Hemphill Brothers | Coaches
Star Bus at Night
Since 1980 Hemphill Brothers Coach Company has been rolling strong.
We bring a personal and customized approach
to every project we work on, which is why
our clients love riding with us
and why they trust us to get them wherever they need to be.
“Dad got out of the business,” Joey explains, “and sold his shop. And he sold two of his buses to us.” It wasn’t the first time the Hemphill Brothers had made purchases as a team. “We used to buy everything together,” Joey recalls. “We found out if we put our money together we could get more-we bought our first stereo and our first car that way. It seemed natural that we’d become equal partners in business.”
This family tradition and knowledge of the coach leasing industry provide a vital springboard for the young men-Joey was only 21 and Trent 20. They continued singing, often running the bus company from hotel rooms on the road. But their perseverance paid off. Two buses soon became 6, and the small gravel lot and barn they used gave way to a four-bay garage. They hired staff and continued to expand their fleet as well as their list of exclusive clients from the music industry. Word of mouth spread about the reliability and extraordinary service of Hemphill Brothers Coach Company, and in 1989, Trent and Joey left the road to focus on the growing business. They stopped outsourcing their bus conversions and brought everything into their own facility, overseeing the quality and special requests of their clients. By 1991, the company had 12 coaches, an experienced office staff, and a professional team of mechanics and drivers. Their client list expanded and by 1995, the brothers moved their flourishing business into a 28,000 square foot office complex in the current location on more than 15 acres just outside Nashville, TN.
Their fleet now includes more than 100 coaches and an unparalleled team of drivers and mechanics, and a client list that looks like a who’s who roster of celebrities, musicians, sports figures, and politicians. Joey and Trent, have appeared on Oprah, VH1-The Fabulous Life of Pop Stars, HGTV and are regularly featured on the new Travel Channel series, “Extreme RVs,” with new episodes forthcoming. The two have also been on the cover of American Profile and in Billboard magazines. In 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 Hemphill Brothers was presented with The Coach Company of the Year award at the annual Parnelli Awards in Las Vegas, NV. In 2013, Hemphill Brothers Coach Company was awarded the Top Dog Award by Tour Link. Trent and Joey were finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 Southeast Award and nominated for 2013 Most Admired CEO by the Nashville Business Journal. Despite all the accolades and success the core foundation and principles behind the Hemphill Brothers Coach Company have remained unchanged for than 30 years and the company still strives to deliver an unparalleled level of quality, comfort, safety, reliability, and client relationships.
Rockin’ The Road – History of Hemphill Brothers Coach Company
Our Executive Staff
TRENT HEMPHILL
President and CEO
Trent Hemphill
President and CEO
Trent spent the first part of his life traveling all over North America in entertainer coaches with his family, the well-known gospel group, The Hemphills. It was a natural progression to entertainer coach leasing, as Trent and his brother Joey started what has become one of the top companies in the bus leasing industry.
Trent believes that the continuted success of Hemphill Brothers Coach Company will be based on exceeding the expectations of our clients. We do that through a combination of quality design, careful attention to detail and a world-class staff. Under Trent’s leadership “Hemphill Quality” service is now an industry standard. This has resulted in many strong, long-term, relationships in the entertainment industry.
An honest and innovative leader, Trent has successfully guided this business to a record-breaking year of continued growth. The company has provided transportation for clients such as NSync, Ricky Martin, Britney Spears, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Cher, Ed McMahon, and George W. Bush, just to name a few.
Trent believes that one record-breaking year deserves another. He will continue to focus his time and efforts on maintaining established relationships, while acquiring the business of many more new clients in the years to come.
JOEL W. HEMPHILL Jr. (JOEY)
Chairman & Treasurer
Joel W. Hemphill Jr. (Joey)
Chairman & Treasurer
Joey Hemphill has been around buses all of his life. When Joey and Trent started the company in 1980 with two old 1965 Eagles, Joey spent much of his time repairing the buses. This experience helped him acquire a talent for building and maintaining the quality buses that travel this country’s highways today.
By working with many of the country’s top entertainers, Joey has developed a reputation for building quality custom interiors that is synonymous with Hemphill Brothers Coach Company. Joey pays attention to the needs and desires of Hemphill clients, a key factor in the company’s success.
Many of the artists who lease a new Prevost long term contribute to the design and layout of the coach, which is a key element in making Hemphill Brothers stand out from all other coach companies.
Under Joey’s supervision and with the expertise of his qualified mechanics and interior conversion crew, the fleet continues to grow by leaps and bounds.
Although anyone who sees the interior of a new bus leaving the Nashville-based facility thinks it to be the most beautiful one ever made–one that could never be topped–Joey already has new plans for the next “best interior ever to be built”.
MARK LARSON
Vice President
Mark Larson
Vice President
Mark plays a major roll in the day-to-day operations at Hemphill Brothers Coach Company. Mark is originally from Minneapolis, MN but spent the majority of his childhood growing up in Central America and Europe. In 1982, he moved to Nashville and started out as both a musician and a driver for a Gospel group. This experience helped him develop a unique perspective of both a performer and the demanding responsibilities of driving an entertainer coach.
Mark started driving part-time for Hemphill Brothers Coach Company in 1985. Things quickly moved from part-time to full-time and over the next few years, he drove artists like Paul McCartney, Michael Bolton, Gloria Estefan and Natalie Cole, to name a few.
In 1993, Mark left the road to put his driving experience to work in the office assisting Trent in booking the tours and in the day-to-day operations of the company. As the fleet grew, Mark was promoted to Operations Manager where he assumed more of the responsibility of booking tours, hiring drivers and scheduling buses. He also developed specialized software and method systems for a better organized and smoother operation.
RANDY PITMAN
CFO
Randy Pitman
CFO
Randy joined the Hemphill Executive Staff in November 2010. Pitman, a CPA, received his Bachelors of Science degree in Accounting from Tennessee Tech University. Before joining Hemphill Brothers he worked for Comdata Corporation where he served most recently as the Executive Vice President of Finance. Prior to Comdata Pitman was an Audit Senior for Arthur Andersen & Co. in Nashville, TN.
VALERIE BELL
Assistant Operations Manager
Valerie Bell
Assistant Operations Manager
Valerie is a key member of the management team at Hemphill Brothers Coach Company. Valerie also plays an important role in Coach leasing where she works closely with clients such as Oprah, Doobie Brothers, A&E Network, and Vanderbilt University to insure that their lease programs are successful.
Valerie joined the Hemphill Brothers team in February 2004, after 20 years in the corporate Christian Music Industry. Originally from Benton, KY, Valerie worked in Inventory Control and Artist Relations before joining the Tour Bus Leasing Industry.
MARSHA PRICE
Office Manager & Safety Director
Marsha Price
Office Manager
has been with Hemphill Brothers Coach Company for twenty-five years. Starting out as a one girl office in 1989 she has watched the company grow from two company owned buses to an impressive fleet of over ninety top of the line Prevost buses. Her responsibilities have changed as the company has grown. She now handles personnel issues for the over 50 on-site employees and maintains driver qualification files for more than 100 drivers addressing Department of Transportation requirements and safety issues.
STEVE HOKER
Driver Pool Coordinator
Steve Hoker
Driver Pool Coordinator
Steve has been with Hemphill Brothers Coach Company for over 25 years. After retiring from the road as a driver, Steve moved into the office to take over the training and development of new drivers. He is an integral part of a driver’s day, as well as assisting Mark Larson and Valerie Bell with coordinating drivers for all of our tours. Steve also serves as Hemphill’s in-house travel agent.
CRYSTAL BURCHETTE-JOHNSON
Executive Assistant to Joey and Trent Hemphill and Artist Relations Manager
Crystal Burchette-Johnson
Executive Assistant to Joey and Trent Hemphill
& Artist Relations Manager
Crystal left North Carolina over ten years ago with a dream of making a career in Nashville, TN and a love of music in her heart. Shortly after settling in to “Music City”, she became the Director of Publicity at a prominent Gospel label. After almost 8 years promoting the public image of 21 artists, Crystal left to work full-time in the management and marketing for multiple groups assisting in their careers. With highlights including red carpet press for three consecutive GRAMMY Awards, media for 12 Dove Awards, numerous mainstream television promotions and working alongside prestigious venues and publications such as the Grand Ole Opry and Billboard Magazine, Crystal balanced a daily routine of seeking maximum exposure for the artists she worked beside on and off the road. Crystal joined Hemphill Brothers Coach Company in late 2011 and is excited about working with the executive staff and clients to provide a superior touring experience.
Dale Brock
Safety Director
Dale Brock
Safety Directory
At the age of 18 Dale began a career in the entertainment industry and traveled extensively throughout the US and Canada as both a performer and a driver. Dale began working with Hemphill Brothers over 15 years ago as a driver. With his experience and knowledge of the day to day inner workings of the entertainer coach industry, Dale has been able to bring a fresh and different perspective to his role as Driver Liaison and Safety Director.
Our Coaches By The Number
2.5
Miles of Thread or 4,400 Yards Used per Coach
4
Presidential Details
3.3
Miles of Wire Used in a New Coach Build (Longest Wire is 65 feet)
8
Time Parnelli Coach Company of the Year
60+
Over 60 Interior Lights Included in Every Coach
100
Custom Made Interiors Currently on the Lot
180
Apple TV's, running on 100+ 4G aircards
6 Million+
Over 6 Million Miles Driven Each Year