TopVet: Alex Guariento
One of the Army’s best transportation officers now works to keep our nation’s largest bus system safe and secure. Alex Guariento is charged with establishing policies and procedures that promote and maintain operational safety, security-related matters, regulatory compliance and a healthy working environment for Greyhound.
Prior to joining Greyhound, Guariento served as a United States Army transportation officer in the United States and Europe. In this capacity, Guariento commanded several line-haul and HAZMAT transportation and logistics traffic management units. He also served as a combat support (logistics) analyst at the U.S. Army’s Training and Doctrine Command.
In his first job after a 10-year tour on Active Duty, Guariento was named District Manager for Driver Operations at Greyhound’s Dallas location, managing 650 drivers across a five state area. He then moved to safety-related roles, and was promoted to Director in September, 1997.
After 9/11, Guariento added "security" to his title, and was named Senior Director in August 2004. It is a role that increasingly places him in contact with departments of the Federal government responsible for safety and security. "I have a close working relationship with TSA (the Transportation Security Administration), and the Department of Homeland Security," he adds. Guariento is the company’s primary contact in this area.
Military Career Highlights:
Guariento’s service spans 20 years. Currently, he serves as a Major in the Inactive Ready Reserve. After being commissioned in 1984, through ROTC, he served as a Platoon Leader, for the 28th Transportation Platoon, in Vincenza, Italy, the Army’s only separate transportation platoon. The platoon provided support to the 3/325 Airborne Battalion Combat Team (82nd Airborne Division), and the 22nd Area Support Group.
A Jump School graduate, Guariento also commanded company-level units in Germany. While a Company Commander, he helped support Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990-1991, and in the subsequent Operation Provide Comfort, supported Kurdish Refugees in the aftermath of the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
"It was essential. I don’t think I would have been able to do what I do without the fundamentals I learned in the Army," Guariento said, reflecting on his service experience. "Everything from leadership, prioritization, planning, communications, problem solving, basic analysis, conflict management, to people management. You name it. I was fortunate. And what I did in the Army absolutely gave me a very good foundation for what I had to face in the civilian world."
Career Accomplishments
Guariento is certified as a director of safety by the North American Transportation Management Institute, and serves as Chairman of the Bus Industry Safety Council. In 2004, the United Motorcoach Association awarded him the industry’s highest safety award, 2004 Safety Leader of the Year. He also is a member of several Transportation Research Board committees and is active in national industry organizations like the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and the National Safety Council.
Personal
He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Oregon State University in Corvallis. He also holds certificates from the Army Logistics Management College and the U.S. Army Transportation School.
A naturalized citizen from Italy, Guariento is married, with two children and resides in Texas.
