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In addition to being located in the heart of San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter, the Hotel Pendry is the only five-star resort in the city’s hottest downtown area. As the latest offering from the ultra-luxe Montage Hotels, the property strikes a balance between modern and traditional, pairing classic Southern California influence with modern luxury programming and amenities. Among the first-rate accommodations at the Pendry are a rooftop pool, 24-hour fitness center, and six restaurants and bars, which gives you ample opportunity for some peer-to-peer networking.
But don’t think the Retreat won’t give you plenty of chances to network with your fellow operators! As always, we’re offering a full array of programming designed to give you educational takeaway as well as some prime networking opportunities in casual and fun environments. Click here to visit our full retreat schedule.
We’ll kick off our first night in town with an Opening Dinner & Reception—complete with a sunset panorama—at nearby Coasterra, where you’ll enjoy some of the city’s finest modern Mexican fare among a breathtaking sunset backdrop while you catch up with old friends and make some new connections.
On Monday, after you schmooze over breakfast, our education starts with a bang…or make that a “cha-ching”…as we tackle the ever-important question of “Are You Making Money?” Industry veteran Dawson Rutter, president of Commonwealth Worldwide, returns to our retreat to share more of his valuable insight alongside Jessica Boulerice, financial consultant for The LMC Group. Then, after lunch, we’ll delve into “Safeguarding Your Company From Sexual Harassment, ”an HR/legal session from HR expert, Ann Plunkett of Workplace Partners, and legal specialist, Brooke Keil of Emerson Hospital designed to help you chart a course through the murky waters of sexual harassment in the workplace.
Once the day’s educational sessions draw to a close, it’s off to our Dinner & Reception at The Ultimate Skybox—15 stories above San Diego. This one-of-a-kind rooftop experience overlooks nearby Petco Park, letting you catch the Padres’ opening game of their home-field series against the Washington Nationals. If America’s Pastime isn’t your thing, we’ll also have renowned mentalist and magician Ben Silver on hand to dazzle retreat-goers with his sleights of hands and awe-inspiring mind games. The Skybox offers an open floor plan that seems tailor-made for our event, which will give you plenty of time to mingle with and meet other attendees. Dining fare will include everything from an array of appetizers to a variety of food stations—and, of course, an open bar.
Tuesday’s sessions begin with “Seizing Opportunities With Millennials, Hospitality & Tourism,” presented by Jeffrey Montague, the founder of Temple University’s School of Tourism and Hospitality Management. He will offer some insight on how to harness that generation’s talent and ways to brand the hospitality industry accordingly toward the Millennial thought process. This seminar will be moderated by CD Education Committee Co-chair Jason Sharenow of Broadway Elite Worldwide.
The educational portion of the retreat comes to a close late in the morning as we introduce a new and exclusive activity to the Executive Retreat. The Executive Game, is an interactive, one-of-a-kind educational experience brought to us by our friends in the Strategy Leaders business management consultant group. Groups of 8-10 will separate into teams and create a virtual company to steer through all the challenges that operators face in the luxury ground transportation industry. However, your business expertise and experience will get you so far in the game though, as your “company” will be dealt an array of challenges from a deck of cards that may put you on the road to bankruptcy. Get ready to demonstrate your entrepreneurial passion, as The Executive Game will get hyper-competitive and intense—but it’s also a lot of fun.
Our official schedule concludes Tuesday afternoon with a scenic and relaxing guided tour of San Diego on wheels! Old Town Trolley Tours will be picking attendees up right at the hotel for a private three-hour tour of the city’s historical and iconic highlights, where their team of talented and knowledgeable guides will inform and entertain you in equal measures. We’ll start in the city’s oldest settled area, Old Town San Diego, followed by a cruise along the shoreline as we ride through the bayside Embarcadero and Seaport Village before getting a whole new look at the Gaslamp Quarter. We’ll make another extended stop at Coronado, a well-known resort city, before concluding at Little Italy, with its authentic Old World flare and unique charm.
The clock is ticking: You don’t want to miss out on this intimate event that gives you one-on-one time with some of the industry’s most successful operators, as well as a unique opportunity to have some fun while you hone your business skills with some amazing takeaway. The $249/night room block is gone tomorrow—register today.
Visit sandiegoretreat.com for more information.
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“It’s a win-win all the way around for McSweeney, for L.A. West, and for the dealers,” says Kauffman. “The DNA of the product won’t change; it will literally be a new logo and the continuation of a vehicle line that customers have grown to love. For end-users with shuttle buses currently in service, the warranty and technical support will continue on without interruption in a seamless and transparent fashion. Operators will win from a service standpoint and the dealers win from ongoing product support from us.”
L.A. West will be based in a 30,000-square-foot facility in Statesville, N.C., and production has just launched. L.A. West is ramped up to handle all warranty claims for current McSweeney shuttle bus product owners.
Semi-retired since selling L.A. West in 2005, Kauffman has three decades of experience in second-stage automotive customization and was recruited by the owners of McSweeney Designs in 2015 when the company was ramping up its Sprinter production in this market segment to spearhead the companywide quality assurance and quality control initiative while overseeing all aspects of the operation. He’s built nearly 100,000 vehicles over the life of his career … and counting.
Joining Kauffman is Kevin Kropf, formerly the regional sales manager for McSweeney, who will serve as the company’s VP of sales. Kropf also has nearly three decades in the luxury bus and upscale executive transportation market. Several other employees on the manufacturing side will relocate to N.C., but the majority of the administrative staff is new to the company.
“Our mantra is twofold: To build on the quality DNA of the McSweeney product that customers have come to expect in the past three years, and for L.A. West to be best in class in everything that we do. We’re proud to revive the L.A. West name,” says Kauffman.
“We are very excited for Vern and his team,” says Rod McSweeney, CEO of MCM Vehicles, manufacturing entity of SCA Performance Vehicles and McSweeney Designs. “Vern has such a passion for the livery segment that it was a natural to help him with as many of the assets he needed to make sure past and present McSweeney Designs customers never miss a beat. Vern is a quality individual, and my prediction is he will be wildly successful.”
For more information, visit lawestcoaches.com or call 704.498.4940 for more information.
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After the Englewood Cliffs Cadillac team put out a buffet lunch to kick off the afternoon meeting, the dealership’s Livery Manager Bill Fellbaum offered his greetings, support, and ongoing assistance to not only those in attendance but also the industry at large.
LANJ President Jason Sharenow of Broadway Elite Worldwide then delivered The LANJ Report, which detailed the many legislative battles and changes the association is fighting for its members’ benefit.
With newly installed Governor Phil Murphy looking to overturn several bills signed into law by his predecessor Chris Christie, it is feared that the tax relief transportation providers have seen these past few months is slated to be bumped back up to 7 percent, rather than the current 6.25 percent.
Other areas of concern included the proposal to raise minimum wage to $15, as well as the paid sick leave bill—which allows employees to accrue one hour of bankable time off for prolonged illness for every 30 hours they work—that recently passed through the Assembly and is expected to sail through Senate.
With a new attorney general and several industry-sympathetic legislators still in the state capital of Trenton, however, LANJ is optimistic about the future it will aggressively pursue for the benefit of not only its members but also their passengers’ safety.
“LANJ will not stop fighting for you in Trenton,” Sharenow promised attendees. “I will make sure our voices are heard.”
First Vice President/Treasurer Jon Epstein of Royal Coachman Worldwide, who also serves as the association’s Membership Committee Co-chair with Barry Trabb of Complete Fleet Livery Sales, then spoke about the importance of presenting a unified front and stepping up to help LANJ continually serve as a vehicle of activism for the industry at a statewide level.
“We can’t do any of this without the board and active members we have,” he said.
That sentiment was immediately echoed when the afternoon’s Keynote Speaker Scott Solombrino of Dav El/BostonCoach took to the podium.
“There is nothing more important than volunteerism in your industry,” Solombrino said. “Those are the people who show up and keep fighting those fights for you. The threats to our industry are enormous and we only have a chance if you all show up.”
Solombrino’s speech touched on myriad topics that are keenly relevant in today’s ever-shifting operational landscape. Among them: the NLA’s PSA campaign with Pamela Anderson as its spokeswoman advocating for passenger safety through better understanding of TNCs’ protective shortcomings; how fingerprinting laws differ among neighboring states; labor laws and their accompanying regulations; tax cuts; the importance of donating either time or money to worthy causes—“or both if you’re really dedicated”; automated vehicles; and how the NLA is working on a national level to support its far-flung membership base.
At the heart of his message was that it is ultimately “people who still make things happen—not technology.”
“I think we can win against the TNCs because we’re on the right side of history,” said Solombrino. “You can survive this battle because nothing can replace the level of service we provide to our customers.”
After an impassioned Q&A between Solombrino and several meeting attendees, Sharenow spoke about LANJ’s upcoming dinner gala, calling for auction items to be donated for the evening’s fundraiser. The association’s second annual Golf Outing is also currently open to players and those just looking to spend the day with their industry peers.
At the end of the meeting, Jagiela and Maccar raffled off a pass to Chauffeur Driven’s May 6-8 Executive Retreat in San Diego, which was won by Michael Renehan of Concorde Worldwide.
LANJ’s next event will be its May 16 Dinner and Auction Gala at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in West Orange. Its Golf Outing is scheduled for September 17 at Cherry Valley Country Club in Skillman.
Visit lanj.org for more information.
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