UMA Announces Candidates for Board of Directors

 

The United Motorcoach Association is pleased to announce the following candidates for the Board of Directors.  Ballots for voting will be mailed to primary operator members for each company in October and are to be returned with a postmark by November 1, 2017.

Region 1  (includes the states of AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, HI, IA, ID, KS, LA, MI, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY) The following candidates are running for two open seats.

Tom Giddens – Owner, Pacific Coastways Charter Services, Inc. Garden Grove, CA

Tom Giddens has been a member of UMA since 1993.  Tom wishes to serve the UMA membership as a board member in order to be a voice for the Motorcoach industry at the Federal and State levels so that UMA can continue to promote its agenda to shape the future of the industry for the benefit of all Motorcoach companies.  In addition to serving as the President of the California Bus Association for six years, he has attended every UMA/UBOA Expo since becoming a member and participated in Legislative Fly-In days and safety seminars during that time as well.

John Grzywacz – Owner, CIT Signature Transportation (CIT Charters). Ames, IA

John Grzywacz joined UMA in 2002 and he has owned CIT Transportation since 1997.  He has participated in UMA Legislative Fly-In Days, attended and spoken at UMA’s Motorcoach EXPO, and was a 2017 Vision Award recipient.  John believes his experience in the School Bus, Transit and Motorcoach industries bring a diversity of experience that can serve as an enhancement to the UMA Board. Additionally, he has faced both challenges and successes in his business that he feels will help the Board, and the industry, successfully face future uncertainty and adversity to ensure UMA’s future success.  

Tom Ready – General Manager, Ready Bus Line.  Le Crescent, MN

Tom Ready has been a member of UMA since 1971 and active as a Board member for the past 27 years.  He served as chairman of UMA from 1993-95 and again from 2010-12.  He has served on the executive committee, and chaired the finance and bylaws committees as well as served in several other volunteer leadership roles.  He wishes to continue to serve UMA as an active board member by using his experience as an industry advocate to help guide the association and the industry into a safe, relevant and thriving future.

Jeff Rogers – Co-Owner, First Class Tours, Inc. – Houston, TX

First Class Tours has been a member of UMA since 1998 when Jeff’s father operated the company.  Today Jeff and his family members own and operate the company and support UMA by participating as panel members and speakers at various UMA events and EXPOs, as well as participating in various UMA meetings and activities.  Jeff currently serves the industry as chairman and president of the Motorcoach Marketing Council and is involved in supporting a variety of local and regional Motorcoach and travel associations.  He proposes that as a UMA Board member he would utilize his industry knowledge and collaborative relationships to help UMA to continue on its path of change and to shape the future vision for the industry and the association.

Region 2 (includes the states of AL, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA) The following candidates are running for two open seats.

Brian Annett – Owner, Annett Bus Lines. Sebring, FL

Brian Annett has been a member of UMA since 1997. During that period he has held many leadership roles within the association as well as the motorcoach industry overall.  In addition to serving ten years on the UMA Board of Directors, he also served the association as Chairman of the Board from 2014-2016.  During that time he worked with leaders of UMA and the equipment manufacturers to the industry to strengthen the relevance and value they both receive from UMA and the programs the association offers. Brian looks to remain on the Board in an effort to help guide the association to remain relevant in serving its mission to protect and promote the industry, as well as create valuable programs that serve the membership.

James M. Brown Sr. – Owner/Operator, Magic Carpet Tour Bus Service, Inc. – Richmond, VA James Brown has been a member and avid supporter of UMA for over 20 years.  He has been involved in working with many state and regional associations, was one of the founders of the National Association of Motorcoach Owners (NAMO), and is currently serving as the President of Virginia Motorcoach Association (for the second time).  He wishes to serve as a UMA Board member to help move the organization’s legislative and regulatory agendas forward as well as help the organization grow its membership base.

Ralph Young – Chairman, Young Transportation.  Asheville, NC

Ralph Young first joined and became involved in UBOA in 1960 and remained involved through its transition to UMA.  Today, Ralph continues to support the association and serves on the UMA Board of Directors; and has for the last 15 years.  He has served on the North Carolina Motorcoach Association board since 1960 and was president of the organization 7 times.  He is a member of IMG and also a member of the North Carolina Transportation Hall of Fame.  Ralph would like to remain on the UMA Board to help the organization through its current transitions in leadership and implementing new direction for the future of the association and industry.

Region 3 (includes the states of CT, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT, WV) The following candidates are running for two open seats.

Joan Libby – Owner/Operator, Cavalier Coach Trailways, Boston, MA

Joan Libby has been a member of UMA since 1988.  She states she will always be indebted to UMA for the direction and assistance she received when first establishing Cavalier Coach.  As soon as she was afforded the opportunity to give back to the association, she immediately seized it and was elected as the first female Board member of the association.  She has led a number of UMA committees, routinely communicates with her Congressional delegation in Washington, DC on behalf of UMA and was instrumental in getting UMA members involved in Habitat for Humanity efforts to help after Hurricane Katrina.  As a continuing Board member she wants to ensure UMA’s position as an irreplaceable resource to the industry and the only strong voice for small fleet operators in Washington, DC.

Scott Riccio – Owner/President/Founder, NorthEast Charter & Tour Co. – Lewiston, ME

Scott Riccio joined UMA in 2004.  He has been involved in UMA’s recent strategic planning efforts as well as being a regular attendee at EXPO and the Safety Seminars held at NTSB.  He has been chairman of the Maine Motorcoach Network, served on the Board, Executive Committee and Legislative Committee of Trailways, and is a member of the Motorcoach Marketing Council.  In an industry and business that is unique, Scott proposes that by using his knowledge of growing a motorcoach business from the ground up, along with the diverse nationwide network of motorcoach industry colleagues he has assembled, he can help UMA lead by example as the association helps the membership overcome any challenges ahead.

Tim Stout – President, Stout’s Transportation.  Trenton, NJ

Tim Stout joined UMA in 1994.  He states that he takes great pride in this industry and feels that one can’t complain about regulations unless they are actively involved in trying to change them.  As such he has been attending UMA EXPO for over 20 years, is a speaker at UMA meetings, and actively participates in the Legislative Fly-In event.  He has also served on the UMA Board of Directors and a variety of committees for the last three years.  He would like to continue to represent his region and its members as a Board member, and continue his work to represent members concerns and ideas while also finding ways to enhance UMA membership benefits, while working to enhance the overall industry.

Region 4 (includes all Provinces and Territories in Canada) The following candidate is running for one open seat.

Larry Hundt – Owner, Great Canadian Holiday & Coaches. Kitchener, ON

Larry Hundt has been an active member and supporter of UMA since joining in 2005. He has served in various committee roles during that time, including as chair of the UMA Meetings Committee for 5 years. For the past 7 years, he has served on the UMA Board of Directors representing Region 4. Larry looks forward to continuing to represent UMA’s Canadian members for another term on the Board of Directors.

Share this post