Des Moines, Iowa-based Smokey D's BBQ has added several Chevrolet City Express cargo vans to its fleet to keep up with product demand.  Photo: GM

Des Moines, Iowa-based Smokey D's BBQ has added several Chevrolet City Express cargo vans to its fleet to keep up with product demand. Photo: GM

Launched in 2014, the all-new 2015 Chevrolet City Express cargo van has already found a place in businesses across the country and across segments. Small businesses, in particular, are adding the City Express to their fleets.

“Small business is an important segment of growth for fleet vehicles,” said Ed Peper, U.S. vice president, GM Fleet and Commercial. “The City Express gives these hard-working entrepreneurs one less thing to worry about when it comes to boosting their business.”

In Des Moines, Iowa, Smokey D’s BBQ, a company that started in a trailer in a driveway and has grown to three area locations, recently took delivery of four City Express vans to keep up with product demand.

“We need a nimble vehicle to deliver our BBQ catering to our customers in a timely manner,” said Darren Warth, owner, Smokey D’s BBQ. “The City Express allows us to retain a smaller physical footprint while still giving us the cargo space we need to keep our customers happy.”

Vital Media Security, a Dallas-based company that couriers sensitive data to off-site locations, recently added two Chevrolet City Expresses to its fleet and three more on order.

“The Chevrolet City Express is the perfect representation of our company as it shows our customers that we can do more with less,” said Vital Media Security President and CEO Jerry Judkins. “With great fuel economy and right-sized cargo room, it fits perfectly into our business.”

The City Express generates a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-estimated 24 mpg city/26 mpg highway. In addition, is has 122.7 cubic feet of customizable cargo space.

U.S. small businesses account for 99.7 percent of employer firms, according to the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. IHS Automotive reports that total small business registrations have increased each year since 2009 with a cumulative 41-percent increase when comparing 2009 to 2013.

“Small businesses constitute key innovators in the U.S. economy,” said Peter Adriaens, professor of entrepreneurship at U of M’s Ross School of Business. “With 28 million small businesses already active in the United States, of which 98 percent export goods, there is a ripe market to be had for a product like this.”

Originally posted on Trucking Info

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