Quincy site among several Mack dealerships sold to Florida-based commercial truck dealer

QUINCY — Larry Dietrich says nothing has changed at Quincy Mack except the name of the business.

Nextran Truck Centers, a full-service commercial truck dealer, acquired Quincy Mack, a Quincy truck dealership, on Nov. 22. The sale price was $2.585 million for the business and the 8.55-acre lot at 5014 Broadway, according to property tax documents filed in Adams County.

Nextran, headquartered in Lake Butler, Fla., also bought another Quincy Mack site at 2800 S. Commercial Drive in Quincy for $465,000. It also acquired Decatur Mack and H&L Mack, picking up locations in Decatur, Morton, Hannibal, Mo., and Mediapolis, Iowa. 

Nextran sells and services medium and heavy-duty trucks from manufacturers such as Mack Trucks, Volvo Trucks, Isuzu, HINO, Kalmar Ottawa, GMC and Ford. Its footprint now has expanded from 26 to 31 locations in nine states across the United States, with 12 locations in Florida.

“(Nextran) bought all the properties and assets, the whole thing. They really fit the bill perfectly,” said Dietrich, who remains in his role as the general manager. “They are family-owned and very good to employees, very good to customers and very organized. They were the most likely to succeed and grow the business.

“We’re under new ownership, and of course, new owners have new ways of doing things. But we’re doing the same thing — selling trucks, selling parts and selling service. Everything’s the same, so that’s all good.”

Jack Sharkey had owned the business since 1984 after buying it from Bob Thompson, who started it in 1973. Dietrich said Sharkey had been looking to sell since early 2023.

“Jack’s reaching up in years, and he’s ready to start settling down a little bit,” he said. “He just planned on building (the company) up and then selling it.

“Once (word of Sharkey’s willingness to sell) got out into the Mack and (other) dealer networks, we had multiple different dealers come in and look at the place. Nextran owns a site in the Kansas City area, and they bordered part of our territory to the northwest, so that worked out well.”

A press release from Nextran said the acquisition will improve its sales, parts, service, rental and leasing operations. The company has added 12 locations in the past three years. It now has more than 530 service bays and nearly 1,400 employees nationwide.

“With the acquisition of Quincy Mack, Decatur Mack, and H&L Mack, we are not only expanding our geographic footprint but also reinforcing our commitment to growth, service and support for our customers across the U.S.,” Jon W. Pritchett, president and CEO of Nextran Truck Centers, said in the press release. “Their strong family-oriented culture and dedication to superior service align perfectly with Nextran’s values. We are thrilled to welcome them into the Nextran family and look forward to a bright future together.”

“We are proud of the legacy we’ve built and confident that under Nextran’s leadership, our employees and customers will continue to thrive,” Sharkey said in the press release. “Nextran’s commitment to excellence and family values makes them the perfect partner to carry on our tradition of quality and service.”

Dietrich said Quincy Mack’s service region covers Chicago, the Quad Cities, Minneapolis, Kansas City and Indianapolis. The business has been recognized as the Mack Dealer of the Year four times in the last 11 years. 

“We’ve done really well,” he said. “(With Nextran) being a bigger place, they will offer better service, better support and better pricing because of the depth of places they have. They just bring more to the table because they’re bigger.”

Dietrich expects life to be a little different without Sharkey around.

“Before, I had one boss,” he said with a laugh. “Now I have a personnel department, a safety department and multiple service levels. I’ve got a lot more people to go to and a lot more people to answer to. Before (the sale), Jack and I sat on the phone, and we’d get everything straightened out in about an hour. But it’s all good. It’s just different.”