GREENVILLE, S.C. — A homegrown Greenville company whose buses carry some of the best-known teams in American sports has changed hands. The charter bus operator Champion Coach now belongs to private equity firm HF Companies, according to a release announcing the sale.
The deal closes out nearly three decades of founder ownership. Craig and Hazel Dance started the business in 1998 with four motorcoaches, and it is still based at 145 Ben Hamby Lane in Greenville. Craig Dance, the chief executive, said in the announcement that the sale opens a new chapter and that the new owner would strengthen the company’s commitment to its clients and staff.
Champion’s client list reaches well beyond the Upstate. Its customers have included NFL clubs in Dallas and Atlanta, baseball’s Yankees, and college programs at Clemson, South Carolina and Georgia. This fall it also served both World Series clubs, the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays. It has also worked the Super Bowl and MLB All-Star games, and its design team produces the custom wraps seen on team buses.
HF Companies calls itself a family-owned private equity firm with more than 200 brands, about 28,000 employees and businesses in 30 countries. Champion Coach will join its Aviation and Transportation group.
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