WEST CHESTER, Pa. —George Krapf Jr. & Sons Inc., the school bus division of the Krapf Bus Companies, has named James P. Folkes vice president of operations.

Folkes served 15 years with Laidlaw International Inc. Initially hired in 1992 as director of operations in New Jersey, Folkes in 2007 held the position of vice president of Strategy & Business Development.

Then in 2008, he joined Catalyst Business Advisors, an independent consulting firm. Folkes' earlier experience includes roles in operations and finance for McDonnell Douglas Truck Services Inc., Penn Central Railroad, CertainTeed and Johnson Matthey Corp.

Folkes earned his M.B.A. in Finance from Temple University and his B.S. in Business and Economics from Lehigh University. He also attended Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania for various studies. Folkes is also a past board member of the National School Transportation Association (NSTA).

In other news, Shawn McGlinchey has accepted the position of director of risk management for Krapf Bus Companies.

McGlinchey came to Krapf from Harleysville Insurance Company with 23 years of experience in the area of risk management and loss control. His responsibilities while at Harleysville included on-site evaluation service, risk improvement service, agency support to commercial lines, regulatory compliance, as well as providing risk analysis, solutions and direction to clients.  Other experience includes consulting services in public risk management, workers' compensation cost containment, fleet safety, and reviews of loss control operations.

In addition to his years with Harleysville Insurance Company, McGlinchey is a retired executive officer with the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves, where he served a number of years in the areas of strategic planning, readiness preparation and emergency response for the Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Defense (DOD), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state resources.  He also provided training in the areas of hazardous materials and OSHA/EPA.