America's Body Company Acquired by The Reading Group
Reading, PA, September 26, 2008- America's Body Company (ABC) has been acquired by The Reading Group, LLC. Funded in 1976, ABC has one of the nation's largest networks of truck equipment distribution, installation and manufacturing facilities, with seven locations across the United States including Cleveland, OH; Columbus, OH; Tampa, FL; Clinton, MD; Portland, OR; LaGrange, TX; and Louisville, KY. ABC serves a wide range of customers including commercial truck dealers, fleets, municipalities and end users. ABC's products include Olympian Service Bodies, Rugged American Platform and Stake Body Products, Marauder Dump Bodies, and City-Van Dry Freight Vans, as well as specialty equipment such as aerial buckets, snow/ice control products and truck accessories.
"America's Body Company is an excellent brand name with one of the largest and most respected sales forces in the nation" said Dan Perlman, President and CEO of The Reading Group. Perlman explained that ABC's sales force will remain independent continuing to sell only ABC-branded products. "ABC's innovative designs, technology and expertise on fuel saving composites are not the only reason The Reading Group made this strategic decision. Additionally, this acquisition will improve support of our independent Reading distributors by increasing distribution locations from which we will stock Reading products. Our independent distributors will also have access to the additional chassis pools maintained at ABC's locations. Both initiatives will save our distributors time and freight costs to better service our customers."
The Reading Group, headquartered in Reading, PA, was originally founded as Reading Body Works in 1955. The Reading Group owns Reading Truck Body, LLC, with two manufacturing plants in Reading, PA and Lancaster County, PA, and Reading Equipment Distribution, LLC, with six installation facilities in Bowmansville, PA; Abington, PA; Mt. Airy, MD; Seneca, PA: Suffolk, VA and Pontiac, MI. The Reading Group is one of the nation's leading manufacturers and distributors of truck equipment products, including service/utility bodies, dump bodies, crane bodies, stake bodies, landscape bodies, toolboxes. Many Reading products feature the Company's Exclusive Triple Protection of zinc-coated steel, E-Coat immersion primer and Powder Coat finish paint.