Will begin with a pilot group of approximately 10 to 12 non-competing Trailways stockholders in good standing, selected because of commonalities in company size, region, markets served and other factors.
The Trailways Board of Directors approved formation of the Trailways Business Council, scheduled to launch this summer, which will be based on the principles of peers helping peers, to improve their respective companies’ operational performance and profits.
The Business Council will begin with a pilot group of approximately 10 to 12 non-competing Trailways stockholders in good standing, selected because of commonalities in company size, region, markets served and other factors. They will meet four times annually, once in person in mid-August and three times via video conference after that.
Ad Loading...
According to Trailways Business Council Chairman Jonathan T. Berzas, the group will discuss “financial comparisons, safety programs, business techniques, strategic marketing, problems and solutions, opportunities unique to Trailways, brand recognition, industry trends and several other topics.” Berzas, a Trailways Board member, is president/CEO of Fullington Trailways in Clearfield, Pa.
Facilitating the confidential discussions will be Jim McCann, a consultant with Spader Business Management, a management consulting firm known for its “Spader 20” peer groups of executives in the motorcoach industry and several others. Each month, participating Trailways stockholders will submit their financial data in a standard format to McCann. He will prepare a consolidated financial report with key financial analysis for each stockholder, including comparisons with peers and industry norms.
Using critical numbers from these reports, McCann will “point out efficiencies and deficiencies where the group as a whole is underperforming,” then get the group to “drill down to likely root causes and steps to take for improvement.” Group members will share “best ideas” and “benchmark their performance to the most successful operators.” They’ll also have access to McCann for one-on-one consultations specific to their individual companies.
“The Trailways Business Council, working with Spader, will allow us to correct areas where expenses are higher than they should be and to compare ourselves to the industry norms,” said pilot group participant Tom Bazow, president of Excursions Trailways of Indiana and Ohio.
Eventually, Trailways hopes to engage all of its stockholder companies in its Business Council groups. According to Berzas, participation would benefit “any stockholders wanting to improve their top and bottom lines, while focusing on best practices.”
Ad Loading...
He added that the Trailways Business Council will put into action one of the strategies in the Trailways strategic plan: “to strengthen and leverage the Team Trailways network through opportunities for collaborations, best practices exchange and the sharing of innovations.”
Application deadline for Trailways Stockholders interested in joining the pilot group is June 30. For more information, they may contact McCann at (800) 772-3377 or jmccann@spader.com.
METRO’s Executive Editor Alex Roman spoke with Mueller about the opening event, the company’s progress since launching in late 2022, and the road ahead.
METRO Executive Editor Alex Roman presented the award to the operation’s President/CEO Scott Parsons at the United Motorcoach Association’s EXPO in Birmingham, Alabama.
The new facility, spanning more than 43,000 square feet, includes pre-delivery inspection, a large repair, maintenance, and service center, an administrative building, and a dedicated training and delivery center for customers and service partners.
The company will feature a fully equipped 2026 Van Hool CX45 alongside an interactive virtual showroom highlighting the company’s latest vehicle, service, parts, and support solutions.
The survey, produced by the ABA’s research arm, the American Bus Association Foundation, reports quarterly on data collected from surveys of major motorcoach manufacturers that sell vehicles in the US and Canada.
Driven by a people-first culture and data-driven innovation, Anchor Transportation has built a safety-focused, values-led operation that continues to redefine excellence in the motorcoach industry.
US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the EPA is seeking information from major diesel engine manufacturers on critical data on DEF system failures.
