- Details
- Category: Industry News
Laurie Cantwell of MV1 Insurance and Sarah Vanbeek of Chosen Payments both discussed their companies’ initiates to garner new NELA members. Aleja Seabron of The LMC Group and Brett Tyson of TDC Training Specialists both spoke about their involvement in NELA’s upcoming April 4 Driving Education series of seminars; Seabron will discuss social media and online marketing while Tyson will be the day’s keynote speaker.
NELA Executive Director Rick Szilagyi then spoke about the association’s efforts to battle TNCs, which includes almost 10 new bills introduced in Rhode Island in the week prior to the meeting and its retention of a “Dream Team” comprising lobbyists and lawyers who are assisting the association in its continued pursuit of a level playing field and regulations promoting public safety. Outside legal assistance does, however, require at least $20,000 per month to retain that help; Szilagyi thanked those who have provided the biggest monetary contributions and implored others to become financially invested in the battle.
Szilagyi then introduced Jagiela, who spoke about how visiting with operators and associations throughout the country has allowed him a firsthand perspective on how the industry is handling TNCs on a national scale. Jagiela shared some insight he gained from legislators when participating in the Greater California Livery Association’s Day on the Hill last month: “We will never be able to bring TNCs to the limousine’s industry current standards; however, under consideration is finding a middle ground and make all commercial providers adhere to the same standards and regulations.” Jagiela also spoke about CD’s 2016 events, raffling off a pass to the Chauffeur Driven Show in Washington, D.C. that was won by Lew Aflalo of Green Light Limousine.
Mike Fogarty of Tristar Worldwide, who is also the immediate past president of Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association, then thanked Szilagyi and NELA for the association’s active approach to speaking for the industry’s New England operators. He also expressed his pleasure in seeing a cooperative relationship emerge between taxis and our industry as both continue to grapple with TNCs.
The speakers concluded with Michael Campbell of Grace Limousine, NLA’s Northeast Regional Director, who discussed the benefits of membership in the national association and spoke about its upcoming Day on the Hill, scheduled for April 26-27 in Washington, D.C.
NELA’s next event is Driving Education on April 4; its next meeting is June 14.
Visit nelivery.org for more information.
[CD0316]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
WFLA President Jeremy Jenkins of His and Hers Limousines kicked off the meeting by imploring those in attendance to stay the course of corporate work as TNCs continue to dog the Florida chauffeured transportation scene, as well as continuing to attend industry events to help create a wider networking reach.
Maccar then spoke about the value both the magazine and events aim to bring to the industry, and how input from operators are what help Chauffeur Driven deliver the content they seek. She also raffled off a pass to the Executive Retreat in New Orleans, which was won by Gus Shahin of Luxury Transportation Limousine.
With NLA’s Day on the Hill slated for next month, the legislative event is at the forefront of many operators’ minds, and Jenkins shared his previous experiences of walking the halls and meeting with elected officials throughout the history of the annual event.
“You’re meeting people and letting them know that our industry is still here year after year,” Jenkins said.
The discussion shifted to the March meeting of the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission (HCPTC), which was attended by two WFLA members. While TNC operations are currently illegal in the county and their drivers are being ticketed, members are concerned that “a lack of recourse” for collecting on those tickets won’t curb the problem; however, they also hope that the public will take note of how often TNC vehicles receive citations and “will begin to realize that they are not kosher organizations.”
Members’ optimism was cautious, though, feeling that they have only a year’s reprieve before the TNC battle rears its ugly head once more: “Rest assured, Uber will be back,” Jenkins warned. “We can’t just sleep until next year—we have this year to figure out how to fight Uber when they do come back.”
As operators in the Tampa area and throughout the state have been working closely with Florida’s taxi drivers, the “tireless efforts” and lobbying donations of Lou Minardi, president of the Yellow Cab Company of Tampa, were spoken of as being instrumental in effecting local regulatory change.
“Lou is in Tallahassee more than some Congressmen!” WFLA Executive Director Dave Shaw observed. “I’m proud that he’s in the Tampa area, fighting for us—and winning.”
Minardi’s work was also praised for being instrumental in helping to kill HB-1439, a Florida House bill that would have prevented HCPTC from banning TNCs, as was that of Senator Athenia Joyner, who WFLA members were quick to refer to as a friend of the association. Brook Negusei of Luxury Transportation of Tampa Bay echoed the call for the two industries to work together, saying that while chauffeured ground transportation hasn’t suffered the way taxis have at the hands of TNCs, some aspects of the industry taken a significant hit from them.
“Some of those taxi guys are putting out $100,000 a year for this fight—our weekend trips are dying and we need to stick together,” Negusei said.
WFLA’s next meeting will be May 18.
Visit wflatampa.com for more information.
[CD0316]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
Shanker, whose first day with the company was February 29, says that his new role “was the perfect move that came at the perfect time” after it became less of an “if” and more of a “when” through increasingly serious discussions with RMA President/CEO Robert Alexander.
“Robert used to say ‘You’ll be working with me one day’ or I’d say ‘One day, I’ll be working with you’ whenever we saw each other,” Shanker says. “Then we had a conversation about it at the Chauffeur Driven Show in Miami, and we’ve been exploring the possibility since then.”
In fact, Shanker says that much of the appeal of working at RMA stems from Alexander himself, saying that the company’s owner “inspires greatness in others” from leading by example—and fostering a work environment that encourages success through both hard work and camaraderie alike.
“Robert and the RMA team are passionate and professional, the facility is state-of-the-art, and just the other day, I walked into the office while the reservations staff was cheering about how many reservations they’d booked in a short amount of time,” Shanker says. “We deliver service that we call ‘RMA Perfect’: the ride will be perfect, your chauffeur will be perfect, and the experience will be perfect.”
Shanker joined RMA in his second year of serving as the president for Limousine Association of New Jersey (LANJ)—one of the industry’s largest associations with nearly 150 members—where he had spent much of his time at LANJ’s helm lobbying for both passenger safety and a level playing field as TNCs continue to threaten chauffeured ground transportation. He believes that RMA’s dedication to quality is demonstrative of how the industry can best digital ride-hailing services.
“Will the TNCs of the world affect ground transportation? They will to a point, but we’ll overcome them with high-quality service,” he says.
With kudos and congratulations from the industry pouring in through calls, texts, email, and Facebook messages since he announced his new role, Shanker is looking forward to this next chapter in his career and eagerly embraces his future at RMA.
“This is just about the happiest I’ve been since the day I started dating my wife,” he says.
Visit rmalimo.com for more information.
[CD0316]