Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks dealer Vanguard Truck Centers recently opened a new facility in Georgetown, Texas, expanding their sales and service support for the rapidly growing region north of Austin, Texas. The 19,288 square-foot facility rests on six acres at 2144 Interstate 35 Frontage Road, offering easy access from the highway.

“Vanguard Truck Centers is an excellent example of how dealers continue to invest in the Mack brand and offer even more support for customers in the Austin area,” said Jonathan Randall, Mack Trucks senior vice president of North American sales. “We look forward to continuing to support Vanguard and its customers at the new Georgetown location.”

The Vanguard facility, the eighth Vanguard Truck Centers location in Texas and the 19th site overall for the group, initially will offer $500,000 in parts inventory, with plans to increase the amount at a later date. The facility has 12 drive-through service bays, taking up about 11,400 square feet of the dealership footprint. Another 5,300 square feet is dedicated to parts.

“We’ve built a solid reputation as a strong dealer group with the local trucking industry,” said Russell Fields, the Austin region manager for Vanguard Truck Centers. “With a great amount of determination, plus a solid mission to lead the industry by exceeding customers’ expectations, we’ve grown Vanguard in the Austin region into a leading position.”

The new Georgetown dealership, opened on April 1, has 16 full-time employees, with three master service technicians, one mobile service technician and two master service advisors.

“Vanguard Truck Centers continues to be one of Volvo Trucks’ important dealer partners,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “We are proud to be able to serve our customers at this new location in the fast-growing greater Austin area.”

Tom Ewing, dealer principal, opened the first Vanguard Truck Centers location in Minneapolis, Minn., in 1989, but subsequently sold it. Then, in 1994, he opened the Vanguard Truck Centers location in Atlanta, which continues to provide service and support to customers. The new Georgetown location is one of 19 dealerships owned by Vanguard Truck Centers, spanning Texas, Arizona, Missouri, Illinois, South Carolina, and Georgia.

Eleven Vanguard Truck Centers locations are Certified Uptime Dealers. In order to earn certification, Mack evaluates dealer service locations for 28 required process elements, ranging from shop organization to implementation of diagnostic tools. The certification process takes about eight weeks and includes a final assessment to determine if all of the requirements have been met. Fields said the Georgetown location, among other Vanguard sites, are seeking Certified Uptime Dealer status at the present time.