Kenworth Hawaii recently celebrated the grand opening of its 14,500 square-foot full-service dealership in Kailua-Kona with a barbecue, music performed by local artists and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The event was attended by more than 250 customers, plus local officials and company leaders from Kenworth and PACCAR. Meanwhile, remodeling on an 11,000 square-foot parts and service location, 75 miles east in Hilo, is expected to be completed soon.
“By opening a Kenworth dealership group based here on the Islands, we’ve become more responsive to customers,” said Kevin Balog, dealer principal for Kenworth Hawaii. “We can offer a whole new level of service. With the growing complexity of powertrains, emission controls and diagnostics in trucks, Hawaiian truck owners and fleets need the continuing commitments and support local dealers can best offer with factory-training on the PACCAR powertrain and Kenworth TruckTech+ Remote Diagnostics.
“Kenworth Hawaii acquired a long-time truck parts business, which enabled us to keep experienced employees working, while maintaining those important relationships they’ve developed over the years with local truck fleets and operators,” Balog added.
The Kailua-Kona dealership, at 74-567 Honokohau Street, features two service bays, a 2,000 square-foot parts display area, and 4,000 square-foot parts warehouse. The dealership is accessible to major routes connecting Kailua-Kona with the rest of the island, has a large parking lot, and is just one block from the largest freight company on the Big Island. It also features a brand new customer lounge complete with comfortable recliners, workstations and Wi-Fi access. The service manager for Kenworth Hawaii – Kailua-Kona is Chris Harris and the parts manager is Isaac Nearman. The dealership’s phone number is 808-327-0117.
Once the remodeling is completed on the Kenworth Hawaii-Hilo location, that dealership will offer two service bays, a 3,600 square-foot parts warehouse, 1,000 square-foot parts display area, and comfortable drivers’ lounge. The dealership is at 110 Holomua Street. Leslie Boteilho is branch manager. Kenworth Hawaii is investing $1 million worth of remodeling at both dealerships.
“People in Hawaii’s transport industry and businesses have a long-time admiration for Kenworth trucks due to their well-earned reputation for quality and durability. Here on the Islands, when you buy big equipment like trucks, you’re looking for something that not only can handle the wide variety of terrains and climates, but also can offer that durability for years,” said Balog. “From my own experience in running a family-owned trucking company, I’ve experienced Kenworth durability first-hand.”
For years, Balog served as a manager and executive in his father-in-law’s trucking business.
“From talking with those who operate and work on them, I know in Hawaii the love people have for Kenworth trucks,” he said. “They know with proper maintenance, they can hold on to them for years or get good resale value when it comes time to replace them.”
Balog said that reputation is why Kenworth enjoys an excellent heavy-duty truck market share in Hawaii, even though they had to purchase their Kenworth trucks through stateside dealers in the past.
“The addition of Kenworth Hawaii’s Hilo and Kona locations will greatly enhance the Kenworth dealer network,” said Kevin Baney, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing. “We look forward to working with Kevin Balog to help provide industry-leading Kenworth trucks, technologies, parts and service to the trucking market in Hawaii.”
