Earlier this year, School Transportation News called for nominations of outstanding fleet management professionals as candidates to be profiled in the August fleet management magazine edition.
STN received over 120 entries from school districts, private bus companies, school bus dealers, and vendors.
Ten of these individuals are featured in the 8th annual installment of Garage Stars, published in the August edition of School Transportation News magazine. The editors used the following 10-point criteria developed by consultant and STN Technical Editor Bob Pudlewski to determine the finalists.
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- Community involvement
- Credentials
- Industry development
- Leadership
- Level of responsibility (with a focus on supervision)
- Life experience
- Time spent on the job
- Training capability
- Regulatory agency commendations
- Value to the transportation program
Arnoldo Adaire
Senior Maintenance Manager
Zum Services, Inc., California
James Adams
Mechanic 2
Cave Creek USD #93, Arizona
Humberto Aguayo
Maintenance Supervisor
Grayslake – Durham School Services, Illinois
Jamie Allen
Transportation Coordinator
Herman-Norcross Community School District, Minnesota
Kenneth Altis
Lead Technician
Kansas City Public Schools – Center Public Schools for Student Transportation Of America, Missouri
Mike Austin
Lead Diagnostic Technician
Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland
Troy Bearman
Fleet Manager
Northwest Allen County Schools, Indiana
Brandon Bonner
Assistant Mechanic
Grant Parish School Board, Louisiana
Richard Brownfield
Head Mechanic
Swartz Creek Community Schools, Michigan
Loretta Bryant
Utility Worker
Hamilton City Schools District, Ohio
Matthew Bunting
Lead Technician
Fountain Fort Carson School District # 8, Colorado
David Camden
Amador County Unified School District, California
Carl Casey
Mechanic/Trainer
Beacon Mobility, NRT Bus, Massachusetts
Timothy Clayborn
Vehicle and Equipment Supervisor
Fairfax County / Department of Vehicle Services, Virginia
Thomas Clement
Shop Foreman
Alvin Independent School District, Texas
Jason Cromleigh
Mechanic (Transportation)
Lake Travis Independent School District, Texas
Mike Cross
Lead Mechanic
Mineral Wells Independent School District, Texas
Roger Crouse
Lead Mechanic
Hillsborough District School, Florida
Mike Crow
Fleet Manager Technician
R2J Thompson School District, Colorado
Rodulfo De Leon
Transportation Mechanic
Valley View Independent School District, Texas
Sherry Deltoro
Location Manager
First Student, Rhode Island
Willis Dubois
Transportation Head Mechanic
Grant Parish School Board, Louisiana
Robert Dulmage
Shop Foreman
North Clackamas School District, Oregon
Ron Duplacey
Bus Garage Manager/Bus Driver/Bus Maintenance Co-ordinator
RSU#73, Maine
Paul Dye
Head Mechanic
Lake County Board of DD, Ohio
Jeremy Escobar
Lead Mechanic
Fremont Unified School District, California
Joe Fillner
Fleet Technician
Mount Horeb Area School District, Wisconsin
Donald Fleck
Supervisor of Fleet Maintenance
Harford County Public Schools, Maryland
Benny Floyd
Transportaton Supervisor
Randolph County School System, Alabama
Greg Foard
Mechanic II
Cabarrus County Schools, North Carolina
Morris Frye
Senior Administrator of Fleet Services
Orange County Public Schools, Florida
Matthew Gargineer
Head Mechanic
Katonah-Lewisboro School District, New York
Troy Gervais
Fleet Tech
Boerne Independent School District, Texas
Raymond Ginter
Automotive Mechanic I
Bethlehem Central School District, New York
David Goff
Bus Shop Supervisor
Thomas County Schools, Georgia
Charles Gordon
Head Mechanic
Mètro Technology, Oklahoma
Raymond Griffin
Lead Mechanic
Dekalb County School District, Georgia
Jose Gudino
Mechanic
Campbell Union High School, California
Christi Hammerbeck
Director of Transportation
Sonora Union High School District, California
Aaron Hardin
Fleet Manager
Alachua County Transportation Department, Florida
Donald Harp
School Bus Mechanic
Robertson County Schools, Tennessee
Bobby Hartigan
Gas/Diesel Mechanic
Marion County Public School, Florida
Doug Havu
Lead Mechanic
MSAD #6, Maine
Alton Hawkins
Line Technician
South Carolina Department of Education Transportation, South Carolina
Bowen Hebel
Lead Technician
Benzie County Central Schools, Michigan
Kyle Highley
Mechanic
Metropolitan School District of Wabash County, Indiana
Randy Hoege
Head Mechanic
School District of Reedsburg, Wisconsin
Christopher Howard
Lead Mechanic
Cumberland County Schools, North Carolina
Kyle Jackson
Fleet Manager
Harrison School District #2, Colorado
Daniel Jefferson
Supervisor of Mechanics
Prince Edward County Public Schools, Virginia
Jeff Jeter
Director of Fleet Services
Stafford County Public Schools, Virginia
Aaron Jones
Fleet Mechanic
Charleston R-1 Public School District, Missouri
Doug Jones
Shop Forman
Suffolk City Public Schools, Virginia
Wayne Justus
Head Technician
Illinois Central School Bus, Illinois
Mark Kennedy
Mechanic II
Flagler Schools District Fleet Services, Florida
John Kleinshmidt
Shop Foreman
Baldwin County Board of Education, Alabama
Thomas Knipper
Assistant Mechanic
Crestwood Local Schools, Ohio
Frank Lapointe
Lead Mechanic
Sicangu Lakota Oyate Head Start/Early Head Start, South Dakota
Bob Lash
Director of Transportation
Montague Area Public Schools, Michigan
Kyle Lawrence
Equipment Technician
Oakdale Joint Unified School District, California
Rodrick Leblanc
Shop Help
Barber’s Hill Independent School District, Texas
John Lednicky
Lead Technician
Kansas Central School Bus, Kansas
Trent Lee
Fleet Manager
Pierce County Board of Education, Georgia
Arden Lembcke
Director of Maintenance
Voigt’s School Bus Service, Inc., Minnesota
Darrell Lemly
Mechanic Supervisor
Cabarrus County Schools, North Carolina
Hilario Leon
Head Mechanic
Covina Valley Unified School District, California
Bob Linc
Master Mechanic
4.0 School Services of East Central Bus, Minnesota
Randy Loffer
Lead Mechanic
Grants Pass School District 7, Oregon
Steve Logan
Head Mechanic
Easton USD 449, Kansas
Javier Lopez
Fleet Manager
Midland Independent School District, Texas
Daniel Loza
Heavy Duty Mechanic/Service Coordinator
Jurupa Unified School District, California
B J Lucky
Shop Foreman
Berrien County School District, Georgia
Ben Lyon
Bus Mechanic
River Valley Schools, Ohio
Marie Massini
President
Massini Bus Company, Massachusetts
Scott McAbee
Mechanic
Lakewood School District, Washington
Edward Meindersee
Lead Mechanic
Pittsburg Unified School District, California
Dale Morrison
Mechanic Lead
Live Oak Unified School District, California
Jerry Mosbaugh
Lead Technician
Noblesville Schools, Indiana
Joe Murray
Mechanic/Shop Manager/Foreman
Hillsboro School District, Oregon
Ed
Mechanic
Pittsburg Unified, California
Phil Neff
Garage Foreman
Shenandoah County Public Schools, Virginia
Tom Nelson
Heavy Duty Mechanic
Cajon Valley Union School District, California
John Nissen
Head Mechanic/Fleet Coordinator
Lake Local Schools & Northwood Schools, Ohio
Cory North
Transportation Director
Kellogg School District 391, Idaho
Mike Parris
Shop Manager
Volusia County Schools, Florida
Patrick Patterson
Shop Formen
Fort Bend Independent School District, Texas
Dale Penn
Vehicle Mechanic Supervisor
Franklin County Schools, Kentucky
Darren Peters
Head Custodian
Westbrook Walnut Grove Schools, Minnesota
Jaime Ramon
Shop Foreman
Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District, Texas
John Reed
Transportation Director
Okmulgee Public Schools, Oklahoma
Levi Rutgers
Head Mechanic
Alamosa School District, Colorado
Heather Schnitker-Blume
Mechanic
Talawanda School District – Petermann Bus, Ohio
Daniel Segrest
Lead Mechanic
Macon County Public Schools, Alabama
Chad Sexton
Lead Mechanic
Swartz Creek Community Schools, Michigan
Steve Shide
Bus Mechanic
Rensselaer Central Schools Corporation, Indiana
Eric Shulga
Shop Forman
School District U-46 Transportation, Illinois
Chip Simera
Head Mechanic
Crestwood Local Schools, Ohio
Nick Simonette
Vehicle Maintenance Technician
Denver Public Schools, Colorado
Johnathan (JJ) Songer
Mechanic
Kanawha County Schools, West Virginia
Randell Souther
Lead Technician
RSU 38, Maine
Kevin Suppes
Lead Shop Manager Mechanic
Central School District 13J, Oregon
Chris Sutton
Fleet Manager
Douglas County School District, Colorado
Ronald Taylor
Bus mechanic
Painesville City Schools, Ohio
Cameron Terrell
Shop Foreman
Katy Independent School District, Texas
Grant Treesh
Lead Technician
Dekalb Central United Schools District, Indiana
Kinzle Tumelson
Mechanic
Oakdale Joint Unified School District, California
Tim Turner
District Mechanic
George West Independent School District, Texas
Donny Valencia
Shop Supervisor
Farmington Municipal Schools, New Mexico
Richard Wagar
Head Mechanic
Berlin Central School District, New York
Mark Walters
Mechanic
Northwest Independent School District, Texas
Cameron Wellman
Bus Mechanic Helper
Dublin City School District, Ohio
Paul Wessel
Owner
Birchwood Bus Service, Wisconsin
Ryan Wolfe
Lead Lot Mechanic
Eastern York School District – Krapf, Red Lion Bus Company, Pennsylvania
