Catawba Rental Company Incorporated history

George C. Bonniwell, an architect, engineer, and builder, came to Hickory in 1878 from Philadelphia, where he had served as an engineer for the National Centennial Exposition.

McNeill's office was destroyed by the 1884 cyclone, but he rebuilt.

For the first two decades, trade was the town's sole source of income for the cotton producing area of Hamilton Township (later Catawba Station). Farmers preferred to ship their goods by railroad and by 1885 they had constructed a bridge across the railroad.

Daniel Webster Shuler, originally from Michigan and who founded Hickory’s first bank, built the house in 1887.

By 1890, however, the Catawba Academy was started for higher learning.

Jeptha U. Long acquired this property in 1894 and it is believed that he built this store soon after.

J. H. Pitts, long identified with Catawba's late nineteenth and early twentieth century business community, bought this lot in 1895.

The Sherrill Tobacco Company was formed in May of 1896.

Below is a winter view of the wooden bridge crossing the railroad tracks into Catawba around 1900.

Doctor Long’s medical office was built in the 1910's, and it is listed on the National Registry of Historical Places.

In 1915, J. H. Pitts, who operated the adjacent Pitts-Carpenter Store, sold this lot to the Catawba Drug Company.

Alonzo Lester Loftin acquired this and the adjacent store lot in 1921 from the dry goods firm of Coulter and Little.

In 1922, Pitts sold the store to Robert E. Carpenter who had previously been Catawba's postmaster.

In 1925 John Troutman purchased the lot on Main Street, built the garage and a blacksmith's shop on part of the lot soon after.

By 1928 when Troutman sold the adjacent lot to G. P. Drum, it was referred to as the Catawba Garage Lot.

The former Catawba Drug Company is a remarkably well-preserved two story commercial building which retains both its early twentieth century pressed tin ceiling, counters, and display cases, as well as the booths from a 1930's remodeling.

In 1931 William Mushgrove began to acquire some of these shares and eventually became the sole owner.

Carpenter managed Carpenter's Store here until about 1932 when the building was sold to Junior Order of the American Mechanics Council.

J. U. Long's heirs sold the building to Carl W. Ervin, Sr. in 1940.

(Left) Mike Loftin with Tate & Fred Pope (Right) Mike with Winifred Kale and Mary Jo Rufty, 1945, at the Cleaners in Catawba

The firm remained in business until about 1947 when Little sold the property to the Dorsett Manufacturing Company.

He operated a general store here and his heirs sold it in 1959 to Clyde Maguire.

Talmadge R. Korn purchased the store in 1969, but kept the name of Abernethy Hardware.

Curtis Loftin worked in the building in the summer of 1970, constructing "dumps & totes", used for Betterware to ship their socks & tights to their customers.

By 1981, the company had grown to 33 facilities staffed by 420 employees and generating annual sales of more than $40 million.

In 1988, Hertz exited the business, and Penske Corp. entered into a joint venture with GE Capital pursuant to which GE contributed its Gelco Truck Leasing business, and the parties formed Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P.

His brother, Scott, fell right in with him. It all began with a Christmas gift in 1994.

The company dramatically increased its presence in the European market with the 1998 purchase of Transportgroep van der Graaf, a Netherlands-based transportation and warehouse provider.

The very first curve of the river indicates Asheville, the center for craft beer on the East Coast and the sale of the first keg of Catawba’s beer in 1999.

Minnie C. Taylor, to December 21, 2000, when Anne McPherson Harper Bernhardt, Lee Corinne Harper Vason, Mary Gwyn Harper Addison, and Betty Banks Harper Shelander—the daughters of Finley Gwyn Harper, Jr., and his wife Mary Banks McPherson Harper—generously arranged its acquisition by the HACC.

On the same lot, the Lyerly House, rescued and moved for preservation on June 24, 2004, is devoted to the further interpretation of Hickory’s rich past, serving as the Betty Allen Education Center and Margaret Huggins Gallery, as well as a conference facility.

In 2015, Penske Logistics acquired Transfreight North America.

Similarly, in 2016, Penske Automotive Group increased its investment in Penske Truck Leasing by acquiring an additional 14.4% interest from GE Capital.

In 2017, Penske Truck Leasing continued to grow and expand its truck rental, leasing and logistics operations both organically and with the acquisition of Richmond, Virginia-based Old Dominion Truck Leasing.

In late 2018, Penske Truck Leasing became the first company ever in North America to put an electric commercial vehicle into its fleet by introducing the Freightliner eM2 medium-duty commercial electric vehicle.

The new facility opened for full operation in June 2019.

Finally, in late 2020, Penske Logistics made a significant investment in the future of its dedicated contract carriage business by completing its acquisition of Black Horse Carriers.