Southern Comfort Conversions
Southern Comfort Conversions, Inc. was a vehicle customizer located most recently at 4680 Pinson Valley Parkway near the intersection of Carson Road in the Pinson Valley Industrial Park in Center Point. at one time was the largest pickup truck, van and SUV customizer in the United States. Southern Comfort conversions were sold in all 50 states and in countries across the world.
History
Southern Comfort was began in 1979 by Rod McSweeney as a personal hobby. This hobby would grow into a full-scale conversion business in Oneonta called AAA Auto Truck and Trailer. Originally, the company served as a remanufacturer of van chassis for companies like Krispy Kreme and Frito Lay. By the mid-1980s, McSweeney began purchasing and customizing new vans, and then selling the vans back to the new car dealers. Because of this, the company shifted its focus to upfitting and re-named itself Southern Comfort Conversions in 1986. The company moved its headquarters and main operating facility at 7769 Gadsden Highway in Trussville, and adjacent to the Amerex Corporation, until the move to larger facilities in Center Point in 2006.
Acquisitions
In 2006, Southern Comfort purchased Centurion Vehicles of White Pigeon, Michigan, a licensed upfitter of Starcraft Conversions. This acquisition pushed Southern Comfort into the top spot in the country for truck, van and SUV customizers.
New Facility
After almost 12 years at its previous locations in Trussville and Oneonta, the corporate offices and all production operations of Southern Comfort Conversions were relocated to a state-of-the-art 532,000 square foot facility in the Pinson Valley Industrial Park in Center Point. The new location was the largest and most advanced facility for automobile conversions in the world. A grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony was held on November 17, 2006, and was attended by Governor Bob Riley and Center Point mayor Tom Henderson, and the public was given a tour of the new facility.
Takeover and downturn
In 2007, a majority of the company was sold to a private equity firm. At the time, Southern Comfort had over 200 employees and provided vehicles to dealerships throughout the Southeastern United States, as well as selected regions in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and the West. In 2009, due to the auto industry downturn and rising gas prices during the Great Recession, the majority owner decided to pull the plug on Southern Comfort.
McSweeney and his wife still owned the previous facility in Trussville. Along his sons Matt and Maichael, McSweeney founded MCM Custom Vehicles in 2009 with many of the long-time Southern Comfort employees. MCM Customs offers many of the same services as Southern Comfort, but on a smaller scale.
References
- Southern Comfort Conversions, About Us. Accessed 31 Jan 2007 [1].
- "Southern Comfort Conversions Announces Open House/Ribbon-Cutting Ceremonies Attended by Governor Bob Riley", Yahoo Finance, accessed 31 Jan 2007[2]
- Kent, Dawn (March 27, 2011) "Back in the black: MCM rebuilds its vehicle rebuilding business." Birmingham News
External Links
- Southern Comfort Conversions, Inc. official website