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After some quick association updates, TNCs and a legislative update were at the top of the docket. Barwell says that they may not have had the success they wanted in this last legislative session, which ended this summer, but they are ramping up to continue the fight when the next session begins again in January.
“Our representatives seem like they are being pressured. They are seeing the facts, but when you have a lot of people—the general public—who don’t realize the safety concerns with TNCs, then it’s a problem,” says Barwell. “I remember hearing a woman say that she could get everywhere now because of TNCs, and I just shook my head. She could get everywhere before. What is ‘now’ is that taxi operators are going to be Uber drivers.”
Barwell says that the association does have the support of some of the members of the Assembly like Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, whom he said was on record calling Uber “bullies.”
“At the end of this last session, Assemblyman Cahill remarked that Uber comes into an area, tries to bully their way, and then turns it around so that they are the victims. He said: ‘We’re not going to cower and be take advantage of,’ so we have some allies in Albany.”
LBTOUNY is using the coming months to reaffirm its support with other state associations and the taxi industry. “We’re looking at our options right now in between the sessions and there are a lot of things that we’re probably going to go after, especially insurance and criminal background checks—those are very important things that we need to address,” he says.
Barwell also noted some local victories, including the quashing of a permit required for groups who rent and intend to host parties aboard buses. Noting the last-minute nature of the industry and the limitation of government office hours, Barwell was more red tape that safety-related. He also said that the association members are working with local wineries on policies and protocol that benefit both operators and the wineries in an effort to curb lewd behavior by inebriated passengers imbibing at several stops along the wine trail.
CD’s Susan Rose also raffled a ticket to the 2016 Chauffeur Driven Show in Washington, D.C., this October 9-12, which was won by none other than Barwell.
The meeting was held on the heels of Towne Livery’s Continental ride n’ drive event. The two-day event began Friday night at Shea’s Performing Arts Center, a classic theater in downtown Buffalo. Hosted and organized by David Bastian of Towne Livery, nearly 200 livery and retail customers were on hand for the unveiling of the brand-new black Lincoln Continental—the first chance for anyone to see it up close and personal. Bastian, who live posted many videos during the catered event, says that he was thrilled with the turnout.
The following morning, many operators and retail customers not only had the opportunity to sit in the Continental and check out its many features, but to take it for an actual test drive. The sign-ups, which began the previous evening at the reveal, were completely full despite the rain that moved in during the afternoon. Starting at the Towne Lincoln dealership in Orchard Park, participants enjoyed 15-minute guided test drives highlighting all of the amenities of Lincoln’s new flagship. The enthusiastic reactions were captured by GoPro cameras that were mounted in several spots within the vehicle. You can see more photos and videos from the event at facebook.com/david.b.livery. Also check out more photos on the Chauffeur Driven Facebook page (goo.gl/PwCkCf) and in the next issue of the magazine.
The Continental is expected to hit dealerships in early fall and has already attracted the attention of a few large operators, chief among them Dav El/BostonCoach CEO Scott Solombrino, who announced last month that he would be adding the iconic nameplate to his fleet.
Visit lbtony.com for more information about the association. Visit townelivery.com for more information about the upcoming Continental.
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Chauffeur Driven was among dozens of sponsors supporting the event, sponsoring both the breakfast and the Closest to the Pin Award, and donating several auction items. A pass to CD's 2016 Show in Washington, D.C., was won by Dave Skroki of Mercedes-Benz of Shrewsbury for winning Closest to the Pin, though he donated it back as an auction item, which was ultimately won by Lisa Censullo of BostonCoach.
According to NELA Executive Director Rick Szilagyi of Lexian Management, this year was especially noteworthy for boasting a turnout that rivals the event’s pre-recession numbers, with roughly 100 participants—some of whom traveled from as far away as California and Florida—making this one of the best-attended golf outings in recent memory.
“With everyone who comes out for just the dinner and all of our volunteers, there were probably 120 people at the dinner,” he said. “We were really happy to see some of the best numbers in years.”
In addition to the association’s annual support of Chip’s House, a long-term housing community where one of Colorarullo’s sons has been residing since a motorcycle accident left him with a brain injury, proceeds from NELA’s biggest fundraiser of the year also benefited the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, whose spokesperson Kate Rokos was on hand to show the foundation’s appreciation for the donation and support. A small portion of the day’s funds also went back into NELA’s coffers to support its many initiatives and operational costs.
At the end of the day, the winning team was from public relations agency Solomon McCown & Company, which included NELA’s PR representative Dan Cence, Ron Santos, Jeff Walker, and John Mucino.
NELA will return to the country club August 15, 2017, for its 18th annual golf tournament. Its next membership meeting will be September 13.
Visit nelivery.org for more information.
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We’ll be offering three sessions specifically tailored to the small operators who comprise the staggering majority of this industry. On Sunday, October 9, hit the ground running with “Money in the Bank: Presenting Your Best to Lenders” from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., presented by Andi Gray of Strategy Leaders and Sami Elotmani of Destination MCO, where you’ll learn how to secure commercial loans by making your company more attractive to banks.
The track concludes with a double-hitter on Wednesday, October 11. “Executing Social Media Like a Pro,” which runs from 9 to 10:30 a.m. with The LMC Group’s Aleja Seabron, will explore how the intertwining of technology and marketing remains a dominant trend—and means that you need an effective social media strategy now more than ever. Get the lowdown on why it’s so important to curate your social media presence and harness the power of the most popular platforms to develop relationships with both current and prospective clients. Then from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., “Business Development: Notching It Up” with Kristen Carroll of The LMC Group, Daniel Perez of DPV Transportation, and Matt Strack of Strack Premier Transportation will tell you everything you need to know about building a solid foundation through methods lead acquisition and retention to keep your business going and growing.
We’re also introducing a track especially for global companies. Designed for and led by international operators, “Beyond Borders: The Impact of the Global Business Landscape” aims to empower those companies operating outside North America on Monday, October 10 from 9 to 10 a.m. You’ll find out how to successfully expand your worldwide reach while sending more business to foreign partners, overcoming language and currency obstacles, and discovering untapped networking opportunities.
Of course, we’ll have more broadly applicable sessions throughout all four of our days in D.C. Running concurrently with the debut of our Small Operator Track, Sunday kicks off with “Leading Your Team, Living Your Culture,” which will let you in on all the best tips for defining, establishing, and embracing your company’s personality while moderator Kristen Carroll of The LMC Group and panelists Tracy Raimer of Your Private Limousine and Joey Allen of King’s Worldwide Transportation illustrate the differences between management and leadership.
From there, check out “Getting on Board With Buses” from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. With more and more luxury ground transportation operators adding larger metal to their fleets, is guaranteed to be a helpful primer for those who feel they’re ready to make the leap into the bus and motorcoach world. Tony Simon of Reston Limousine and Gray Hill from Black Tie Transportation will discuss fundamentals like negotiating group-work contracts and breaking into tour and charter territory, and making the most informed purchases for your business. Dave Reinhart of TBR Global and Wayne Knaub of RSM Maintenance will present “Business Development: Thriving Through Growth” immediately after, where they will guide you through the process of empowering your entire staff—not just those with traditional sales roles—to be one where everyone is a potential seller.
On Monday, you’ll get an education of a different kind with a lively, debate-inspired State of the Industry from 1 to 2:15 p.m. David Seelinger of EmpireCLSWorldwide Chauffeured Services, Scott Solombrino of Dav El/BostonCoach, and Robert Alexander of RMA Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation will debate the industry’s most pressing current concerns and where they see its future heading. You won’t want to miss this panel discussion that’s sure to entertain just as much as it educates.
It’s all about the buses on our show floor Tuesday with two sessions focusing on big group-movers. From 2:30 to 3:15 p.m., Joe Guinn of Limo & Bus Compliance and Johnny Sower of Chariots for Hire will clarify the murkier points of “DOT Compliance and Audit Readiness;” from 3:45 to 4:30 p.m., find out everything you need to know about “Bus & Motorcoach Regulations Coming Down the Pike” with United Motorcoach Association’s Ken Presley and American Bus Association’s Brandon Buchanan.
Wednesday wraps up with a duo of timely, relevant seminars: from 9 to 10:30 a.m., check out “LinkedIn: 15 Minutes Per Day to Grow Your Corporate Business,” where Bill Faeth of Inbound Marketing Agents and Limo U will help you discover all the ways to maximize the professional networking site’s potential for making new corporate prospects; and the concurrent session “Stress-Test Your Business for a Disaster” will prepare you for technological, financial, natural, and legal disasters with exhaustive emergency plans for each unnervingly common scenario.
Don’t forget that our show floor will once again host an all-encompassing variety of keenly honed micro-sessions that will deliver quick bursts of expert advice in short workshops, sponsored by Reston Limousine. On Sunday evening, you’ll benefit from “Understanding FMCSA Compliance Including SMS Scoring, ELD, and Idling Laws” with Reston’s Keith Johnson, “How to Protect Against Chargebacks: 5 Best Practices to Ensure You’re Not a Victim” with Jeff Brodsly of Chosen Payments, and “Is Your Company Prepared for a Serious Multiple Injury Crash?” with Bob Crescenzo of Lancer Insurance. Monday will see The LMC Group’s Christina Davis discussing “How the New FLSA Guidelines Affect Your Business,” Bill Faeth presetting “How to Sell 24 Hours a Day With an Automated Sales Funnel,” and Kim Garner of BEST Transportation of St. Louis talking about “Is Your Business Prepared for a Disaster? Creating a Recovery System to Keep You Operational.”
We are also proud to announce that Scott Solombrino of Dav El/BostonCoach has recently joined our distinguished roster of mentors in our wildly popular Operator Mentoring Program! Even with the addition of a new face, spaces are filling up fast for this event, which will take place Sunday, October 9, from 2:45 to 4:45 p.m. There will be absolutely no on-site registration this year, so you must register online at chauffeurdrivenshow.com/mentor-registration-signup.html beforehand if you want to participate in this unique exchange of information, insights, and industry expertise.
Keep checking chauffeurdrivenshow.com to stay updated on all the newest announcements as our 2016 Show in Washington, D.C. gets closer every day!
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