$23 Million Tennessee Truck Dealership Planned
TAG Truck Center filed construction documents showing it intends to build facilities valued at more than $23 million at the old Mall of Memphis site.
One application for a construction permit shows that TAG will build a $16.7 million distribution and training center at 4430 American Way.
A separate application shows plans for a parts and service center at 4450 American Way, with that construction valued at more than $6.8 million.
The business sells about 2,000 new Freightliner, Mitsubishi and Sprinter trucks annually, plus 600 used trucks, President Tommy Earl said July 22.
“Business is good,’’ Earl said. “It’s not as good as last year, but Memphis is a distribution center. Everything comes through Memphis... This is a great place to be.’’
Linkous Construction will build the facilities designed by Oklahoma architecture firm Fitzgerald + Associates.
The Memphis-based freight truck dealership revealed its plans in January. It purchased the former mall property Dec. 29 for $3.9 million.
TAG Truck Center is consolidating at the American Way site its five local operations — four in Memphis and one in West Memphis. The company has five other locations in a five-state region.
TAG was founded in 2007 when Earl and Chief Fnancial Officer Gary Dodson bought four dealership locations from Barloworld Truck Center.
The name “TAG” comes from Tommy and Gary.
Earl said in January that construction would start this summer and be finished in the summer of 2017.
TAG’s 165 Memphis-area employees will move to the American Way site.
While TAG sells parts and provides truck repair services, truck sales generate most of the company’s revenues, Earl said. The new trucks sell for an average of $150,000 each, he said, adding, “That’s a lot of revenue.’’
TAG will use only about 40 of its 113 acres where the Mall of Memphis stood until being razed about a dozen years ago. TAG is listing the other 70-plus acres for sale.
Trezevant Realty Corp. is the commercial real estate firm representing TAG, Earl said. Some “conversations’’ have occurred about selling the land, including with a distribution company that has shown some interest.
“Nothing is sold yet,’’ he said.
