The Tallman Group has officially changed its name to Rush Truck Centres of Canada Limited.
The Kemptville-based company has begun a joint venture with US truck dealer Rush Enterprises Inc. The deal was officially struck between the two businesses on February 25, 2019 and saw Rush Enterprises acquire 50 per cent of the Tallman Group. Marketing manager Nicola Shortt says the deal emerged through talks with Rush Enterprises as they were trying to glean some of their best practices. “It naturally evolved into Rush Truck Centre investing in Tallman Group,” she says.
The partnership will allow Tallman customers to access Rush Truck Centre services when traveling in the US. Nicola says Rush also has some cutting-edge customer service technology which will help them serve their customers better. “With this joint venture, there is more opportunity for growth and expansion of our dealership network in Ontario.”
The decision to change the Tallman Group name to Rush was not made lightly. Nicola noted that while they wanted to remain loyal to the legacy of Tallman, changing the name made more sense in terms of cohesion. “It carries more weight for our clients to say they are a customer of Rush,” she says.
The Tallman Group was started in 1973 by Gerald Tallman and has grown to be the largest International Truck dealer in Canada. It employs over 600 people and operates 16 locations and six associate locations in Ontario. Rush is a much larger dealer, with over 100 dealership locations across the US. “We are excited to partner with Rush Enterprises, the largest and most successful truck dealer in North America,” said CEO of the Tallman Group Kevin G. Tallman “This joint venture will give our company access to capital and industry-leading technology, which will be leveraged to accelerate our strategic initiatives within Canada.”
Fortunately, the deal will not jeopardize any jobs at the Tallman Group and their offices will continue to run as is.
Founder and Chairman Gerald Tallman says the name change will take some getting used to. It will definitely be an adjustment for Kemptville residents who have come to know the Tallman Group as a significant member of the business and local community. The Tallman family have been active community members and major supporters of the Kemptville District Hospital over the years. So much so that the emergency department was named the Tallman Family Emergency Department in their honour.