Student Transportation Realigns Management Team, Positions Regional Operations To Fuel Continued Growth
Chairman and CEO Denis Gallagher named three industry veterans to spearhead operations in three newly created regional divisions. Together they represent more than 75 years of experience in student transportation.
Michael Kennedy, of Concord, MA, has been promoted to regional chief operating officer for the new Atlantic Region which consists of the company’s current operations in New England as well as in New York and New Jersey
Peter Pearson, of Carnegie, PA, has been promoted to regional chief operating officer for the new Central Region, consisting of STA’s current operations in Pennsylvania, Illinois and Minnesota
STA’s continued expansion in Ontario, Canada, will be led by Grimsby resident Christopher Harwood, who has been promoted to senior vice president of operations for Student Transportation of Canada, STA’s wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary. Harwood will be responsible for the transition and integration of recently acquired Canadex Resources
Limited (TSX: CDX), owner of Parkview Transit, one of the largest independent school bus operators in Ontario.
“These three individuals have been instrumental in STA’s development and success over the past seven years and I am pleased that they have agreed to take on even more responsibility for maintaining outstanding customer service and driving regional growth,” Gallagher said. “By keeping our senior managers regionally-focused and close to the customer, we will continue to build regional density through acquisitions, bids and school district conversions in 2008.”
In California, Raymond Delegarde will continue to serve as vice president of West Coast operations.
Formed in 1997 and publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange since December 2004, STA posted 2007 revenues of $168.1 million and completed its 31st acquisition when it added Canadex earlier this month.
Concurrently, two former Laidlaw executives also joined the STA management team. Patrick Holmes has been hired to jump-start new growth in the Northwestern United States and John DiMaiolo has been appointed vice president and chief accounting officer in the company’s Wall, NJ, senior management headquarters where he will oversee the company’s overall accounting and finance structure.
Finally, Dina Cooper, of Pine Hill, NJ, has been named corporate recruiting director, a new position created to support local and regional human resource teams, and develop company-wide employee recruiting and retention strategies.
About Student Transportation
Founded in 1997, Student Transportation is the fourth-largest provider of school bus transportation services in North America, conducting operations through local operating subsidiaries. Student Transportation has become a leading school bus transportation company by aggregating operations through the consolidation of existing providers and conversion of in-house operations and currently operates more than 5,000 school vehicles in North America. For more information, please visit www.sta-ips.com.
