Cover Story: EmpireCLS Worldwide Strikes Gold in the Silver State
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Cover Art: EmpireCLS Worldwide Chairman & CEO David Seelinger at Sphere, an entertainment and music arena located just outside Las Vegas. Photography by Chris Weiss.
The Raiders aren’t the only new game in town as EmpireCLS Worldwide—among the industry’s largest and oldest networks—has opened a location in the desert oasis of Las Vegas. Although it took upwards of 18 months and plenty of patience (and paperwork) to make it a reality, EmpireCLS Chairman & CEO David Seelinger can check another goal off his to-do list.
“I’ve always wanted to open a location in Las Vegas and the opportunity presented itself with Abraham Limo. [Owner] Abraham [Mulugeta] decided that he wanted to sell, so he contacted me, and we were able to put a deal together,” says the driven CEO at the helm of the $200 million-plus network. “We finally had the hearing with the Nevada Transportation Authority and our unlimited license was granted. I think there is a total of five or six unlimited licenses in the state, and now we own one of them.”
Las Vegas officially marks the fifth office for the company, which has its headquarters in the New York metro area. Already a popular destination for the company’s distinguished register of global clients, Seelinger says that they were regularly providing transportation in Nevada through their affiliates when the chance to purchase Abraham Limo was too good of a prospect to pass up.
The Empire Las Vegas team (L to R): Office Manager Adriana Loyola, Reservations/Dispatcher Karen Anthony, Bookkeeper LaQuania Wentland, Reservations/Dispatcher Dahab Mesfun, EP Agent Jason Smith, Chairman & CEO David Seelinger, Reservations/Dispatcher Tina Fatutoa, Senior Bookkeeper Mi Seo, Operations Manager Pina Fata, Controller Olga Buonocore, Bus Division Manager Rich Broughton, and EP Agent Rob Aker “Abraham ran a great business—he was doing it for 15 years and he grew it very well,” remarks Seelinger. The transition was nearly two years in the making, but the EmpireCLS team chose February’s Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium as a trial run to test the synergy between the two companies. All in all, the multi-day move was a resounding success that involved more than 150 vehicles, 100 of which were imported from the Los Angeles office.
“My sales and events team spent a massive amount of time in the Las Vegas office and what they found was Abraham had just the most amazing staff,” says Seelinger. “They are good, hard-working people who know how to get it done, which was a big bonus because you don’t always know what you’re getting when you buy a company. In this case, it was a home run all around.”
Blending the teams has been an ongoing effort, and the prep work leading up has been intense, but it all led to the victorious premiere of Empire Las Vegas in June. Seelinger says that much of his management team—including COO Joey Phelps, President Ed Martinez, and Senior Vice President Steve Horowitz—have been involved in the process and will likely continue as things settle. The operations will then be spearheaded by General Manager Raul Nunez and System Engineer Bray Doherty, two longtime employees of EmpireCLS who are relocating from the Los Angeles office. Mulugeta will also remain on board and will work directly to help increase regional sales.
L to R: Fleet & Safety Director Iyoab Kahsay, David Seelinger, Mechanic Dennis Cox, and EP Agent Rob Aker “I look at everything as teamwork. There were a lot of people involved, and training has been going on for the past month. We got a lot done and there’s still more to do, so I’ve been spending a good amount of time there,” says Seelinger, who also recently set up residence in the suburbs of Las Vegas as he splits his time between locations.
While ramping up the Las Vegas office, EmpireCLS also quietly opened yet another hot location—this time in Texas’s capital city of Austin.
“Austin is a beautiful city with a lot of growth happening right now. Companies are moving in, studio work is booming. Joey [Phelps] did some hiring locally and we’re happy with the progress we’re making. It’s a new market for us and we’re excited to be there,” says Seelinger.
Maintaining consistency and a high level of service throughout the network are always on Seelinger’s mind, but it’s clear that the bi-coastal operation has training down to a science, regardless of the location or affiliate.
“We strongly believe that chauffeuring is an art,” he says. “I don’t know if a lot of people still practice it, but that’s something at the core of everything we do. Let’s face it: the game is service, service, service, and that’s what we’re delivering. We look for people who take a lot of pride in providing service. It takes an enormous amount of communication and continuing education, but it’s been our policy since the very beginning, and it remains at the forefront.”
David Seelinger at the new Las Vegas office, which opened this summer Whether good opportunity or good timing, the move to have a physical presence in the entertainment capital of the world (a title that both Las Vegas and Los Angeles claim and rightfully deserve) was a smart bet. Las Vegas’s tourism has not only returned, but it has crushed its previous records in the past few years. Moreover, Vegas is attracting more affluent travelers, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which is fantastic news for the network that is already the exclusive transportation provider for 45 Five Diamond Hotels (via AAA) across North America. The city alternates as the top or second most popular convention destination in the country, but it’s always at least in the top five.
And despite it being summer, a typically slower period as the mercury steadily pushes triple digits, Seelinger says that their new office has been busier than expected.
“I think we already have one of the larger fleets in Vegas,” he says. “I’m really pleased with how everything is going, not only in the markets where we have physical locations, but with the affiliates throughout our network. We’ve had a tremendous increase in revenue in the past 18 months.”
In fact, Empire Las Vegas now runs 65 vehicles—all SUVs—after adding 20 more to the fleet recently. Besides motorcoaches, which Seelinger says have been booked all summer, he intends to add electric vehicles to the location soon. The Chicago and especially the Los Angeles offices have had success with EVs from Lucid and Genesis, not to mention a great working partnership with the two OEMs, so he expects those will be the choice for the Nevada office as well.
“We strongly believe that chauffeuring is an art. I don’t know if a lot of people still practice it, but that’s something at the core of everything we do.” – David Seelinger, Chairman & CEO of EmpireCLS Worldwide”
“Entire sedan fleet in Los Angeles is EVs. We’re very proud of that, so we want to continue that expansion into Las Vegas, like we have in Chicago and New York. Lucid has a new SUV coming out, which we’re excited about and hope to operate soon in Las Vegas,” says Seelinger.
While EmpireCLS may be expanding its physical prowess with offices in five states, the company still relies on its network of trusted partners throughout the US and the world. In fact, affiliate work is nearly 45 percent of the company’s revenue, according to Seelinger.
“We want everyone to be healthy and strong in this industry. We always have to be conscientious of the fact that if we’re not providing service, we’re going to lose clients to the cheaper transportation options. It’s always one of my goals to build good relationships with other operators in these locations because we can accomplish so much more as a group,” says Seelinger. [CD0824]