When James Wang joined Peoria Charter back in 2010, he never foresaw the day he would own the entire company. At the time, he was chasing one thing he truly loved—driving buses.
“I honestly really wanted to drive buses at the time,” Wang recalls. “I wanted to find a way to somehow be involved with buses. But it didn’t seem like a possibility.”
Early Ambitions and Entrepreneurial Roots
Wang, now 40, was always drawn to entrepreneurship, having built a small business repairing and selling computers while pursuing a master’s degree in marketing and business administration. However, his parents had higher expectations, hoping he would pursue a more traditional and prestigious career path, such as medicine.
“My parents would have been very, very frustrated if I remained a bus driver,” Wang admits.
Discovering His Potential at Peoria Charter
Wang’s path started with a position behind the wheel, but he quickly became immersed in Peoria Charter’s operations. While working as a driver, he began helping company owner Bill Winkler with technical support tasks. This opportunity opened the door to new challenges and responsibilities, leading Wang to become the company’s director of operations in 2018.
That same year, the Winklers—Bill and his wife Cindy—offered him something completely unexpected during a lunch meeting. They proposed that Wang become a co-owner and manage the operations.
“They forgave me when I made bad decisions, and they guided me to making better decisions,” Wang says of his mentors, Bill Winkler and Vice President Dennis Utley. “The biggest lesson they taught me was how to show compassion for your employees and make them feel valued, but at the same time, how to not get taken advantage of.”
Staying True to His Passion for Driving
Despite his growing leadership role, Wang never wanted to fully step away from the driver’s seat.
“At some point, I realized in order for me to stay in this industry, I have to just take days where I’m behind the wheel of a bus and go take trips,” he explains. “I realized I can’t give that up.”
A Life-Changing Decision
2023 became a turning point for Wang, marked by both personal loss and professional opportunity. After his father’s passing, Wang took time off to grieve until he received a pivotal call from Winkler.
“Bill said he wanted to focus more on his passion, which was ministry. He told me he wanted to step away from overseeing Peoria Charter.”
Initially, Winkler considered selling to a competitor, leaving Wang with a tough decision.
“I had dinner with him and the CEO of the competitor, and it was a very friendly conversation. They even offered me a great position, but it would require laying off people in our company,” Wang shares.
It was his wife who presented the ultimate solution.
“She said, ‘Why don’t you just buy it?’ And that idea had never come into my head at that point.”
Overcoming the Odds
Taking over a legacy business like Peoria Charter was no easy feat, especially for someone who didn’t come from wealth.
“I had maybe $100,000 saved up,” Wang says. “That’s all I had with the house. Usually, if you look at people who own bus companies the size of Peoria Charter, they’re very wealthy. They have a lot of generational wealth. I was just a blue-collar guy that had been boots-on-the-ground for the last 15 years.”
But with unwavering determination and his wife’s support, Wang approached Winkler.
“I told Bill, ‘If you let me buy it, I will keep the family name, the Winkler legacy. I won’t change the recipe.’”
Winkler agreed, along with his family, and Wang officially took ownership of Peoria Charter in 2024.
“Bill did say that he thinks of me as a second son. He’s definitely a father figure to me,” Wang shares. “And he promised to back me and help me get through my challenges.”
An Unconventional CEO
Just two days after purchasing the company, Wang wasn’t in the office—it was his passion that pulled him elsewhere.
“I was driving a wedding shuttle,” he says with a laugh. “I will never let myself not have access to driving bus trips.”
Wang’s love for the motorcoach industry doesn’t stop there. During the pandemic in 2020, he launched a YouTube channel, Motorcoach World, dedicated to showcasing life as a bus operator and the behind-the-scenes operations of the industry.
“At first, Bill told me, ‘Hey, put the camera away and run the company.’ But when it started to grow, he realized Peoria Charter was now known worldwide,” Wang says proudly.
With over 39,000 subscribers, the channel not only promotes the motorcoach industry but has also helped recruit drivers to Peoria Charter.
“It created fans who wanted to drive and people who could drive—I had to differentiate between the two,” Wang jokes.
Building a Legacy
Running a bus company has its share of challenges, especially when it comes to managing variables beyond one’s control.
“The scariest thing about running a bus company is being responsible for things that are out of your control,” Wang admits.
Still, he draws strength from the trust placed in him by the Winkler family and the encouragement of his community. His father, while initially skeptical of his career choice, came to respect the dedication and success Wang achieved.
“Towards the end, he started to see how far I climbed and how much I enjoyed it. He never directly told me, but he did show, in his own way, that he was very proud.”
Source: Bus and Motorcoach News
Image: Bus and Motorcoach News
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