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Durham, N.H. — Vendors In Alliance (VIA), the new vendors group comprised of companies deeply entrenched in providing solutions for the livery industry, held its first meeting on November 4th in Atlantic City, N.J., at the Chauffeur Driven Show. The meeting was a success, with well over a dozen attendees, including Jeff Brodsly of Chosen Payments, Arthur Messina of Create-A-Card, Amy Harris and Patty Ferris of Deem Ground, Pat Charla and Jennifer Wong of DriveProfit, Lisa Harding & Arnie Adamsen of LimoLive24, Chip Bowman and David Hirsch of Livery Coach Solutions, Derek Maxwell of Maxwell Unified, Dan Sutich of Perfect Chauffeur, Ryan Hilberth of Rental Limo, James and Jim Moseley of Trip Tracker, Laird Mooney of AMProd, Peter Heber of Advantage Funding, and Rick Szilagyi (Lexian Management). Topics included early-stage housekeeping issues including a 2015 yearlong commitment from all members, but also defined initiatives and developed the first year’s calendar. VIA members will meet monthly, often by conference call, with its next face-to-face meeting in Las Vegas in March.
The purpose of the organization was restated at the beginning of the meeting: to unite smaller vendors to create a larger voice, to share professional contacts/resources to enhance VIA businesses, to educate one another on each member’s products and services for a better understanding of the needs of our mutual clients, to bring in outside speakers/presenters on topics that will assist with the growth and operation of our individual companies, and in general to build industry presence. One of the decisions made during the meeting was to donate $1,200 to the Ryan Seacrest Foundation. Brodsly and Szilagyi presented the donation at a charity event later that day, in the names of VIA and its individual member organizations. This is a testament to VIA’s purpose in building industry presence.
Vendors in Alliance is a professional organization of senior-level executives, committed to cooperation, education, the exchange of ideas, resulting in the growth of each member as well as the industry.
Contact Rick Szilagyi at 603.868.7475, or rick@lexian.com for more information.
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Marlton, N.J. — The slate of candidates for the 2015 National Limousine Association (NLA) board election has been released. By the deadline for nominations on November 21, NLA had received a total of 21 applications for seven open seats. There are two open seats for At-Large and Southeast Region and one seat for each of the following regions: Central, Northeast, and West. Information on all candidates as well as their reasons for running for the NLA Board has been posted here: limo.org/board-member-applicants.
"It is really great to see how many industry business owners and officers see the importance of being involved in this prestigious association,” says NLA President Gary Buffo of Pure Luxury Transportation.
Candidates for the two At-Large seats are Joel Amato of Gateway Global; Jeff Greene of Greene Worldwide Transportation, Bruce Heinrich of LEADER Worldwide Chauffeur Services, and Ron Stein of Exclusive Sedan Service.
Candidates for the two Southeast seats are Robert Alexander of RMA Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation, Laura Canady of CLT Express, David Glazier of Fleet Transportation, Carl Haley Jr. of Grand Avenue Limousine, Andy Thompson of Rose Chauffeured Transportation, Scott Tinkler of Aventura Worldwide Transportation, and Rick Versace of A1A Airport & Limousine Service.
Candidates for the one Central seat are Matt Assolin of Nikko’s Worldwide Chauffeured Services, Mary Harrell-Paul of Crown Chauffeured Services, Charlie Murray of Total Luxury Limousine, Eileen Pickus of People Express Worldwide, and Steve Qua of Company Car and Limousine.
Candidates for the one Northeast seat are Michael Campbell of Grace Limousine, Jon Epstein of Royal Coachman Worldwide, and James MacGilvray of Partners Executive Transportation.
Candidates for the one West seat are Maurice Brewster of Mosaic Global Transportation and Christopher Quinn of Corporate Transportation Solutions.
Ballots are currently being mailed to members with a deadline of January 23, 2015; ballots received after the deadline will not be counted.
“Wherever the election lands, I am very thankful for your support to the National Limousine Association. It is because of all of us that this association exists. Continue to be involved, as we are thankful for your support,” says Buffo.
Visit limo.org for more information.
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In addition to agency updates from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and Transportation Security Administration, the day-and-a-half seminar also featured a number of educational sessions.
“We kicked off by discussing the topic of employee hiring and discipline, and had a session on accident investigations to provide an overview of what operators should do if there’s an accident with their motorcoach,” Nosko said. “We also had a session on OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). One of the other sessions, “What I Learned from My Recent Investigation,” was a moderated panel with operators who have gone through the FMCSA’s compliance reviews and shared their experiences and tips.”
The seminar is capped at 130 attendees, which allows for a small, person gathering where individual questions and concerns can be presented so operators can walk away with solutions to real-life problems. Nosko said that there’s a fairly even split between those who frequently attend the seminar to stay on top of changes in the industry and its regulations, and those who may not necessarily be new operators but are participating in the event for the first time.
“It was definitely a success this year,” she said. “We had a full house, and a lot of the attendees gave us really great feedback and said that it was a good program.
The UMA’s next big event will be Motorcoach Expo, now in its 31st year, in New Orleans, La., from January 18 through 22.
“Registration numbers are up and we’re really expecting a great meeting this year,” Nosko said. “We have a lot of new networking programs that we’re doing and we’ve got a lot more educational opportunities this year.”
One of the biggest changes in the show is that “the key manufacturers of the industry,” like Prevost, ABC Companies, MCI, Alliance, and Temsa, will all be showing more vehicles than they have in years past.
“Operators tell us that the education is stellar at Expo but they’re also there to buy equipment,” Nosko said. “So it really is a buying show, and being able to put more equipment on the show floor is really exciting and beneficial for our attendees.”
Nosko believes that the show can benefit not only those in the motorcoach industry but also livery operators who are interested in expanding their fleets to include buses.
“For [chauffeured transportation] operators, it’s a great venue if they’re thinking of getting into bigger equipment,” she said. “They can see the vehicles on the show floor, and they can attend our sessions to learn about them. The motorcoach industry does transport passengers but it really is a different world with all the regulations they need to think about, so this show is a great learning resource for anyone starting out in the industry.”
Visit uma.org for more information.
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