C
ollins Bus turned 50 years old this year, the latest milestone for the first manufacturer of small school buses. From those humble begin- nings, when the late Don Collins, “the father
of the small school bus,” fashioned a school vehicle from a passenger van, the company has grown into a Type-A market leader and is now the school bus brand of publicly traded REV Group.
Leading the way today for Collins Bus is General
Manager Matt Scheuler. He’s spent his entire career at Collins, dating back to 2001, when he arrived at the company’s headquarters in Hutchinson, Kansas as an internet marketing manager. Since, he’s worked in after- market parts, sales and business development as a direc- tor, vice president and president. And he is still several years removed from celebrating his own 50th birthday. We caught up with him recently to discuss how Col-
lins Bus has evolved over the decades and what’s in store for the future.
School Transportation News:How would you describe the Collins Bus journey from starting as a family owned company and growing into a brand of REV Group? Matt Scheuler: Our journey from an apartment complex in Missouri back in the 1960s to a publicly traded, multi-billion-dollar brand under the REV Group
umbrella has been exciting, to say the least. But what’s important is that along the way Collins Bus has never wavered from what makes us who we are and our core values. We have a great backbone of employees that are wired to win and accept nothing less than the best from themselves and the products we manufacture.
STN: Are there any special 50th anniversary celebra- tions scheduled for this year? Scheuler: Honestly, we’ve been celebrating since this
past November and will continue to do so throughout the remainder of the year. We’ve done some subtle things such as placing 50th anniversary logos on our 2017 buses this year and have some much larger celebrations in store as we move towards the end of the year. It’s our golden anniver- sary, which seems fitting for the business we’re in.
STN: What is the company’s values in terms of inno-
vations? How has this spurred growth? Scheuler: When you look at our business in terms
of innovation you’ll see that innovation is what really dif- ferentiates us from the competition. Since we are focused on the cutaway bus market, we’re constantly looking for ways to improve and stand apart in what we’re manufac- turing at Collins Bus. Tere are so many innovations on our products that unless you really engage with our staff
REV Group family. As the slogan says: “One Company, 27 Brands, 240,000-Plus Vehicles Strong.” As this timeline represents, Collins Bus has a history of innovation, from the development of the first small school bus to the develop-
ment of flat floor buses to producing its own seats and seat belts. The company said it is continuously looking for new innovations to provide its dealers and customers with “the best possible Type A product available.” Here are more highlights from Collins Bus:
Matt Scheuler, Collins Bus General Manager
Through to today— The largest chassis inventory of Type A
2009
products for a timeline from order place to delivery that is the fastest in the industry
Through to today—The largest North American manufacturer of Type A, MFSAB and multi- purpose vehicles.
2012
‘Coming Soon’—The most innovative Type A school bus
2017
to hit the market in the last 50 years!
First to introduce an OEM Type A propane school bus
2009
First to introduce the an OEM Type A CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) school bus
2012
Through to today—All 2012
Collins Bus type school bus products are
Altoona tested.
www.stnonline.com 19
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