Brent Phillips has been named president of Aldergrove-based bus and truck manufacturer Vicinity.
His appointment was announced April 18.
Formerly vice-president of sales at the firm, Phillips will “lead the sales, assembly, procurement, and engineering teams, while also clearly setting the direction and expansion of the company’s sales and operations programs” the announcement said.
At the same time, the company said it plans to bring production of the Vicinity Lightning electric bus to its new Ferndale, WA assembly plant and beef up the dealer network for its VMC 1200 electric work trucks.
Vicinity founder William Trainer will remain CEO.
Phillips said he was “honored to be asked by William Trainer to lead the next phase of growth at Vicinity Motor Corp.”
While Vicinity has reported an order backlog exceeding $125 million, “the market opportunities available to us with sound focus and execution far exceed this,” Phillips said.
“We have a clear strategic plan designed to optimize product availability and sales throughout the balance of 2024 and beyond.”
Phillips has mlore than 30 years of experience in the commercial transportation field, including time as vice president of sales, commercial bus group at REV Group, an American manufacturer of ambulances, buses, commercial vehicle, firefighting vehicles, recreational vehicles and other specialty vehicles. He also held positions with Spartan Motors and the Blue Bird Corporation
First established in 2008 as Grande West, the Aldergrove company has since been renamed after its Vicinity model, a low-floor, mid-sized transit bus available in lengths of 27.5, 30, and 35 feet.
In 2020, the company estimated there were roughly 500 Vicinity buses on Canadian and American roads.
It began producing the VMC 1200, Canada’s first Class 3 electric truck, in 2022.
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