Queen City Engineering and Design

10/19/2026

THAT’S A WRAP — APTA 2026! 🚌

What an incredible week in Chicago for the Queen City Transit Solutions team!

From meaningful conversations with transit agencies, OEMs, dealers, and industry partners to reconnecting with customers and building exciting new relationships, APTA 2026 was truly one for the books!

SMASH LAB — Putting Protection to the Test!
Our interactive Smash Lab was a HIT! Attendees stepped up, took a swing, and experienced firsthand the incredible strength of our protective materials. Thank you to everyone who participated! 💪

INNOVATION LEARNING ZONE — Driver Safety Is Non-Negotiable!

Our very own Rex Carriker presented *“When Safety Is Non-Negotiable: Developing the Next Generation of Driver Protection Systems.”* We were excited to share our approach to advancing operator protection and discuss the importance of engineering solutions around real-world transit challenges.

🎯 FLIGHT CLUB — Customer Appreciation Event
Business relationships are about more than business! We had an amazing evening hosting our customers, partners, and friends at Flight Club Chicago. Great conversations, friendly competition, and plenty of laughs made for an unforgettable night!

A SPECIAL THANK YOU!
Thank you to CCW for welcoming us to their hospitality suite (and the delicious salami!) and to GILLIG for an incredible evening at the Shedd Aquarium!

Most importantly, **THANK YOU** to everyone who visited our booth, shared ideas, tested our products, and helped make APTA 2026 such a success!

We are excited about the opportunities ahead and look forward to continuing to drive innovation in transit safety!

📸 Participated in our Smash Lab? Message us for your photo!

📩 Interested in a copy of our Innovation Learning Zone presentation? Send us a message!

Until next time, APTA!

10/05/2026

Check out our Learning Zone tomorrow at 2:30 PM!

Discover the latest innovations in driver safety and see what’s possible when driver safety is a Non-negotiable

Come experience the technology, the history, and the future of safer driving.

📍 We’ll see you there!

Booth 3228

Stop by the Learning Zones to hear quick, 30-minute insights from transit industry leaders without leaving the EXPO floor.

📍 Find these sessions around APTA Central in Booth 2638, 2656, 3238, and 3256.

View the full schedule here: https://www.aptaexpo.com/learning%20zones.cfm

10/05/2026

APTA EXPO 2026 — COME SEE US!

We’re bringing the past, present, and future of innovation to Booth #3478!

Test your strength in the Smash Lab — think you’ve got what it takes?

Explore our company history and see how our innovation has evolved over the years.

Get a glimpse into the future of driver safety and discover what’s next in mobility and innovation.

Stop by Booth #3478 at APTA EXPO and experience it for yourself!

Smash it. Explore it. See what’s next.

09/30/2026

💥 SMASH LAB — IN THE MAKING! 💥

Behind the scenes as our team puts the final pieces together for APTA EXPO in Chicago next week!

There’s a lot that goes into turning an idea into an interactive experience — designing, building, testing, tweaking, and working through all the little details that make it come together. 👏🏼

We’re not quite finished yet… but Smash Lab is taking shape! 🔥

Can’t wait to see this come to life and bring it to Chicago! 🏙️💥

09/18/2026

09/18/2026

🚍 We’re heading to APTA TRANSform 2026 in Chicago!

Come see Queen City Transit Solutions at Booth 3478 and experience more than a product display. We’re bringing the QCTS story, innovation, competition, and a conversation about where driver protection is headed next.

🔹 Discover the History of QCTS
See how Queen City Transit Solutions has grown and evolved through years of designing, engineering, and manufacturing solutions for the transit industry.

🔨 Take on the QCTS Smash Lab
Think you’ve got what it takes? Step up to the Smash Lab, put our materials to the test, and compete for **prizes!**

🎁 Giveaways & Prizes
Stop by, meet our team, participate in the Smash Lab, and see what you can win.

🎤 Join Us in the Learning Zone
Tuesday, October 6 | 2:30–3:00 PM

When Safety Is Non-Negotiable: Developing the Next Generation of Driver Protection Systems

Join the QCTS team as we discuss the development of next-generation driver protection systems and the engineering, design, and real-world considerations behind protecting transit operators.

📍 APTA TRANSform 2026 | Chicago, Illinois
📅 October 4–7, 2026
🚍 Booth 3478

Whether you’ve worked with QCTS for years or are just getting to know us, we’d love to see you in Chicago.

**Come meet the people behind the products, experience the Smash Lab, and see what QCTS is building next.**

09/11/2026

Are you choosing the right customers—or simply taking every opportunity that comes your way?

In manufacturing, the question isn’t always “Can we do it?” Increasingly, it’s “Do we want to?”

Our latest blog explores how manufacturers can move beyond simply evaluating what they can produce and start thinking strategically about which customers, projects, and opportunities are truly the right fit for their business.

Read “Choosing the Right Customers in Manufacturing: Beyond ‘Can We Do It?’ to ‘Do We Want To?’” to learn how a more intentional approach to customer selection can support stronger operations, better margins, and long-term growth.

👉 Read the full article: https://www.queencityeng.com/post/choosing-the-right-customers-in-manufacturing-beyond-can-we-do-it-to-do-we-want-to

08/10/2026

The Queen City Transportation Solutions leadership team had the opportunity to travel to Elkhart, Indiana—the mecca of paratransit bus manufacturing.

During our visit, we toured the facilities of Arboc, Forest River, TruPath, High Level Enterprises, Prime-Time, Polymershapes, and ASC. Seeing firsthand how these industry-leading manufacturers and suppliers build, innovate, and support the transit industry was an invaluable experience.

These visits were more than just facility tours—they were an opportunity to strengthen partnerships, share ideas, and continue learning so we can better serve our customers. Building strong relationships throughout the industry helps us deliver the highest quality solutions and stay at the forefront of innovation in accessible transportation.

A big thank you to everyone who welcomed our team and shared their knowledge. We look forward to continuing these partnerships and bringing what we learned back to the agencies and communities we serve.

08/06/2026

Last week, the Queen City Engineering team had the privilege of working with another Sonny Merryman location to install transit van barrier kits for GRTC.

Partnerships with trusted dealers like Sonny Merryman allow us to provide added value to transit agencies by supporting projects that can be procured through their existing state contracts. Working together helps streamline the process while delivering high-quality safety solutions efficiently.

We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate and look forward to continuing to support agencies with reliable, innovative transit solutions.

05/20/2026

ISO 9001 isn’t just a stamp on a wall. It’s a globally recognized quality standard from the International Organization for Standardization that keeps us focused on doing things the right way, every time.

What does that actually mean in real life?

It means our processes aren’t random—they’re built to be consistent, repeatable, and always improving. It means fewer surprises, tighter quality control, and a team that’s constantly looking for ways to do better than yesterday.

For our customers, it shows up as reliability, accountability, and confidence in what we deliver.

We don’t treat ISO 9001 like a checkbox. We treat it like a mindset.

Quality in. Quality out. Every time. 💪