As published in Manufacturing & Construction News - December 1, 2018
TESCO’s new facility in Oregon
TESCO opens new
$3M facility in Oregon
TESCO, a third-generation, family-owned commercial bus distributor business, has invested over $3 million and completed construction on a new 30,000 square foot facility on Navarre Avenue in Oregon. According to Noel (Bud) Graham, Jr., president of TESCO, the company intends to improve its efficiency and provide a modern facility for its employees and customers, which will also allow for growth and expansion capabilities.
“We started this project three years ago, requiring nine and a half acres adjacent to the five acre parcel we were operating on. We have seen a need for expansion in our sales, parts, service, and graphics divisions, and the new location will allow us to immediately expand in all of these areas. The new location also provides better accessibility to our facilities, now directly off of Navarre Avenue, and we also needed more space for our large inventory of vehicles,” said Graham.
Construction on the facility began in August 2017, with move-in beginning this past June. Oregon-based Form & Function Architecture was the architect for the project, with A.A. Boos & Sons Inc. of Oregon serving as the general contractor.
When speaking of the features of the new facility, Graham said, “Our new building has many beneficial features for our employees and customers, including additional sales offices, a large conference room overlooking our service department, a customer lounge, break rooms for our service technicians, three 15,000-pound two-post vehicle lifts in our service department to improve our ability to service vehicles, and a brand new 54-foot long truck paint spray booth.”
TESCO provides sales, lease, and rental options for its customers with a range of new and used shuttle buses and vans that can carry 14 to 45 passengers. The company also provides specialty vehicles such as mobile offices, prisoner transport units, health screening vehicles, and mobile command posts for law enforcement, as well as all types of ADA compliant mobility vehicles. In addition to vehicle sales, it offers custom vehicle graphics, complete mechanical service, collision and body repair, exterior painting, replacement parts support, fleet management, and vehicle reconditioning.
TESCO’s new facility in Oregon
Originally serving the northwest Ohio area, TESCO has continued to gain customers throughout the Great Lakes region and eventually throughout the nation as a whole. Over the last 10 years, TESCO has built relationships with service partners across the country to better serve customers that aren’t in the area. This continual territory expansion has made TESCO one of the country’s largest and most successful bus distributors, noted Graham. Some of its customers include: Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA); Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland); George Washington University (Washington, DC); and L & R Properties/WallyPark (Los Angeles, California).
When speaking to what sets TESCO apart from others in the industry, Graham said, “We have an experienced sales team and support staff and offer a variety of quality products from 14 major manufacturers in our industry. TESCO maintains a large inventory in both new and used vehicles, and we pride ourselves on our customer service after the sale is completed. We also offer in-house leasing and financing options and are self-sufficient in the majority of our processes.”
The company currently employs 65 full-time employees and 30 part-time employees. According to Graham, over the next few years, the company intends to add five to 10 new jobs.
“TESCO’s growth has helped retain jobs and benefit the community’s economy, along with great potential for additional employment opportunities. Our success wouldn’t be possible without our loyal customers and vendors. We look forward to being your bus partner over the next 50 years,” said Graham.
Noel Graham, Sr., CEO, founded TESCO in 1968. The company recently celebrated its 50th year in business as a corporation.
