Chris Ferrone
Chris is President of Americoach Systems, Inc. Located in Glenview, Illinois. He received his degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1986.
Prior to earning his degree, Chris was a mechanic for the Chicago Sightseeing Co.* A motorcoach company his family has owned and operated for more than 100 years. Since graduating, he has worked in the areas of procurement, vehicle specifications, maintenance and design in an effort to optimize motor coaches for both safety and performance.
In 1990, Chris was named Vice-President of Logistics and Engineering for Chicago Sightseeing. He worked for the family business until it was sold in 2017 earning him more than 40 years experience in the motorcoach and transportation industry.
In 1988 he founded Americoach Systems, Inc. which specializes in transportation technology, management, safety and logistics.
Among his accomplishments, Chris holds several U.S. patents in heavy vehicle technology and has been honored with awards such as: The Energy Pioneer Award, for his work with bio-diesel (U.S. Dept. of Energy 1995), The Rising Star Award (BusRide Magazine 1998) and Innovative Motorcoach Operator (Metro Magazine 2006).
Chris has been called upon by manufacturers and government to assist in the testing and analysis of automotive products and processes which include; Detroit Diesel, 3M, Citgo Petroleum, Public Transportation Safety, Inc. Zonar Systems, Motorcoach Industries, the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department of Transportation.
Chris has authored over 150 articles and a technical papers and was a frequent speaker at the American Bus Association (B.I.S.C.) Trailways National Bus System, the Ontario Motorcoach Association, BusCon, Society of Automotive Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
*Additional family holdings were: American Sightseeing, Gray Line of Chicago, Prairie Trailways, The O’Hare Express and Chicago’s Original Trolley Lines.
Education:
B.S. Engineering Mechanics, with an Automotive Engineering Specialty, University of Wisconsin.
A.S.E. Certified in many disciplines, including Certified Master Heavy Duty Truck Technician Transit Bus Technician, School Bus Technician and Automobile Technician along with Detroit Diesel and Allison Transmission.