Palmer Bus Service, Inc.

Company

Our Company

Palmer Bus Service began in St. Clair, MN in 1974, with 8 buses and a dream. It is a family owned and operated business that has grown over the years with the hard work and commitment of many individuals. We are committed to our Purpose and Core Values. They represent WHO we are as a company.

Our
Purpose

Serving our communities by safely transporting students.

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Our
Core
Values

Safety

Safety and quality of service are essential.

Integrity

We are honest, have integrity and are ethical in our business.

Dignity

We treat each employee with dignity and as an individual.

Help

We are a business family and we help each other.

Community

We are responsible and contribute to the communities we serve.

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Our Team

Jenna Fromm

CEO of Palmer Bus Service

Jenna Fromm is the CEO of Palmer Bus Service. She grew up in the town of St. Clair, MN spending her summers cleaning buses, painting wheels and waxing bus floors. Jenna got her school bus license in September of her senior year in high school and drove bus that year. Jenna became a teacher, married her high school sweetheart and lived in the Twin Cities area raising their four children and helping her husband with his business for the next decade.

In 2012 Palmer Bus Service was transferred from Floyd and Lois Palmer to their daughters, Hollie Johnson and Jenna Fromm. Jenna stepped into a leadership role with Palmer Bus Service in 2015.

Jenna loves her job and takes the responsibility of safely transporting students very seriously. Having a leadership team, site managers, office staff, mechanics and drivers that put the core values of safety and quality of service, honesty and integrity, treating others with dignity, helping each other and serving our communities first is what makes Palmer Bus Service run. Jenna is grateful for and humbled by her responsibility in this company and knows it wouldn’t be possible without God’s help and the hard work of all of the Palmer Bus Service employees.

Jenna Fromm

CEO of Palmer Bus Service

Jenna Fromm is the CEO of Palmer Bus Service. She grew up in the town of St. Clair, MN spending her summers cleaning buses, painting wheels and waxing bus floors. Jenna got her school bus license in September of her senior year in high school and drove bus that year. Jenna became a teacher, married her high school sweetheart and lived in the Twin Cities area raising their four children and helping her husband with his business for the next decade.

In 2012 Palmer Bus Service was transferred from Floyd and Lois Palmer to their daughters, Hollie Johnson and Jenna Fromm. Jenna stepped into a leadership role with Palmer Bus Service in 2015.

Jenna loves her job and takes the responsibility of safely transporting students very seriously. Having a leadership team, site managers, office staff, mechanics and drivers that put the core values of safety and quality of service, honesty and integrity, treating others with dignity, helping each other and serving our communities first is what makes Palmer Bus Service run. Jenna is grateful for and humbled by her responsibility in this company and knows it wouldn’t be possible without God’s help and the hard work of all of the Palmer Bus Service employees.

Chris Champlin

CFO for Palmer Bus Service

Chris Champlin is the CFO for Palmer Bus Service, he grew up in the school bus business with his grandfather and father owning a school bus company. In his early years, he helped wash and clean the buses until going off to college. Chris graduated from Mankato State University and spent 12 years working as a CPA in public accounting. He joined the Palmer Bus Service team in January 2008. Chris enjoys the challenges that come with working on contracts, finances and helping district’s make the transition to private bus service. Chris enjoys spending his spare time with family camping or at sporting events with his two children, Alayna and Cole. Amongst the many volunteer activities he has been involved in, Chris is currently a volunteer fireman for his community.

Shane Johnson

COO at Palmer Bus Service

Shane Johnson started as a CDL driver with Palmer Bus Service in 2002. In 2009 Shane became the Mankato Terminal Manager and in 2015 he took on the role of COO at Palmer Bus Service. Shane enjoys working with the Terminal Managers to assist them with issues that arise at their locations. He also locates and purchases new equipment for the company. Shane’s favorite part of the job is working with Jenna and Chris in developing the vision and strategic plans for Palmer Bus Service. Shane is married to his beautiful wife Syndie, and they have 4 children. They enjoy taking family trips, from the warm beaches of Mexico to ski trips out West. Shane’s hobbies include: hunting, fishing, working outside felling trees, cutting/splitting wood and shooting handguns.

Mary Gaulke

HR of Palmer Bus Service

Mary Gaulke (HR) joined Palmer Bus Service in 2017. Mary studied business management at Minnesota State University in Mankato and found her calling in human resources. Passionate about being part of a top-notch company, Mary enjoys implementing training, performance management, employee engagement, compliance, workers compensation, benefits and more to help maximize productivity by enhancing the effectiveness of its employees. In her free time, Mary enjoys spending time with her family and upcycling old stuff into awesome DIY projects. Mary is grateful for the opportunity to be part of the amazing group at Palmer Bus Service!

Brian Lynch

Facilities Manager for Palmer Bus Service

Brian Lynch started driving school bus while attending college in the 1980s for Palmer Bus Service. He became the Site Manager for the St. Clair terminal in 1988 and in 1996 managed both the North Mankato and St. Clair terminals. Brian’s career took a different path as he moved into manufacturing management until December of 2016 when he rejoined Palmer Bus Service as the Site Manager for the Waseca Terminal. In June of 2018 Brian became the Facilities Manager for Palmer Bus Service. Brian has been married to his wife, Linda since 1989 and they have three grown children, Nicole, Marcus, and Danielle. As a family they enjoy the Mississippi River bluff area around Red Wing, the Minnesota State Fair, and anywhere they can find a unique food venue.

School Bus Driver Appreciation Day

Without school bus drivers our children don’t get to their future

Sisters and Co-Owners of Palmer Bus Service: Jenna Fromm and Hollie Johnson

Hollie and Jenna