BESI founder passes away

HAMILTON, Ohio — Bill Moore, founder and president of school bus seating equipment supplier BESI Inc., died Saturday. He was 65.

After working for a Wayne distributor doing warranty work and supplying parts to school bus operations, Moore started his own company, Bus Equipment Sales, in his garage in 1975.

Realizing that quality school bus upholstery was much needed but difficult to come by, Moore, equipped with a few sewing machines and his knowledge of the pupil transportation industry, began to meet that need.

The company, now known as BESI Inc., established its first large full-service location in Hamilton in 1992. The facility included a production line, a warehouse and a large shipping department.

In addition to school bus upholstery, BESI began supplying seat belts and safety harnesses. The company also offers RF-welded fabricated parts and seat belts for the medical and fire-prevention industries.

In the mid-1990s, Moore worked hard to build business partnerships with independent dealers and the major school bus manufacturers. The partnerships enabled BESI’s products to be sold through an independent dealer network as well as the bus manufacturers’ distribution centers.

BESI has continued to grow over the years. It now occupies more than 120,000 square feet, operating out of three plants and a corporate office.

The family-owned company describes its goal as “providing the highest quality products as well as fast, friendly service.” Interestingly, on each product it crafts is the BESI name, the employee name and the date of production.

Moore was husband of over 46 years to Della Moore and father of Sue (Lorne) Weaver, David (Janice) Moore and Tom Moore. He is also survived by five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.