LEWISTON — A local truck and RV dealership has expanded its inventory, offering a glimpse of economic recovery in the midst of tough times, employees say.

Whited Ford Truck Center of Auburn acquired the Maine franchises for Peterbilt heavy-duty trucks in September, and in November Whited’s RV division obtained Winnebago Industries.

“We didn’t fill our lot with stuff that wasn’t going to sell and now as the economy is kind of regaining momentum, we’re in a great position to move ahead,” said Gary Mynahan, sales manager at Whited RV.

Jon Whited, who manages the truck business in Auburn, said that though the economy is down, the company his father, Bob Whited of Bangor, has owned for more than 35 years is confident about the future.

“Yeah, (the economy) is bad, but it’s a cycle,” he said. “We’ve been through it three other times before in this industry and our philosophy is you have to save and be prepared for the rainy day.”

Whited said the company was left without a heavy-duty truck franchise when Chrysler pulled the plug on manufacturing the Sterling brand it had sold.

“We lost our franchise,” he said. “Everybody was nervous and wondering what was going to happen and if we were going to go out of business. But realistically, we just made a few adjustments, basically kept all our core employees working and waited for an opportunity to arise where we could make our move and get back into the Class A truck market.”

When the Maine Peterbilt franchise was put up for sale, Whited said, “we were ready to fill the shoes and take over.”

Mynahan said acquisition of the Winnebago brand from Motor Home and RV Center in Auburn will significantly expand the selection Whited RV can offer customers.

“The opportunity came up and having the premier name in the business was something that we decided was worth going after,” he said.

Whited and Mynahan said financing from banks they work with has been easier to come by, which has helped with sales.

“The problem has not been buyers as much as the banks not wanting to give loans; we’re starting to see that trending a little better,” Mynahan said.

Whited said he didn’t think things would ever go back to the way they were before the banking crisis in fall of 2008.

“Two years ago, you could drive out of here with no money down on a truck; that probably has changed forever,” he said. “Now (banks) like to see 20 percent down, unless you are a qualified, established business who’s already had a relationship with them. The lending had loosened up, but if you’ve had troubles, they’ve tightened up a little bit or want to have money down to protect their investments.”

Whited has stores in Bangor and Presque Isle as well as in Auburn.

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