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After seeing and listening to so many small business owners devasted by the COVID pandemic, ABC Companies was inspired to create a concept that would help them have a big voice with government. What initially began as a proposal shared with the American Bus Association (ABA) and United Motorcoach Association (UMA), and later married with a very similar vision shared by the Ohio Motorcoach Association, the Motorcoaches Rolling for Awareness (MR4A) movement was born. Other key contributors including DATTCO and DC Trails quickly jumped onboard and helped to formulate ideas and strategize how bring the biggest industry social media “meet up” in history to life. The event is scheduled to be held on May 13 in Washington, D.C., with hundreds of motorcoach companies nationwide expected to participate.
“The event coordination is being led by an all-volunteer group of individuals from multiple disciplines within the industry,” said Thom Peebles, VP, Marketing, ABC Companies. “When [ABC President and Chief Commercial Officer] Roman Cornell and I first developed the concept, it was simply to help our industry get back on the road. ABC and the Cornell family have long believed that taking care of customers takes care of everything else, and we couldn’t just sit back and watch our industry, customers, and friends be decimated by these shutdowns.”
According to Peebles, following the first meeting with ABA and UMA they were introduced to Ben Bolog, president of the Ohio Motorcoach Association (OMA) as well as an independent multi-generational operator and president of US Coach Tours. Bolog was also simultaneously developing the same concept ABC had brought to the table. All parties quickly recognized the obvious synergies of bringing ABC and OMA together. After consulting with different operators and associations, it was clear that the industry was primed for the idea and needed a method to funnel into action. The initiative was agreed to and named, followed shortly by a website all in the same day. ABC says that Cornell has generously contributed many staff members including Peebles, who is spearheading much of the effort, to bring this event to life.
Since the concept’s inception, key industry leaders including MCI, Prevost, and other bus OEMs have all contributed at various levels to ensure that the event accurately represents the industry as a whole and its many customers served.
“This is the kind of grassroots movement my grandfather Clancy Cornell would have gotten behind, and I think he would be proud of ABC working so hard at this level to help our customers and their businesses. Making customers and our industry our priority is what makes ABC what it is today,” added Cornell. “When this pandemic first hit, I challenged my team to truly understand how we could help our customers and our industry as a whole. Since then, we have launched our CLEANS initiative of products and services to clean and sanitize motorcoaches and provide support elements to get the traveling public back on our customers’ coaches. When the concept of bringing miles of motorcoaches to D.C. as rolling billboards to educate and garner government and public support, in a way that was positive, I was all in,” he said.
“We think this will be the largest meetup in our industry’s history and we’re truly humbled to be a part of it. We look forward to seeing so many of our friends and operators on the road as we roll together during the ultimate social distancing, awareness-raising event,” said Peebles.
ABC companies will be posting daily updates about the MR4A Event on the ABC Companies website at abc-companies.com using hashtags #dontmissourbus, #busesmoveamerica, #motorcoachesrolling4awareness, #rolling4awareness, and #R4A2020. ABC encourages participants and stakeholders to continue to post stories, videos, and pictures on its Facebook group page.
Visit busesmoveamerica.com for more information on how to participate. All companies wishing to join the rally must pre-register (space is limited).
[05.11.20]
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You asked for it and we listened. In this column, we ask operators of all sizes and from all walks of the industry a question about their business and report their answers so you can assess how your own company compares to your peers. If you would like to participate, please email Rob Smentek at rob@chauffeurdriven.com for next issue’s question.
TOPIC: During this unplanned work stoppage, have you pursued any personal or professional development (especially beyond COVID-19 news), whether it’s through webinars, podcasts, reading, etc.? Recommendations?
Jean-Noel Aimasso, Co-founder and CEO
Kingdom Limousines in Côte d’Azur, France
Randy Allen, Partner/CTO
James Limousine in Richmond, Va.
Abdou Brahim, Owner
VA Executive Sedan & Limousine Service in Virginia Beach, Va.
Ylse Escamilla, International Market & Roadshow Manager
Alquimavi Transportation in Mexico City, Mexico
We took inventory of all of the “work in progress” projects, prioritized them, and completed nearly every one. This resulted in a brand-new polished chauffeur training program for all levels. We now have perfected a program for new hires, advanced training, tourism training, and a few other modules. We also now have an updated and complete program for staff.
We have digitized everything noted above so that everyone has access to the tools they need wherever they are. Also, we have released our brand-new website with multiple domains and are in the process of adding online direct booking through our Livery Coach software.
Again, we would not have had the people-power to get all of this accomplished if we were in full-swing, especially during the Kentucky Derby. We have been operating with strict sanitary guidelines during this entire period. We are already starting to see an uptick in business, in spite of the tight restrictions in place here in Kentucky. The state began the re-opening process on May 11, and I expect that we will see a surge in retail business right away.
Carey Fieldhouse, President & CEO
Pegasus in Louisville, Ky.
As a family business, we wanted to do something together that we could look back on, create memories, and actually achieve something, so we took on the project of painting our building. Lorraine, my wife and business partner, as well as our boys Sam (10) and Zach (7) started in mid-March and we are nearly finished. It was fun to achieve something together as well as saving money on a painting contractor.
Myles Flood, Co-owner
LfL Chauffeur Services in Dublin, Ireland
Juan Gonzalo Parra, Owner
Luxury Rentals in Medellin, Colombia
Athena Grimm, COO
BAC Transportation in Anchorage, Alaska
Agustin Hernandez, Owner
Blackcar Offers Limo Services, Mexico City
I have built a new wine tour website with the help of a third-party booking service called Fareharbor, and the new website just launched May 1. Business is still nonexistent, but I plan on rehiring my drivers and reservationists using the PPP loan that I just received to help with marketing and social media relations. I encourage operators to stay active and try to keep as much of the same routine as possible. I still go into my office for six to eight hours per day—just so I don't get complacent and depressed.
James Hooshman, Owner
Rock Star Trolley & Limousine in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Michael Jedrzejewski, JKS Chauffeur Manager
Windy City Limousine & Bus in Broadview, Ill.
As for personal time, I'm happy to say I have played eight rounds of golf where we have been hunkering down during the quarantine period. I wish I can tell you my game has gotten better but...
Arthur Messina, Managing Director
Driving Results in Charlotte, N.C.
We’ve loved hearing your answers to our benchmarking questions—but we always welcome suggestions for future topics, too!
Send an email to rob@chauffeurdriven.com you just might see your query answered in our next E-News.
[CD05.12.20]
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UPDATE 5.11: The SBA has resumed accepting applications for qualified small business in any industry.
The EIDL is idle—unless you are in a certain industry. As of May 4, the Small Business Administration (SBA), which facilitates the Economic Injury Disaster Loans, or EIDL, announced that it will only accept applications from agricultural businesses. SBA cited “limitations in funding availability and the unprecedented submission of applications already received.” This seems to apply to both the EIDL and the EIDL Advance, which allowed for an advance of up to $10,000 within three days of loan approval. However, applications that were previously submitted will continue to be processed on a first-come, first-served basis, according the SBA website.
Additionally, The Washington Post is reporting that the loan amount has been reduced from a maximum of $2 million per company to just $150,000, although the SBA has not officially confirmed this.
Many small businesses have shared their frustration with the EIDL process, noting that the agency has a logjam of applications spanning several weeks, which promoted more than 100 lawmakers to send a letter to SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza this week. This mirrors what many operators in this industry have experienced, often voicing their concerns on social media or during online association meetings.
The EIDL program is different from the newly created Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in that it is a bona fide 30-year loan with a 3.75 percent interest rate aimed at helping small businesses in disaster situations. Due to the unprecedented needs during COVID-19, the program was injected with two rounds of capital through the CARES Act stimulus bill.
The PPP, if used primarily for payroll and partially for rent/mortgage interest and utilities for an eight-week period—currently interpreted as a 75/25 split of payroll to facility expenses, although final guidelines are currently pending—is also a low-interest loan that may be forgivable. The portion that is not used as intended is a 1 percent loan with a two-year term. As of May 8, operators can still apply for the PPP—although demand is quickly outpacing funds.
Congress is currently in talks about another stimulus package, dubbed CARES Act 2, which should include funding for state and local government, as well as additional stimulus for individuals and businesses.
Visit the SBA website for more information.
[05.08.20]