Watkins & Shepard to Offer Service for Manitoba, Northwest Ontario

May 7, 2012  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on May 8, 2012

Furniture carrier Watkins & Shepard Trucking Inc. will begin to provide regularly scheduled transportation services from its Conover, N.C., terminal pick-up area to furniture dealers located in the Canadian province of Manitoba and the northwest portion of Ontario.

The service is scheduled to begin June 1. Shipments will be consolidated in Conover for direct delivery to Winnipeg Warehouse & Distribution in Winnipeg. Dealers throughout Manitoba and northwest Ontario will then have the option of picking up in Winnipeg themselves or utilizing their established regional carrier to complete the delivery process.

"Expanding our service into Manitoba is just good business; it is not only important to the furniture dealers located in Manitoba and northwest Ontario, it is also important to the furniture manufacturers and distributors in the southeastern United States who are constantly looking for opportunities to extend their reach into new markets," said Patrick Smith, national sales manager. "In this new lane Watkins & Shepard will provide on-time, damage free and cost effective transportation services."

Ray Kuntz, Watkins & Shepard CEO, said adding Manitoba and northwest Ontario advances the company's expansion into markets that have been typically underserved by a specialized furniture carrier.

"This change will complete the link between the important Carolinas furniture manufacturing and distribution center with all of the Canadian western provinces," he said.