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By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

PELHAM – On Wednesday, March 6, Hoekstra Transportation, a company headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, recently announced their merger with the The Bus Center Family of Companies, a group that includes Transportation South located in Pelham.

The Bus Center Family of Companies contains Transportation South in Pelham, Mid-South Bus Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn. and the two Bus Center locations in Atlanta and Acworth, Ga. From those locations, the company offers a large selection of new and used buses and vans that are equipped and designed to fulfill a number of purposes. Designs are offered for the services of public, school and church transportation as well as vehicles tailored to retirement communities, daycares, hotels and more.

Transportation South, which sits prominently off of Interstate 65 on exit 242, was first opened as an expansion of the Bus Center Family of Companies in January of 1989 and marked the company’s first movements into the commercial shuttle business.

According to Hoekstra, the merger, which comes after Hoekstra’s purchase of an equity interest in The Bus Center Family, has resulted in the four BCF companies contained within representing one of the largest bus and van providers in the United States.

“This is an exciting opportunity for us, as we look to grow our operations and partnerships,” said Mark Hoekstra, president and CEO of Hoekstra Transportation. “The teams in place at The Bus Center locations are second to none, allowing all operations to remain intact, which made this merger even more attractive. We are thrilled to come together with another family-owned business that shares our principles and for the synergies and scale this brings to all of us.”

Although the sale of vehicles is a large part of the company group’s focus, they also offer a selection of post-sales support and services that include minor repairs, major body work, painting and post-sale support and other on-site services.

Following the merger, the companies now represent five stand-alone bus and van service facilities that employ a total of 250 sustained employees. Sustaining their local parts inventory of roughly $4 million and another $500 million in regional production distribution centers, the companies are expected to not only continue in the provision of their annual sales and delivery of units, but also hope to gradually expand them in the years ahead.

Currently, the companies provide approximately 1,300 school buses and another 1,400 units in commercial bus and vans annually.

“While I have no immediate plans to retire, this merger allows me to transition the organization to likeminded owners,” said Bucky Law, president of the Bus Center Family. “The Hoekstra family and the Law family have been friends for many years, share the same values and consider employees and customers as if they were family. These were important factors in making a succession decision for a business that has been in my family for a half century.”

Those looking for more information regarding The Bus Center Family of Companies and the company’s merger with Hoekstra Transportation are encouraged to visit the company’s website at Thebuscenter.com