“I wouldn’t ask anybody to do anything I wouldn’t do myself.”
— JOHN BENISH, JR.
H MINT
WRITTEN BY RYAN GRAY
e rode school buses as a kid during the week and washed them on the weekends. Today, at 47, he drives them. He has presented at more state and national conferences than he can shake his drumsticks at. His signature, Midwest sensibilities and sense of humor endear him to all he meets, except, perhaps,
those opposite him at the negotiating table. He bleeds yellow. John Benish, Jr., is much more than his
father’s namesake. He’s the president and chief operating officer of Cook-Illinois Corporation, which owns and operates two-dozen school bus companies serving the greater Chicago area. As down to Earth as they come, he’s also a drummer in a local cover band. In between gigs, both profes- sional and otherwise, he finds time to be a devoted husband to wife Christy and father to Mackenzie, 16, Georgia, 14, Jack, 13, and Lucy, 10. Benish Jr., also is the consummate leader at the office as well as on the road while attending or presenting at any number of state or national shows. Especially for latter, he took home the School Transportation News Leadership Award at the NAPT Summit in October. When STN Publisher Tony Corpin announced last year’s winner on Oct. 21, Benish received a standing ovation from attendees at the NAPT Awards Banquet in Grand Rapids, Mich. “John is not your typical COO. He is not
afraid to get his hands dirty at the ground level. If we have heavy snow falls, he is nor- mally involved in the snow removal at one of our companies, or if we are short drivers, he will glad to fill in for an absent driver,” said Jeff Barnes, director of regional opera- tions for Cook-Illinois, a top-six contractor nationally. “When the summer barbecues
start up, you will often find him behind one of the grills, helping cook the food. He stays very in touch with the front-line employees, and that is a sign of a great leader.” Simply put, Benish, Jr., understands the
concept that true leaders know who is truly responsible for a company’s success, because he’s been there and done that. “None of us would be here without the people we work with,” he said. “In my opin- ion, if you do your best and try to take care of your employees, they’ll do the same. Put yourself in their shoes, put them first. It’s such a hard job.” “In our industry, it is the people we employ
to drive the students, and making sure they have the best people to support them,” added Anthony Benish, legal counsel for Cook-Illi- nois. “John understands these important po- sitions because he has, at one time or another, performed these functions. From driver and dispatcher, to manager and president.” It’s no coincidence that Anthony and
John share a last name. Tey’ve worked, played and argued with each other for more than four decades as brothers, and as sons of John, Sr., who continues to this day as CEO of Cook-Illinois after more than 50 years in the industry.
It was about 20 years ago that John, Sr., decided he needed to develop a succession plan. But he wasn’t about to gift-wrap the keys to the family business. In March of 1992, he sent a memo to his children that outlined his perspective on the long-term direction of the company: either selling it to a third party or keeping it “all in the family.” Without making any guarantees, and advis- ing all members to “calculate the risks” and “weigh all your career options,” Senior told his kids that they’d all need to complete no less than five years working for an out- side company before being eligible to join Cook-Illinois long term. He also employed a team of consultants to help organize and
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