Thomas Built Buses names Brian Daniels vice president of sales, aftermarket and marketing
Brian Daniels, a two-decade Daimler Truck North America veteran who started his career in a Thomas Built Buses dealership, takes over sales, aftermarket and marketing at the school bus maker in late October.
- two decades
- 2006
- late October
- 1916
What Happened
Thomas Built Buses announced the appointment of Brian Daniels as vice president of sales, aftermarket and marketing, effective late October. Daniels succeeds Daoud Chaaya, who will move into the role of Head of Elite Support, Dealer Network Development at Daimler Truck North America. Daniels brings two decades of experience with DTNA and deep ties to the school bus industry to the new role.
“Brian is a proven and respected leader whose track record of delivering results, building strong teams and earning the trust of colleagues, customers and industry partners speaks for itself. His roots in the school bus industry and genuine understanding of its purpose make him uniquely suited to lead Thomas Built Buses' sales and marketing organization and serve our dealers and customers.”
- Began his career in the Thomas Built Buses dealer network with Hoekstra Transportation
- Joined Daimler Truck North America in 2006
- Held leadership roles across DTNA in product strategy, product marketing, Daimler Truck Remarketing, and vocational and on-highway national accounts
- Most recently served as head of new truck pricing at DTNA, leading strategic pricing and sales initiatives for customers and dealers across North America
- Graduate of Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing
Daniels' predecessor, Daoud Chaaya, is transitioning to Head of Elite Support, Dealer Network Development at Daimler Truck North America. Thomas Built Buses is headquartered in High Point, North Carolina, and describes itself as a leading manufacturer of school buses in North America. The company is part of Daimler Truck Specialty Vehicles, which it forms together with Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp.
“As I step into this leadership role, I look forward to continuing to foster a culture of transparency, trust, and collaboration with our dealer and customer partners, with the goal of achieving shared success in all that we do to keep the world moving.”
Why this matters
The appointment puts a leader with dealer-network roots and long DTNA experience in charge of sales, aftermarket and marketing at North America's school bus manufacturer, a division of Daimler Truck Specialty Vehicles. Dealers and school bus customers are the groups the role directly serves, and the change also reshuffles a DTNA executive into a new dealer-network development post.
Terms in This Story
- aftermarket
- The business of supplying parts, accessories and services for vehicles after they are sold, rather than during original manufacturing.
- vocational
- Vehicles built for a specific type of work or application, such as construction or utility duty, rather than general freight hauling.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.