Spika's Knowledge Center had the privilege of hosting a conversation with one of the foremost leaders in the transit industry, one who is driving CapMetro toward a zero emission future, Ms. Dottie Watkins, President & CEO, CapMetro in Austin, Texas.In this deep dive, you will learn about a day in the life of what Ms. Watkins refers to as 'the accidental CEO' who first started as a bus driver, her views on a variety of aspects of a zero emission fleet from technology choices to workforce development and policy impacts, her take on funding innovation in transit, and among other things, her advice for young entrants to the industry. A compelling speaker and storyteller, in this episode of the Spika Speaker Series, you will know what makes Ms. Dottie Watkins an iconic and inspirational leader, and why "Austin can't Austin without CapMetro." This conversation was hosted by Bekhi Spika, Vice President and Chief Revenue Office of Spika Design & Manufacturing out of Lewistown, Montana, and Chad Catron, the industry specialist at Spika. Spika Design & Manufacturing, the sponsor of this program, custom-design and manufactures OSHA compliant work platforms for lanyard-free fall protection at varying heights and cantilevers, to fit any fleet and any maintenance facility of a transit agency. Learn more about the sponsor at https://spikamfg.com
Enjoy this virtual fireside chat style conversation with Mr. Andrew Von Ah of the U.S. Government Accountability Office about the research effort that he directed at the behest of the U.S. Congress, later published as a report titled 'Transit Workforce Development: Actions to Support Transition to Zero-Emission Buses'. Among other things, Mr. Von Ah discusses their findings about lining up a prepared workforce to ensure the smooth transition of transit fleets to zero emission, their observations on the ground, and what they learned from the experience of other nations with ZEB mass transit fleets. The report, which was released in November 2024, is available at https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-1.... Mr. Von Ah has been a Director in GAO’s Physical Infrastructure team since 2017. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Von Ah served as an Acting Director in GAO’s Defense Capabilities and Management team, leading work on DOD Business Operations issues for 2 years, and was an Assistant Director for Physical Infrastructure for over 7 years, conducting work on issues in surface transportation, aviation, telecommunications, and federal real property. A recipient of the Richard J. Hillman Human Capital Management Award, a congressional client service award and two meritorious service awards, as well as numerous other awards for high quality products from GAO, Mr. Von Ah entered federal service with GAO in 2000 in the Los Angeles field office and has largely spent his entire career in that office examining various issues related to infrastructure. Mr. Von Ah received a Master’s of Public Policy from the University of California at Los Angeles in 2000, and a Bachelor’s of Cultural Anthropology from the University of California at Irvine in 1992. In 2016, he received a certificate from American University’s Key Executive Leadership Program. This program, under the Spika Speaker Series, is a presentation of The Spika Knowledge Center, created to generate greater awareness about safe and productive access at heights and cantilevers, especially in the world of manufacturing and maintenance. Learn more at https://spikamfg.com or email us at info [at] spikamfg [dot] com.
Join us for a fireside chat as yet another subject matter expert on Zero Emissions in mass transit walks us through his journey, his team's research and talks about where all the road signs to zero emission transition in the world of mass transit point in the years to come.Mike Hynes is National Transit Bus Program Manager at CALSTART. Mike joined CALSTART in September 2022 as the National Transit Bus Program Manager. He leads the transit bus program as a member of the Bus Initiative team to assist agencies with planning, procuring, and deploying zero-emission vehicles. With more than 20 years of experience in the public transportation sector, Mike strives to expand CALSTART’s role in the adoption and implementation of zero emission transit fleets across the nation. Prior to joining CALSTART, Mike worked for Spokane Transit Authority in both planning and operations roles to include implementation of zero emission fleets and held operational roles with agencies in suburban Chicago, Reno, Nevada and Santa Clarita, California. Mike holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.This program, under the Spika Speaker Series, is a presentation of The Spika Knowledge Center, created to generate greater awareness about safe and productive access at heights and cantilevers, especially in the world of manufacturing and maintenance. Learn more at https://spikamfg.com/knowledge or email us at info [at] spikamfg [dot] com.
In this fascinating and highly informative deep dive on the topic of transit agencies adopting Zero Emission Bus fleets, Mr. David Carr, Director, Zero Emission Vehicle Program, CapMetro, in Austin, Texas, shares his perspective on the state of the industry and what it takes to navigate this generational change in bus technology and the level of preparation that it takes.
Mr. David Carr has over 20 years of experience in transit, utility, and university transportation management. Highlights of his career including deploying electric buses and infrastructure at RTC in Reno Nevada from 2014 to 2022, as well as working as an Assistant Director of Transportation at the University of Washington and Duke University. Currently Mr. Carr is the Director, Zero Emission Vehicle Program at CapMetro in Austin Texas where he leads the efforts on deploying a 100% zero emissions fleet by 2040. He graduated from Cal State LA with a degree in business administration. Mr. Carr currently serves on the ZEBRA Executive Council, and APTA Zero Emissions Fleet Committee, and has served in APTA as the Chair of the Electric Bus Subcommittee.
This program, under the Spika Speaker Series, is a presentation of The Spika Knowledge Center, created to generate greater awareness about safe and productive access at heights and cantilevers, especially in the world of manufacturing and maintenance. Learn more at https://spikamfg.com/knowledge or email us at info [at] spikamfg [dot] com.
James Hall, Principal & Founder of ZEB Tech, in conversation with Bekhi Spika, Vice President & Chief Revenue Officer, Spika Design & Manufacturing, Montana. James is an industry-leading expert in zero-emission buses and infrastructure with over fifteen years of experience in various forms of transit and automotive applications. He is the Principal and Founder of ZEB Tech, a specialized workforce development consultancy focused on guiding transit agencies and transportation partners through their transition to a zero-emission fleet. His career has positioned him at the forefront of significant advancements in vehicle technologies of all types including hybrid-electric systems, medium-duty railcars, and battery-electric technologies and infrastructure. During his tenure with ITLC, he led an industry-wide effort to author the Recommended Practices for Zero-Emission Bus Maintenance Training through the APTA Standards Program, development of the first publicly available BEB familiarization courseware, and expansion of available ZEB best practices and resources. At Proterra, James led the transit industry into a new era of operating and maintaining ZEBs by building a coalition of industry experts to support continued advancements in transit technology. He assembled a team of nine training and development experts to guide transit labor and management in their transition to battery-electric fleets. His team created brand-new instructional curriculum and courseware to deliver extensive technical programs for their national and international customers. James is a devoted advocate for workforce development in transit and actively participates in several committees within APTA and the California Transit Association, as well as serving as the vice-chair of the West Coast Center of Excellence.
The Spika Speaker Series in Spika Design & Manufacturing's Knowledge Center presents a conversation with Bryan Sooter, P.E., Director - Standards, American Public Transportation Association (APTA), in conversation with Bekhi Spika, VP and CRO, Spika Design & Manufacturing, Montana. This wide ranging conversation on ZEB standards covers the gamut, from how standards are created in public transportation, the challenges faced by transit agencies in getting prepared for an entirely new way of operating with entirely new technology in existing, new or modified infrastructure, the kinds of areas that new standards on ZEB can be expected to encompass, to the guidance on resources available from APTA for transit agencies shifting to ZEB fleets. Along the way, viewers will also learn the importance of treating ZEB acqusitions as complete only after a plan is in place for post-purchase opeations and maintenance, including safe and OSHA-compliant access to sensitive and expensive state of the art buses during training and maintenance of ZEB personnel, with fall protection standards commensurate with the investment made in the high-tech ZEB. Learn more about APTA Standards at https://apta.com/standards. This session is brought to you by Spika's Knowledge Center. Watch more videos at https://spikamfg.com/knowledge.
In the third webinar in our series titled 'In Our Defense', learn from the experience of the team at Spika Design & Manufacturing about the versatility of work platforms and their uses in the defense industry for safe access for personnel at varying heights and cantilevers during the maintenance or manufacture of tactical equipment such as tanks and tankers.
Throughout Spika’s 20 years of experience designing and manufacturing military maintenance stands, end users have shared their preference for work platforms to ladders due to the significant time savings and efficiency gains. This discussion includes deep insights on design considerations for work platforms to not only keep personnel safe, but also to protect sensitive equipment from damage while it is being accessed in facilities short on space and time.
See more designs and configurations at https://www.spikamfg.com/ or contact the Spika team at info@spikamfg.com to learn more. The audio for this podcast was extracted from the video recording of the same session that is available for viewing at https://spikamfg.com/knowledge.
The Knowledge Center at Spika Design & Manufacturing, Inc., in conjunction with OSHA’s 2021 Safe + Sound Week presents a recording of a special event on the Zero-Emission Transit Bus Technology Analysis (ZETBTA) study recently published by The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit), with Stanford University’s Precourt Institute for Energy (Here is a link to the study for your ready reference: https://www.actransit.org/sites/default/files/2021-07/EDT-060420_Report-ZETBTA.pdf).
The featured speakers in this virtual fireside chat were:
The virtual session was moderated by Spika Design & Manufacturing’s President & CEO, Katie Spika, and Vice President & Director of Sales, Bekhi Spika. The goal of this Knowledge Center event was to help the audience better understand the impacts of the study and among other things, understand how manufacturers and buyers of zero-emission mass transit buses ought to consider safety and training for the maintenance of the buses, especially with regard to safe access at heights and cantilevers. This event is a part of OSHA’s Safe + Sound Week 2021.
Time-stamped knowledge components of this presentation:
For more programs like this one, please visit Spika Design & Manufacturing's Knowledge Center at https://spikamfg.com/knowledge.
This is a conversation on best practices in safety at heights and cantilevers around sensitive equipment during fleet maintenance, featuring MRO and Safety leaders from the City of Tallahassee's StarMetro Transit System. This event recording is brought to you by Spika Knowledge Center, in collaboration with the City of Tallahassee, Florida. Learn from two renowned MRO and Safety champions about how their team works around sensitive equipment in the City of Tallahassee's StarMetro Transit System.
The featured guests, subject matter experts on safety in fleet maintenance for public transportation, are Mr. Daniel Dombrowski, Safety Specialist, City of Tallahassee, and Mr. Michael Vaughan, Lead Supervisor - Equipment Services, StarMetro Transit Maintenance, City of Tallahassee. The session was moderated by Spika Design & Manufacturing President & CEO, Katie Spika, and panelists included other leaders from Spika, viz., Bekhi Spika, VP and Director of Sales & Marketing, and Tom Spika, Founder & Chief Innovation Officer of Spika Design & Manufacturing, Inc.
In this new webinar series titled 'In Our Defense', learn from the experience of the team at Spika Design & Manufacturing about best practices in the defense industry for the procurement of work platforms used in safe access for personnel at varying heights and cantilevers, during the maintenance or manufacture of rotorcraft. Learn more at https://www.spikamfg.com/rotary-wing/ or contact the Spika team at info@spikamfg.com
In this audio version of the virtual event by the Knowledge Center at Spika Design & Manufacturing, Inc., held on November 4, 2020, the featured speaker is a subject matter expert from the public transportation industry, Mr. William Serenbetz, Fleet Assistant Manager, Pierce County Public Transportation Benefit Area Corporation (or Pierce Transit), where he is responsible for the safe and efficient maintenance of over 1,000 pieces of fleet equipment and management of the 40+ personnel tasked to do it.
Pierce Transit is a nationally recognized leader in the public transportation industry providing the second largest county in the State of Washington, with world class transportation services clocking nearly 10 million rides last year in a 300-square-miles area, getting people to jobs, shopping, school, etc.
Prior to Pierce Transit, Mr. Serenbetz had a glorious career with the United States Air Force, serving as Crew Chief for C-141 and C-17 Aircraft with knowledge of all aircraft systems and their interoperability, managing up to 35 person crews of multi-skilled personnel involving hydraulics, avionics, electronics, and jet engine specialists in maintaining assets in excess of $249 million.
He eventually moved into Learning and Development and was the Sole Subject Matter Expert for all Air Force training and personnel management, directing 14 program managers and over 550 personnel to comply with Air Force and civil operational training requirements.
After his retirement from the Air Force, Mr. Serenbetz was employed as an Instructional Systems Designer for Booz Allen Hamilton until he found his current position with Pierce Transit.
In this event, Mr. Serenbetz is in conversation with Spika’s leaders about lessons learned in designing and deploying work platforms for the manufacture and maintenance of sensitive equipment such as electric buses, so workers can operate with total peace of mind even at varying heights and cantilevers.
Spika's Knowledge Center is designed to help the world of manufacturing become safer and more productive while navigating complex access challenges through a generous sharing of knowledge from various industry experts at OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and MRO (Maintenance, Repairs & Overhaul) organizations, for the benefit of high school students considering a career in manufacturing, and to provide continuing education to those working professionals in the field of engineering, design and manufacturing, who seek to perfect their craft. Learn more at https://spikamfg.com/knowledge.
About Spika Design & Manufacturing, Inc.: Forged in the ethos that put Americans on the moon, Spika Design & Manufacturing, Inc. is a design-led manufacturing company classified as a Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB), based in Lewistown, Montana. Built on the timeless American values of quality, manufacturing ingenuity and innovation, Spika was established in 2001 to develop unique ways to tackle a variety of complex ergonomic challenges in manufacturing, assembly, and MRO, across industries. Spika Design and Manufacturing specializes in the design and manufacture of aluminum work platforms that help clients stay OSHA compliant and safe while working at varying heights and cantilevers. Certified under AS9100D with ISO 9001:2015 for the Aerospace Industry, Spika also designs for efficiency, improved throughput and for elegance that matches the professionalism of the global brands they serve in industries such as aerospace, defense, space, transportation, utilities, and technology infrastructure. Learn more at https://SpikaMfg.com. Follow us on twitter at https://twitter.com/spikamfg
This is the audio recording of an event by the Knowledge Center at Spika Design & Manufacturing, Inc., held on September 18, 2020, in conjunction with OSHA's 2020 National Safety Stand-Down for Fall Protection. Mr. Chris Tacke, MS IH, Safety & Health Specialist, Department of Labor & Industry, is in conversation with Spika's leaders as they extrapolate fall protection lessons for the construction industry from nearly two decades of designing innovative work platforms and maintenance stands in a variety of other industries where workers must remain safe when operating at varying heights and cantilevers. Learn more at https://spikamfg.com/knowledge.
Enjoy this recording of a virtual event held online as part of the OSHA Safe and Sound Week on August 14, 2020, during which Spika's leaders discussed a few of the many insights gained over a 20-year period of delivering world class fall protection systems that eliminate the need for lanyards. With real-world examples, they have addressed how workers at OEM and MRO facilities around the world are keeping their workers safe and productive, particularly when they work at varying heights and overreach. Learn more at https://spikamfg.com/knowledge. The original video recording of this event can be viewed on Spika's YouTube channel https://YouTube.com/SpikaMfg under the playlist 'Spika Speaker Series'.
