INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS
FOUNDER OF BRAUN CORPORATION REMEMBERED AS ACCESSIBILITY PIONEER
Ralph William Braun, founder and CEO of Te Braun Corporation, passed away Feb. 8 in Winamac, Ind. He was 72. Te company said Ralph left behind a “significant” legacy in the mobility industry — one he helped to create based on his own need for mobility products.
In 1947, Ralph was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at just
six years of age. He always credited his parents with giving him the will to overcome the challenges presented by his disability. Te first mobility product he engineered was a motorized scooter. When his mobility increased, so did the attention from the disabled communi- ty. Soon Ralph’s part-time business filling orders for scooters out of his parents’ garage evolved into Save-A-Step Manufacturing. In 1972 the Braun Corporation was incorporated, and for two de-
cades Braun’s product line was built on the wheelchair lift. Tis prod- uct forever changed public transportation because buses and vans could finally be outfitted with wheelchair lifts. In addition, American
Tomas Built Buses Invests in New Equipment, Announces
Dealer Awards Tomas Built Buses announced it has invested $2 million in
manufacturing equipment that has boosted the company’s growth while also creating jobs at its High Point, N.C., facility. Te equipment is a 1,500-ton press the OEM began uti- lizing in January. It is used for making parts including roofs, floor sheets and exterior panels for the new C2. Tim Turner, manufacturing engineer for Tomas Built Buses, said the new press represents a major upgrade from the previous one. “Quite a step up from our older 250-ton press, this new piece
of machinery has a bed size of 84 inches by 159 inches and carries around 1,800 gallons of hydraulic fluid,” said Turner. “It sits 12 feet beneath the ground and extends an additional 22 feet above the manufacturing floor. It is definitely something that you have to see.” In other TBB news, the company also recently announced its top dealers for 2012 at its annual dealer meeting in Orlando. Te Dealer of the Year award went to Te Bus Centre in Acheson, Alberta, Canada. Tomas Built President and CEO Kelly Platt presented the award to General Manager Tim Bearchell. Re- gional winners included Autobus Tomas, Inc., Drummondville, Quebec (Northeast); Carolina Tomas, LLC, Greensboro, N.C. (Southeast); Hoekstra Transportation, Inc., Grand Rapids, Mich. (Midwest); Omaha Truck Center, Inc. of Nebraska (Central); and Te Bus Centre, Acheson, Alberta (Western). Additionally, silver and bronze awards for dealership
excellence were presented to selected dealers in recognition of outstanding performance in service, parts support and bus sales.
28 School Transportation News July 2013
children were offered accessible transportation to and from school. Te commercial lift industry, as well as the paratransit business, still thrives in both domestic and international markets. Te Braun Corporation marked its 40th anniversary in 2012. Tat
same year Braun received the “Champion of Change” honor from the White House for his dedication to improving the lives of individuals with physical disabilities. He was inducted into the NMEDA Hall of Fame in 2012 and was recognized as Employer of the Year by the Commission for the Handicapped and the Indiana State Board of Health. A week before his death, he was also honored with the Support of the Guard and Reserves Patriot Award for his support of Braun Corporation employees who serve in the military. “Ralph has left a permanent legacy in the mobility communi-
ty and will be remembered as a true pioneer of accessibility,” the company stated. “He wrote his autobiography, ‘Rise Above,’ to tell the story of the challenges he faced as a young man … In the book, he announced the formation of Te Ralph Braun Foundation, which would help those with limited income afford the mobility equipment they need.”
UPDATE: IC BUS FILLS ORDER FOR OHIO'S LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICT
IC Bus won a bid in May to supply 300 CE Series con-
ventional school buses to Columbus City Schools. Te school district serving Ohio’s capital region is the largest in the state in terms of total enrollment and students transported. Te new buses are being manufactured out of IC Bus’ assem-
bly plant in Tulsa, Okla., and are slated for delivery this month. “IC Bus is proud to partner with Columbus City Schools, and
we look forward to helping them with their student transpor- tation needs for the next school year,” said John McKinney, president of IC Bus, in a statement. “Furthermore, this recent order demonstrates our customers’ continued confidence in our products.”
Te 65-passenger, diesel-powered CE Series school buses are equipped with MaxxForce 7 engines, according to IC Bus. Te 19,800-pound, rear-axle buses are constructed with 16-gauge steel side sheets and equipped with 21,000-pound. air-ride suspensions that improve safety while providing drivers with a smooth ride, stated the OEM. A division of Navistar, IC Bus added that the buses will be
delivered via dealer Rush Bus Centers. “We are honored that Columbus City Schools has confidence in us to provide our unparalleled customer support for their fleet of IC Bus vehicles as they safely transport the city’s children,” said Rusty Rush, president and CEO of Rush Enterprises, Inc. Columbus City also had operated six CE Series hybrids in its
fleet for about three years, noted Steve Simmons, the district’s director of transportation and NAPT Region 3 director. Te new order brings the Columbus City fleet of school buses to 845.
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