nities are served in the most cost-effective, environmentally safe and educationally supportive manner as possible. “John Benish has demonstrated his com- mitment to the industry and to the students in his company’s care by his focus on profes- sional education for his staff and his school district clients,” said Burns, who also serves as an advisor to Cook-Illinois. “His compa- nies strive for continuous improvement by hiring the best possible staff members and insisting that everyone in the companies learn by doing, regardless of title.” Part of that improvement can be seen in the early adoption of biodiesel and the purchases of hybrid and propane-powered school buses. “John has always been interested in doing things that are good for the environment,” added Barnes. “Tis type of leadership is what keeps us fresh and proud to be a mem- ber of his team.” It is especially notable that John looks outside his company to other professionals who will help him identify, analyze and
improve his work. For example, in 2009 he asked Burns along with Sue Shutrump, the supervisor of occupational therapy for the Trumbull County (Ohio) Education Services Center, and Pauline Gervais, at the time the executive director of the Denver Public Schools transportation department, to conduct an in-service for the benefit of school district staff transportation team members, at his company’s expense. “Tis had not been done by another com-
pany in my experience,” Burns added. Ten, last year, he formed a national
advisory team consisting of the same three women. “John has invested in our relationship to gain an objective perspective grounded in safety, operations, service and compliance,” she continued. “He strongly supports verti- cal and horizontal ‘cascading’ of information to his personnel and their customers.” Tis month, Cook-Illinois is sponsoring a mini-conference for district transportation directors and coordinators, transportation carriers and school district administrators
that oversee transportation services. Pete Meslin, director of transportation
for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District in Southern California, knows what leadership is all about as he also is an STN Leadership Award winner. He’s come to know and respect how Benish, Jr., runs a ship, or in this case, a bus. “John is an extremely forward-think-
ing leader in the student transportation industry. He maintains a focus on improv- ing operations without losing track of the reason we’re all here. He is always open to new ideas and is an early adopter of anything that will improve service,” added Meslin, who like Benish is also a member of the board of advisors for the Transporting Students with Disabilities and Preschool- ers National Conference, which is held in Nashville in March. “Terefore, John places a great deal of
emphasis on training. Rather than reacting to correct problems, the training allows him to prevent many of them.”
52 School Transportation News January 2014
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