I am PSTC - Bobby Tanner

“If I don’t know how to do something, I figure it out,” said Bobby Tanner, Peach State Truck Centers’ new facilities supervisor. As someone who has to tackle all sorts of jobs on a day-to-day basis—anything from cleaning gutters and repairing fences to knocking down walls to create new service bays—Bobby is incredibly flexible, knowledgeable and up for anything that needs to get done. He’s had a long and varied career path, but what has remained important to him along the way is helping others. Bobby always has a kind word to say and spends a great deal of his time outside of work giving back to the community.

Bobby started out in the Navy as a Master Helmsman, with the capability to man any boat in the Navy’s arsenal. After his military service he went to work for Delta. First, he painted planes, then moved on to technical graphics. The bulk of his career was spent in forklift sales, following his father who had sold forklift parts since the 1970s. Bobby considers himself a “born salesperson who’s never met a stranger in his life,” and noted how he sold 10 forklifts by himself in his first month in the business. The company he worked for had two other salespeople who typically only sold two a month between them.

From 1999 to 2017 Bobby ran his own forklift business, which is how he got connected with Peach State; Peach State had been a customer of Bobby’s since 2015. But what was once a thriving business had started to get crowded out with larger competitors entering the market. When it “stopped being fun,” Bobby moved on and started helping his uncle who restores and flips houses. It’s here where Bobby got the opportunity to flex his electrical and plumbing skills, something that would come in handy later on in his facilities role.

“I knew that God was in control, so I didn’t worry,” said Bobby when it was time to move on from his long-running forklift business. “I didn’t know where I was going or what to do, but I trusted in God.”

Bobby’s friend Joe Morris, Peach State’s parts core manager, told him about the open facilities supervisor position, so he applied and quickly got the job. Bobby started in March of 2023 and has since hit the ground running, juggling large projects with small issues that come up throughout the week.

“Bobby is a great addition to the team,” said Steve Plant, Forest Park’s service manager. “He communicates and gets along well with everyone, including vendors. Keeping an older facility with separate buildings functioning properly can be challenging, but Bobby is doing a great job. He keeps up with all the maintenance needs for the whole facility. Anything from a blown light bulb to reconfiguring the dyno bay into a functioning work bay, he handles it all very well. He also works with McDonough, Select and SV. His plate is full, but he gets it done!”

“Everything has been just great at Peach State, the hiring on process was smooth,” said Bobby. “I don’t wait around since I can always find something to do. There’s plenty to be done, and people always reach out. I will do whatever I can for people.”

This is the same attitude Bobby has outside of work, too. Since he got out of the Navy, he’s been involved with Veterans Support Group in McDonough, Georgia, an organization that provides guidance and services to Veterans from all branches of service. They do everything from helping vets files service-related claims to providing housing, food and medical needs. He’s also on the board of New Life / New Lease, a facility that helps both veterans and non-veterans struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues. Bobby’s hobbies include playing golf, riding motorcycles, and just enjoying life in general.

“God blesses me every day. I’m just happy to be here!”