AUSTIN, Texas — School bus routing software developer Transfinder Corp. kicked off its eighth Annual Client Summit here on Wednesday.

More than 250 school transportation officials from 36 states and two Canadian provinces will attend the three-day conference; 48 will be taking exams to be certified in one of Transfinder’s 19 products.

“We plan all year for this event,” said Antonio Civitella, Transfinder president and CEO. “There is so much information we jam into this summit, so many tips and tricks we provide our clients on how to use our products better that will help them be even more efficient. We also provide them with a look into what is on the horizon, what future products we are working on that they don’t even know they need yet. And we also have a lot of fun.”

More than half of the 132 attendees hail from the Lone Star State. Transfinder, based in Schenectady, New York, opened its Austin, Texas, office in 2015. In 2016, it received the Austin Chamber of Commerce’s Customer Service & Loyalty Award.

The summit’s keynote speaker at Thursday’s luncheon will be Donna Bohorich, chairwoman of the Texas State Board of Education. Bohorich’s talk, titled “Leadership: Building Consensus in an Environment of Conflict,” will highlight leadership practices that have worked for her, including assuming that others have the best intentions, even if they have opposing views; finding common ground with others; and prioritizing thinking of others over thinking of yourself.

“When you know who you are and you know what you’re about, you can lead without concern about the stomach punches,” she said. “You can lead without fear. You can lead because authentic, focused leadership is hard to find, but oh so attractive to follow.”

Attendees will also have an opportunity to meet with Transfinder’s Marketplace partners. The Marketplace, which was launched last year, includes leaders in areas such as GPS, attendance, and camera technology. Marketplace partners, found at transfindermarketplace.com, provide technology that integrates with Transfinder’s solutions.