TAPT Conference 2022
TAPT Conference 2022
Tennessee Association of Pupil Transportation, better known as TAPT, held its annual conference at the Music Road Hotel & Conference Center on Monday, June 5th thru Wednesday, June 7th. Cumberland International IC Bus started the fun a night early with a Customer Appreciation Dinner Show for 260 of our customers and their families. This was a great night with some great food, entertainment, and laughs. A special thank you to the Hatfield & McCoy’s Dinner Show for being a great host for the evening.
The official start of the TAPT Conference was on Monday morning, June 6th, 2022, at the Music Road Hotel & Conference Center. The event began at 9 AM with a welcome greeting from Michael Lee, the 2022 TAPT President, and devotion from Donald Funderburk. The program continued at 9:15 AM, as Dr. Adrienne Battle, Director of Schools Metro Nashville gave the welcoming address. Discussion followed with an overview of the TAPT Association from Dawn Cox, how to get involved with Kim Bradford, Tammy Knipp recognized the Retirees, and Tim Maynard welcomed the new members. Cumberland International IC Bus was in the spotlight following the 9:45 session. This was our opportunity to introduce the electric bus and have some Q & A. The panel of speakers included Ashley Scurlock, Bus Account Manager with Cumberland International, Trish Reed the Vice President & General Manager of IC BUS, a Navistar Company, and Kyle Maki, the Director of EV Field Services at Navistar. They answered many great questions from the audience regarding the electric bus and how it compares to its predecessor. Thanks again to Trish Reed and Kyle Maki for joining us on stage and helping us throughout the event.
Lunch followed the great discussion about the electric bus. A big thank you to Calhoun’s for providing some great bbq for those in attendance. During the lunch session, Ashley Scurlock hosted a game of Family Feud, an annual TAPT tradition. We randomly drew 10 names to be our contestants. Each contestant won some participating gifts and fun was had by all. The winning team won IC Bus throw pillows to take home with them from the event. After Family Feud, we presented all the movie posters from a world where Larry Riggsbee, TAPT Executive Director went into acting instead of pupil transportation, which made for some good laughs and a great wrap to lunch on opening day.
We recessed until Monday evening when a select group took a ride on the IC Electric Bus to Mama’s Farmhouse. If you haven’t been to Mama’s Farmhouse, plan a stop on your next trip to Pigeon Forge! They were fabulous with great customer service and great food. The banana pudding is the real thing. Just like Mama used to make it. Monday’s bus ride and dinner ended up being another great evening of fun learning opportunities in regards to the IC Electric Bus. We highlighted charging capabilities, and regenerative braking and answered questions.
The 2022 TAPT Trade Show took place from 9:00 AM till 11:30 AM Tuesday morning and so did the rain. But we made the best of a rainy situation! Attendees crowded the Cumberland booth looking for Ashley’s cookies! This year we had iced sugar cookies and they were loved by all!
Cumberland International IC Bus provided convention attendees with a large 2022-2023 wall calendar, cookies, and great conversation.
We partnered with another attending vendor, Thor Lift Services, who brought their mobile lift and raised the IC Electric Bus up to view the undercarriage. This allowed Kyle Maki, Director of EV Field Services at Navistar, to walk through any questions or field any feedback that anyone might have in regards to the electric bus.
We met with hundreds of great people, networked, and answered any and all questions that customers hadn’t had a chance to ask. We were thankful for the opportunity to participate in the 2022 TAPT Conference and look forward to working with our great customers in 2022 and 2023.
Special thanks to Chris Randall, Austin Ball, Mike Evans, Chris Miller, Trish Reed, Kyle Maki, and especially Ashley Scurlock for making the 2022 TAPT Conference successful this year.
