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Manchester, N.H. — Black Tie Limousine President Mark Mollica and Grace Limousine and Shuttle President and CEO Michael Campbell are pleased to announce Grace’s purchase of Black Tie Limousine. After 36 years of dedication to the chauffeured car industry and success in creating a company known for its preeminent customer service, Mollica will be retiring. With this acquisition, Grace is solidified as the best-in-class provider of ground transportation in New England.
Mollica’s decision to sell Haverhill, Mass.-based Black Tie to Grace was based on the commonalities between the two companies. Known for their healthy business cultures, Grace and Black Tie are powerhouses in the chauffeured car industry. Mollica and Campbell are dynamic leaders, well respected by their peers, who run their companies with vision and integrity. Clients of both companies will benefit from cutting-edge technology, superior customer service, and a combined fleet of late-model sedans, SUVs, limousines, and coaches.
Grace Limousine and Shuttle was founded by Ian Campbell, a disabled American veteran, in 1990. Grace is still family-owned and operated by Ian’s son Michael Campbell as president and CEO. Grace is known for its luxurious vehicles, excellent customer service, and strong commitment to community involvement. Campbell has overseen a healthy period of growth, both in terms of acquisitions and in worldwide reach. He remarked on the significance of this acquisition:
“I was so honored when Mark first called and asked me to consider acquiring Black Tie,” says Campbell. “I know how much this business means to Mark, to his family, and to his long-time employees. Our businesses have enjoyed many years of friendly rivalry, and we only made each other better. I’m excited to honor Mark’s incredible legacy as we take Grace and Black Tie to the next level together.”
Black Tie Limousine has been providing some of the best ground transportation in Boston, Eastern Massachusetts, and all over the world for over three decades. Since Mollica opened Black Tie in 1983, it has grown from a small operation to one of the most prominent limousine companies in Massachusetts. With an extensive fleet, an incredibly professional staff, and a large base of clients that extends across the globe, Black Tie enjoys one of the best reputations in the industry. Approaching four decades as Black Tie’s founder and president, Mollica began to consider selling the company. He knew he would need to find a buyer equally as committed to excellence, and he commented on what Black Tie has meant to him:
“Back in 1983, when Black Tie Limousine was born, it was set up in an apartment with one limousine and an answering machine. To look at where we are today is beyond anything I could have dreamt. Words can’t express how grateful I am for the friendships that I have made through the years with Black Tie team members, industry colleagues, and loyal clients who helped me every step of the way,” says Mollica. “It’s a comfort to know that Mike and the Grace team share the same focus on customer service and will continue that tradition. I am thrilled knowing that Black Tie will be in the very best of hands, which means the world to me.”
Grace’s purchase of Black Tie establishes it as one of the largest chauffeured car/shuttle companies in the United States and in the top five for New England alone. More important than its size and scope is the superlative level of service that will be provided: the convenience and options of a large company with the personal touch of a much smaller one. Grace Limousine and Shuttle and Black Tie Limousine have a shared approach to excellence established by their founders Ian Campbell and Mark Mollica, and Michael Campbell will carry on that legacy at Black Tie as he has at Grace.
Visit gracelimo.com for more information.
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Tallahassee, Fla. — Mike’s Limousine Founder Mike Vaughn recently announced that his company purchased their first-ever Motor Coach Industries (MCI) J4500 motorcoach. He and his customers like “the ambiance, the glitz and the glamour,” of his new J4500 delivered just this month, and according to Vaughn, “it’s the Taj Mahal.”
MCI continues to gain acclaim in the limousine and events transportation business with the good looking, spacious, well-appointed interior and exterior of its 2019 J4500.
Vaughn sees great potential for motor coach charter business within the sedan, classic car, trolley, and party bus system he operates. Mike’s Limousine has a reputation for up-scale service, having won Tallahassee Magazine’s Best of Tallahassee People’s Choice award 12 years in a row as well the Tally Award. Their 25-vehicle fleet includes luxury sedans and SUVs, stretch limos, a pink Hummer, a convertible Rolls Royce, trolleys, 16 to 36-passenger party buses, and a mix of 15 motorcoaches of various sizes.
“We don’t duplicate; everything in our fleet runs for a specific purpose,” said Vaughn, who opened his first transportation business, Mike’s Moving, in 1991. That profitable endeavor allowed him to start a secondary business, Mike’s Limousine, in 2000, with a top-of-the-line stretch limousine, the very first in Tallahassee. The new business kept growing with three limousine style vehicles including exotic cars added each year. By 2007, Vaughn began adding higher-capacity passenger vehicles and 35-foot coaches to the fleet.
“We started out with a lot of wedding contracts, which is high-end work, and that’s the way we’ve kept it, growing by going with the flow,” he said. “Before I knew it, we met all the qualifications for a charter bus company, and it made sense to add larger, 45-foot motor coaches.”
But his specific choice of the MCI J4500 wasn’t just about looks and up-scale luxury—it was about performance, too. Vaughn offered high praise for the model’s automatic braking feature accompanying the optional Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) featured on the coach.
“Our drivers like the coach for its driver-friendly features, but when passengers board they are wowed by the spiral entryway, the lighting and the modern leather seating. No other coach comes close,” he adds.
The high-spec J4500 coach model features best-in-class legroom, leather seats with tray tables, and enhanced lighting throughout including the optional programable variable lighting that changes the color of the interior to support client branding and personal requests. Other amenities include power outlets and UBS ports at each seat for passengers who want to connect while they ride.
Today, Mike’s Limousines staff of 48 manages everything from wedding parties to cross-country charter student trips, high school, college and professional athletic teams and cruise transportation. Its coach fleet supports a wide array of group and premier clients in Tallahassee and the surrounding Florida counties, traveling throughout the state and to points beyond from Louisiana to South and North Carolina and New York.
Vaughn, who often drives for his company, said he wanted this J4500 model because the interior suits the luxury market and it’s ideal for student and athletic trips destinations that travel through the Rockies and other mountainous ranges.
“We all call it the mountain goat, because the J4500 has incredible ground clearance and goes where no other buses will go,” he added.
Visit limomike.com for more information.
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St. Claire, Q.C. — Prevost is pleased to announce Marcus Griffin, an experienced bus industry professional based in Texas, has joined the company as a pre-owned coach regional sales manager. Griffin’s territory will include Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and New Mexico. He will additionally cover Puerto Rico.
“We are thrilled to have Marcus on board with us,” says Director, Pre-Owned Coach Sales Guillaume Charron. “His knowledge and experience in the industry as an operator will definitely help us grow the U.S. South Central region while providing excellent support to our customers.”
Charron adds that Griffin’s personality, energy, and enthusiasm fit perfectly within the new Prevost Pre-Owned team and are well in line with the company’s strategic business plan and vision for the future.
Griffin discovered the bus business in 2001 when he worked with a family-owned motorcoach tour and charter operation in San Antonio, Tex. Beginning with small jobs around the office to washing buses and helping the outside crew, his responsibilities and promotions steadily increased as he grew older and gained experience; eventually holding down management positions in sales and operations. Griffin moves to Prevost from his last position as Chief Operations Officer.
“I have always wanted to be on the other side of a sale,” he says. “Though our family operations provided me with a smooth, steady path to Prevost, this was not a quick, easy decision. I just felt like I had hit a plateau and my family has supported me every step of the way in making this change.”
Griffin says his work to this point has will give him insights on the varying roles pre-owned coaches play in his customers’ businesses.
In other news, Prevost has announced that Four Season Travel of Irwindale, Calif., added six new Prevost H3-45 coaches to better serve their growing worldwide clientele. The new coaches are equipped for high-level comfort, offering custom Amaya seating with fold-down foot rests, tray tables, electronically-controlled window blinds, and USB charging ports. Additionally, the customized microphone and Wi-Fi system help ensure a positive tour experience.
Launched in southern California in 2012 with three coaches to serve customers in the western U.S. from San Diego to Seattle, the company has steadily expanded, providing coach services to national and international tour operators, travel groups, and VIP minibus charters, as well as offering bus and coach maintenance. Four Season Travel also specializes in unique destination tours, international travel, and highly personalized, all-service coach tour packages.
Luxury comfort is standard for Four Season Travel’s charter service. With the recent delivery, their coach count to 32 in a mixed fleet that includes 17 Prevost H3-45s and 3 Volvo 9700 coaches.
While passengers soak up the panoramic view through flush-mounted frameless windows from the highest deck of the Prevost models, their luggage sits comfortably in the H-Series’ expansive 470 cubic feet under-floor cargo area.
“Our Prevost coaches reflect quality in every respect,” says Four Season Travel Director Marshall Yu. “Our entire staff appreciates the workmanship and care that goes into each new model that makes their jobs more enjoyable. Our drivers appreciate the H3-45 for the effortless handling and the smooth ride for customers, while the maintenance team benefits tremendously from Prevost technical support and warranty processes.”
Visit prevostcar.com for more information.
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