February 4, Saratoga Springs– The New York State School Bus Customer Advisory Panel gathered last week, bringing together school transportation officials from across New York to discuss their fleet needs and to share ideas about future vehicle improvements with representatives from the manufacturer.
The event, sponsored by Leonard Bus Sales and IC Bus LLC, was the latest in regular gatherings that began in 1999. This unique collaboration puts on-the-ground experts in direct contact with the school bus manufacturer and with the company’s engineers as they design the next generation of vehicles. The panel’s meetings this year included a welcome from Mike Leonard, president of Leonard Bus Sales, and discussions about service, customer support and new clean diesel buses.
“This customer advisory panel has been an invaluable tool for both customers and manufacturer,” said Mike Leonard. “The relationships we have been able to create, and the discussions we’ve had, have helped bring better, more reliable and more environmentally-sound buses to our schools districts in New York.”
(Front Row) Bob Mowry – Lancaster CSD, Joe LaMarca – Brockport CSD, Jack Burns – Grand Island CSD, (Back row) Dennis Carey – Windsor CSD, David Branch – Churchville Chili CSD, Chuck Tanzer – Saratoga Springs City Schools, Danielle Poirier – Guilderland CSD, George Beckwith – Arlington CSD, Don Ross – Manatree District Schools (FL), Harrell Harrison – Alachua District Schools (FL )
The New York advisory panel was originally designed by the Leonard team to provide a forum for direct input from school officials to the bus manufacturer on product issues, future design decisions, manufacturing methods, new technologies, and industry trends. Now, the panel concept has been taken to other states, with sister company LBS South launching a Florida School Bus Customer Advisory Panel in recent months. Two members of the Florida panel attended the New York gathering to see first-hand the benefits of a communications between schools and the manufacturer.
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 and commercial buses. A third generation family-owned business, Leonard Bus Sales has nearly 50 years of experience providing cost-saving fleet management and award-winning customer support services. Leonard Bus Sales is a leading-distributor of IC BusTM brand buses, and several other lines. The company is headquartered in Deposit, NY and operates three additional full-service facilities in Saratoga Springs, Rome and Bergen, NY.