Leonard Bus Sales, a leading New York school and commercial bus distribution company, is adding jobs to its New York operation. The 50-year-old firm has also launched LBS South, a sister company in Florida. With 19 employees so far, Jacksonville’s LBS South will operate as a separate company, but bring the Leonard family’s commitment to customer service and support to the Florida school and commercial bus market.  

“We are proud to be growing in New York and expanding into Florida at the same time,” said Mike Leonard, owner and president of Leonard Bus Sales and LBS South. “Our ability to do so is a reflection of our solid reputation as a top distributor of school and commercial buses, delivering high-quality vehicles and unmatched customer support.”

In New York, the Leonard Bus Sales team added former Oneida City Schools Assistant Superintendent for Finance Greg Race to the customer support team and brought in Joe Wolfe as the product sales manager for Trans Tech’s entire line of Type-A school buses, including the all-electric eTrans.  Race brings an in-depth knowledge of school financing to assist districts with fleet-management needs, while Wolfe has more than 25 years of experience in the bus business, with a specialty in Type-A school buses.

“We are lucky to be partnered with the Leonard family in the distribution and support of our school and commercial buses,” said incoming Trans Tech President John Phraner. “If you want to be a market leader, then you need to be teamed with one, and that is why Trans Tech partnered with Leonard Bus Sales and LBS South.  As New York’s only school bus manufacturer, it was vital for us to be with the best.”

  

The upstate New York-based family business has defied the odds of this prolonged national economic downturn, opening facilities and creating scores of new jobs in communities across upstate and now Florida.  In New York, recent growth has meant developing facilities in Saratoga Springs, Rome, and Bergen, and expanding the headquarters in Deposit. Each facility is home to between 15 and 30 full- and part-time employees.  

  

Leonard Bus Sales is a recognized leader in the distribution and support of quality, environmentally friendly school and commercial buses. A third-generation family-owned business, Leonard Bus Sales provides cost-saving fleet management and award-winning customer support services, winning the 2011 IC Bus Eastern Region Dealer of the Year. Leonard Bus Sales is a leading distributor of IC Bus, Trans Tech Bus, Champion Bus, and General Coach America buses. 

--Jennie