Our History

Highlights

• 1975 — Steve Rustman became the northeastern Missouri Blue Bird school bus distributor known as Rustman Bus Sales
• 1977 — Gary Deeken joined the Company as a school bus salesman and assistant contract manager
• 1980 — Blue Bird sales territory expanded to include most of Missouri and Southern Illinois, and the Company became the Missouri distributor for ElDorado National
• 1982 — Rustman Bus Sales named by Inc. Magazine as the 50th fastest-growing privately-held Company in the United States
• 1985 — Company name changed to Central States Bus Sales, Inc., and a new sales and service facility was built at 2450 Cassens Drive in Fenton (west St. Louis County), Missouri
• 1992 — Gary Deeken completed the stock-buyout purchase of the Company from Steve Rustman
• 1993 — Jeff Reitz joined Central States Bus Sales, Inc., as a bus salesman
• 1997 — Blue Bird sales territory expanded to include remainder of Missouri and all of Arkansas
• 2000 — a new full-service facility was built in North Little Rock, Arkansas, to service our Arkansas customers
• 2001 — Jeff Reitz was promoted to the position of Director of Bus Sales
• 2004 — Central States was awarded the additional Blue Bird sales territory of Tennessee and Kentucky
• 2005 — a new full-service facility was completed at Lebanon, Tennessee, to service our Tennessee and Kentucky customers
• 2006 — Central States acquired the assets of Heartland Bus Sales, making Central States the Blue Bird distributor for the entire state of Illinois. Jeff Reitz was promoted to the position of Vice President of Bus Sales, overseeing bus sales operations in all four locations
• 2010 — Jeff Reitz purchased the Company from Gary Deeken, becoming its new President and CEO

Details

In 1975, Steve Rustman left a school bus sales and contracting company named R. W. Harmon & Sons and started his own company called Rustman Bus Sales, a school bus distributor. Steve began representing the Blue Bird Body Company as their distributor for northeastern Missouri. Gary Deeken joined the Company as a school bus salesman and assistant contract manager in August of 1977.

In 1980, Rustman Bus Sales was awarded additional Blue Bird sales territory that included most of Missouri and the Southern half of Illinois; and it began representing ElDorado National as one of its original distributors. The company grew at a phenomenal rate in the early 1980s, doubling in size in several successive years; and Gary Deeken was promoted to Bus Sales Manager.

In 1982, Inc. Magazine recognized this organization as the 50th fastest-growing privately-held company in the United States. By 1985, the Company had signed distribution agreements with several other bus and wheelchair lift manufacturers, the Company's name was changed to Central States Bus Sales, Inc., and a new sales and service facility was built on Cassens Drive in Fenton (St. Louis County), Missouri. Steve Rustman sold the Company to Gary Deeken, and Jeff Reitz joined the Company in 1993 as a Bus Sales Representative.

In 1997 Blue Bird approached Gary Deeken about additional sales territory for the rest of Missouri and the state of Arkansas. This was an excellent opportunity for growth and offered many managerial synergies. Jeff Reitz moved to Arkansas and established a sales and service facility in Sherwood, a suburb of Little Rock, in a leased facility.

At the same time, the St. Louis operation was bursting at the seams. In 1998, the Fenton facility was expanded to include two additional service bays, parts warehouse, and more office space. By 2000, the lease on the Arkansas facility had expired; so an 8,000 sq. ft. sales and service facility was built in North Little Rock, Arkansas. In 2001, Jeff Reitz moved back to the headquarters in Fenton, Missouri, to assume the position of Director, Bus Sales.

In 2004, Central States acquired additional Blue Bird sales territory for the states of Tennessee and Kentucky and built a new 10,000 sq ft. sales and service facility in Lebanon, Tennessee. Jeff Reitz was promoted to Vice President of Sales and Marketing to oversee the sales operations of all facilities. In May 2006, Central States acquired the assets and parts inventory of Heartland Bus Sales, Inc., making Central States the Blue Bird distributor for the entire State of Illinois and Blue Bird's largest distributor.

In 2009, Gary Deeken was approached by a group of investors who were interested in investing in the future of Central States Bus Sales, Inc. due to the Company’s continued stable growth. Gary saw an opportunity for the Company to expand in new directions and an opportunity for him to hand off the remainder of his responsibilities to his long-time friend and confidant, Jeff Reitz.  Jeff, with the help of these investors, purchased the Company from Gary in March 2010.