SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Mike Leonard, former owner and president of Leonard Bus Sales, announced today that his son Jon Leonard has officially taken the driver’s seat as president and will own the company jointly with his four brothers Patrick, Ben, Dan and Chris, continuing the family business started by their grandparents Gerald and Helen in 1965.
“I am honored that after a long and thoughtful succession planning process, our son Jon decided to purchase the business and assume the leadership role at Leonard Bus Sales,” said former owner and President, Mike Leonard. “Barb, and I couldn’t be prouder of Jon, and our sons Patrick, Ben, Dan and Chris for the commitment and dedication they have demonstrated over the years. Having Jon at the helm means Leonard Bus Sales will remain a family-owned business. It also ensures the culture that we have fostered over the years, like making safety-a-priority, will continue to be demonstrated to our school transportation partners for years to come.”
The succession plan for continuing family ownership has been in the works for a number of years. For the past five years, Jon Leonard served as the vice president of Leonard Bus Sales, with responsibility for day-to-day operations.
From the start, the goal of the succession process was to implement ownership, leadership, and management transition plan that supported the continued success of Leonard Bus Sales and its school transportation partners; and provided clarity regarding major decisions. To this end, Jon and his four brothers Ben, Chris, Dan and Patrick purchased the company together from their father with Jon purchasing all of the voting shares.
During his time as vice president, Jon’s focus was on providing the Leonard Bus Sales team with a clear vision for a sustainable future; promoting consistency, increasing accountability, and improving the way the team communicated and operated. This focus is the natural progression of the culture instilled by Gerald and Helen Leonard when they founded the company back in 1965.
Jon also credits Leonard Bus Sales’ staff of nearly 200 employees for embracing and driving change and for making sure each one of their school transportation partners is treated like family.
“I want to thank my parents for having the confidence in me to lead Leonard Bus Sales. I also want to thank them for teaching me about the school transportation business and why it is clearly one of the most important industries in the country,” said Jon Leonard, owner and President of Leonard Bus Sales. “The school buses we sell, service and support for our school transportation partners are carrying life’s most precious cargo. It is a huge responsibility and it’s something that we think about every day at Leonard Bus Sales. I look forward to working with our team to build upon the foundation of our success which was established by my grandparents and my parents.”
Jon’s brothers Patrick, Ben, and Dan will continue their current roles at Leonard Bus Sales ensuring that the company remains the family-focused business it has been for three generations, and Jon’s brother Chris will continue his career in commercial construction at his company – Leonard Contractors Inc. – which is located in Tampa, Florida.
About Leonard Bus Sales, Inc.
Leonard Bus Sales, Inc. is owned and operated by the Leonard family, a recognized leader in the distribution and support of quality, environmentally-friendly school buses. A third-generation, family-owned business, Leonard Bus Sales has been providing cost-saving fleet management services and award-winning customer support for over 50 years. Leonard Bus Sales is a leading distributor of IC Bus brand school buses in Upstate New York and distributes Trans Tech Type-A school buses throughout New York. The company operates full-service facilities in Bergen, Deposit, Middletown, Rome, and Saratoga Springs.
