BY SUSAN ROSE
Cover Art: Premier Products CEO Eric Alpert with his team (L to R): Devon Alpert, Brandon Alpert, Tom Novellino, Daniel Baltazar, Carl Hazzard, Dave Slater, Kevin Arbaugh, Sam Hernandez, Pat King, and Megan Collins. Photography by Bryan Chris. Many of you know the recognizable faces behind the Chauffeur Driven brand but may be less familiar with CEO Eric Alpert. Although Alpert has taken more of a behind-the-scenes role with CD, he’s been a pivotal figure in the chauffeured transportation industry for the better part of three decades in ways you may not even know, including as the CEO of Premier Products.
Alpert’s entrée into the industry began in 1990 at the age of 20 when he founded the popular limousine parts and accessories company MTG, which led to the launch of magazine Limousine Digest in 1991 and later, the Limo Digest Show—a staple industry event that took place each fall on the East Coast for more than two decades. Alpert was a consummate dealmaker and a steading guiding hand behind his companies for years, so no one was more surprised than his team (which, in full disclosure, included me) when he announced that he was ceding his role to pursue a new venture in 2012.
That new venture turned out to be two companies in the evolving transportation space: Premier Products followed shortly by Chauffeur Driven. Alpert established Premier specifically to manufacture products for the luxury bus and van markets, vehicles that were starting to gain a place in the fleets of limousine operators. Alpert was clearly aware of the winddown of the traditional stretches that began in the late 2000s—vehicles that had driven the success of MTG and Limo Digest over the years—and that the trend toward corporate work was creating demand for a new type of fleet. Spotting an opening in an emerging sector, he sought to capture lightning in a bottle for the second time in his career.
Premier Products sewing department in their new 110,000-square-foot production facility in Elkhart, Indiana “When I started Premier, I had a clear vision of what I wanted and that was to focus on manufacturing three core product lines: seating, HVAC systems, and windows; to lead through innovation with designing/producing the best-in-class products; and to deliver an unparalleled level of customer support,” says Alpert. “One of the first moves I made was to recruit and offer an ownership position to Dave Slater, who is a 40-year veteran in the seating world and widely regarded among the best designers in the business. In addition to Dave’s design talents, he is also an expert when it comes to safety and testing compliance, which are always at the forefront of any new products that we conceptualize.”
Alpert’s excellent reputation and lifelong industry friendships helped to make Premier Products a near instant success. Premier offered the major builders in the space a convenient one-stop shop for these three critical components, which gave Premier an edge over competitors. It wasn’t long before the industry’s top builders, including Grech Motors, First Class Customs, Executive Bus Builders, Turtle Top, and many others, were sourcing these products from Premier.
Premier Products Seating Design Engineer Reynaldo Navarro crafting a new seat assembly “What separated us from the competition were the obvious differences between our products and theirs,” says Alpert. “We did not simply look at what our competitors were doing and make some slight changes; instead, we designed every product from the ground up.”
“We are an engineering driven company. Our R&D department is at the heart of everything that we do,” adds COO Dave Slater. “Every seat that is conceptualized is created utilizing the latest Computer Aided Design (CAD) software factoring in ergonomics, comfort, aesthetics, safety, and weight. We will not release any of our products until they meet each of our standards as well as pass all FMVSS testing requirements. For our HVAC products the same methodology is used by factoring in achieving the coldest and warmest temperatures, maximizing the CFM, or velocity of air, and lastly, the long-term durability as HVAC products have many moving parts and are also dependent on maintaining the service of these systems.”
Upholstery assembly lines Premier’s foundation is based in the luxury bus and van marketplace and produces the essential products that operators require to keep their vehicles on the road every day. If you’ve attended the CD/NLA Shows, you might have seen Premier’s team on the show floor with their array of custom-built seats. In addition to windows and covers for worn seats, Premier has invested heavily in stocking a complete line of replacements parts for HVAC systems, filling the void left by ProAir when they closed their doors in early 2023 after four decades. Along with these much-needed products, Premier also has a full technical team to assist operators and repair facilities with diagnosing issues and installation support, says Alpert.
Embroidery machines offer custom designs over hand stitching “The key to our success is our team,” says Alpert. “We have many employees who followed me from my previous company and who have been with us for upwards of 25 years. From engineering and sales to finance and production, it’s the commitment they make daily to our core principle of being a customer-first organization that is essential. There is nothing that we won’t do to ensure that every customer experience is unparalleled. While problems happen, it is what is done to rectify them that matters and what people remember. That is our commitment from the top down regardless of their company size, purchase amount, or when dealing with a hard-to-please customer.”
Some of Premier’s products have even been inspired by feedback from industry operators looking to solve a problem in their fleet. Alpert recalls the conversation that led to Premier’s newest release.
Doc-U-Sew machine for airbag covers “One of these requests came from longtime friend Matt Johnston from AJL Transportation in Dallas. He suggested that we design and produce a custom seat cover kit for factory Sprinter passenger vans to provide an affordable alternative to a complete vehicle conversion,” says Alpert. “This cover kit replaces all four factory benches in the back as well as the driver and passenger front seat covers. The kit, which sells for $3,995, completely transforms the look of the interior of a factory van and increases passenger comfort due to the sew foam we added to the covers.”
Premier’s manufacturing headquarters in Elkhart—the Bus and RV Capital of the World—has yielded additional opportunities over the years. With more than 90 percent of RV manufacturing located in the area, Alpert says expansion into that market was always on his radar.
HVAC production department
“We did not simply look at what our competitors were doing and make some slight changes; instead, we designed every product from the ground up.” – Eric Alpert, CEO of Premier Products
“In 2017 that opportunity presented itself when Airstream sought out Premier to develop a new line of furniture for their interstate RVs. This not only gave us the ability to diversify into an extremely large market, but it was also our first foray into developing dozens of proprietary, patented products,” says Alpert. “We quickly gained traction in the RV space and now produce products for many of the key players such as Airstream, Grech Motors, Winnebago, Tiffin, Coachman, and Jayco, to name a few. The timing could not have been better because the RV market exploded and had years of record growth when the pandemic hit. We have been the dominant player in the RV/van market since 2020, but that is the smallest sector of the RV space. The next expansion phase for us includes going after the volume sectors, which include Class A, Class C, and high-end travel trailers. We have a new product line specifically for these RVs that we just filed our patents on and expect to launch production in the first quarter of next year.”
HVAC Systems Engineer Andy Rininger in their new climate chamber Good fortune struck again when Alpert, after years of searching, finally found a new manufacturing facility that could accommodate the meteoric growth that Premier was experiencing. In July 2023, Alpert purchased a state-of-the-art, 110,000-square-foot production facility which sits on 14 acres in Elkhart, Indiana, and filled it with the latest cutting-edge equipment. He notes that the extra acreage gives them the ability to expand the footprint to just over 250,000 square feet, of which phase one is already in the works. Premier worked with manufacturing efficiency experts over six months to ensure that they maximized the space and workflow of their various production departments.
Premier’s Beast AC systems being assembled “We also invested big into our equipment,” says Alpert. “We purchased the latest SOLIDWORKS software and the fastest computers they could run on for our engineering departments, as well as plotting machines and 3D printers to assist in our R&D. For our sewing department, we replaced everything with the latest computerized sewing machines, CNC cutters, and embroidery machines. Our new CNC sewing machines allow us to transform any design onto our seats, which significantly enhances the aesthetics from what normal hand sewing capabilities allow.”
State-of-the-art CNC sewing machines The new equipment also boosted their quality control across their products lines. Helium check machines at every station ensure that HVAC systems are free of leaks and other issues. Additionally, two climate chambers were installed to assist with the development and testing of their HVAC systems, ensuring that they always meet Premier’s best-in-class standards. Using sophisticated ERP software that was in the works for two years, Premier can track every order as it travels through each production phase and identify which employees were involved in the manufacture and who performed each of the quality checks.
“This system allows complete visibility and accountability while letting us extrapolate time studies for every product that we produce. This translates into giving us the ability to easily understand labor requirements when scaling the operation,” notes VP of Manufacturing Kevin Arbaugh.
CNC vinyl cutting machine But, as the saying goes, the only thing that is constant is change. After 12 years and numerous milestones for both Premier and his storied career, COO Dave Slater has announced his plan to retire in October—although he will still be involved as a consultant in R&D and compliance for another five years.
“Premier would not be where it is today without the efforts and hard work that Dave has contributed over the last 12 years,” says Alpert. “He is primarily responsible for elevating the level of comfort and aesthetics of the seating that our customers and your passengers enjoy day after day. I am eternally grateful for all his contributions.”
Slater will be succeeded by Carl Hazzard, a longtime industry veteran who has worked at Premier for the past five years but is equally accomplished across the manufacturing industry.
Premier Products CEO Eric Alpert (center) with sons Brandon (left) and Devon “Carl is the perfect person to lead us into the next growth phase of Premier. Having built and sold his company Battisti Customs to Berkshire Hathaway’s Forest River prior to joining Premier, he checks every box from strategical planning and finance to engineering and production. We are truly blessed to have Carl taking over the day-to-day operations and know that with his experience, skillset, and shared vision he will be key to Premier’s future,” says Alpert.
“It has always been our goal that our sons would eventually take over the business.” – Eric Alpert
Perhaps the biggest chapter in Alpert’s story is still ahead as he is joined by his sons Brandon, 24, and Devon, 22. Brandon, who has been with Premier for three years after studying entrepreneurship at college, shares his father’s flair for sales and marketing, where he plays a key role. Devon’s talents lie in the financial side of the enterprise, and he recently completed his hard-earned degree in accounting earlier this year. Devon works closely with, and is being mentored by, CFO Tom Novellino, who is a recent addition to the Premier team. Alpert says that Novellino’s contributions have been invaluable, and he is a key component to Premier’s future, not only with their growth plans but also as an incredible advisor for Devon.
I have been approached multiple times to sell Premier but that is not in the game plan,” says Alpert. “It has always been our goal that our sons would eventually take over the business. Brandon and Devon have lived their lives in the business and attended their first industry trade shows in strollers. Grooming and mentoring them in the industry will be my legacy, and seeing them take Premier to places that I never could will be beyond rewarding for my wife and me. Being able to work side by side with them each and every day has taken my passion for the business to new heights, and I can’t wait to see what they are able to accomplish.” [CD0724]