Semi-Trailer Dealership Acquires Former Allens Inc. Building, Plans Expansion

Utility Tri-State Inc., a new and used semi-trailer dealership based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is planning to open its sixth facility in Siloam Springs, company president Jeff Smith said.

The new facility, which will eventually offer full-service sales and rentals, trailer repair and parts, has been operating as a maintenance-only facility through a lease agreement since Jan. 1 with the previous owner, Sager Creek Vegetable Co., the company that bought Allens Inc. of Siloam Springs out of bankruptcy in February 2014 for $160 million.

Utility Tri-State bought the approximately 10,000-SF building on East Jefferson Street for $730,000. The purchase closed June 24 and included the land (five acres), building and other assets. The location currently has five full-time employees, a number Smith aims to double over the next 12 months.

Smith said the building is being updated, including a new roof, and signage will be erected as soon as permitting is approved.

“It will provide [trucking companies] in the Northwest Arkansas market with another option to get trucks worked on, or to [buy] trailers,” said Smith, the owner of the company since 1992. “When you rent trailers to customers, proximity is important. It’ll be a little bit closer for all the folks in Northwest Arkansas to get a trailer from us, or for us to deliver.”

Established in 1973, Utility Tri-State is part of Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co.’s independent dealer network. In addition to Siloam Springs, Utility Tri State’s other locations include Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Alma, Texarkana and North Little Rock.

Utility Tri-State acquired existing dealerships in North Little Rock and Texarkana in 2012, and just recently broke ground on a newer facility in North Little Rock that is valued at $4 million.

Smith said a key driver for the company’s growth in Arkansas has been his involvement with the Arkansas Trucking Association. Smith is headquartered in Tulsa, but he served from 2011 to 2014 as an allied member of the ATA board.

“It’s a good organization and a very important part, I think, of the political and economic development landscape of Arkansas,” he said. “It’s a who’s who of trucking and an organization with a lot of influence.”

Utility Tri-State, which counts Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale as one of its largest accounts, has about 130 employees and in 2014, the company had sales of more than $100 million.