- Details
- Category: Industry News
Manchester, N.H. — The United States is facing a suicide crisis. Suicides have increased 33 percent since 1999 and are the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-34. In New Hampshire, where The LMC Groups’ headquarters is located, the youth suicide rate is 50 percent more than the national average.
The crisis motivated LMC to choose the Dawson A. Rutter, III Scholarship Fund for its annual #GivingTuesday fundraiser. Dawson (known as D.A.), the 23-year-old son of Commonwealth Worldwide Executive Transportation’s Dawson Rutter, tragically took his life in 2017 after a long struggle with depression. D.A.’s father, Dawson Rutter, established the scholarship fund, which helps meet the financial needs of boys at The Fenn School in Concord, Mass., where D.A. spent his happiest years.
D.A. was an accomplished artist who won awards for his art at Fenn and beyond, so LMC decided to host an online art auction to raise money for the fund. Starting on December 3—#GivingTuesday—and ending on Friday, December 13, the auction will be accessible through The LMC Groups’ Facebook page, and all proceeds will be donated to the fund.
LMC Founder and CEO Kristen Carroll and LMC Ops Director Chris Hotham are acclaimed artists whose work is featured in several galleries nationwide, and they have donated the paintings and photographs for the auction. Carroll explained why LMC chose to support this charity:
As a business leader, I make it a point to speak publicly about my involvement in ongoing therapy as part of my personal wellness. Behavioral and mental health are as central to our overall vitality as is our physical health, yet even as we approach 2020, there is a stigma associated with mental health. Nearly all Americans will either experience depression in their lifetime or have someone close to them impacted. While suicide is a statistical rarity in the sea of depression, one suicide is too many.
As an organization that embraces health, transparency, and the dogged pursuit of joy, we want to shine a light on a struggle that so many face. We selected this fund for #GivingTuesday because we knew and loved Dawson Rutter III and know and love his father. We have team members and families who have been touched by suicide. We want to bring this struggle out of the darkness and into the light, so that conversations happen earlier, help is sought more often, and those we’ve lost are remembered for their lives and not for their deaths.
Anyone interested in supporting LMC’s #GivingTuesday fundraiser can access the auction on Facebook.
[CD1219]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
John Mazzarella, a longtime manager of American Limousine Service, has passed away at the age of 79 on November 18. He was laid to rest this past Saturday.
Mazzarella was just a kid when his older brother, Anthony, founded what would become American Limousine Service—himself a high school student. The Cleveland, Ohio-based company has been a true family-run service for more than 70 years; today, it is spearheaded by second-generation owners (and Mazzarella’s nephew and niece) Anthony Jr. (president) and his sister Mary Jo (director of sales). Mazzarella was instrumental in helping to grow and nurture the company’s expanding affiliate network.
Over the years, Mazzarella has held numerous positions within the organization, including vice president. He is also credited as a founding member of the National Limousine Association. He was a U.S. Army veteran.
Mazzarella is survived by wife Gloria; daughters Annette, Lisa, and Veronica; and several grandchildren and great-children.
We send our condolences and well wishes to the extended Mazzarella family, friends and loved ones of Mazzarella, and the entire American Limousine team.
[CD1119]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
Neil Goodman, managing partner and founder of Aventura Worldwide in Aventura, Florida, passed away on November 18 after a short battle with cancer. Nearly 300 friends, family, and members of the industry were present when he was laid to rest yesterday in Florida.
“It was a very sad day, but there were lots of good stories shared about ‘The Godfather’ as we called him. He was a terrific guy with a huge personality, and above all, a great friend to so many people. We are all stunned at the sudden and unexpected loss of our dear friend,” said Dawson Rutter of Commonwealth Worldwide.
Goodman was a fixture in the industry for years, although it was happenstance that he chose chauffeured ground transportation. Goodman adopted the Sunshine State as his home, as many New Jersey natives are wont to do, several decades ago. While pursuing a career in an entirely different industry, he took on a customer-service gig at a high-end resort that included chauffeuring guests, a job that he said he truly enjoyed. Several years later in the early ‘90s, he turned that passion for service into his own operation, and Aventura Worldwide was born.
Goodman, along with his wife and life partner Toni, built a well-respected company in the ultra-competitive South Florida market, catering to high-end clientele, celebrities, and sports figures. Goodman said in a Chauffeur Driven article in 2015 that he wanted to be able to pass along a company to his children, one that they could then leave to their children one day. Their son Scott Tinkler joined the company over a decade ago and now serves as president and CEO. Their daughter Kristen is the most recent family member to sign on to Aventura as director of sales and marketing.
Kristen spoke of her father’s generosity and spirit while delivering a eulogy during the ceremony. “He had a way of making you feel like you were the most special person in the world. His family meant everything to him, but Aventura was his legacy. We as a family are passionate about carrying on his legacy because it’s his name behind the brand—it’s not just Aventura but Neil Goodman. That’s important to us.”
Goodman was a beloved and well-respected member of the industry, was a mentor to many (literally, as a mentor at the Chauffeur Driven Show), and a longtime NLA member. He also served as president of the South Florida Limousine Association, often partnering with other Florida associations to combat the influx of TNCs in the state.
The family has requested that donations be made to Lauren’s Kids (laurenskids.org).
We extend our condolences to the Goodman family, friends, and loved ones, as well as the Aventura team on their loss.
[CD1119]