This photo shows Rob LaFontaine in September 2011, shortly after he was hired to lead Twin Transit.
There will soon be a new driver at the wheel of Twin Transit.
After months of delay and fits and starts, Bill Bates, chair of the Lewis County Transportation Benefit Area Authority Board, officially offered 30-year-old Spokane native Rob LaFontaine the job of general manager of Twin Transit, the Twin Cities’ local transit authority.
“I enjoy this industry,” LaFontaine said while soaking up the atmosphere of his soon-to-be new office that overlooks the interior shop area at the Twin Transit headquarters building. “It’s a rewarding job.”
LaFontaine’s official start date is Oct. 17. He comes from Bullhead City, Ariz., where he has most recently served as transit manager for the Bullhead Area Transit System, or BATS, a municipal public transit system with 11 buses serving four fixed routes. He has held the job since July 2010, according to his application.
Twin Transit will be a step up for LaFontaine. The BATS 2012 budget is just over $1 million, according to the BATS website. At $1.98 million, Twin Transit’s 2011 budget is nearly twice that. The transit system employees 26 paid staff.
Originally hired by Bullhead City as an administrative analyst, LaFontaine said he was “encouraged” to take the BATS position and turn the dysfunctional public transit system around. He felt he did just that during his tenure.
To find LaFontaine, the board elected to hire Prothman, a Issaquah-based executive headhunting service, who helped whittle the 32 applications received down to 10 before presenting the finalists to the board. There was one local applicant. Of the two finalists, the vote for LaFontaine was unanimous among the three-member transit board.
“We saw his resume right away,” Bates said of LaFontaine, noting his references praised his abilities and potential. “The guy’s a winner; a superstar on the rise.”
Bates said the board intentionally chose to “go younger” with the candidates. Transit ridership had not decreased over the summer and remains strong, he said. With challenges ahead, including a new capital improvement project, growing paratransit needs and declining funds resulting from decreased tax revenues, the board wanted someone who could help the transit system grow.
“Twin Transit isn’t dead,” Bates said.
The vote to hire LaFontaine was also unanimous among an employee interview panel that included Peggy Hammer, human resources manager for the city of Chehalis. The panel included Administrative Assistant Nancy Milewski.
“He did excellent in the interview; he’s very well spoken,” Milewski said. “The potential just leaps out off him.”
Lafontaine said the interview process was enjoyable. The first in his family to go to college, he referred to himself as more of a blue collar guy who likes to work with employees and isn’t afraid to get dirty. He said he sees himself as an advocate for employees, making clear expectations while ensuring their needs are met.
Bates praised the staff of Twin Transit for working hard during the search for a new general manager, saying they had “been great; they’ve really stepped up.”
According to his application, LaFontaine listed his desired salary as $65,000. He accepted the board’s offer of $70,000.
“Everyone’s happy about it,” Bates said of the decision to hire LaFontaine. “At least to my knowledge.”
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Lee Hughes: (360) 807-8239
