Blue Bird to focus on school bus signature
By Brooks Rexroat
Staff Writer
Blue Bird Corp. has agreed to sell its Coachworks and Wanderlodge brands, leaving the company to concentrate on its core business of building school buses, officials said Tuesday.
That could mean growth for a LaFayette, Ga., plant where the company makes its signature product.
The bus maker will pare its recreational vehicle and commuter coach lines to focus on student haulers, company spokesman Ron Smith said.
"Blue Bird is going to focus on what it does best, which is school buses," Mr. Smith said. "That focus should lead to increased orders for school buses."
There will be no immediate impact on the LaFayette plant, but job growth would be part of a natural progression if orders increase significantly, he said.
The LaFayette plant employs about 400.
Stacy Mauer, president of the Walker County Chamber of Commerce, said Blue Bird has been a good corporate citizen and she would love to see the company grow there.
"Blue Bird has been a great employer in Walker County," Ms. Mauer said. "We love to see employers such as that add employees because we know they're a good company and treat their employees well."
The Coachworks and Wanderlodge RV lines and the Fort Valley, Ga., plant where they are built were sold to Complete Coach Works of Riverside Calif., but the vehicles will still be manufactured in central Georgia, Mr. Smith said.
"We think it's a win-win-win situation," he said. "Georgia wins with more excitement, Blue Bird gets to focus on building school buses and Complete Coach Works gets to grow their business."
In a statement, Bob Shaughnessy, CEO of Blue Bird, said the move is part of a restructuring process that started in 2006.
"The sale of Blue Bird Coachworks to Complete Coach Works marks the end of our initial product line rationalization plan," Mr. Shaughnessy said. "This transaction represents an important step toward returning Blue Bird to its roots as the nation's premier school bus manufacturer."
The sale price was not announced.
The LaFayette plant was idled for nearly a month beginning in January 2006 while it restructured its finances in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Cerberus Capital, an investment firm with other bus manufacturers among its holdings, bought the company last August.
E-mail Brooks Rexroat at brexroat@timesfreepress.com
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