TAYLOR RECEIVES NATIONAL “EMERGING LEADER” AWARD

CINCINNATI -- Lamont Taylor, chairman of Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority board of trustees, was recently named the 2006 recipient of the National Conference of Minority Transportation Officials’ (COMTO) Emerging Leader of the Year award.

Established in 1998, the award recognizes individuals with outstanding leadership and competence in the transportation field who have been in the industry for five years or less.  Taylor, 34, is one of the youngest transit board chairpersons in the country.

Taylor joined the SORTA board in 2003.  In his professional career, Taylor serves as the employee relations representative for Frisch’s Inc./Golden Corral Franchise.  His other honors include the Cincinnati Business Courier’s 40 Under Forty class of 2004 and Hamilton County Community Action Agency's 2004 Bridge Builder Award.

SORTA employs approximately 900 people and operates 490 Metro fixed-route buses and 53 Access paratransit buses, providing approximately 22 million rides per year to passengers in the Cincinnati area.