Sean Piersall felt a sense of accomplishment after finally clinching the Grand Champion title at the 2025 UMA Maintenance Competition.
The Adventure Tours technician from Maryland had come close before, finishing fourth last year. This time, he emerged victorious in the Feb. 22 competition at the four-day 2025 UMA Motorcoach EXPO in Oklahoma City.
The competition, which tests motorcoach technicians on their diagnostic and problem-solving skills, was particularly challenging this year. Participants faced a rigorous examination that tested their technical knowledge and a hands-on troubleshooting segment featuring Van Hool and MCI coaches.
“It was wild,” said Piersall, who has been in the industry for 15 years. “I mean, it’s always been challenging.”
‘Invaluable’ learning experience
He has been with Adventure Tours for three and a half years and previously worked for a transportation company in Charlotte.
“My first UMA was in 2013,” he said. “I’ve been to maybe four or five since then.”
Beyond the competition, Piersall emphasized the value of attending the UMA EXPO, particularly the Maintenance Interchange, held the day before the competition.
“Maintenance Interchange is a communion with a lot of people in the same industry, being able to identify a lot of common issues, seeing people’s unique perspectives on how they’re going to repair them,” Piersall said. “I think it’s invaluable.”
Adventure Tours, where Piersall works, operates five locations across the East Coast: its original location in Accokeek, Maryland, and locations in Charlotte, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; Philadelphia; and New York. Piersall works in the Charlotte facility.
Windstar has two top performers
Windstar Lines once again had a big showing at the awards ceremony. Last year, two employees took first place in the driver and maintenance competition. This year, the Carroll, Iowa-based company with locations across the Midwest had two winners in the top three of the maintenance competition, and Scott Greteman, one of the owners of the second-generation family business, was up front taking photos of his employees collecting their hardware.
Noah Linesburg, 25, one of Windstar Lines’ newest technicians, took first runner-up honors and received the UMA Rising Star Award, a new accolade created last year and sponsored by Stertil-Koni. The award recognizes technicians with two or fewer years of experience in the industry.
Linesburg, who started his career straight out of high school and has worked in the field for just over a year, entered the motorcoach industry by chance. He credited Juan Velasquez, last year’s Grand Champion, for helping him.
“I was looking for a job one day and saw an ad for Windstar,” Linesburg said. “I didn’t know much about it before applying – just what Google told me. But I talked to Scott, and the rest is history.”
Learning experience
Linesburg said Velasquez has guided him through the intricacies of the motorcoach maintenance industry.
“Juan’s a great mentor,” he said. “The motorcoach industry is so tight-knit compared to anything else I’ve ever been around. It’s really a great thing to be part of and work with all these super-intelligent techs.”
Linesburg found his first-time experience at the Maintenance Interchange eye-opening.
“The Interchange was a great experience. Just hearing so much information from so many different corners of the industry,” he said. “Small operators, big operators, guys working on every brand. It makes you think about our tough weeks. Maybe other people go through the same.”
Velasquez says seeing Linesburg on stage was a moment of pride for him.
“Noah was able to get the Rising Star and even beat me—which I’ve been telling everybody since he was ready to go that this guy was probably going to beat me,” Velasquez said with a laugh. “He’s a young stud. I know he credits me a little bit, but he’s got it all himself. He’s really smart. So we were really excited for him to show up and perform like we knew he could.”
Knowing the value of a mentor
Velasquez, who lives in Nebraska but works throughout the Midwest to oversee Windstar’s maintenance division, has become known not just for his technical skills, but for his mentorship of up-and-coming talent. It’s a role he’s passionate about because he remembers the impact of a good mentor early in his career.
“I came into my first job very nervous, wondering, is this even going to work out? Am I going to be able to handle it?” he recalled. “But I had a great mentor at Lux Bus. He was stern when he needed to be. If you messed up, you owned it. But every time you did something right, he made sure you knew he appreciated it. That felt good.”
That experience shaped how Velasquez now leads and supports those around him.
“I really try to show them that they’re doing a good job, not just correct them when something could be better, but also compliment them when they diagnose something accurately,” he said. “It gives them a boost and helps them see they’re on the right path.”
Velasquez believes the keys to nurturing young talent are recognizing their strengths and supporting their growth with honesty and encouragement.
“If someone’s good at electrical, I’ll focus on helping them excel at that. And if there’s an area they struggle with, I’ll step in, especially if it’s in my wheelhouse,” he said. “It’s about sharing tips and tricks that help them get through the tough stuff.”
And he’s honest about the challenges, too.
“I tell them this stuff is hard. There are going to be hard days. But when you get through them, you become stronger. Life’s hard work. This is just work, you know.”
Kevin Whitworth, the longtime volunteer coordinator for the Maintenance Competition and Maintenance Interchange, noted the event’s continued growth and industry support. as well as the knowledge-sharing and camaraderie at the Maintenance Interchange and Maintenance Competition.
“Competitions like this are a front-line effort to elevate service standards in the motorcoach industry,” Whitworth said. “We’re proud to see both seasoned professionals and new talent showcasing their skills.”
Photos by Jill Kelly of Terrapin Blue.
