendous pride Prevost has taken in growing its North American service network soared in Winter Garden, FL, November 7, during the official grand opening of its Orlando Sales and Service Center.

Approximately 150 guests were on hand to celebrate.  The occasion was marked with a ribbon cutting, facility tours and lunch that ended with a cake designed in the shape of a bus.  Guests were also invited to browse inventory of pre-owned coaches and explore several brand new Prevost motorhomes brought on site for the festivities.

Open since August as the fifteenth location in the chain of strategically-located facilities throughout the US and Canada, this massive property makes Prevost the largest aftermarket provider in the coach industry.   In addition, the Prevost network is bolstered by more than 190 bus-certified Volvo Truck locations throughout North America.

“This grand opening was a fantastic day for Prevost and the Volvo Group,” said Hakan Agnevall, president, Volvo Buses. “I know the local team has worked very hard and we are finally here in Orlando. As the Prevost network continues to grow, our keys assets in the Volvo strategy will always be our people and our culture, which allow us to best serve our customers, keep their vehicles running and provide them an Ultimate Experience.”

“Prevost opened its first Florida location in Jacksonville in 1990 to extend its commitment in the Southeast,” said Prevost Nova Bus President, Ralph Acs, senior vice president, Business Regions Americas. “In the time since, the breadth and depth of our aftermarket service in support of our customers across North America has become unparalleled.”

Prevost invested over $6 million to build this centralized state-of-the-art full-service facility that also includes a pre-owned sales center featuring Prevost and Volvo coaches as well as other models.

“The opening of our Orlando Service Center further demonstrates our commitment to get closer to our customers, meet their needs efficiently and better serve them,” said Prevost Vice President and General Manager, Francois Tremblay. “From this centralized location, a factory trained and certified staff of technicians is now available to work on all Prevost and Volvo coaches and motorhomes in this local market. This facility also represents a tremendous investment by Prevost and one that is very important us, as we are creating more than 50 jobs and contributing to the local economy.”

The repair area occupies 20,000 square feet with nine (9) service bays. The adjacent 15,000 square-foot parts department stocks parts for Prevost and Volvo coaches, as well as frequently-used parts for competitive OEMs. The coach storage lot can accommodate up to 100 vehicles. The preowned area alone occupies 2.3 acres. Entertainer and motorhome service includes the wash bay, dump station and motorhome hook ups.

“Our state-of-the-art Orlando facility is specially configured to provide outstanding service to our many customers running pre-owned Prevost and Volvo coaches,” says Jean Dupont, director, Prevost Preowned. “Not only does our new Orlando facility have the infrastructure and ample space for service, our employees understand the subtleties of the preowned market and know how to serve this group of operators.”

“We have not overlooked the fact that coach conversions and motorhomes are predominant in the Orlando region of Florida,” said Steve Zeigler, director, Business Development, Bus Shell Division. “We are very pleased to have all the provisions at this facility to provide service to this very important Prevost market.”  

Customer response

Prevost operators in attendance spoke to the advantages and benefits of the accessibility the newest Prevost service center affords them in this heavily travelled region of Florida.

Operating from locations in Gainesville and Daytona, FL, Sander Kaplan, president of A. Candies Coachworks is very excited over Prevost’s newest location.

“This new facility is a win for us as we are in the Orlando market quite a bit. “It comes as a relief to have an additional source for service and repairs aside from Prevost’s Jacksonville Service Center. Faster service when we have issues in this area will help immensely; and betters our chances of getting inventory when we need it.”

Kaplan says the new location will figure prominently in any future expansion plans in northern Florida, noting the pre-owned sales center will be especially helpful.

“We are very impressed with the new facility,” say Kaplan. “It's particularly nice to go see how many pre-owned coaches they have on the lot to choose from.”

Richard Mackey, president and CEO, Small World Tour Cruises and Transportation, Haines City, FL, gives high marks to the geographic location and everyone in the company.

“Prevost has everything in place in its new location, and its people are the best,” he says. “We have waited a long time for a Prevost Service Center in this area of Florida. The facility itself is great, expansive and fully equipped, and with good people in place, it is only going to get better.”

The community responds

Representing community interests, City of Winter Garden City Commissioner, Colin Charman expressed his pleasure in welcoming Prevost and commending the new location.

 “We are very excited for this opportunity to partner with Prevost to bring greater economic impact to our community,” he said. “It is especially important to us that this outstanding facility brings 50 new employment opportunities to our city. Better yet, as opposed to low-wage employment, these are technical jobs requiring skilled labor to maintain and repair these coaches, which is incredibly important to our goals.”