Waters Group, a Mississippi-based International Truck, an IC Bus dealer group and longtime Mississippi Automobile Dealers Association member, has received the 2022 North American Truck Dealer of the Year for their commitment to providing industry-leading uptime and performance in annual sales, service and customer satisfaction. They currently operate six locations and employ more than 300 people.
“Waters Group has a customer-first mindset that Navistar values in our dealers, and they have forged phenomenal relationships with local fleets, resulting in notable sales numbers,” said Jeff Felix, Group Vice President of Dealer Sales and Operations. “Because of their rich legacy, community involvement and family-oriented business model, we are proud to have them as one of the many successful dealerships in our vast dealer network.”
In 2019, International Group also named Waters Group as a top three performing dealer group. Then in 2022, Waters Group sold nearly $21 million in parts, delivered more than 500 units to customers, and had three sales employees receive the Champions Club recognition and the customer advocate award.
“A core goal of our company and a stated Waters family value is to achieve B.O.B. Excellence (best of the best) in all we do,” said David Waters, Dealer Principal of Waters Group. “This is a goal we set for each and every team member throughout our company. This was a tremendous team effort by all our employees and vendor partners that has allowed the Waters Group to be recognized. Most importantly, we appreciate our customers having faith and trust in us to serve their transportation needs.”
Waters Group was also one of the winners of the 2022 Presidential Award for achieving the highest level of performance in terms of operating and financial standards, market representation and customer satisfaction.
History
Waters Truck and Tractor was founded in 1938 by Ray M. Waters, Sr. Since then, they have made it their mission to provide the highest level of customer satisfaction through supplying proper products, building relationships, timely service and integrity. They offer a wide variety of products to provide customized transportation solutions for their customers. Their goal is always to be the best at whatever they do.
The family’s third generation joined the company full-time in 1975 when Mike Waters finished college. The company expanded to Meridian in 1976 as Waters International Trucks. M.L. and David Waters joined the company a few years later. The second branch of Waters Truck and Tractor was opened in Kosciusko in 1982. Waters acquired and operated the Blue Bird Bus franchise from 1990-2000 and reached upwards of 97% bus market share in the company’s territory. The Blue Bird Bus franchise was dropped and replaced with the IC Bus franchise in 2000. Waters International Trucks opened a branch in Natchez in 2002 and Hattiesburg in 2007. A second location in Columbus called Waters Truck and Tire Service opened in 2009, and in 2022, a Tupelo location was acquired.
The Waters companies have been a local Mississippi business for over 85 years. The tradition continues as the fourth generation now plays an integral part, with Michael, Vaughan and Josh Waters carrying on the family mission.
