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The Pete Store Recently Featured in Upstate Business Journal

Duncan, SC — March 23, 2018

Original article source: Upstate Business Journal

New $13M Peterbilt dealership rises at 'intersection of commerce' in Spartanburg

Greg Arscott was at a University of Maryland football game in 2007 when he got the call he’d been waiting for.

It turned out to be the call that changed his life.

“I answered the phone and it was my dad,” said Arscott, 34, originally of Canada. “He said, ‘You’re moving to Greenville.’ And I said, ‘Where?’”

Arscott, his older brother, Jeff Arscott, and their father, John Arscott, are co-owners of The Pete Store LLC, a dealership franchise for Texas-based Peterbilt Motors Co., a Paccar company.

The franchise boasts 14 locations and 450 employees in Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Virginia, and South Carolina.

“I got the call on a Saturday, and on Sunday I was in Greenville,” said Greg Arscott, who serves as the company’s vice president and dealership manager.

“I was young. I just wanted my shot. … I immediately fell in love with Greenville. I called my wife, who at the time was my fiancé and was headed into her wedding shower, and said, ‘Honey, this is home. I’ve found our home.’ She said, ‘I’ll call you back.’”

In November, Arscott’s company opened a new $13 million, nearly 50,000-square-foot full-service dealership on 17.5 acres at 199 Freeman Farm Road in Spartanburg County.

The new location is off Exit 60 near the intersection of Interstate 85 and Highway 101, just south of BMW Manufacturing Co.

Arscott said the dealership is the result of the relocation of The Pete Store’s former dealership in Piedmont — the same store that brought him to the Upstate a decade ago — and the establishment of the company’s Southeast headquarters, which is housed in the new location.

Sales, parts, service, finance, and leasing operations are all housed beneath its roof.

“A couple of years ago, we started talking about the future,” Arscott said. “We had our Southeast headquarters in Knoxville. We were able to consolidate our marketing, IT, HR, administration, and support staff into this location.”

The building has 20,000 square feet of office and showroom space, a parts warehouse with $1 million worth of merchandise, and a climate-controlled service area with 21 bays.

Parked in the showroom is a fully restored 1945 Peterbilt 354 HDT that Arscott salvaged from the company’s dealership in Richmond, Va.

Customers can park their vehicle beneath a large portico that protects them from the elements and walk inside to check in at the service desk.

A customer lounge features comfy furnishings, a TV, and even a laundry and a shower area.

“Our vision for this was to make it a bit of an oasis,” Arscott said. “When you’re on the road, it’s nice to be able to have a place to relax. We also offer free breakfasts and lunches to drivers.”

In addition to offices, the facility has an employee lounge and a training facility.

Arscott said the dealership currently employs 49 people. He anticipates that number will grow to 60 before too long and eventually up to 100.

The dealership’s construction began in 2016, the same year The Pete Store earned a Peterbilt “Dealership of the Year” award.

Arscott said the facility services clients that range from local to national companies.

The young owner said he is excited about the dealership’s location, which he referred to as the “intersection of commerce in South Carolina.”

“It’s been very rewarding,” Arscott said. “We’re very happy about our position in the market. We’ve already noticed an increase in our business.”