Green is...the 15th Annual
STN Conference and Trade Show

Ground-breaking speakers, hot topics and renovated surroundings will give this year’s EXPO attendees

STN has hit a milestone. This year we celebrate the 15th anniversary of our annual school bus conference and trade show. Over the last decade and a half, we have tried to give our attendees new, interesting workshops and exciting events to make their annual trek to our EXPO a memorable one, and we are not slowing down for this year’s five-day stint in Reno, the Biggest Little City on Earth. The surroundings will also look different from last year, as the host for our event, the Grand Sierra Resort, has completed a $350 million renovation.

Going Green the STN Way
With the environment and its current state on not only the minds of many of our nation’s leaders but readers and sponsors as well, STN highlights the importance of this industry movement by bringing in one of TIME magazine’s “Heroes for the Planet,” Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. For many years, Kennedy has championed an effort to clean up New York State’s Hudson River as the chief prosecuting attorney of the Riverkeepers, a group which goes after polluters of the state’s numerous waterways and has spawned 130 Waterkeeper organizations around the world. Kennedy will address the current efforts of the industry, as well as how cooperation can lead the way to cleaner vehicles and a safer environment, at the Blue Bird breakfast on Monday, July 28.

STN will officially open the conference on Sunday with a general session on alterative fuels. Moderated by a member of the California Energy Commission, panelists will discuss some real-world experience with various alternative fuels currently being used with school buses, including biodiesel, CNG, electric and hybrid-electric plug ins, propane, and ultra-low sulfur diesel.

Highlighting Safety On and Around the Bus
NHTSA’s 8-hour workshop on child safety seats in school buses once again returns to Reno. The recently updated course will show the correct and safe installation of safety seating by industry experts and certified instructors Charley Kennington and Jean Zimmerman with hands-on practice on platform-mounted school bus seats, as well as through lecture. A total of six hours of continuing education units (CEUs) will be available to all CPS technicians who complete the course.

New to this year’s pre-con schedule is child/adult CPR and/or basic first aid certification, allowing school bus drivers and other pupil transportation professionals to renew or complete their first certification. Instructors from the Northern Nevada Chapter of the American Red Cross will provide adult and child CPR, AED and first aid courses on July 26 and 27 at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino.

Nancy McBride, National Safety Director for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), will address attendees at the Tuesday morning Thomas Built Buses–sponsored breakfast. In her speech, “Getting our Children Safely To and From School,” McBride will discuss the issue of bus stop safety and talk about NCMEC’s Attempted Abduction Program, which was created in 2006 to analyze attempted abduction trends and patterns and collect information to assist law enforcement during investigations.

Within the Security track at this year’s conference, attendees will have an opportunity to sit in on panel discussion on GPS security.

Employed mostly to track vehicles, global positioning systems are now considered a security measure that can keep students safe and accounted for. Panelists Ray Trejo, transportation director of Deming, N.M., Public School District, Mike McQuade, chief technology officer for Zonar Systems, and New Mexico State Director Gil Perea will discuss the current trends of GPS technology, as well as large implementations and what’s on the horizon. New Mexico is currently working on a state-wide installation and has some unique situations concerning students who live in Mexico but attend school in the U.S.

We Got the Night Life
Starting Sunday evening with a welcome party compliments of American Logistics, SafeGuard and STN, we have something to keep you busy every night. On Monday night, starting at 7 p.m., join your fellow attendees at the Casino Night reception hosted by IC Corporation. Throw some dice to win prizes or grab a partner and hit the dance floor at this annual event. Spin the one-arm bandit for a chance at $1,000 at the Slot Machine Tournament on Tuesday night, sponsored by EZ-On Products. As part of the Grand Sierra’s recent face-lift, the hotel has added new restaurants and bars to give attendees an all-inclusive atmosphere.

Saving Some Green
With the slim financial outlook on the upcoming school year, STN gives attendees workshops that address a tightening economy nationwide. In “Cooperative Bus Purchasing for Head Start Programs,” Head Start alumni Jim Cameron and STN regular Denny Coughlin will look at the ways agencies can secure funding for new vehicles. The “Best Practices for Vehicle Procurement” panel discussion will give you the step-by-step process of how state school bus specifications are created. When you return to you home district, try some cost-saving concepts presented in “Preventative Maintenance.” Presenter Tim Ammon will help you understand, analyze and make use of cost data will directly impact your ability to buy new buses, including bell-time change justifications and how to minimize the impact that budget reductions have on your office, including basic accounting terminology, simplified cost allocation techniques and an explanation of what drives transportation costs.

The Ultimate One-Stop Shop
Whether you’re shopping for a new Type A, seating options or the newest GPS/AVL technology, the STN Trade Show has you covered. With more than 100 vendors and suppliers filling two exhibit halls, you and you transportation team will find everything you need and more. Work off some of those calories by treading 75,00 square-feet of the latest and greatest the industry has to offer.