Nearly 200 student transporters attended Transfinder's annual National Client Conference last week near company headquarters in Albany, N.Y., and the transportation software provider also awarded a scholarship to attend this summer's STN EXPO.

From left: STN Publisher Tony Corpin watches as Antonio Civitella, president and CEO of Transfinder, awards an STN EXPO scholarship to Don Retsema during the Transfinder National Client Conference in Albany, N.Y.

Meanwhile, Transfinder said 50 new clients attended the company's Routefinder Pro Boot Camp, which provides basic training on the software in a computer lab. Another 26 attendees also became certified on the Routefinder Pro system during a pre-conference seminar.

The conference consisted of 50 class sessions and 34 computer labs. It also featured a one-day workshop on "Managing Your Transportation Operation" that offered suggestions on how to understand and apply best practices for student transportation management.

Timothy Kremer, executive director of the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA), gave the keynote address on what school boards expect of their school transportation operations. After the session, Tony Corpin, publisher of STN, joined Tansfinder President and CEO Tony Civitella awarded Retsma the EXPO scholarship.

At the closing session, Civitella gave attendees a “glimpse into the future” of the next release of Routefinder Pro and showcased some of the innovations the company is developing for mobile devices.

Transfinder said the fourth annual client conference is scheduled for May 2013 in Austin, Texas.