Hemphill Brothers Coach Company
Encyclopedia
Hemphill Brothers Coach Company is a motor coach
sales and operations company that provides coach sales, leasing, maintenance, and custom conversion services. Established in 1980, it is a family-owned company located near Nashville, Tennessee
, USA.
The company provides coach services to an extensive list of celebrities, such as Cher
, Tom Hanks
, Pope Benedict XVI
, Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez
. The company provided high-security motor coaches to the Obama administration for the 2012 presidential election
campaign.
, Lady Gaga
, Aerosmith
, George Strait
, Tom Hanks
, Arnold Schwarzenegger
, and Pope Benedict XVI
.
, a manufacturer of touring coach shells for specialty conversions which is located in Quebec
, Canada
. The operation is a Prevost-authorized maintenance facility.
for a trip to Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois during the week of August 15, 2011. Although the trip had the appearance of a presidential campaign
event, it was designated an official trip by the Obama administration and was thus federally financed.
Two such buses were ordered by the United States Secret Service
in 2010 at a combined cost of $2,191,960. The buses were purchased to address security inadequacies encountered on previous such events where leased vehicles were used. The Secret Service intends to use the buses as a general asset, and they are not specifically dedicated to the President. As such, it is likely that the second bus will be used for similar events by Republican
politicians later in the 2012 presidential campaign.
The Secret Service will not confirm details about the construction and appointment of the buses, but it is likely that they are extensively equipped with security and communication equipment. They are speculated to be similar to other presidential conveyances, such as The Beast. If so, they are heavily armored, pressurized, and built to withstand a chemical or rocket-propelled grenade attack.
The buses are reported to have lavish interiors similar to those provided to entertainment celebrities. They are similar in size to standard Greyhound buses
, with black exteriors, blacked-out windows, and police lights.
During the August, 2011 campaign event, the bus provoked considerable interest and commentary in the news and blogosphere. The LA Times reported a comparison of the bus to Darth Vader
's helmet. Tea Party
activist and CNN
commentator Dana Loesch
called the bus "a big, black, hearsemobile of doom."
Coach (vehicle)
A coach is a large motor vehicle, a type of bus, used for conveying passengers on excursions and on longer distance express coach scheduled transport between cities - or even between countries...
sales and operations company that provides coach sales, leasing, maintenance, and custom conversion services. Established in 1980, it is a family-owned company located near Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, USA.
The company provides coach services to an extensive list of celebrities, such as Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
, Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
, Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
, Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
. The company provided high-security motor coaches to the Obama administration for the 2012 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2012
The United States presidential election of 2012 is the next United States presidential election, to be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. It will be the 57th quadrennial presidential election in which presidential electors, who will actually elect the President and the Vice President of the United...
campaign.
Overview
The company is owned by brothers Joel W. Hemphill, Jr. and Trent Hemphill. They started the company in October, 1980 with the assistance of their father, Joel W. Hemphill, Sr., who had retired from the coach leasing business. The company operates a coach maintenance and conversion facility, and it maintains a fleet of over 70 motor coaches for lease. The company deals in used coaches and new custom conversions, and maintains a separate website for its sales operation. On its website, the company claims an extensive list of celebrity clients, including CherCher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
, Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
, Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, George Strait
George Strait
George Harvey Strait is an American country music singer, actor, and music producer. Strait is referred to as the "King of Country," and critics call Strait a living legend. He is known for his unique style of western swing music, bar-room ballads, honky-tonk style, and fresh yet traditional...
, Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
, Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
, and Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
.
Maintenance and conversion facility
The company operates a 28,000 square-foot conversion and maintenance facility located outside of Nashville. It features a 6-bay maintenance shop and a 6-bay conversion shop, and is used to provide services for the Hemphill lease fleet as well as for external customers. The operation also maintains a parts department that provides mechanical and conversion coach parts. As part of its customizing operation, the facility maintains woodfinishing and upholstery shops. The conversion operation provides a full range of customizing services to client specifications. For new custom conversions, the operation uses bare coaches from Prevost CarPrevost Car
Prevost is a Quebec, Canada-based manufacturer of touring coaches and bus shells for high-end motorhomes and specialty conversions.The company now owns Nova Bus and in turn is owned by Volvo Bus Corporation.- History :...
, a manufacturer of touring coach shells for specialty conversions which is located in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The operation is a Prevost-authorized maintenance facility.
Buses for 2012 Obama campaign
Hemphill Brothers Coach Company provided the bus that was used by President Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
for a trip to Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois during the week of August 15, 2011. Although the trip had the appearance of a presidential campaign
United States presidential election, 2012
The United States presidential election of 2012 is the next United States presidential election, to be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. It will be the 57th quadrennial presidential election in which presidential electors, who will actually elect the President and the Vice President of the United...
event, it was designated an official trip by the Obama administration and was thus federally financed.
Two such buses were ordered by the United States Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
in 2010 at a combined cost of $2,191,960. The buses were purchased to address security inadequacies encountered on previous such events where leased vehicles were used. The Secret Service intends to use the buses as a general asset, and they are not specifically dedicated to the President. As such, it is likely that the second bus will be used for similar events by Republican
Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2012
The 2012 Republican presidential primaries are the selection processes in which voters of the Republican Party will choose their nominee for President of the United States in the 2012 presidential election. The primary contest began with a fairly wide field, and is the first presidential primary...
politicians later in the 2012 presidential campaign.
The Secret Service will not confirm details about the construction and appointment of the buses, but it is likely that they are extensively equipped with security and communication equipment. They are speculated to be similar to other presidential conveyances, such as The Beast. If so, they are heavily armored, pressurized, and built to withstand a chemical or rocket-propelled grenade attack.
The buses are reported to have lavish interiors similar to those provided to entertainment celebrities. They are similar in size to standard Greyhound buses
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
, with black exteriors, blacked-out windows, and police lights.
During the August, 2011 campaign event, the bus provoked considerable interest and commentary in the news and blogosphere. The LA Times reported a comparison of the bus to Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
's helmet. Tea Party
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
activist and CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
commentator Dana Loesch
Dana Loesch
Dana Loesch is a conservative talk radio host, associated with the Tea Party movement.Dana Loesch graduated from Fox High School in Arnold, Missouri. She attended St. Louis Community College and transferred to Webster University, where she majored in journalism...
called the bus "a big, black, hearsemobile of doom."