TRURO - Nova Scotia's largest truck dealership could soon be included among the holdings of Truro's iconic businessman, Garry Pye, if things go as planned.
The Truro Daily News has learned that Pye, whose current holdings include partnership in two local car dealerships, is in the process of purchasing Nova Enterprises Ltd.
Nova is the only Freightliner dealership in the province and is one of the largest truck dealerships in the Maritimes.
"We've been in discussions with the owners of Nova for a number of months now," Pye said on Wednesday.
He and Nova co-owner/general manager Bill Masters each confirmed that a purchase proposal agreement is in place and providing everything goes as expected, the deal is to be completed on March 28.
"We're really looking forward to it," Pye said, of seeing the deal come to fruition. "It's really a significant business so we're really excited to becoming associated with it and looking forward to working with everybody there."
Among his numerous other business holdings, Pye is a part owner in both Pye Chevrolet Ltd., and Truro Toyota. If the Nova deal is successful, it will see Pye assume control of an operation founded in 1967 by Jim and Jack MacKay. Masters joined the brothers in 1973, shortly after it became a Freightliner dealership.
Nova currently employs just over 120 workers in four facilities, including the main dealership in Truro Heights, a trailer shop in Truro, a body shop in Bible Hill and a used-truck dealership in the Dartmouth area.
With Nova's sales figures included, the deal would see revenues from Pye's entire holdings soar to $125 million per year.
Although a potential change in ownership might cause existing Nova staff to have concerns about their futures, Pye said there would be no cause for worry in this case.
"I hope they all stay," he said. "The people who have worked there for the last 34 years deserve a lot of credit in terms of building that business to the size it is today...
"We recognize that and we're looking forward to working with them... We're not already a truck dealership who is going to lay off somebody because we've got duplication."
That is precisely what Masters is hoping for. Reached in Arizona where he was to receive an award from Freightliner on behalf of the Truro dealership, Masters said while a new ownership would undoubtedly bring some changes, Pye's "integrity and honesty" in the business community is precisely what Nova's owners are looking for in a purchaser.
"One of the real keys we're looking at in selling is to make sure that our staff and customers, and just the way we conduct stuff in the community, will hopefully carry on," he said. "We feel that Mr. Pye and his group stand for those same things."
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Truro businessman Pye on verge of purchasing Freightliner dealership
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