Hello everyone:

The Career & Technical Education (CTE) unit of the Chicago Public Schools would like to extend an invitation to you to participate in our INDUSTRY ADVISORY COUNCIL (IAC) for the Automotive Diesel Program. Details include:

Location: Chicago Vocational Career Academy
Date: Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Time: 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Lunch will be served

The Mission of the Advisory council is to enable employers to help train, guide and engage their future workforce. IAC’s review the CPS program facilities, curricula and course materials. IAC’s make recommendations on improving these components based on their industry expertise and provide targeted support to the program to drive the improvement process.

Thank you in advance for your willingness to participate.

Jacquelyn Dace
Partnership Development
Chicago Public Schools/Career & Tech Ed

For the second year, our University Park location has donated a bus, and our driver, James J., donated his time, for this very special Christmas event sponsored by the American Legion of Tinley Park, IL.

Our driver James traveled 2 hours away and picked up new Army recruits to bring them to Tinley Park, south of Chicago, where their family members were waiting for them. The community donated food - gifts and personal cell phones etc., so the soldiers may call their loved ones once deployed, and all involved shared a great meal. Our appreciation goes out to James, who spent the entire day involved with the event!

Watch the video now!

Chris Matlon, Payroll Clerk, organized this project, and 30 staff members volunteered to donate blood. Chris worked hard and put a lot of time and effort into making this a success, and we are proud to have her as a member of our team at our Chicago South base.

Lunch was served on the day of the event for everyone who donated, and a raffle was held, with the winners receiving a Walmart gift card and a wine & chocolate basket.

Thank you to everyone who participated! Each of your donations will help several people in great need.

GREAT job Chris!

Congratulations to Jennifer Evers, our Chicago Heights winner!

Congratulations Vicki Cooper, Paxton Driver Safety Incentive program winner.

Congratulations Tammy Paulsen, Pontiac Driver Safety Incentive program winner.

Congratulations Janet Sepulveda, Glen Ellyn Driver Safety Incentive program winner.

As previously announced, Steve Hemmerlein is joining the company as the new Chief Executive Officer effective January 1st. H. Kevin Mest will continue to hold the position of Chief Operating Officer reporting directly to Steve.

We thank Kevin for his leadership as the interim CEO in guiding our organization through this transition in our executive team.

Steve comes to ICSB with has 20 years of experience in student transportation industry. Most recently, at First Student, Steve was Senior Vice President where he was responsible for the Midwest and South regions. Previously, at Laidlaw, Steve held various roles from contract manager to Senior Vice President where he was responsible for its operations in the Midwest and West regions. Steve is a lifelong Chicagoan and graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Please join us in welcoming Steve on board.

ALTON - Marla Turner, a bus driver for Illinois Central School Bus, has a passion for her craft, and she continues to spread that to other drivers in her recruiting efforts.

On Wednesday, Turner was out in front of the Shop 'n Save in Alton with a bus and a sign, trying to recruit drivers for Illinois Central, which provides the bus system for the Alton School District.

Click here to read more at the Alton, IL Telegraph website.

Batavia Public Schools, Batavia Fire Department, Batavia Police Department and Illinois Central Bus Company collaborated to produce an emergency training exercise that simulated the collision of a vehicle with a school bus carrying students. The crash simulation took place at Papermill Hill Drive and Barkei Drive in Batavia on Wednesday, January 9 between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

“This training exercise is the first transportation crisis simulation that multiple agencies are collectively producing with Batavia Public Schools,” said Dr. Jack Barshinger, Superintendent. “We are proactively testing and evaluating emergency response systems to ensure that each agency is fully prepared to respond and execute systems in the event of a real crisis.”

Along with four adolescent “victims” from Rotolo Middle School’s eight grade first aid class, the training exercise involved officials from Batavia Public School District 101, Tri-Com Central Dispatch, Southern Fox Valley & Central DuPage Emergency Medical Services System, Batavia Police Department, Batavia Fire Department and Illinois Central Bus Company. The Illinois Central bus driver also acted as an unconscious victim of the accident, and required evacuation from the bus via stretcher. The school bus crash simulation tested communication, multi-agency coordination, emergency protocols, and patient triage, packaging, removal and placement in medics. According to Ed Jancauskas of the Batavia Fire Department, “All agencies used normal communications and procedures for the drill, treating it as a ‘real deal.’”

Great News Regarding our upcoming Laremont "Mini Pink-Out Pep Rally":

Good Morning Dr. Batiste,

Please know that Illinois-Central Transportation has most generously agreed to provide the transportation again for the 3rd Annual Laremont Mini Pink-Out Pep Rally on January 31st. We really could not provide this awesome opportunity for the students from each school to interact without their support. Please join me in thanking Sherie McPherson, Beverly Pelham, and Mary Allen from Illinois-Central for their super support they have provided the past several years.

Thank you Illinois-Central!

Have a great day!

Jim R.

Thank you for your generous donation to the 2012 Lee Lowery American Legion Christmas Basket Project.

You made 71 familes happy!!

And loved the bus in the parade with the kids - Awesome!!

God Bless and Happy New Year.

Terrance Hawkins, Chicago-Central locations dispatch manager, serving a senior citizens group on Thanksgiving, where he volunteered to serve after driving the seniors to the church on a charter bus event.

14-16 inches of snow fell Sunday night and awaited staff Monday morning in the Twin Cities!

Carbondale drivers decorated a bus for the Carbondale Lights Fantastic Parade on Saturday, December 1, a great time was had by all!

Drivers who serve the Glenbard East High School, ready for the 2013 Yearbook!

3 eight foot tables were loaded with food for employees, and turkeys were provided for all employees as well!

Bus driver shows his dedication

To the Editor:

We've all heard (and possibly personally remember) stories of the school bus - long waits in the cold, cruel bullies, foul language, squished sweaty seats.

My family's past experience with the New Richmond school bus system couldn't be farther from this stereotype. On Tuesday Oct. 16, as my family was sitting down to dinner, the doorbell rang. I got up to find a gentleman holding a small booklet in his hand. I thought, "Great, a political pitch during dinner."

Instead, I found Jim Meath, my daughter's bus driver, standing on our doorstep returning our daughter's school planner. He just quietly remarked, "I found this on the bus and I was on my way home anyway..."

With that small gesture, I felt a surge of admiration and awe at the simple kindness of mankind. Hearing her bus driver's voice, my daughter came to the door saying, "I thought I felt something drop out of my backpack! I can't believe he just did that!"

Throughout the last two years, both of my youngest children have remarked at how much they like their bus drivers. Last year, my son's bus driver held a Valentine's Day drawing competition. That activity engaged my son in art, language, and interpersonal skills well beyong the classroom setting.

At the end of the school year, the kids were given DQ treat coupons at the expense of their drivers. I am not advocating that public servants need to bribe and go out of their way to win over the public.

Instead, I write this as a heartfelt thank you for people like Jim Meath and others who move beyond the required duties of their job - a thank you to people who bring civiility, respect and kindness to our community.

Pam Norton
New Richmond

The Stillwater, MN location recently had a Bus Safety Poster Contest for local students, it was very well received with many great entries!

Click here to read the article.

Minnesota Central provided transportation for this event. The Washington County Emergency Management team and the City of Stillwater held training in September called "Rolling on the River". A mock boat crash was simulated into the Stillwater Lift bridge. Two buses were provided for the event and transported passengers and victims to Lakeview Hospital and various other locations as needed.

Here is the text of a thank-you letter from the Washington County Office of the Sheriff:

Dear Mr. Oswald,

On behalf of Washington County-Emergency Management and the City of Stillwater, we would like to express our sincere appreciation for your participation in the Stillwater "Rolling on the River" large scale emergency exercise in September.

The two buses provided to us by Minnesota Central School Bus LLC were essential to the transportation needs for this exercise. The benefit from your participation supported not only the first responder portion of the exercise but also the "Whole Community" human relations side, with your support of transporting folks to and from various locations.

A key objective for conducting these exercises, is to find ways to improve. You provided a realistic approach to the exercise enabling us to understand where improvements need to be addressed in several areas of the exercise. Please know that we would welcome any feedback you can provide to enhance our response in exercises as well as in real events.

Again Mr. Oswald, we deeply appreciate the time you and your other driver (Joy) so willingly dedicated to this exercise. We hope that you would consider working with us again in future emergency exercises and/or real-time events.

Thank you again!

Sincerely,
Deb Paige
Washington County
Emergency Management Director

October 3, 2012

Mr. Tom Oswald
Minnesota Central School Bus
5288 Stagecoach Trail North
Oak Park Heights, Minnesota 55082

Dear Tom:

Thank you for your awesome support of the Jon Francis Foundation Races and your superb shuttle bus services. You significantly supported a worthy, fun and highly successful community event and made a difference in the lives of others.

It was a pleasure to work with you and your organization. As you know, a common complaint in many events is unsatisfactory transportation of the participants. We did not have that! Your outstanding performance was one of the main contributors to excellent customer satisfaction at the 2012 Jon Francis Foundation Race Events. Thank you!

We had 222 runners participate in the inaugural event with high runner satisfaction. It was a great event. Participants came to Stillwater from 13 states as far as Washington State and Massachusetts. The winner of the Jon Francis 8K set a new Minnesota road race record.

Thanks to you, we are firmly established on the Minnesota Road Race calendar and schedule. I look forward to partnering with you again and your return next year.

Please know that Minnesota Central School Bus made an important contribution in honoring Jon’s life, ministry and running accomplishments and helping others through his legacy of service. Thank you for caring.

Sincerely,

David Francis

September 21, 2012

Tom Oswald
Minnesota Central School Bus
5288 Stagecoach Trail North
Oak Park Heights, MN 55082

Tom, I‘d like to express my thanks for a job well done with two of my recent events. The Stillwater Log Run on July 21, 2012 and the Muscle Milk Woodsy on September 15, 2012. Your supervisors and drivers for both events arrived on time, executed flawlessly, and most importantly, provided friendly customer service to the runners.

With outdoor events, especially road races, the weather can play a key factor and your supervisors and drivers were very receptive to changes in the plan.

As an event director with many details to remember, using a bus company I can absolutely rely on is a huge asset.

Thank you again and I look forward to working with you on many future events.

Sincerely,

Brian Mastel
Mastel Event Management, LLC

August 31, 2012

Minnesota Central
5288 Stagecoach Trail North
Oak Park Heights, MN 55082
Attention Mr. Tom Oswald

Dear Mr. Oswald:

It is with great appreciation that we send t his letter to you today. Each year we welcome our new teachers to the district and include a bus tour ofthe school community. Thank you for donat ing the use of the bus on Wednesday, August 21 for our new t eacher tour.

Thanks again for your generosity and your continued service to St. Anthony New Brighton Schools.

Sincerely,

Wayne Terry
Principal

August 24, 2012

Illinois Central Bus Company
254 LaSalle Road
LaSalle, IL 61301

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Denise McLendon, and I am employed by Tebala Shrine. I have had the distinct pleasure of working with Illinois Central Bus Company for approximately one year. Everyone that I have had contact with from Vienna Aaby in South Beloit to Bobbie Jo Michel in LaSalle have been so nice and extremely helpful.

We were referred to Illinois Central Bus Company through one of our Past Potentates (like a President) Leon Larsen, who assured us from the very beginning that this would be the company to work with. I am so grateful that we took Leon recommendation.

I know working in the service industry you aren't always told of the positive things that your company does, that is why I felt compelled to write and tell you how lucky you are to employ such fantastic people.

Thank you for the wonderful service, and I look forward to a long professional relationship with Illinois Central Bus Co.

Sincerely,

Denise R. McLendon
Business Manager, Tebala Shrine

From: Todd Streeter
Subject: A Big Thank You!!!

Special Olympic Chamber Volunteers and Vendors:

I want to thank all of you so much for the great activities and wonderful turnout for the river excursion, photo booth, downtown shuttle and welcome bags, and for volunteering on the Red Carpet Committee, at the Chamber booth and elsewhere. We could not have had such great success with all our Chamber supported activities without your help and dedication..........................................

Excursion Shuttle

Tom Oswald’s team of drivers were absolutely wonderful. We originally booked only one day, but once they started selling out, we added two more days of shuttles and Star was so helpful in getting all this arranged – Thank you!

Regards,

Todd Streeter

Executive Director

Participate in your future

Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce

Heartland Office Village

1950 Northwestern Avenue South Suite 101

Stillwater, MN 55082

Phone: 651.439.4001

Fax: 651.439.4035

www.ilovestillwater.com

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St. Anthony "End of the Year Party" Pictures.On June 8Th two pavilions at Bayport Park on the St Croix River were rented for the party. Grand prizes of two Hotel Suites and Minnesota Twins tickets plus many gift certificates and Minnesota Central School Bus monogrammed items were given away.Burgers, Brats and plenty of food was supplied for all to enjoy. This was a Thank You to all employees for another great year and a new 4 Year Contract!!!

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Christina Miller is a 10 veteran of the school bus industry, being employed by Laidlaw Education Service, First Student and Illinois Central School Bus. Christina has participated in several road-eos before, including SIMR (Southern Illinois Mini Road-eo) sponsored by Laidlaw and the Illinois Association for Pupil Transportation School Bus Road-eo. Last June, Miller took 6th Place at IAPT.

“Attending the road-eos has helped me keep my skills sharp and to stay up to date on all new laws affecting the industry.” Miller said.

Christina Miller will be attending the IAPT road-eo this June in Sandwich, Il with her teammates, Melissa Hagen, Chad Ingold, Pam Moore, and Randy Emery.
This year was Illinois Central School Bus’s First Annual School Bus Road-eo. The road-eo was organized by Cynthia Kaiser, Jim Koons, Chad Ingold, Cynthia Franklin and Jeff Wood. The course consists of taking a test on General knowledge of the Commercial Drivers License and operation of the school bus, a physical pre-trip of a bus and an obstacle course designed to simulate the day to day driving the driver would experience on his/her daily route. Other Illinois Central School Bus locations participating were Caseyville, O’fallon, Waterloo and sister company Missouri Central School Bus in St. Louis.

If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Christina Miller, please call Chad Ingold at 618-466-5400 or email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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_____________________________________________   
Please reply by Tuesday (only one response per building is needed)   
Please review the past week's transportation and respond (x) below:  

__x___Transportation ran smoothly, no concerns  

__x___Positive feedback (describe)  I appreciate when we call 
      Kristi to transport a sick child home because their parents 
      do not have transportation, she does everything possible to 
      accommodate our needs.  (It is only for children who are 
      already on the bus.) 


Thank you for this assistance.  
Community Consolidated School District 146  
Tinley Park, IL

Mike Herriott volunteered to be the sheriff and use Illinois Central's School Bus as the paddy wagon for WPXN (Paxton Radio Station), for a fundraiser for the Cancer Society. As sheriff his duties were to drive around Paxton and arrest selected citizens. Those arrested were announced on air and were to plead for donations to be released. At the end of the day Mike was arrested. This event earned approximately $4000 for the Cancer Society.
WPXN announced and thanked Illinois Central on air for the use of the bus and driver.

From: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it [This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it]
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2012 9:28 AM
To: Chrysann Carriveau, Contract Manager, MN Central
Subject: A word of appreciation

Recently, the VICC school program in St. Louis sponsored a student essay contest about why they Love the Bus.
Driver Mary Brison-Whitlock won this year's award. Tami Webb, of the VICC program, came to the local office
and awarded Mary with a hat, gift certificate, and award certificate. Ms. Webb and a co-worker also came to
Mary's school and decorated her bus for the students, who were also recognized for their essays.

Pictured from left to right is Tami Webb, Mary Brison-Whitlock, and Contract Manager Karen Sides.

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Illinois Central School Bus, Streator, hosted a fundraiser for Blessings
in a Backpack Wednesday. Office staff, drivers and monitors donated enough to fill the
back of a pickup truck. Blessings in a Backpack sends items home in a backpack with students
from Streator schools whose families can use assistance to help feed the children during the weekend.
To donate to Blessings in a Backpack, visit www.blessinginsabackpack.org or call 800-872-4366.
Blessings in a Backpack is running a fundraiser at the Streator Pizza Hut from 5 to 8 p.m.
Wednesday, March 28. The cost is $9 for adults and $6 per child.

Kneeling, left to right, is Renee Cunningham, Illinois Central Dispatcher
and Melissa Irving from Blessings in a Backpack, with her daughter
Standing, left to right, is Illinois Central Manager Julie Glowicki,
Regional Safety Manager Diana Hallam,
and Cari Barichillo, with Blessings in a Backpack)

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At the Manito location, a biscuits and gravy breakfast was served to 32 employees, and the
Safety Incentive program, with the award on March 1 of a 32" HDTV for the lucky winner with
a perfect safety and attendance record for February, was kicked off with a bang!

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JOLIET, Ill. — A new incentive program at North America Central/Illinois Central School Bus aims
to increase safety and attendance among staff members. The school bus contractor’s safety and
attendance incentive program is open to drivers, mechanics and monitors nationwide, at all 54
of the company’s locations.To qualify, a staff member must be free of preventable accidents and
workers’ compensation claims and have perfect attendance for a given month. All such staff will
have their name put in a drawing at the end of the month, and the winner at each location will
receive a flat-screen TV. February was the first month of the program, which will be ongoing.
“It is anticipated that the incentive will not only boost attendance and safety awareness, but
will also serve as a morale booster throughout the company,” officials said in a statement.
North America Central/Illinois Central School Bus currently transports more than 200,000 children
daily in its fleet of 3,400 buses.

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On February 22, drivers from the Stillwater and St. Anthony, MN, locations, had officer Paul Davis from the State Patrol put on a safety program including pre-trips, trailer operation, driving routes properly, driver responsibilities and more. He is the director for Student Safety in the state of Minnesota. Officer Davis delivered a great power point presentation that got the attention of all employees and kept it for the entire 1 1/2 hours. He stated that MN Central does a good job with very few DOT accidents over the last few years.

Pictured, on left, State Patrol Officer Paul Davis, on right, Contract Manager Tom Oswald

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Minnesota Cental Stillwater Location Supports Local Special Olympics Team

Special Olympics: Lumberjacks plunge with a purpose

Stillwater Gazette 2/3/2012
Transportation for the jumpers was provided by Minnesota Central School Bus.
The Lumberjacks are an area Special Olympics team that participates in track ...

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Recently a special education student passed away at a school served by the Illinois
Central Pontiac, IL location. Her bus driver from this location, Frank K., served as one
of her pallbearers. The following e-mail was sent by the assistant principal to the Pontiac
manager, Lori Carlson.

From: Kilgore, Jon
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2012 11:45 AM
To: Cc: Lori Carlson
Subject: educators

Yesterday a group of us attended the moving funeral service for Chelsea C. Something very special
affirmed my strong belief that each and every one of us, regardless of our position, plays the role
of an educator. As we awaited the start of the service, I recognized a group of familiar faces.
I knew some of these men, but I was not connecting the dots as to their common bond.
The service started and the group of men moved collectively to the front of the room near
Chelsea’s side. It was during the service that the clergyman recognized these men as Chelsea’s
bus drivers. The bus drivers played such an important role in Chelsea’s life the family asked them
to serve as pallbearers. From their faces and body language, it was evident they were honored
to serve. It was obvious Chelsea had taught them too. No matter whether you drive a bus,
make a meal, clean the building, coach players, teach lessons, or serve in an office, all of us are
educators who have much to offer our students. Likewise, they have much to offer us through
building positive relationships. Have a great weekend after a very tough week.
Jon

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Thank you so much for assisting the Peru Fire Department and our entire community during
a time of crisis. The transportation service you provided as we evacuated residents from
their homes during the Westclox fire was a blessing.
Thank you,
Rodney Perez
Peru Fire Department

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* Denny Bloom (Director of Transportation) for Stillwater School District makes a
power point presentation on bullying to all staff of the Stillwater MN location.
* Sams Club supplied free lunch and cookies for all employees, then gave a $10 gift
card for current and new memberships.
* All monitors were presented training on Student Management and Safety Rules.
* All staff were trained on Winter Driving, idle policy and many other items.
* VFW provided the meeting room and coffee for Free.

I wanted you and your Transportation team to know that Vinnie's
morning bus driver is terrific. Vinnie rides the windmill bus to
Valley Crossing and the driver is always on time. Plus he's friendly
and seems to care about the kids. I know you don't often get to hear
the good news, so I wanted to pass it along. Vinnie loves riding the
bus to school.
Christine

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http://qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=572522

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http://www.thetelegraph.com/news/parade-61334-alton-family.html

http://unioneagle.com/2011/10/27814/

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Every year Americans experience new-school-year jitters as fall approaches, whether
they are students, teachers or school bus operators — so when start-ups are smooth,
it is cause for celebration as well as closer examination. Asking and answering the question
“What are we doing right?” can ensure that companies keep building on their current success.
For North America Central School Bus, positive feedback from customers in Illinois and Minnesota
has reinforced that the school bus contractor is on the right track, said Patrick McCarthy, director
of community and customer relations. “This was one of our best start-ups ever. We’ve added
more professional staff at the administrative level this year — a director of safety, a new human
resources VP and a new chief operations officer,” McCarthy said. “The addition of these folks
and many others has resulted in quality service.” With 150 school contracts, McCarthy noted
that the seven-year-old company continues to expand despite the shrinking budgets and staff
experienced by district transportation departments nationwide. North America Central School Bus
has subsidiaries in Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, Missouri and Kansas.
So what is the secret to their success?
“Safety is the number-one need of our customers. It’s nice now that we have a new safety
director overseeing all aspects of the company. We’ve been standardizing all of our operations,”
he said, adding that customer service and competitive pricing are also key
McCarthy said that customers appreciate their standard operating procedure to equip all school
buses with GPS whether or not the school districts require it. Nothing makes schools happier
than safe, on-time bus arrivals, as the following customers attest in letters to the contractor:
“It is nice to know not one board member has been called with a concern. That doesn't happen
very often! I would also like to let you know that our principals feel the same way. I have heard
from many of them, ‘The best year ever!’” — Denny Bloom, Business Manager, Stillwater Schools,
Stillwater, Minn. “There are no traffic issues, buses arrive on time, and we have all buses leaving our lot
within 15 minutes after our final bell rings. We all ask, ‘Is this really the start of the school year?’
Because the bus operations seem as if they have been fine-tuned over a period of months.
— Jon Gutierrez, Executive Director, St. Croix Preparatory Academy, Stillwater, Minn.

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From: Patrice Broding
To: Princeton, MN ICSB
Sent: Wednesday, September 28, 2011 11:17 AM
Subject: Thank you!
Just wanted to let you know that the bus driver who drove the 8th Grade football team to Mora
last night, Dwayne H., was a HUGE help to me in assisting getting my car unlocked last night after
I so stupidly locked them in my car. He went over and above and I totally appreciate it.
Patrice Broding
Project Coordinator
VEIT USA

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Dear Tom,
On behalf of the Lumberjack Days Festival Association, Inc. and its running race
the "Freight House Road Races at Lumberjack Days:, I would like to thank you
for the excellent service on the 2011 races. Once again the busing portion of
the race project was flawless! You have no idea how wonderful it is to have this
critical component in such competent hands. We are proud to carry you on our
sponsor roster and look forward to our future races with Minnesota Central handling
our busing. Thanks again for a great year!!
Best regards,
Dave Eckberg
Coordinator

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Seating Provided by IMMI Waltham School District Starts School Year with Lap and Shoulder
Seating Provided by IMMI
WESTFIELD, Ind. — In response to the Waltham, Mass., School Committee’s unanimous decision
in May 2011 to equip their entire school bus fleet with lap and shoulder belts—the first district-wide
move in Massachusetts history—IMMI today announced the completed installation of its SafeGuard®
seating products on all Waltham buses. For over two years, the Waltham4Seatbelts grassroots group,
with the support of Waltham Fire Chief Richard Cardillo, worked to educate the Waltham School
Committee on the benefits and expected costs of adding lap and shoulder belts to Waltham school
buses.

After more than 800 Waltham residents signed a petition requesting the Waltham School Committee
to add language to its Request for Bids school bus contract that included a requirement to equip
buses with lap and shoulder belts, the committee unanimously voted to outfit its subsequent school
bus fleet with lap and shoulder bets—adding just three percent to its transportation budget for the
upgrade.

Illinois Central School Bus, who was eventually awarded the transportation contract and named the
district’s new fleet provider, selected IMMI—an industry leader in the design, testing and manufacturing
of advanced safety systems—to install SafeGuard seats on its Thomas Built school buses and train
school personnel, students and drivers on the use and care of the new seats.

"We are very happy to see that all our hard work has resulted in Waltham offering the safest
possible transportation for our children to get to and from school every day, and, especially,
for the long highway travel typically associated with field trips and sporting and club travel,” said
Rachel Learned, Waltham4Seatbelts founder. “It’s reassuring to the parents on our committee,
as well as the hundreds of parents we formally represent, that our children will now climb onto
buses equipped with lap and shoulder belts. We’re grateful to the school committee, the school
superintendent, our fire chief and all those who saw the need for enhancing bus safety for all
passengers.”

“We’re excited to be a part of this unprecedented move in the New England area to equip
buses with lap and shoulder seating,” said Charlie Vits, IMMI’s market development manager of
sales. “Because our SafeGuard seating provides both compartmentalization and lap-shoulder
protection, we’re confident that we’ll be able to satisfy Waltham’s interest in safety for belted
bus passengers.”

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http://www.stltoday.com/suburban-journals/illinois/education/article_d07148e3-5bc6-5bd6-a53e-fff18639c4c9.html

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Over the Labor Day Weekend, Illinois Central had buses from its Rock Island, IL location,
in two parades; on Saturday in the Milan, IL parade and on Monday in the Rock Island, IL
parade. Employees and children rode the buses in the parades and passed out candy.
A great time was had by all!
Bill Ethington, Contract Manager
Illinois Central School Bus
Rock Island, Illinois

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ROCKTON — Illinois Central School Bus Co.’s second year in service of five northern
Winnebago County school districts has started more smoothly than its first.
Officials from each of the districts reported that aside from a few minor cases
of tardiness, all buses reported to school on time, and all routes were followed correctly.
The performance issues and billing questions that lingered throughout the
districts for a semester last year have been ironed out, South Beloit Superintendent
Scott Fisher said. South Beloit, Rockton, Kinnikinnick, Hononegah and Prairie Hill
school districts have been bidding for bus services together for more than three decades.
They had used First Student Inc., which has operated under three different company names,
for most of that time. But before the 2010-11 school year, Illinois Central underbid
First Student, and the districts inked a three-year contract with the Joliet bus company.
The problems started on the first day of school. Buses were late, students were left behind
and drivers didn’t have the right route information. In Rockton, the superintendent and principals
had to drive some students home. Over the summer, each of the five superintendents met
with bus company officials several times to make sure the drivers would be ready for the
school year. South Beloit officials talked with bus representatives eight times, Fisher said.
“I brought in our secretaries and our principals, and we made sure that whatever info they
needed, we gave it to them. So far, so good.” Rockton Superintendent Mike Greenlee said
the districts and bus company were able to review and double-check routes ahead of
time this year. “We worked collaboratively and made sure the addresses were correct,” he said.
“We did have a couple midday pickups (Wednesday) that were late, but those are usual type of
glitches for the first day — nothing too alarming. Hopefully, that will get smoother as the
week goes on.”

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Dear Mr. Oswald:
It is with great appreciation that we send this letter to you today.
Each year we welcome our new teachers to the district and include a bus
tour of the school community. Thank you for donating the use of the bus
for yesterday's new teacher tour. Not only did you provide the bus, but you
made sure the bus was air conditioned, making it most comfortable for all of
our new staff. Thanks again for your generosity.
Sincerely,
Wayne Terry
Principal: St. Anthony Village High School

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Dear Mr. Oswald,
My sincere thanks to you and your staff for providing the use of your buses for our
team training session. I greatly appreciated your prompt responses to my phone calls
and your willingness to take a phone call, even if it was after hours, we worked to
coordinate the event. My schedule of working nights does not always make coordinating
these events an easy affair. Your idea of providing two different types of buses was
ingenious and allowed us to work through multiple problems associated with each type of bus.
Your drivers were courteous and informative and answered all my questions when they dropped
the buses off at the site. Again, thank you again for your assistance. Without the use of your
buses this training would not have been possible. It was a pleasure working with you. I hope
that if the opportunity presents itself in the future we can continue this fine working relationship.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey M. Gort
Police Officer/Paramedic
Woodbury Public Safety
Team Lead
Washington County Special Response Team (SRT)

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At their annual "Back to School" meeting at the Channahon Illinois Central location,
Safety Stations were set up by the Contract Manager, Cheryl Jewell, to review wheel
chair procedures, bus evacuations, and pre-trips with drivers and monitors in order to be
fully prepared for the upcoming school year. 37 drivers and 10 monitors participated in the
day's activities.

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Pat,
A group of us at the Princeton location got a team together (Eightways for Life) for
the Relay for Life on Friday August 5th thru 6th. We had a survivor on our team my
dispatcher Liz Fawkes. All the teams raised $28,000.00 in Princeton. We stayed up
all night walking on a course surrounded by candle lite luminary bags with peoples
names on them that have cancer, has conquered cancer and who has lost there life
to cancer. We had a wonderful time. We raised money by having a garage sale, car wash
and selling luminary bags. Attached is a team picture.

Chrysann Carriveau
Contract Manager
Minnesota Central School Bus

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http://www.stnonline.com/home/press-releases/3575-illinois-central-school-busnorth-america-central-school-bus-continues-growth

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From: Chrystal Overturf
Subject:
To: "Danny Hundley"
Date: Friday, May 20, 2011, 12:12 PM

********************************************************************************************************************

Subject: Field Trip

You may or may not have heard that our bus blew a tire on Friday's field trip. I sent an e-mail to the parents of the students
who were riding the bus. I wanted parents to hear from the school about what took place.

Dear Fifth and Sixth Grade Parents,

Yesterday’s field trip to the Cubs game was a memorable and fun experience. Everything went very smoothly
with two exceptions. The first is the Cubs lost. For those who are Cubs fans, this was a disappointment.

The other incident occurred on the way to the ballpark. A tire on the bus blew out on Route 55 as we were nearing Chicago.
Our driver, Michelle E., kept complete control of the bus and maneuvered it to the side of the highway. She then had to
take the bus to a safe spot that would allow the passengers to exit and the tire to be changed. She did this very carefully.

We waited only a very short time after the bus was parked and another bus arrived to take our group to the park.
Our driver waited for a service truck to change the tire. She then drove the original bus to the ballpark and waited to
take us home.

The bus driver did a great job of handling the problem, the students behaved very well, and our parent chaperones
were a huge help. I am very grateful to all those who participated in this field trip. May God bless you.

Mr. D,
Immaculate Conception School
Morris, IL

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By Peg Mannion Tuesday at 4:05 p.m.
Trib Local Wheaton

Glenbard District 87 recently partnered with Queen Bee Elementary District 16, Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 and
Community Consolidated School District 89 to cooperatively bid regular education transportation services. By combining
each district’s transportation requirements, this new cooperative is able to realize significant savings in its transportation
services. Combined aggregate savings over the initial 3-year contract term from each districts’ current spend will total
more than $3.5 million. Glenbard District 87’s savings alone total $725,800 per year (22.9% savings), or more than $2.1
million over the 3-year contract term.

Chris McClain, Assistant Superintendent for Business Services, initiated communication with Glenbard’s feeder school
districts to determine their interest in working together to solicit bids for transportation services. By combining efforts
the cooperative was able to save significant dollars. These savings are critical to each of the school districts at a time
when the state has significantly reduced funding for regular transportation.

Each school district will present its Board of Education with a recommendation to award a contract to Illinois Central
School Bus. On April 25, the Glenbard District 87 Board of Education approved awarding a contract to Illinois Central
School Bus.

This cooperative aligns with Glenbard’s key financial objectives:

• A balanced budget
• No issuance of tax anticipation warrants (short-term borrowing was not required)
• Maintaining a solvency position.

Fast facts about Illinois Central School Bus:
• Founded in 2004
• 6th largest student transportation school bus company in the United States
• Contracts with 92 school districts
• Equips all buses with GPS & radios; 50% of buses have video surveillance cameras
• Exceeds State of Illinois requirements in safety training and skill refinement
• Will utilize Versatrans SW – Glenbard’s current transportation software solution
• Registered with the Illinois Department of Education; the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration;
complies with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations

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April 11, 2011

Dear Tom,
On behalf of Stillwater Area Public Schools, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to you and
Minnesota Central School Bus Company. You went "beyond the call of duty" in assisting with the preparations along
with your generous donation of buses and staff time for the Fill That Bus Community Wide Food Drive.
It is through partnerships such as ours that makes the community of Stillwater a better place to work and live.

Sincerely,
Chris Lennox, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning

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BOARD OF EDUCATION

School District 189

1005 State Street ~ East St. Louis, Illinois 62201

THERESA E. SAUNDERS, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

April 5, 2011

Dear Illinois Central:

Re: Award Decision, Purchasing Department RFP #1228 for Student Transportation

Congratulations! The evaluation panel has completed its review of the proposals received.
We are pleased to announce that your proposal received the panel's highest score. We would
like to set up a brief meeting this week to finalize a contract for these services.
Thank you for submitting your proposal; we are looking forward to working with you!

This award is a final decision, subject to the successful negotiation of a mutually acceptable contract.

******************************************************************************************

From: McCormic, Chrisanthe, Bloomington Public Schools
Sent: Friday, April 01, 2011 11:35 AM
To: jeff gordon, Illinois Central
Cc: Lammers, Christina; Reilly, Barry
Subject: Compliment for a bus monitor

Hi Jeff,

I just had a woman call to say that she witnessed something very nice this morning as students
were getting dropped off at Irving.

She was on her way to work and in a hurry. She was grouchy because of the closed part of Lee Street
blocking her usual route and she had to go around. Then she was grouchier because she got stuck waiting
for one of our buses to drop off kids on Mason.

As she was waiting she noticed a man standing outside bus 16, greeting each child as they got off the bus.
She was truly touched at how kind the man was to the children and that he seemed sincerely concerned that
they start their day of with a big smile and word of encouragement. She said he greeted each and every child
getting off the bus. She ended up feeling much better and actually cried over how nice he was being.

His name is Winston and he is a bus monitor on bus 16.

This woman wanted to call so that this man would know that her day was truly blessed by watching him interact
so kindly with the kids. It changed her attitude completely and made the rest of her day great.
She just wanted to make sure that he got the message that his kindness was noticed and appreciated by a stranger.
She was choked up just telling me about it over the phone.

Have a great day,

Chris McCormic

*********************************************************************************************************************

Daily American, The (West Frankfort, IL) March 16, 2011
Students Must of Course Arrive at School Safely Before They Can Begin Their Studies
Transportation Author: Jeff Webb Special to the Daily Section: News
Page: B7
Estimated printed pages: 2 Article Text:Danny Hundley, who directs the school busses and their precious cargo each day,
has one of the most important jobs in the district and, according to school authorities, he does it well."I enjoy my position
here with Illinois-Central School Bus as the Operations Supervisor for the West Frankfort 168 School District. Illinois Central is the fastest growing school bus company in the nation. Our motto is 'Safety First, Quality Always.'
We serve school districts throughout Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, Missouri, and Kansas, and have the privilege to serve
several districts throughout the central and southern Illinois region. "We currently have over 2,300 buses in service. I have
lived in this area for 35 years, have been in the school bus field for seven years, and have served as the Operations Manager
here (District 168) for two years. Safety is our utmost priority. I have a 3-year-old son, and I try to approach every situation
as if our student passengers were my own children. "My drivers know you have to constantly stay aware of what is going
on around you. There are so many dangers in the world today. Navigating a vehicle the size of a school bus up and down
city streets with up to 65 children behind you is a challenge in itself, but you also have to be ready for any situation which
may arise. "I work closely with Superintendent Greg Goins and the staff at each of our schools to maintain a safe
environment for each student, and I think we all make an excellent team." Caption:
JEFF WEBB/DAILY AMERICAN

From the New Richmond News, New Richmond,WI

New Richmond, WI, will start the 2011-----12 school year with a new bus service.

At Monday’s regular meeting the New Richmond School Board unanimously approved awarding the
bus contract to North America Central School Bus, the sixth-largest student bus company in the United States.
The board approved the switch for several reasons, the most obvious being a $246,000 annual savings after
state aid special education reimbursement. The district actually received quotes from four companies other than
New Richmond Bus Service, said Tom Watson, of Watson Consulting. “Most rates came in lower than your
current vendor,” he said. North America Central School Bus will likely be housed in New Richmond Bus’
current garage, Watson said.

Employment with the new company will first be offered to the hourly employees of New Richmond Bus Service,
Watson said. After a time, and if needed, North America Central School Bus will then look to recruit additional
employees.

Additional features and perks that come with the new company include a transition plan, newer buses and equipment,
cameras on all buses, a GPS system with real-time monitoring that will allow administration to actually see the
buses on a map as they complete their routes, monitoring of when and where the buses stop and when and
where the buses are when the doors open.

The board members seemed most impressed with the new company’s routing software. The software calculates
the best and most efficient routes for the district and is able to print individual postcards with the route information
for the families within the district.

That information brought smiles from all the board members.

Marty Wold, board member, said after the troubles at the beginning of the 2010-11 school year, communication
between the parents and the bus company was of utmost importance to the district.

“With this you’re going to get better service, better equipment and additional services with GPS and
cameras,” Watson said.

North America Central School Bus also provides bus service to the Minnesota school districts of Stillwater,
Princeton and St. Anthony-New Brighton.

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Stillwater, MN, letter of recommendation

***********************************************************************************************************************

From: Kris Huntley
Subject: Thank you!
To: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Date: Thursday, March 24, 2011, 4:22 PM

Hi Tom,

On behalf of the clients and staff at Valley Outreach we would like to thank you and your team
for your generous contribution of buses and drivers to pick up and deliver food during the
World Record Food Drive. It was a successful campaign bringing in over 45,000 pounds of food.
That is a lot as you know from the time it took to unload all of your buses.

It was a delight to work with you.

Thanks-
Kris
Kris Huntley, Church Partner Coordinator & Emergency Fund Co-Director
Valley Outreach
1911 Curve Crest Blvd. W.
Stillwater, MN 55082
Website: www.valleyoutreachmn.org

***********************************************************************************************************************

The School Committee Wednesday night unanimously voted in favor of recommending
Mayor Jeannette McCarthy award a bus contract for buses with lap/shoulder seat belts.
The decision came after an hour and a half of debate, mostly between McCarthy and committee
member Susan Burstein, who raised concerns about spending extra money for buses with belts,
and not knowing exact figures. Burstein also said she worried the education budget would be compromised
to cover the additional expense, which could be as high as $150,000.

Eastern Bus Company made the low bid offer of $1,281,090 for a bus contract without
seat belts, according to McCarthy, and North America Central School Bus made the low bid offer
of $1,339,693 for a contract that includes seat belts. “Seat belts cost more, but that’s not a surprise.
It cost less ‘more’ than I anticipated,” Burstein said. “However, it is almost $150,000 more for buses with
seat belts, in a time we’ve had level-funded budgets, and this is not an educational (expense),” she said.
Burstein wanted to know whether McCarthy would take the expenditure out of the education budget.
In response to her concern, McCarthy said, “I already indicated, I support seat belts.” “I support seat
belts for safety reasons. I’ve said that all along. I know there’s going to be a big protest, so for me to
indicate (my support)” shows her intentions to fund the expense, she said. McCarthy noted she does
not have control over individual line items in the budget. She also said awarding a contract for buses
with seat belts may not cost $150,000, as district has the potential to save $60,000 by providing a place
for the bus company to house buses.

There are two locations the city could consider leasing to the bus company, McCarthy said:
Kennedy Middle School, or a Felton Street lot. Kennedy is the better option, McCarthy said.
Committee member Robert Cincottasaid he was “frustrated” that the School Committee was not included
in the discussion about leasing property to bus companies in exchange for a $60,000 credit.
“It certainly wasn’t brought to our attention during this discussion. I’m not too pleased about that,” Cincotta said.
McCarthy said decisions made regarding the $60,000 will be made on May 1.

For the past year, parent advocacy group Waltham4Seatbelts has been trying to persuade the
committee that it is imperative to get buses with belts quickly. More than 700 parents have
signed a petition showing their support of using buses with seat belts. Rachel Learned,
Chairwoman of Waltham4Seatbelts, said the group is “very pleased that Waltham school buses
will be equipped with modern lap/shoulder seat belts that have been proven by many years
of use in other districts across the country to provide a true safety enhancement to
school bus passengers.” “Soon our children will be able to buckle up on our buses just
as they do in our cars,” Learned said. Joyce Kelly can be reached at 781-398-8005
or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

*********************************************************************************************************************

Waukegan brings pep rally to Laremont
Chicago Sun-Times
Other contributions included transportation by volunteer drivers from Illinois Central School Bus Co. and a
donation of talking Spinoza bears to Laremont ... [click link above for entire story]

**********************************************************************************************************************

Letter American Lung Association

**********************************************************************************************************************

**********************************************************************************************************************

From: "Randy Merker"
Date: January 21, 2011 8:01:07 AM CST
To: "Barr, Bruce" (CEO, IL Central School Bus)
Subject: Fwd: Re: ALL Heyworth Buses started this a.m.!!!!!

Bruce-
It was a bit chilly (-6 degrees, -20 wind chill) in Heyworth this AM. As you can see by
this string below between Chris Strange and myself, she was in and had all of our buses
started by 5:09 AM when she sent the e-mail to me. 5:09 AM. I have talked with you
before about her professionalism, the good job she does, etc.
The bottom line is this: she cares. And that is why she was here so early today to make
sure we would be able to have school. As I have told you before,
I couldn't be any happier with her!

Randy
Randall G. Merker
Superintendent, Heyworth CUSD4
522 East Main
Heyworth, Il 61745

**********************************************************************************************************************

From: Walter Doughty
To: b ; m ; b
Cc: Jules Gaudin ; Dr. Donaldo Batiste
Sent: Tue Jan 11 18:04:50 2011
Subject: Thank you

To Illinois Central,

Please extend my appreciation to your bus drivers and staff who managed a difficult afternoon in transporting
our students home safely. The change of weather was unexpected and therefore created unanticipated delays.
In monitoring the radio this afternoon, the driving force remained professional.
Even with the couple minor accidents, everything worked out. I appreciate the efforts made to send a second
Greenwood Elementary bus to expedite the students ride home after cleared by the police.
Most Importantly, your dispatchers were readily available with each call and worked well to provide parents
updates on the anticipated arrival to their bus stops.
Thank you again,
Sincerely,
Walter Doughty
Manager of Transportation and Child Nutrition Services
Lincoln Center for Educational Services
1201 N. Sheridan Road
Waukegan, Illinois 60085

**********************************************************************************************************************

To: Tom Oswald, Senior Contract Manager & John Opitz, Assistant Contract Manager
From: Washington County SRT Commander, Sergeant Brett Billmeyer, Woodbury Police Department
Date: 01/01/11

Re: Letter of Appreciation

The Washington County Special Response Team, also known as S.W.A.T., is a multi-agency team,
which consists of police officers from Washington County Sheriff’s Department, Bayport Police Department,
Cottage Grove Police Department, Forest Lake Police Department, Newport Police Department,
Oak Park Heights Police Department, Saint Paul Park Police Department, Stillwater Police Department,
and Woodbury Police Department.

On behalf of the Washington Country Special Response Team, I would like to thank you and
the Minnesota Central School Bus with your participation in our annual winter practical scenario
training in Stillwater, MN. On December 15, 2010 part of our training included tactical bus entries,
which is a mission that we hope that we never have to perform. A bus assault is one of the
most dangerous missions a SWAT team would have to undertake.

During the planning stages for our training, one of our tactical members contacted the
Minnesota Central School Bus Company to see if you were able to help us out with this training by
providing the use of a school bus. Minnesota School Bus not only provided our team with the use
of a bus for the scenario, on short notice, they also provided a second bus for the tactical team to
plan and rehearse their rescue tactics for this scenario.

Working with the Minnesota Central School Bus Company, it was obvious that we share a common
goal of keeping our children safe. Thank you for your support and help with this training.
It was because of your help that we were able to provide realistic training to our Special Response Team members.

Sincerely,

Sgt. Brett Billmeyer, Woodbury Police Department
Washington County SRT Commander

******************************************************************************************************************

Over the Christmas holiday, the Missouri Central St. Louis location drivers organized a food drive,
resulting in well over a thousand cans and boxes of food being collected by drivers to assist
a local food pantry, as well as some specific local families in need.

******************************************************************************************************************

VFW Letter

******************************************************************************************************************

Letter of Recommendation

******************************************************************************************************************

West Frankfort American

******************************************************************************************************************

Union Eagle Newspaper

******************************************************************************************************************

From: Todd R.
Subject: Brendan R. Transportation
To: "Dennis Bloom"
Cc: "Tom Oswald"
Date: Friday, December 3, 2010, 2:48 PM

Dennis,

I hope all is well. I thought you would appreciate a quick note telling you how happy my Wife and I are
with Brendan's current transportation. Tom Oswald and his team are doing a fantastic job.
The current driver and aid are "A" team players. They are extremely professional and great to work with.
Thank you again for your help in making all of this possible. Keep up the good work!

Todd

***********************************************************************************************************************

From: Beth Brophy, Coordinator, District 159,

To: Stacy Hawker, Contract Manager

Yesterday Tracy went beyond the call of duty helping a Kindergarten aged child.
After dropping off child at assigned bus stop she noticed when she went by his house a few minutes
later he was sitting on front stoop and was unable to get into the house. Tracy stopped in front of home and
had him get back into warm bus and called dispatch, who in turned contacted me, Beth Brophy at 159 for a
parent phone number. Grandfather eventually arrived. Thank you Tracy. This is wonderful gift of kindness.

***********************************************************************************************************************

Thank you, David, for your work on the bullying issue. We have enjoyed the service you have provided us this year.
We have built a good relationship.

Happy Thanksgiving to you a your family.

Dr. Todd J. Koehl, Superintendent
O'Fallon Community Consolidated School District #90

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*********************************************************************************************************************

************************************************************************************************************************

Hi Pat,

I just sent you a picture of our chili cook-off winners here at
O'Fallon ICSB. David Petersen, our Regional Operations Manager, was here to be a
judge as well as Regional Maintenance Manager Mike Massey. Drivers
competed against each other by bringing in their favorite chili recipe. We
awarded prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. We also grilled hot dogs with all
the trimmings as well as some drivers bringing desserts. Picutred left to right
are Joyce Mitchem 1st place, Larry Luecking 3rd place and Sharon Richter 2nd
place. A great time was had by all!

Kelley Shore
Safety Coordinator
Illinois Central School Bus
O'Fallon, Illinois 62269

Pat,

We entered the 94th annual Halloween Parade in Alton on Saturday night and won
3rd place! We got our names in the paper and received a plaque at an awards
ceremony last night. We had such a good time!

I posted for people to come up with ideas and then took the winning team out to
dinner last night before the awards ceremony. The winning design team along with
many volunteers, decorated the bus and trailer in less then 3 days time. They
all did a great job.

I have attached some pictures for you to see. Our theme was a Haunted Prison.
The dead prisoners walked along side the bus in shackles and scared the kids,
more dead prisoners threw candy from the windows of the "prison" (a decorated
bus) and I was dressed as the Queen of the Dead riding in the graveyard being
pulled by the bus. It was a hoot! I don't know if you believe in spirits or not,
but Alton is one of the most haunted cities in the United States and if you will
look at some of the pictures, it looks like it is snowing. These are ghostly
orbs that were photographed. They are all over the place - as the sun goes down
the spirits were rising!!!

Next year - FIRST PLACE!

Sheri Kelley
Contract Manager
Illinois Central School Bus #4600 - Alton

Morning,
I just sent you a link to the TV news but I want you to take a moment to look at our own website at
www.dist159.com and hit the link that was created for Sgt. Alexander on the front view and you will be
just amazed at the presentation…..I promise you.

Thanks to Eddie Short and Naomi Perkins for their work on this and getting it up so quickly…….Thanks

Have a great weekend everyone.
Dan Thompson, Director of Pupil Services, District 159

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We used your buses back in September when we needed transporation for our overnight
conference and retreat in Wisconsin. We have used your company for several years now
and have always been satisfied with your service and value..................and we appreciate
Tim Clancy for making the arrangements with you. We also enjoy having him as one of the
bus drivers. Thanks so very much.

Gratefully, Johanna Scanlon, Church of St. Timothy, Blaine, MN

**********************************************************************************************************************

Stillwater/St Anthony bases have completed our Safety Meetings. I had a nurse at the meetings and have
changed the way we receive info from the districts on Special Ed students on mini buses and that are now
main streamed onto big buses. Folders with pictures will be on the bus and a copy at the base for each student.
Keeping in mind the HIPPA Laws we have used folders to protect the info as needed. We provided training on
Diabetes, Asthma, Seizures and Anaphylaxis to our Drivers and Monitors. Plus we explained the Good Samaritan Law
so employees are not afraid to get involved in helping our students in need. We took a lot of good feedback from
employees about this training.

DOT will be here for our December meetings.

Tom Oswald
Senior Contract Manager
Minnesota Central School Bus LLC
Stillwater, MN 55082

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Keona,

Thank you for meeting with us this week. Your attitude toward service and customer support is refreshing.

I don’t want this to be just a casual thank you note. I want to truly recognize what your leadership has meant
for the service we contract with your business to provide. We have contracted for bus services to piggy-back
the Gary School System transportation contract since the early nineties when we received back to back Grahm-Rudman
cuts of $1,100,000 over two years and desperately needed to find solutions to those cuts. Doing away with our
own transportation was one such solution. I have asked you for addresses to send copies of this email to your
superiors, and I appreciate the trust that you extended, not knowing what I intend to write.

Both with the prior bus company and with your own company, right up unto your arrival, our service was dismal
at best. Arc BRIDGES was suffering increases in bus costs and decreases in everything from happy riders and
families to loss of revenue due to late arrivals, riders being left on the bus, and even a rider being run over
and killed in an accident. Although there will always be issues, since you have arrived we know that our concerns
are all addressed. You have solved the loss of revenue issue with on-time arrival and adjustment of start and
end times. You have been responsive to our staff and to family concerns and you have assured an increase in
managing risk by both on-bus cameras that are now forced to function and by computer-aided GPS information
available to track routes and pickup and drop-off times which result in increase efficiency.

We are now looking at more cuts, and again you have responded with an offer to look at operations with an eye
to improving efficiency in routing. You share our concern for quality and make an effort to get to the root cause
of both little issues and major safety concerns along with us. As an ISO registered company, this is critical to us.

I am forever grateful for you, your service, your attitude, your leadership, your quality management skills and your
support for our mission as the service you provide is represented. We are very fortunate that Illinois Bus sent you
to manage our contract and we hope that we can work together for a long time into the future. -Kris

Arc BRIDGES
Kris Prohl, Executive Director,
Gary, IN 46408
http://www.arcbridges.com

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To Chrysann Carriveau, Contract Manager, Minnesota Central School Bus

Dear Chrysann,

Your staff did an excellent job transporting our students to and from the High School and Middle School
for the Web and Link Programs. We appreciate their dedication for providing timely service to our district families.
Please share with your staff our gratitude for a job well done and thank you Chrysann for being such a great leader!

Sincerely,
Rick Lahn, Superintendent, Princeton Public Schools-District #477

***********************************************************************************************************************

From: Kristin P.l
Subject: Fantastic City of Lakes Waldorf Trip
To: Tom Oswald
Date: Wednesday, September 29, 2010, 6:54 PM

Hello Mister Oswald,

My name is Kristin P. and I was one of the chaperons on the City of Lakes Waldorf school trip from Minneapolis to
YMCA Camp Menogyn on the Gunflint trail last week. I am writing to let you know of the superior service our
group received from both Rick and Bill.

As you must have heard, on our trip North last Monday September 20th, we made a stop for lunch in
Two Harbors, MN. There three people were stung by bees (myself included) but one seventh-grader at
least six times. She then had an allergic reaction which caused her to break into hyves all over her body and a
bumpy rash on her face. We were concerned and took her to the emergency room in town. Bill and Rick were
incredibly patient waiting for her to be treated as the other students had to kill two hours waiting for us. After
getting all her prescriptions, we were on our way again... just three hours behind schedule. It was getting dark
as we moved from bus to boat to arrive at Camp Menogyn and then Rick and Bill had to turn around and drive all
the way to Stillwater with the bus.

On our return trip Friday (the 24th) we were delighted to see them both again and were happy to stay right on
schedule for the trip home. I'm sure they had to sit in Friday afternoon rush-hour traffic on their trip home to
Stillwater, but we were happy they returned to take such good care of us.

I wanted to let you know how much we appreciated their patience with being much, much later home on Monday
than they expected and their dedication to safety and excellence in getting to Menogyn so early Friday morning as
well. I tell you this story in hopes they can be rewarded for their excellence, somehow. We are certainly very
grateful. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Kristin P.

***********************************************************************************************************************

From: Carol Peterson
To: David Petersen & Bruce Barr
Sent: Wed, Sept ember 8, 2010 6:29:00 PM
Subject: Princeton

Bruce/David: I want to personally "Thank You" for sending Chrysann to Princeton! I've worked in Princeton for 9 years and
this is the best start of the school year we have ever had! Her professionalism is outstanding! Chrysann has been inviting
Supt Lahn and myself to staff meetings and I can tell you communication has never been better. We appreciate the input
from drivers and the fact they know we care goes a long way too. We had a rough beginning last year and I'll be the first
one to say, I was not a happy camper, which you knew by my emails, so it is especially important to let you know when
things are going well too. You should also know that Chrysann attends our transportation committee meetings with the
school board, which they are very impressed. It's sometimes the simple changes that she is making that makes a difference
like the changes she made at the transfer site at the middle school this year to make it more efficient. You made a good hire with Chrysann and her staff. We're looking forward to a great school year!
Thanks.

Carol J. Peterson
Director of Business Services
Princeton Public Schools
Princeton, MN 55371

http://metropolisplanet.com/news.html

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June 14, 2010:
To Tom Oswald, Contract Manager, Minnesota Central School Bus, Stillwater, MN

Dear Tom,

Thank you so much for participating in the BIG TRUCK EXTRAVAGANZA sponsored by the Stillwater Early Childhood
Advisory Council. We greatly appreciate the time and effort you, Jackie Savage, and Terry Poirier put in to make
this event possible. The kids really enjoyed being able to take a bus ride, many of them for the first time.
This event could not be possible without the community support you provided. It's great to see the children's
enthusiasm and excitement as they walk around and look at all of the vehicles. Thanks again for helping make
BIG TRUCK so much fun for the community!

Sincerely,
Mary Scott, ECFE Advisory Council

Illinois Central School Bus Assists We Care In Collecting School Supplies - Morris, Illinois

Letter to the Editor,
In order to have sufficient school supplies to distribute to families in
need this year, We Care conducted its first annual "Stuff the Bus" campaign
on Sat., July 10th from 9 am - 3 pm. As Wal-Mart shoppers entered the store,
We Care volunteers handed out flyers with needed school supplies. Shoppers
then purchased items off of the list and brought them out to the volunteers
who collected the items and placed them on the waiting school bus.
We are pleased to report that the drive was a huge success. We collected
approximately $2,000 worth of notebooks, pens, pencils, rulers and glue
(just to name of few!)

Thank you to the many shoppers who participated. Thank you to Illinois
Central School Bus and Patrick McCarthy for the donation of the bus and his
time. Thank you to Wal-Mart for allowing us to conduct the drive at their
store. Thank you to Maureen Keegan who helped organize our volunteers. And,
last but not least, thank you to all the volunteers who helped at the doors,
we couldn't have conducted this campaign without your help.

The school supplies will be distributed to low-income families at the Back
to School fair later this month. Recipients will also receive new packages
of socks and undies that area churches have been collecting over the recent
weeks through our annual "Socks and Undies" drive.

It's not too late to help. If you would like to donate school supplies or
new packages of socks and undies, please drop them off at the We Care
office, 520 W. Illinois Ave., Morris. Office hours are Mon.-Fri., 9 am. -
noon and 1:30 pm - 5 pm.

Through these combined efforts, every child in Grundy County will have the
opportunity to start the school year off feeling well equipped and ready to
meet the challenges ahead. Thank you to those who did what they could to
help us meet that goal.
Denise Gaska
Executive Director
We Care of Grundy County Inc.

In its July 2010 issue, School Bus Fleet announced that Illinois Central School bus is now the
6th largest contractor fleet in the nation. According to the magazine, Illinois Central's fleet grew
by 825 buses to a total of 2,300 buses at the time of publication. Illinois Central also was noted as
having the biggest gain in fleet size in the country among contrators in both percentage, a gain of 56%,
and the number of buses added, 825.

From: Dexter and Tammy Judd
Sent: Jun 8, 2010 10:01 PM
To: Tom Oswold
Subject: A Special Thanks

The 1st Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division want to express
our sincere thanks to you and your staff for making our reunion in Minnesota a most memorable occasion.

We were afforded the opportunity to visit numerous sites in your great metropolitan area,
including Fort.Snelling, the State Capitol, the Vietnam Memorial, and the scenic St. Croix River.

We want to also express our gratitude to the Patriot Riders whom we had the opportunity to meet
during our excursion around the capitol. It is rare when a very close group of 10 war veterans reunite
after 42 years. The experience for our wives and us cannot be put into words.

Having transportation to see these great sites and continue the camaraderie could only have been
accomplished with the help of you and your company.

Again, Thanks for your support !
God Bless the USA!
Lt. Dexter Judd, Platoon Leader

I wanted to ask if we could request Dale to be the driver for our outings again next year.
The students and staff love him. The staff has mentioned that he is so good with the kids
- we feel lucky to have him as our driver!

Have a great weekend!

Mandy Lindbergh, SAMS Special Education

From: Janna Ruzek, Teacher, Princeton MN School District
To: Carol Peterson, Director of Business Services, Princeton MN School District

Subject: Bus Driver Appreciation Breakfast

Today after school, while taking my kids to the bus, I had a conversation with my students'
transfer bus driver, Lyle. After saying farewell to the last student in line, Lyle asked to talk to me.
I happily got on the bus and asked him how he was. He appeared to be "choked-up" and when
I asked him, again, how he was he said, "We got breakfast this morning!" (I had no idea what he
was referring to but I know it must have been something that meant a great deal to him).
Lyle said that "The Superintendent was there and everything! Carol Peterson was there, too!
They told us that they appreciate us and that we are doing a great job!"
He had a SMILE that filled my heart with such joy and happiness for him. I can only imagine the
delight it brought to him! Thank you for your kindness! It reminds me of why
I am so proud to be a part of your team! I REALLY hope you know what your presence
and acknowledgement meant to him!
All my respect,
Janna Ruzek

Chrysann: Please read the note below, because of 'You' inviting Rick & I to join you the other day,
this is such a positive result for the bus company and for the school district. It has truly been a
pleasure to work with such a professional and I appreciate how great we work together on issues.
Also, thanks for joining us this morning at the administrative meeting, everyone appreciates your
input and are looking forward to a great start next school year, bridge out or not. :-)

Carol J. Peterson
Director of Business Services
Princeton Public Schools

Just wanted to communicate that Ethan's bus driver made a special trip in her vehicle to deliver
Ethan's Mother's Day gift that he created in school today. He apparently forgot it on the
bus and she brought it after hours. We do have some wonderful bus drivers.
Michael McCabe
Technology Director
Pontiac CCSD #429
Pontiac, IL 61764

April 21, 2010
To Mr. Chuck DeVries, East Region Manager, Illinois Central School Bus

Dear Chuck,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Illinois Central School Bus for the fine service that you
have provided our special needs students these past three years.

Sincerely,
Carol Goecking, Operational Services Manager

On Thursday, April 1, 2010, Francisco DuPrey, Operations Manager of the Bureau of
Student Transportation Services & Fleet Management, Chicago Public Schools,
notified Illinois Central School Bus that the company had obtained a rating of 100% compliance
in an audit team review conducted on 3-2-10, which reviewed the compliance of the files of all
of Illinois Central's 224 vehicles, 279 drivers, 52 aides that serve the Chicago Public Schools .

To: Tom Oswald, Contract Manager

Tom, I think everything went pretty well today. I believe your guys have more confidence and knowledge
about tires and tire safety. I will put together a list of tools that we recommend they get in order to do
tire work properly and prevent any unnecessary injuries. Overall the fleet was in excellent shape.
In all honesty for an initial inspection it may have been one of the best fleets we have ever surveyed.
I realize you have a lot of new equipment, but your guys should be commended for excellent maintenance to date.

Shaun Marozi
Southside Tire SST Co. Inc.

SENECA – Illinois Central School Bus was awarded the contract to provide Seneca Grade School
with transportation the next three years. During Wednesday’s meeting, the school board awarded
the contract based on the low bid from Illinois Central School Bus. Superintendent Eric Misener said
miles shared with Seneca Township High School was one of several advantages with this contract.

To: Tom Oswald, Contract Manager, Stillwater, MN

Hi Tom,

Yesterday we had a student get injured at the end of the day. We had to call 911 and
multiple emergency vehicles showed up blocking the horseshoe where the buses pull up.
Jessie Sparks was amazingly accommodating to the split second decision we had to make
about moving the buses to another location. As the adrenalin was flowing and we were
trying to decide how to dismiss 700 students, Jessie’s flexibility and calm demeanor was
very welcoming. Please let him know that we appreciate his service to our school.

Thanks,
Kari Page,Principal
Wilshire Park Elementary
A school focused on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)

A law mandated switch means hundreds of thousands in saved dollars.
Reporter: Chip Brewster
Email Address: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Saving six figures and going local -- five area school districts are changing the way they move kids around.
Hononegah, Kinnikinnick, Prairie Hill, Rockton and South Beloit school districts have partnered together
and shared bus contracts for more than three decades, and now after about 20 years with the same
company they're making a switch.

Hononegah's school board met tonight and approved a change of contract from the current Ohio
based provider, First Student, to the Montgomery, Illinois company Illinois Central School Bus. Rockton
based Laidlaw used to provide service to the districts until First Student bought them out three years
ago and continued the 20 year tradition. Hononegah School District will save at least $100,000 per year.
Superintendent Dr. Randy Gross says it's not just the savings that the district is looking forward to,
"We're looking forward to working with Illinois Central and we're looking for quality programs and
quality safety as well from that company."

As for the nearly 100 bus drivers, a First Student spokesperson says many of them can become
drivers in Belvidere where the company has a new contract. As for the others the spokesperson
says typically the incoming bus biz will hire many of the old drivers as long as they meet company
standards. School districts are required by law to choose the lowest bidder for bus contracts
unless any issues come up during the research process. The new contract is for three years
starting this fall with a possible two additional years after that.

Thank you for the well-handled transportation your company furnished for the 2009
A.T. and T. Shoe Project. It was possible to provide shoes for 207 children.
We could not have had such a good day without your help.

Bill Skaggs, A.T. and T. Telecom Pioneers

Drivers Brooke Skelley, Thierno Bah, Bryan Edwards, Barbara Miller, Teresa Hollars,
and Don Taylor are to be congratulated on donating their time and talents!

Wisconsin State Education Convention
January 2010

Thank you for a fantastic show!

The onsite response from our attendees was positive, the aisles were full and your booths looked great.
The Wednesday morning breakfast was a success, thank you to our sponsors.
We hope to be able to provide something similar in the future.
We hope that you found the show to be a success.

See you in 2011!

Sincerely,
Alison Huber, CMP
Exhibit Show Manager
Wisconsin State Education Convention
www.wasb.org/convention

Jerrilyn Zavada
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Current bus drivers with First Student may have the opportunity to work for
Illinois Central School Bus of Channahon when that company's new contract goes into
effect with Streator Elementary District 44 for the 2010-----2011 school year.

Illinois Central School Bus hosted a question-and-answer meeting for current First Student
bus drivers at the Elks Clubs before the holidays. "We're going to accept applications from
current drivers and draw from more if needed," Diana Hallam, director of safety for
Illinois Central School Bus, told The Times.

Hallam said there are 27 routes to hire drivers for, along with bus monitors.
Drivers interested in moving to Illinois Central will need to complete an
application and go through the interview process.

Kathy Dennis has been driving for 11 years and has been with First Student for three of
those years, and has said some drivers are undecided about their future while they complete their
contract with First Student.

"It's kind of a tossup. Some say yes, some say no," Dennis said.

The school district is contracted with First Student through the end of the 2009-2010 school year.
Hallam expects hiring to be complete by Saturday, May 1. "We don't want to interfere with First Student,
"Hallam said. "Things are going nice and smooth."

The District 44 school board last month approved a bid from Illinois Central for
$2,532,213 for a contract to last through 2013. First Student's total bid was $2,730,375
with an alternate bid of $2,682,761. With the move, the district expects to have saved nearly
$300,000 in transportation costs over a two-year period.

The difference in bids will save the district about $180,000. Along with consolidated
routes and selling bus passes, the district will save another $100,000, Matt Wilkinson,
director of finance and operations for the school district, said after the bid approval.
The District 44 school board last month approved a bid from Illinois Central for $2,532,213
for a contract to last through 2013. First Student's total bid was $2,730,375 with an
alternate bid of $2,682,761. With the move, the district expects to have saved nearly
$300,000 in transportation costs over a two-year period.

The difference in bids will save the district about $180,000. Along with consolidated routes
and selling bus passes, the district will save another $100,000, Matt Wilkinson, director of
finance and operations for the school district, said after the bid approval.

December 8, 2009

Dear Minnesota Central School Bus Company,

Thank you for providing us with transportation for our Confirmation retreat.
We appreciate your good service, punctuality, affordable rates, and safe bus drivers.
It's a pleasure doing business with you.

Wishing all of you a blessed holiday season...

Sincerely,

Johanna Scanlan, Coordinator,
Blaine, MN

Illinois Central School Bus will be exhibiting at the annual National Convention April 10-12, 2010!

You belong at the National School Boards Association’s 2010 Annual Conference!
Cal Heminway, Board Chairman of Granby School District in Connecticut,
talks about what makes a good school board member.

Mark your calendar with these important dates:
Registration and Housing are now open!
Early registration discount deadline is December 30, 2009
Just announced! Apple co-founder and renowned philanthropist Steve Wozniak
will be the featured speaker at the Monday, April 12 General Session.

Emmy-winning broadcast journalist Charlie Rose will address the Saturday, April 10 General Session.
Grammy-winning jazz musician and arts education advocate, Wynton Marsalis,
will give a special talk and performance at the Sunday, April 11 General Session.

For details on sessions, workshops, and events, browse this website,
or take a look at the online conference brochure.

Be sure to plan early — see why it's more important than ever to attend!

NSBA's Annual Conference is open to all school boards who are
members of their State School Boards Association.

59th Annual Conference & Exhibitions
May 19-21, 2010
Pheasant Run Resort | St. Charles, IL

Professional development and networking opportunities at its finest – that is what you will find by
attending this Conference.

Exhibiting Registration is now open
School District registration opens January 11, 2010

At this Conference, YOU ARE NETWORKING . . . YOU ARE PARTNERING . . .
YOU ARE LEARNING . . . YOU ARE IASBO!

Minnesota Central School Bus will be exhibiting at the upcoming annual school board convention!
Join Us At The 2010 Leadership Conference
Join us for MSBA's FREE 89th Annual Leadership Conference January 14-15, 2010,
at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Our Keynote Speakers will be:
Dr. Bruce Weinstein - Thursday, January 14
"Doing the Right Thing" - Ethical dilemmas arise every day –
from getting back too much change at the grocery store to issues as a board member.
It might even be said that ethical standards can fall by the wayside when the pressure is on.
Nationally known ethics expert Bruce Weinstein examines how to lead a more ethical,
and ultimately more fulfilling life at and away from the board table.
Bryan Townsend - Friday, January 15
"Making Good Things Happen" - Good things do not happen by accident.
They happen on purpose when people who care about the right things accept
responsibility and do whatever it takes to make good things happen, even in difficult situations.
Join Bryan as he takes a humorous look at interpersonal relationships and what it takes to make
good things happen in this world of people.
Housing is now open at special rates. To reserve your hotel room at a special discount rate, click here
http://www.mnmsba.org/public/main.cfm

Illinois Central School Bus will be exhibiting at the upcoming annual school board convention!
2010 Wisconsin State Education Convention
Jan. 20-22, 2010 • Midwest Airlines Center • Milwaukee
http://www.wasb.org/convention/

My daughter rides a Minnesota Central school bus to a local elementary school.

I am in education myself, and I know that bus drivers and the transportation system gets overlooked
on most occasions and appreciation for what you do is not always expressed.

Earlier in the month of November, my daughter broke her collar bone. She was unable to carry her
backpack due to a shoulder brace. She struggled carrying much of anything. Fundraiser orders came
in at school and my daughter needed to bring her items home. Knowing that she was in a brace
and sling, the bus driver drove our daughter to our front door (the bus stop is up the street)
and had another student assist her in carrying her fundraiser to the door along with her backpack.
I am sorry I do not know the name of the gentleman who drives this bus, but I did not want
his actions to go unrecognized. Although this letter is well overdue, I would like to thank the
bus driver that made the extra effort to accommodate my daughter when she was unable
to do things she normally would be able to.

Please pass this note along to the appropriate people to thank for a job well done.

Many thanks,
Sherri Berg

Illinois Central School Bus recently exhibited at the annual "Lighting the Way"
joint IASB-IASA-IASBO Conference at Hyatt-Regency Hotel in Chicago.
Over 10,000 school board members and school administrators attended the premier
school services exhibition in the state on November 20 and 21.

To: Patrick McCarthy, Director, Customer Relations, regarding service delivered by Chicago North site

Patrick, sorry to have missed your visit. If I had known, I would have invited you to come to the Steppenwolf
with us, because I had hired 5 Illinois Central Buses for our trip. Everything is great with the company!
Dealing with Beverly, the manager, and Anna, her assistant, is always a pleasure. I have been lucky to have
continuity with two of your drivers also, Sylvia and Nina. They do a great job! The new buses look great!
Thank you for your continued support to solve problems, Happy Thanksgiving, and best wishes!

Maria Asvos, Administrator, Taft School, Chicago

From: Kyle Sykes
Subject: Bus Training on 8/19
To: "Tom Oswald"
Date: Thursday, August 20, 2009, 4:51 PM

Mr. Oswald,

I again wanted to thank you and your staff for the assistance given to me and the
Washington County Special Response Team in providing the bus for training.
It is a great benefit to us to be able to train with new equipment and keep up on
various changes and features being utilized. Other than getting a little wet inside,
I didn’t notice any dings or damage, but it’s not uncommon with our bulky equipment.
Please let me know if any issues arise. Again, thank you, and we look forward to future opportunities
working together.

Inv. Kyle Sykes
Stillwater Police Department
216 4th St. N
Stilllwater, MN 55082