New President & CEO of Sonny Merryman Announced

Caley Edglery
Caley Edglery, former President & CEO of Thomas Built Buses, appointed as new Sonny Merryman President & CEO.

Sonny Merryman announced today Caley Edgerly has been appointed the new President & CEO of the company. Edgerly will assume responsibilities starting Monday, August 9.

While new to the company, Edgerly is no stranger to school buses or Sonny Merryman. Prior to accepting this position, Edgerly was the President & CEO for six years of Thomas Built Buses – the nation’s leading school bus manufacturer. Under his leadership, Thomas Built Buses engineered and debuted the Jouley electric school bus.

Customers and partners will not have to worry about missing current President & CEO, Floyd Merryman though. With Edgerly joining the team, Floyd Merryman will step into his new role as Executive Chairman. While Edgerly will be taking over many of the day-to-day operations and responsibilities, Merryman has no plans of going anywhere.

“Our team here at Sonny Merryman has been leading the electric school bus revolution – not only in Virginia but across the country as well. Caley’s wealth of experience and expertise will be a key asset to continuing our company’s growth in the electric bus industry,” said Merryman.

When asked about what he is most excited about, Edgerly said it is the people – the company’s customers and his new team.

“I’ve known Floyd and the Sonny Merryman team for nearly 10 years. From first meeting him and getting to know the dealership, I learned that not only are they some of the most knowledgeable and skilled in the industry, but above all else, their customers are their priority. I’m thrilled and honored to be part of a team with those core principles,” said Edgerly.

Edgerly’s experience in the Daimler group stretches beyond his roles at Thomas Built Buses as Vice President of Operations and then President & CEO. Edgerly first joined Detroit Diesel in 1994 as a Quality Control Engineer and moved through the ranks of Detroit Diesel and Daimler Trucks North America in numerous roles, including General Manager- Remanufacturing (Detroit Diesel), General Manager-Remanufacturing (DTNA), and Vice President/General Manager (Detroit Diesel).

In addition to its new president & CEO, the company also recently added its first non-employee member to the Board of Directors, John Dooley – former CEO of the Virginia Tech Foundation.

“My father and mother founded this company more than 50 years ago as a small trailer and bus business in Rustburg, VA. Since then, we have become the largest and most experienced bus company in Virginia and are widely recognized as one of the nation’s most respected dealerships. We’re excited for the future of our company and all that is to come in the transportation industry,” said Merryman.