CINCINNATI — First Student recently presented its inaugural Presidential Awards of Excellence to the company's top-performing contract and regional managers.

The company recognized managers who rated best-in-class in safety, customer service and overall performance categories.

"Our managers have shown a tremendous commitment to adhering to our core value of safety and to the high standards we've established in providing outstanding service to our customers," said Linda Burtwistle, president of First Student.

The Presidential Awards of Excellence Region Manager of the Year Award is presented to the manager in each region with the best overall performance as determined by the region staff. The recipients are:

● East Region: Lucille Ayotte, Connecticut
● Central Region: Norman Mars, Illinois
● West Region: Van Criddle, Oregon, Utah and Colorado
● Canada: Garry Gosling, Ontario

The Safety Presidential Award of Excellence for best overall region manager in safety performance was awarded to:

● East Region: Dave Kinley, New York
● Central Region: Tim Stieber, Hodgkins, Ill., and Indiana
● West Region: Van Criddle, Oregon, Utah and Colorado
● Canada: Garry Gosling, Ontario

The Customer Service Presidential Award of Excellence for region managers, as determined by senior management and the results of each region's customer survey, was presented to:

● East Region: Gig Michaud, Massachusetts and New Hampshire
● Central Region: Bob Rutkoski, Illinois
● West Region: Dan Muehlbauer, Minnesota and Iowa
● Canada: Michel Larocque, Quebec

Additionally, First Student presented awards to contract managers in each region's divisions who displayed excellence in overall performance, safety and customer service.

Out of First Student's approximately 600 locations, the company recognized 47 managers for outstanding customer service, 40 for top safety marks and 46 managers for top overall performance.