Thomas Built Buses recently recognized its top dealer trainers for 2012 at its annual dealer meeting in Orlando, Fla.

Michael Stotler, Thomas Built manager for service education and the Center for Education, presented the Thomas Dealer Trainer of the Year award to Ali Rampartab of Matthews Bus Sales in Orlando.

Rampartab was recognized for providing hands-on service maintenance and training to his customers in New York and Florida. He is certified on Freightliner chassis, Thomas body/chassis, electrical, Cummins and MBE engines, air conditioning, wheelchair lifts and Allison transmissions. He is also a member of the Thomas Built Train the Trainer program.

Thomas Built Buses' Train the Trainer program was developed to move educational resources as close to customers as possible, officials said. Thomas' training power is then increased by every dealer trainer who is a part of the program, giving customers around the country local access to expert trainers, hands-on experiences and current information.

Since its inception in 2009, over 10,000 technicians have been trained through the Train the Trainer program, according to Thomas Built Buses.

“We have seen great success and benefit in multiplying the efforts of our facility training all across the United States and Canada,” Stotler said. “Ali is a great example of how powerful this training program can be. His commitment to training his customers and their technicians about Thomas Built Buses is a true testament to his dedication every day.”  

The Thomas Dealer Trainer of the Year award winner is selected from five regional winners who demonstrate outstanding training opportunities to their customers throughout the year.  

Regional winners included:

• Central: Chuck Doom, Thomas Bus Gulf Coast
• Midwest: John Hamilton, Telin Transportation
• Northeast: Phil Heller, Rohrer Bus
• Southeast: Ali Rampartab, Matthews Bus Sales
• Western: Lance Parker, Lewis Transportation

Other recent news related to Thomas Built Buses:

• Thomas Built tool calculates total cost of ownership