The following article appeared in the Winter 2009 NYSBCA Newsletter, The Yellow Bus

One of the nicest benefits of our NYSBCA membership is being given this opportunity to share a little more about TEAM Matthews and me.

Faced with the current budget shortfalls and predictions of more to come, the Suwannee School District teamed with Matthews Buses, inc. to find the solution!

Congratulations to Suwannee District Schools for selecting a 1/3 Fleet replacement with a Daimler Municipal Finance plan. Spearheading the cost savings plan are Scott Pfender, Director of Transportation and Gary Colvin, Vehicle Maintenance Manager. The District saving s will come from a three fold plan:

• Pre-purchase savings avoiding future increases
• Maintenance, Warranty and labor Savings

COLUMBUS, Ind. – Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) has received certification from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its 2010 Heavy-duty big-bore ISX15 and MidRange ISB6.7, ISC8.3 and ISL9 engines. Certification of these engines means that the Cummins 2010 engine line-up for on-highway applications meets the near zero emissions levels required for all engines manufactured in 2010.

Thomas Built Bus announced that Kelley Platt has been named the new President of Thomas Built Buses, effective January 1, 2010. Kelley has been serving as the General Manager of Business Excellence since 2006. In her new role, Kelley will lead Thomas Built with responsibility for the profitability of the entire school bus business.

COLUMBUS, Ind. – The Cummins ISB has demonstrated significant fuel economy advantages over competitive engines and is an ideal choice in both the school bus and medium-duty truck markets where maximizing fuel economy is a top priority. The Cummins ISB, which meets the current 2007 EPA emissions standards, won every test segment with results ranging from a 7- to 19-percent lead over MaxxForce engines.

Ralph Braun, founder of BraunAbility, was featured in an article in December 2009 for Inc Magazine for their "How I Did it" feature. Matthews Buses Inc was the first bus dealer to install a Braun lift.

Below is an excerpt from the article as well as a link to the rest of the article

Thomas Honors 2009 Top Dealers Matthews Buses Named Dealer of the Year High Point, N.C. “ Thomas Built Buses presented its Dealer of the Year award to Ballston Spa, New York-based Matthews Buses, Inc. Matthews also was named northeast region dealer of the year. Family-owned Matthews Bus has been a Thomas dealer since 1967.

Matthews Buses Florida was awarded the prestigious Thomas Built Bus President's Club Award for 2009. It was a banner evening for Matthews Buses, Inc. in general as the organization also won Dealership of the Year as well as bringing home one of the top prizes for Training personnel. Trainer Roger Harrod won the Platinum Award for the START Program.

The Thomas Built Bus President's Club Award winner is based on meeting the following criteria (These criteria are based on the critical functions of a successful dealership):

Sales Quota

Market Penetration

Sales Promotion

Matthews Buses, Inc.'s resident trainer, Roger Harrod, was recently awarded the Thomas Built Buses STAR Program Platinum Trainer Award for 2009. STARS, stands for "Service Trainer Awards for Reaching the Stars".

Program Goals: Thomas Built Buses wants to reward the service trainers that go above and beyond, ultimately resulting in several benefits:

Recognition for Service Trainers and their dealerships
Increased dealer participation in the Train-the Trainer program
An increased national presence in our customer training
An increase in customer confidence in our product

The number 31 car in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, sponsored by Matthews Mobile Media is ready to go. NASCAR has approved the design of the vehicle graphics and it is expected to run in the upcoming NASCAR race on October 24, 2009 in Memphis, TN.