School buses line up at the Guardian Bus, a Logan subsidiary, facility in Freeport, New York.
service. In those days, Richie called all the shots, handling operations, finances and purchases, but he made sure his children were also learning the family business. To this day, Richie, Jr., and Lisa remain a
part of the company. But it’s been Lorinda who especially took a shine to company leadership, and to the inner financial work- ings. She is now president of Logan Bus and is married to Michael Tornabe, the compa- ny’s chief operations officer. Whereas Richie made the ultimate call on everything from routing to training to vehicle maintenance, Lorinda and Michael co-direct the company in constant consult with Muirhead, GM Joe
DiGiacomo, an 18-year veteran whose late father also worked at Logan for 20 years, and Operations Manager Michael Cordiel- lo, who oversees all vehicle and equipment maintenance, a staff of 200 technicians, properties, and the company’s own tow truck service. Oh, and he’s also always moni- toring the weather forecasts. “Richie did everything, so it was his way
100 percent,” commented Tornabe, who joined the company in 2003. “I put things on everyone. If they aren’t 100 percent we should do it, we don’t do it.” Linda has her father’s knack for money, but Tornabe said she is also quicker on
the draw to purchase land for bus yards, a scarcity. In fact, “My wife likes to buy property,” he said. “Her dad only bought when he absolutely had to.” Tonabe recalled 2005, shortly before Richie Logan passed away from cancer, when the company was in the process of purchasing 14 acres for bus yards near JFK International Airport. Te deal was lan- guishing despite a growing need for more real estate, especially with new contracts and the more than 150 city and Long Island routes that came with them. Fol- lowing her father’s death, Lorinda quickly stepped in and closed the deal. Since, Tornabe said Logan Bus has developed eight pieces of property over the past six years. In addition to the work in the five boroughs, the company also operates in Nassau County, Long Island. “We bought more in Queens, near
Long Island dispatchers hard at work.
JFK, trying to get closer and closer to our destinations,” Tornabe said. “You can’t get caught in 30 minutes of traffic, and you can’t have a yard 10 to 15 miles away, or you’ll never get kids to school on time.” Expansion has become a necessity, especially following the breakup of Atlantic Express in 2013. Logan Bus has turned one company’s demise into its own boon, as it now operates about a quarter of all New York City routes. Of the 2,000 routes Logan Bus currently services, Muirhead said that about three-quarters are transport- ing students with disabilities. Complicating matters, Muirhead also said that New York City’s Office of Pupil Transportation needs to frequently modify or add routes, not to mention staying on top of safety training for all school bus drivers and matrons, the local vernacular for bus monitors, as well as the ever-evolving technology and vehicle maintenance. “Really you have to stay on top of your game to make sure you’re always in the know with changes that happen every single day, week and month,” added Muirhead, an industry veteran already at only 26 years old and one of the industry’s
www.stnonline.com 43
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
