Truck Sales and Service Company Thrives in Ontario East

Gerald Tallman knows more than a thing or two about how to succeed where others have failed.

The president and founder of Kemptville Truck Centre Ltd. has built his once five-bay automotive repair shop into a truck sales and service empire that employs 235 people – often by taking over the operations of less successful businesses.

Kirk Tallman Kemptville Truck Centre

The key to growth has been Tallman’s belief that good customer service comes first, says Kirk Tallman, son of Gerald Tallman and general manager of Kemptville Truck Centre’s Cornwall location.

“If you keep your customers happy you are going to have repeat business and that’s what we try to do,” says Kirk Tallman.

He is one of four Tallmans who work for the company. His brother Kevin Tallman and uncle Don Tallman also work there.

Kemptville Truck Centre started as a small garage employing about a dozen people who serviced all types of cars and trucks.

Interestingly, one of the original partners was the now deceased Ken Seymour who left to found Prescott-based trucking powerhouse Kriska Transportation.

Gerald Tallman bought the garage from his then-partners and turned it into an International Truck and Engine Corp. sales and service centre. Kemptville Truck Centre now sells new International trucks and services as well as truck parts.

Still based in Kemptville, the business has five other prominent Eastern Ontario locations – in Belleville, Cornwall, Kingston, Ottawa and Brockville.

In three of those cities, existing International shops were closing down, or had already closed, when Tallman took them over.

Eastern Ontario has been a great place to do business, says Kirk Tallman. Four of its operations are alongside the Highway 401 trade corridor so truckers can easily access its shops and parts can easily be dispatched to other service stations.

It has also helped that the communities where Kemptville Truck Centre operates have worked hard to develop their economies and businesses, Tallman says.

“Local economic development officials are always trying to bring in more industry,” he says. “It helps make for a positive business climate even when the economy is not doing so well.”

Kemptville Trucking Centre is now striving to become leaner so it can hit the ground running once the global economy picks up again.
“I always say you can ship it, you can boat it, you can fly it, but sooner or later you have to put it on a truck to get it where you want it to go,” Kirk Tallman says.

Kemptville Trucking Centre plays a crucial role in Eastern Ontario industry, says Bob Peters, senior development officer for the City of Cornwall and a member of the Ontario East Logistics Team.

“Kemptville Truck Centre is a vital part of the supply chain system in Eastern Ontario, providing world class services to transport companies moving goods along Highways 401, 416 and 417,” Peters said. "Their team helps companies connect Eastern Ontario to the rest of North America.”

For more information:

• Kemptville Trucking Centre
• Ontario East Logistics Partnership
  

Also see:

• Economic Development Organization Seeks to Build Cross-Border Trade and Tourism