Rob Lam, Shop Manager | First Student Toronto ed him with opportunities and R
experience in becoming a mechanic. He worked at the Cardinal Coach Lines
before becoming a mechanic for First Student Toronto in 2009. Three years ago, he transitioned to the shop man- ager, and he said he is enjoying each day on the job. “My favorite part of the job is solving the problem at
hand,” Lam said. “Knowing that I found a solution to a task gives me a sense of accomplishment and knowing all is well after.” Lam is a fully licensed and registered technician with
the Ontario College of Trades. He is also a family man and enjoys spending time with not only his personal family but his work family and in the community. The Toronto location operates 320 vehicles. When Lam was promoted to shop manager, 130 units were out of compliance. There was no lean certification, and the maintenance department operated over budget. Technicians were also not registered in the Automotive Service Excellence program. Since assuming his current position, the Toronto team is now working ahead of maintenance compliance schedules by one week, and operate under or on budget, while also achieving a Lean Silver Shop status. All technicians are ASE registered and working toward their certifications. “Rob is trusted and respected by all who have the
ob Lam started his career in the industry through a high school program that present-
pleasure of meeting and dealing with him. Making sure that his fleet is safe, reliable and up to date with [Min- istry of Transportation] standards is one of his major focuses. The improvements the Toronto location has made since Rob was given control are something to be incredibly proud of,” Chris Warton, First Student region maintenance manager for Eastern Canada, said in his nomination. Lam’s coworkers describe him as a well-organized,
helpful and polite individual who always comes into work smiling. “Working with Rob since I started at this location in 2019 has been great,” Parts Manager Sharon Bakos said. “He is positive and supportive, which makes it easy for him to connect with staff. You can come to him with any problem and be confident that he will find the right solution. His charismatic attitude makes work- ing with him a pleasure. I couldn’t ask for a better boss.”
Technician members of the Toronto team from left to right: Marc Bruni, Riyad Haniff, Matt Woitowich, Rafik Yeghnazari, Rob Lam (shop manager), Paul Chapman, Sharon Bakos, (parts manager), and Mike Yu. Not shown is technician Mike Earle.
Joe Terpstra, Assistant Director of Fleet Services | Klein Independent School District, Texas
years. In addition to holding 27 ASE certifications, he is an ASE Cer- tified Master Automobile Technician,
J
Master School Bus Technician, Master Medium/Heavy Truck Technician, and Service Consultant. Josh Rice, Klein ISD’s transportation director, said in
his nomination form that Terpstra will help with any task that is assigned to him, adding that the job will be done correctly the first time. Rice noted that Terpstra has displayed exceptional
leadership skills and now oversees a team of over 20 em- ployees. Prior to joining Klein ISD, Terpstra was a certified
oe Terpstra has been with Klein Independent School District (ISD) in Texas for the past 17
technician and now he manages a team at multiple trans- portation centers. During this past year, Terpstra even wrote Klein ISD’s first ever shop handbook and trained his team on the procedures outlined in the book. “Joe’s passion for what he does has spread to his team in the past couple of years,” Rice continued. “The fleet services team goes above and beyond to ensure that transporta- tion is a success. Whether it’s driving a route, serving as an attendant, or helping with a cookout, his team goes above and beyond because they see him do it every day.” Terpstra added that his father originally suggested he
join the Klein transportation team, and he said he is so happy he took the advice. “[My] absolute favorite part of this job is knowing that
I have helped deliver thousands of children to school daily,” Terpstra concluded.
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