WALL, N.J. — Student Transportation Inc. (STI) recently honored employees as the best and brightest in their functional areas within the company when it comes to safety with the Wall of Fame award.

"Safety is the most important part of our business at STI," said Don Weir, director of passenger safety and compliance. "We wanted to congratulate and put these employees in the spotlight for doing an exceptional job, some for more than 40 years."

Managers and general managers were encouraged to nominate those employees within the STI family who have gone above and beyond their duties in terms of safety at the company's more than 130 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada.

All nominations were evaluated by a selection committee, which then determined the final recipients from each region. Some of the criteria for this safety-based recognition included exemplary safety practices within the employee’s role, accident-free service, community service and involvement, reliability and knowledge of company policies and procedures, perfect attendance, good character and attitude, and exceptional performance in his or her role.

The Wall of Fame awards dinner was held on Nov. 13 in Asbury Park, N.J. The inductees met with Weir and other members of the company's senior leadership team, and they received gifts and a personalized plaque.

"This award can go to any of our drivers, dispatchers, mechanics, monitors, trainers or office staff that truly define our company's culture of safety, caring and professionalism," STI Chief Operating Officer Patrick Vaughan said. "Our operations are built on our safety record and these employees are the backbone of our team."

Employees who were inducted into the inaugural class of the Wall of Fame are:

• Stella Beleckis — Parsonsfield, Maine
• Jennifer Boulanger — Naugatuck, Conn.
• Bob Corso — Punxsutawney, Pa.
• Jane Durning — Chariho, R.I.
• Christine Giza — Lannon, Wis.
• Cheryl Hart — Danbury, Conn.
• Les Johnson — Santa Maria, Calif.
• Jim Leavens — Punxsutawney, Pa.
• Ruth McAnally — Terrell, Texas
• Pat Sanvido — Breslau, Ontario
• James Tamburo — Trenton, N.J.
• Bob Hall (recognized posthumously) — Lockport, N.Y.
• Vern Hawken (recognized posthumously) — Peterborough, Ontario

"Our 'Wall of Fame' initiative is a great way to honor those employees,” Vaughan added. “Our public trust is important, and we wanted to recognize the employees and their efforts in helping our company take care of the nearly 1 million students that we transport to and from school safely and on time each day.”

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