BY ROB SMENTEK
Cover Art: Avant Garde Limousines & Coach President & CEO Denny Leinhos and Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer Maya Adrine at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. Photography by Chris Weiss.
When Avant Garde Limousines & Coach President & CEO Denny Leinhos bought a used stretch limousine, he had no intention of entering in the luxury ground transportation industry. He just wanted a ride to the prom.
“I needed a limo for prom back during my senior year of high school. I couldn’t find one to rent, so I bought my own. It was a 2001 120-inch Lincoln Town Car that I used for prom and then had every intention of just flipping it because I got it so cheap. The next thing I know, I started getting phone calls from friends looking to rent it out. By my freshman year of college, I got my authority and Avant Garde started from there,” says Leinhos.
The company name came from Leinhos’ mother, a publicist at a regional newspaper.
“I knew right off the bat that I didn’t want to name it Denny’s Limo. My mom said, ‘Well, you’ll want the company to start with an A so you’re at the top of the listings.’ After discussing it for a while, she said, ‘What about Avant Garde?’ I didn’t really know what it meant. But once I learned that the branding would represent new, unusual, and experimental ideas, it really made sense. I mean, what’s more unusual than a company run by a high schooler?” confesses Leinhos.
Maya Adrine and Denny Leinhos at Avant Garde Limousines & Coach’s headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana The stretch limousine served Avant Garde well for five years, during a period when Leinhos juggled his burgeoning company while attending college and then working at a car dealership. Soon Leinhos found himself with a lucrative contract as he revamped his vehicle offerings.
“After I sold the stretch limo, I got a 2012 Cadillac Escalade—and that’s when we got a contract with FedEx. We were shuttling flight crews from a hotel downtown to a FedEx terminal where all the planes land. We were doing these runs like 15 or 16 times a day,” he says.
In time, more vehicles would be added to Avant Garde’s fleet, with a purchasing philosophy that lasts to this day.
“I would go on Facebook Marketplace or limo websites and would buy the next vehicle that I thought might work while also trying to get a deal on it. I had the mindset that if it doesn’t work out, I can at least sell it and get some money back from it. I think a lot of younger operators get into an attitude that they have to buy new equipment. Honestly, the whole time I’ve been in business, I’ve rarely bought anything new. Of the 50, 60, or 70 vehicles I purchased over this 15-year period, only four of them were brand new. Everything else has been gently used,” says Leinhos.
And these vehicles serve Leinhos’ Indianapolis market well.
Fleet Service Manager Canyon Stice (left) and Fleet Appearance Specialist Gene Barkley performing an inspection “Each market is different, but here in Indianapolis, in my opinion, there’s no reason to buy new. There’s nothing wrong with used equipment, especially if you keep it up,” he says.
Following the pandemic, Leinhos left his full-time job at the dealership, and ventured full-time into the luxury ground transportation world. At that point, he purchased his first charter bus (lightly used, of course), which has led to tremendous growth just in the past few years.
“Right before COVID, I think we had maybe six cars. Since I’ve gone full-time and hammered down, we’re at 31 vehicles,” says Leinhos.
Avant Garde has made its mark with a fleet that includes sedans, SUVs, and Sprinters as well as coaches. But one area where the company differentiates itself is in the 14 school buses they run regionally.
L to R: Vice President of Administration Karlyn Murphy, Sales and Reservation Specialist Daniella Smith, and Maya Adrine congregate in the “war room” “We got into school buses not long after we first got our charter bus. It’s been a very interesting endeavor. We have a ton of Catholic high schools in our market—more than you would probably realize—and none of them have their own full-size buses. When we first got into doing the school work, I actually bought three buses at one time at an auction. The next thing you know, I have pretty much every Catholic or private school within central Indiana hitting me up for transportation.”
Handling school work requires very specific certifications for Leinhos and his drivers.
Chauffeurs Desmond Greer (left) and Ben Beaubrun “Getting approved by the state to operate school buses was a little challenging because I have to be registered through the Indiana Department of Education. I’m also regulated by Indiana State Police for this work. Even as a private company, my school buses undergo the same inspection that every other municipality-owned school bus goes through, which is a totally different set of standards than FMSCA,” says Leinhos.
Transporting students from school to athletic and afterschool programs is rewarding for Leinhos.
“We have found a kind of unique market where we can come in and help fill in a void. In a way, it’s recession-proof income. Schools always have a need to move kids to and from. While you might not get rich doing it compared to, say, motorcoach work, it is absolutely consistent. But that revenue comes with some issues: Your drivers need their yellow card or the school bus endorsement, on top of the vetting through the Department of Education and the Indiana State Police. But once you get past the extra hurdles, it really is a nice little venture for sure,” he says.
Leinhos, himself, can sometimes be found behind the wheel of a school bus when they’re in a pinch.
Leinhos in his office “I have a CDL with a Class B air brake endorsement as well as a school bus endorsement. Just last week, we had a driver out sick, and I had to do a run. But I think every owner-operator should be licensed just like their drivers and chauffeurs because it’s really hard to preach to them when you don’t know what they’re going through. At least this way I know firsthand what it takes and what they are and aren’t capable of doing. I think having that peace of mind as well also goes a long way when it comes to expectations for what you think your employees can do,” says Leinhos.
Having an open and positive company culture is important to Leinhos. He provides a dedicated and fully stocked chauffeur lounge with complimentary snacks, soft drinks, and Xbox to his drivers during downtime, and even covers their dry cleaning free of charge.
Maya Adrine on one of Avant Garde’s buses “We also have a driver dormitory here that they can use for free if they need a nap. I’ve tried really hard to make sure I show appreciation and to ensure that my chauffeurs and employees know how much I value them,” says Leinhos.
Avant Garde runs capably with a staff of 37, which includes full- and part-time office personnel and chauffeurs. Leinhos has made a concerted effort to grow his team with a roster of high-performing and skilled professions. One recent hire is Fleet Service Manager Canyon Stice, who, despite being barely out of high school, has made an indelible mark on Avant Garde’s operations.
“We just did our FMCSA follow-up. It was our three-year inspection where they came out and scrutinized our vehicles and operations. We passed satisfactory for everything, no violations, which is largely due to Canyon putting in crazy hours and double-checking everything,” says Leinhos.
Also vital to Avant Garde’s day-to-day operations is Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer Maya Adrine.
The growing Leinhos family “Maya goes after our big group sales, which is her bread and butter. Frankly, this was a piece of the market we never explored prior to her coming on board. When big events are booking space at the convention center, Maya is the one reaching out to them before they look at any transportation companies. She will take care of the bidding, the farming, everything. She is 100% a superstar,” says Leinhos.
Another recent hire is Avant Garde’s Chief Operating Officer William Woods, who comes to the company with two decades of experience in the transportation industry.
“Having William with us has been a breath of fresh air. He has quite a bit of experience, especially in the charter bus world. He has brought in a refreshed mindset to the team because there’s only so much I can physically do before I just get tapped out. Right off the bat, he’s offered solutions with driver availability and scheduling,” says Leinhos.
Though Leinhos refers to Indiana’s capital as a “sleepy market,” it’s not without its busy seasons. Though the city doesn’t have the nightlife of New York, Las Vegas, or Los Angeles, it is a die-hard sports town. Love for the Colts and Pacers runs deep, and of course there’s the Indianapolis 500, which garners sell-out crowds each Memorial Day weekend. Fortunately, when those big events happen, Leinhos has a friendly network of operators he can count on.
Leinhos is also a board member for Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana “Here in Indy, we get along with each other. We’re technically competitors, but we help each other for the most part. We’re all friends—whether it’s Tyrone Cardwell with Integrity Limousine, Tim Hill with LSG International, Kristie Carter with Aadvanced Limousines, or Gary Bhullar with Indy Executive Limo. When large events come to town, there isn’t a single company big enough to handle all of it. It is common that we work together to achieve the same goal of moving these groups,” he says.
Leinhos is quick to acknowledge the influence of Amanda and Nathan Florian with Lafayette Limo, as well.
“They are the reason I got into charter buses, and I can always count on them when I’m in a jam. Nathan once lent me one of his buses, which I drove through the night to Washington, D.C. to rescue a broken-down bus. That’s that kind of blind relationship that I have with my fellow operators in Indy. I mean, name any other city where you can just go pick up a motorcoach from a competitor and drive it for a four-day expedition to D.C.,” says Leinhos.
When not running a successful ground transportation operation, Leinhos invests his time in causes he finds meaningful and rewarding. He serves on the board of directors of the Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana chapter, a position that he calls a “passion.”
“Make-A-Wish is headquartered right next to us. I was involved with them before I even joined the board, but what they do is huge. In a way, I think we all kind of take for granted what we have—not in an overly negative way—but like we’re on auto pilot. Being involved with Make-A-Wish puts things in perspective,” says Leinhos about witnessing the health challenges that Make-A-Wish families face. “For instance, I might have a bus break down in the middle of the night and think it’s the worst, but oftentimes we don’t really pause and reflect on how much worse it really could be.”
And as a young father of four, finding that elusive work-life balance has been a work in progress, but Leinhos feels fortunate to have a partner in his wife, Jordan.
“There are times when we’ll be out with the kids and I have to take a call or make a quick run to the airport. It drove her nuts when we first started dating back in the day, but she’s learned to accept it and understand. I can safely say that over the 14 or 15 years I’ve been doing this, I have never had to cancel a run. And that’s something I think that has gone a long way in adding to my success and reputation,” he says. [CD0826]
