We Go the Extra Mile

The GO Riteway Leadership Team

Bob Zanotti joined Go Riteway Transportation Group in 2017 as the first non-family president in the 60-year history of the Bast family business. Bob credits his early management career experiences at Federal Express Corporation with his leadership approach believing that treating employees with consideration and respect is not only the right thing to do, but the best way to deliver outstanding customer service.A seasoned general manager and leader, Bob has a passion for employee engagement and a strong background in strategic planning, operations planning and sales management. Since leaving FedEx and prior to joining Go Riteway, Bob was the president of Process Retail Group in New Berlin and Everbrite in Greenfield. Bob holds a BA from Illinois Wesleyan University and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin – Madison School of Business. He is a native of Kenosha, Wisconsin and a United States Army veteran.Bob and his wife Laurie have four sons and reside in Hartland, Wisconsin. Next to spending time with his family, Bob loves the Badgers, Packers, and being active whether he is working in his yard, trail running, lifting weights, or playing tennis.

Josh joined GO Riteway in April 2011 as Operations Controller with a hands-on finance and accounting leadership role in both our Commercial Services and School Bus divisions. He brings over 18 years of finance, accounting, and general business experience and oversees day-to-day finance and accounting functions, while also providing guidance and leadership to the overall growth and direction of the Company. As GO Riteway experiences tremendous growth, Josh’s contributions are many as the company has won many new contracts in both our School Bus and Commercial Services divisions. Josh grew up in Iowa and graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. Upon graduation, he joined PricewaterhouseCoopers in Milwaukee as a staff auditor, where he acquired his CPA designation. He continued to hone his accounting and business acumen at several large, well-known companies in the Milwaukee area including Kohl’s and Milwaukee Electric Tool Company. Josh has served his community in the Rotary Club of Milwaukee North Shore, helping to raise money through the coordination of several fund raising events and currently serves on the Board of the Glendale Little League. When he’s not spending time with his family or coaching youth baseball, football, or wrestling, you might find Josh on the golf course.

Nathan (Nate) joined GO Riteway in 2012. He brings with him almost 12 years of recruiting, performance management and development, and human resources experience. Graduating from UW-Madison with a BA in Psychology and Social Welfare, Nate started his career working for Aureus Financial Group as a Recruiter and Account Manager before moving on to become the Human Resources Generalist for Guaranty Bank. Next, he gained a number of years’ experience with Capital H Group as their Senior Recruiter and later their Project Manager-Recruiting Teams. And in 2009, Nate joined the American Transmission Company, working as the Human Resources Generalist before coming to GO Riteway. The experience and knowledge he gained through these various companies includes developing strategies for attracting qualified candidates; performing interviews, reference checks, and background screenings; employee relations, on-boarding, development, and staffing solutions; performance plan management, evaluation, and talent development; and termination, discipline, and exit interviews. At GO Riteway, Nate is responsible for leading the business in all aspects of human resources including recruitment, on-boarding, and development for all GO Riteway employees; developing and leading the implementation of various corporate programs; and annual performance evaluations, succession planning, and talent development.

David joined GO Riteway in 2004 with the primary responsibility of safety and compliance. David’s experience prior to GO Riteway includes over 8 years of service in the United States Army, which included 2 years of active duty and 6 years of reserve duty. David’s service in the military was in supply and procurement, weapons repair and vehicle operations. During his time in the Army Reserves, David worked in law enforcement for 4 years as a Patrol Officer. He then moved on to serve over 16 years in the transportation industry prior to beginning employment with GO Riteway. During his time in the transportation industry, he operated tractor-trailers, trained new drivers, served in dispatch, ascended to operations manager, and then to safety manager. David has extensive experience in training and leadership due to all of his previous experiences. As the Vice President of Safety for GO Riteway, David oversees all training of drivers, mechanics, behind the wheel trainers and conducts annual safety/compliance training of management. David oversees insurance claims, governmental regulatory compliance and analysis of safety performance. David is a member of the Wisconsin Council of Safety Supervisors, and a member of the Bus Industry Safety Council (BISC) since 2006.

Jim graduated from UW-Stevens Point in 1972, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and from UW-Madison with a Master of Science in Accounting. He’s worked as the Senior Accountant for Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co., as the Assistant Controller for the Bradley Corporation, and as Vice President and Finance & Treasurer of the Tower Insurance Company, Inc. Today, Jim is the Vice President of Finance and Accounting for GO Riteway Transportation Group. He is currently an active member of the American, and Wisconsin, Institutes of Certified Public Accountants, Wisconsin Motorcoach Association, and has been a Menomonee Falls Scholarship and Education Foundation volunteer.

Paul joined the GO Riteway family in 2013. Paul was drawn to GO Riteway by our commitment to our Vision Statement and Core Values which in part stress providing value through responsive customer service, attention to detail, and integrity in our dealings with both customers and employees. Paul is a 1984 graduate of Rufus King High School and a 1988 graduate of UW-Milwaukee with a degree in accounting. He is also a Certified Public Accountant and active member of the AICPA and WICPA. Paul joined a local busing firm in 1989, and has been continuously involved in school busing ever since. He is a seasoned leader with decades of transportation experience. Paul’s career has involved oversight of both rural and urban school bus operations across the State of Wisconsin ranging in size from as few as 40 buses to sites with more than 300 buses. During his school bus career his roles have included oversight of Finance, Safety, Personnel, Operations and Contract Management.

Colleen is a perfect example of GO Riteway’s commitment to promoting our dedicated and motivated employees from within. Starting her career with GO Riteway in 1995 as an Administrative Assistant at our Germantown location, Colleen worked her way to becoming the Corporate Activities Manager in 2001. Her responsibilities of coordinating special projects relating to the daily operations of our terminals prepared her for her current role as GO Riteway’s Vice President of Operations – North Region.For the past 15 years, Colleen has been responsible for managing the daily operations of GO Riteway’s terminals including Human Resource functions, scheduling, routing, and customer service and has been an integral part of communicating with principals, parents, students, and drivers, which has all contributed to the growth of the company. She has also served as a mentor and assisted in the structuring of GO Riteway’s Driver Training and Safety Program.To continue to better herself within her role, Colleen has been attending the Principles of Management Series put on by the Management Resource Association since 2001. And, in July of 2012, Colleen was honored by the National School Transportation Association (NSTA) with the Golden Merit Award.

Nate joined GO Riteway in 2013 as an Operations Supervisor at our Oak Creek location and progressed to becoming the Operations Manager shortly after starting with the company. After spending time as the Director of Operations for our central and western Wisconsin locations, he recently started his new role as the Vice President of the Western Region. Nate brings experience in school administration and knowledge of school operational needs he gained serving as a Teacher, Technology Coordinator and Business Manager for a charter school system in Milwaukee, WI prior to joining the GO Riteway team. Nate has a strong background in customer service, communication with schools and districts, and developing solutions to logistical challenges. Nate earned a BA in Business and Education from Wisconsin Lutheran College and a master’s degree in School Business Administration from Concordia University Wisconsin.

Jason began at GO Riteway in 2010. He manages building construction projects, determines and implements fleet changes for multiple locations, sets up master vehicle vendors and suppliers, makes recommendations for fleet purchases, ensures all vehicles have their required permits, licensing, and insurance coverage, and implements repair policies and procedures into the facilities’ daily operations.Jason’s 13 years of previous experience as the Company Controller and Fleet Manager at Ken Becker & Sons Inc., built a solid foundation of knowledge and experience for Jason to grow from. He has been active on the Beechwood Volunteer Fire Department since 1998 as a fireman (98-07), Secretary (00-06), Treasurer (06-11), and Assistant Fire Chief (07-present). He has been a Sheboygan County Communications Council Member for the Sheboygan County Fire Chiefs Association since 2007. He has been Treasurer of the Badger Firemen’s Association since 2014, and he also serves on the Auxiliary Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Clean Cities Council since 2015.

When Kathi Kaestner joined GO Riteway in 2018 as Director of Sales/Commercial Services, she brought more than two decades of experience in successful Business Development with her.  In her current role, Kathi is tasked with developing key growth sales & marketing strategies, tactics and action plans to enhance GO Riteway’s position as the area’s most diverse ground transportation solution.  With a passion for building strong internal teams and long-lasting customer relationships, Kathi is a welcome addition to the GO Riteway Leadership team. Kathi got her start with a Degree in the Graphic Arts but quickly realized she enjoyed the business side of the creative world.  She began her corporate career in Retail Management and moved on to marketing roles, where she focused on business development, public relations, brand management and consumer research. Senior sales roles followed in the direct-mail and retail marketing specialties where she managed large, complex marketing programs from client consultation and conception through production and deployment. Kathi enjoyed growing existing business and opening new markets throughout the US.  Some of her high-profile clients included Ford, Cadillac, PepsiCo, Nabisco, Miller-Brewing, Reebok, Luxottica, Garmin and Verizon Wireless. When she’s not working, Kathi is an avid traveler. She also enjoys concerts and spending time outdoors with her dog Leo.

Steve’s passion for transportation and occupant safety led him to join the GO Riteway team in 2018. A native of Wisconsin, Steve previously spent 8 years in the Washington DC area where he was the Director of Operations for an independent, third party testing organization. In this role, he led a team of engineers and technicians which tested and validated products for the automotive, aerospace, defense, battery, mobility, child restraint, and bus / motorcoach industries. Prior to his role in leadership, he worked as a test engineer and gained expertise in federal motor vehicle safety standards, component-level testing, crashworthiness, and crash avoidance systems. Steve received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. In his current role with GO Riteway, he is responsible for leading all aspects of the Coach Division which includes campus shuttle, motorcoach, and minicoach services. Additionally, he has a key role in implementing and creating strategies for future divisional and organizational growth.

Jan joined GO Riteway in 2010 as General Manager of our Sheboygan Operations, coming from our acquisition of GO Airport Connection. Over her 30+ years in the transportation/travel industry, she has held progressive roles sharpening her expertise in customer service, safety, technology, scheduling and more. For the past 15 years, Jan has managed all aspects of the GO Riteway Sheboygan operation. Dealing directly with individual customers, corporate accounts, drivers and office staff has prepared her for her role of Director of Operations – Black Car/Shuttle. Jan is a member of the Sheboygan Noon Lions, raising money and awareness for worthwhile causes. Outside of work, she likes spending time with family and friends, being outdoors and catching all Wisconsin sports teams in action.