There’s a saying that ‘opportunity knocks when you least expect it’. For Shane Anderson, whose career with STA began along the side of a road in central Idaho, opportunity is but one stone on the path to leadership. For the last ten years, Shane’s experience and influence have steadily grown through his motivational mindset, a willingness to explore new challenges, and an adventurous and compassionate heart.  

“It has been such a life changing event working for such a professional and family-focused company.” 

In the fall of 2014, Shane was settling into a new personal era. Having achieved a lifelong dream of running his own successful 4-star Sicilian Italian restaurant, he’d recently sold the business and was living with his family in Meridian, Idaho, just outside of Boise. One day while driving through town, Shane noticed a very enthusiastic group of people with signs gathered on the side of the street. Curious by nature, he pulled over to check out what was happening and learned the group was recruiting school bus drivers. As a patient father of six, with a penchant for driving and looking for life’s next open door, Shane decided to apply. 

As a part-time substitute driver, he was dispatched to cover a Special Needs bus route. It was this singular experience of transporting an autistic child that would alter the trajectory of Shane’s life. “It was in that moment I truly recognized how special these students are,” he says. “I understood the importance and role a school bus driver plays in the daily lives of the students we transport, and the impact we create.”   

Committed to pursuing a full-time position with STA, Shane became more involved in the daily business needs of the Meridian operation, covering every trip he could handle, assisting with any needs of the office staff, and learning everything he could about the Dispatch role including answering phones, handing out keys, and running radios. When the Dispatch position officially became available, Shane jumped at the opportunity – but the Area General Manager had bigger plans in mind. “He told me I was the perfect fit for the position,” Shane says, “but declined my application and asked me to remain patient, as he knew of a different role that would be available that he encouraged me to apply for.”  

“Seeing the relationships our workforce builds with each and every student they transport is so rewarding.” 

Still in his first year of the school bus business, Shane’s experience as a seasoned business owner made him a shoo-in when Meridian’s manager role became available. But an even more enticing opportunity came knocking with STA’s newest contract, in Grand Junction, Colorado. Having previously passed on the chance to experience Colorado back in his entrepreneurial days, Shane was elated at the opportunity to forge new ground with STA as the Operations Manager for Mesa County School District, where he had the luxury of being surrounded by 110+ years of combined experience through his new teammates and mentors. “I was fast tracked and baptized into the industry nuances and was then catapulted into my growth to where I am today,” Shane says. 

Grand Junction provided Shane with the opportunity to participate in an STA Leadership Forum, to Co-Chair STA’s Culture Council, and to serve as the Western Region Special Project Manager, assisting STA with new projects across multiple facilities throughout our Colorado, Oregon, and eventually Arizona markets. On his 4-year anniversary with the company, Shane was invited to the position of Area General Manager, overseeing all operations across multiple states and having the opportunity to create relationships with STA’s customers, employees, and community members. Shortly thereafter, this expanded to even greater duties in STA’s rapidly growing Oregon footprint; looking back, Shane cites this as a humbling, full circle experience as someone who was born in the state of Oregon. 

“Getting to see the beauty of each location’s ability to establish their own cultures within their locations was so rewarding to be a part of.”  

In the summer of 2024, just shy of his 10-year anniversary with STA, Shane was promoted to the position of Regional Vice President of Operations for the Upper Midwest & West Regions. Working with school district customers at a high level, and supporting our operators in various partnerships, is just part of what Shane enjoys the most. “STA has allowed me to excel and accomplish my career goals beyond my wildest dreams,” he says. “I have had an amazing experience that provided me opportunities I had never imagined.”  

“Working for a company that truly supports growth from within mirrors my core values and principles, treats all with respect and dignity, and has provided me a personal ‘moment of impact’ in my life,” Shane continues. “It has allowed me the honor and privilege to support the amazing unsung heroes that understand our mission to the core: transporting the world’s most precious cargo, and the responsibilities and their roles in impacting the students we serve each and every day.”  

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