INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS: NEWS BRIEFS
Transfinder Cuts Ribbon on $7M New York Headquarters
in Schenectady, N.Y. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Oct. 10, officially opening the new building. Te ribbon was cut at exactly 4:40 p.m. Eastern time to
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mirror the company’s address of 440 State St., a spokeswoman told STN. She also said employees moved in on Sept. 3 “with day-to-day operations not missing a beat.” Te event represents the second accomplishment for Trans- finder this year, as the company is also celebrating its 25th anniversary. Mayor Gary McCarthy called the new headquar- ters “a great addition to our new downtown.” “We have experienced tremendous growth in recent years, expanding our organization to over 70
professional employees, and have received recognition as one of Inc. 5000’s fastest-growing private companies each year for the past seven years,” said Antonio Civitella, the company’s founder, president and CEO. “My hope is that our new headquarters, which will accommodate 125 employees, contributes to the expanding vitality of Schenectady County and the region’s Tech Valley community.” Civitella put up the lion’s share of the $7 million price tag himself, as he built, and owns, the building, leasing it to Transfinder. Te Schenectady County Metroplex contributed about $200,000 toward re- storing the building’s façade and other renovation costs.
NSTA LAUDS PASSAGE OF BILL REQUIRING FMCSA RULEMAKING ON SLEEP APNEA
On Oct. 15, President Obama signed H.R. 3095,
which requires the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to conduct a formal rulemaking process before imposing any new requirement for screening, testing or treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and other sleep disorders on commercial motor vehicle drivers. Tis fall NSTA worked closely with industry
partners to organize bipartisan support in Congress and urged its members to contact their representa- tives in a show of support. NSTA has been among the critics of potential
regulation because of the burden it could place on private commercial carriers, such as having to disqualify commercial drivers diagnosed with OSA. In addition, NSTA has expressed concern over the possibility of private bus companies being required to test their drivers and pay for those tests as well as resulting treatment. "Any new mandate that would impose over $100
million in costs on the industry should occur only after careful analysis of costs and benefits that the rulemaking process requires, to ensure that it would result in improved safety for our nation’s schoolchil- dren," said NSTA Executive Director Ronna Weber in September. "Tis bill simply ensures that a regula- tory proposal of this magnitude is considered.”
34 School Transportation News November 2013 Shortly after the bill was signed into law, the
school bus contractors association thanked its members for their efforts. “Our success in reaching passage on this bill is due to our membership. Without your relation- ships and outreach to Congress, which allows offices to hear firsthand how this could impact your operations, NSTA would not have been able to swiftly achieve this legislative victory in the shadow of such unrest on Capitol Hill,” NSTA stated. “NSTA looks forward to working with FMCSA as this moves forward.”
ough employees of school bus routing and manage- ment software provider Transfinder moved in more than a month ago, the rest of the industry finally got a peek at the company’s new corporate facility
Ü BIZ BITES All-Star Transporta-
tion, Blue Bird Corp., ROUSH CleanTech and Student Transportation of America were among the 40 recipients of the Sustainability All-Star Award presented at the Green Fleet Conference & Expo in Mesa, Ariz. … Blue Bird Corp. also announced its full line of Vision conventional, All American rear- and for- ward-engine transit and Micro Bird small school buses passed all criteria at the Altoona Bus Re- search and Testing Center ... Seon Design kicked off Anti-Bullying Month in October by announcing it would donate a portion of the proceeds of every bus camera system sold from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31 toward anti-bullying education and awareness campaigns … The School Bus Safety Company, in partnership with the Children’s Safety Network Safe Bus program, posted five free videos on its home page to educate the public on laws re- garding illegally passing a stopped school bus during loading and un- loading … The CEI Group Inc. introduced a new online DriverCare driver safety lesson, “School Traffic Safety,” that re- minds fleet drivers about the laws and safety tips for driving around school buses and school zones … Bus lift manufacturer Stertil-Koni launched a new website designed to deliver enhanced service to members of the U.S. military around the world at
www.skmilitary.com.
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