Photo courtesy Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Area Chamber of Commerce/CVB

In the Los Angelesarea, where the SCHOOL BUS FLEET editorial staff is based, the seasons aren’t too clearly defined. For example, here in late October, it’s still sunny and warm just about every day, and the leaves on the palm trees don’t seem to be changing color.

So for me, one of the signs that autumn is well underway is the arrival of the National Association for Pupil Transportation’s Conference and Trade Show, which is held annually in late October or early November. This year’s event, next week inMyrtle Beach,S.C., will be my sixth.

The conference has brought me to a lot of interesting places that I might not have otherwise gotten a chance to visit, like Salt Lake City, Cincinnati and Grand Rapids, Mich. One thing that those host cities had in common was that they were all quite cold at this time of year.

While I’ll miss that change of climate this year, I’m certainly excited to stay in a comfortable-temperature coastal town on the other side of the country (at pretty much the same latitude as Los Angeles, incidentally). I hear that it’s been getting up in the 70s during the day in Myrtle Beach.

The NAPT event is really remarkable in how much it offers, from educational workshops to networking opportunities to product showcases. And if you like golf, Myrtle Beachhas something like 120 courses, so you’ll probably find yourself on one at some point.

I hope to see you next week inMyrtle Beach.

Sincerely,

Tom

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Thomas McMahon

Executive Editor

SCHOOL BUS FLEET

(310) 533-2551

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