Coach Buys 10 Firms, Including Valen Transportation

Houston-based Coach USA Inc. said Monday it agreed to buy 10 bus and ground-transportation companies, including Valen Transportation & Tours of Orange, in deals that will make it the largest motor coach operator in the United States.

Coach didn’t disclose terms of the acquisitions but said the 10 companies’ annual sales total about $125 million.

Valen, formed in 1988 by Michael and Michaeleen Valen, specializes in trips to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon for Pacific Rim and British tourists. The company has a six-bus fleet and about 30 employees.

For Coach, the acquisitions are the latest in its strategy to expand rapidly by purchasing privately held companies. Coach has acquired 60 companies since going public in May 1996, including 18 companies this year.