Long-Time Transit Manager James F. Bender Dies

NASHVILLE – James F. (Jim) Bender passed away at a Hospice center in Pensacola, Fla. on April 21, 2011 at the age of 80. His wife Cornelia was with him at the time.

Bender began his transit career in Pittsburgh with the Port Authority of Allegheny County after serving as a reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in the 1960's. He joined the former American Transit Corporation (ATC) in 1972 as a marketing specialist, working with a leader in the field at the time, Henry R. DeTournay, ATC's senior vice president.

Over the next three decades, Bender assumed many management responsibilities, including that of regional vice president, where he negotiated numerous labor contracts around the country as well as successfully acquiring many contracts for the transit management company.

In recent years, Bender had been employed by other management companies, including McDonald Transit Associates and Ballard Management Group, where he served as general manager at locations including Nashville, Tenn., Jackson, Miss. and Decatur, Ill.

Bender also operated his own consulting services company, JFB Enterprises, where he assisted many U.S. transit systems with management, marketing and operational assistance.