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The inaugural event will be chock-full of learning opportunities, all of which relate back to assembling and fostering a top-notch team to elevate your company’s level of customer service, as well as enhancing your own leadership skills. On Monday, Kristen Carroll of The LMC Group and Grace Limousine and Brett Tyson of BostonCoach will co-present a workshop on recruiting and retaining high-quality staff, especially chauffeurs. These two industry veterans will utilize proven methods and strategies to help you not only find, employ, and hold on to the kind of individuals you want on your staff but also learn how to be a better leader.
Both of Tuesday’s in-depth, two-hour presentations come directly from The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center, with “Leadership and Employee Engagement” starting up right after breakfast and “Memorable Customer Service” following lunch—and who better than the customer-service professionals at The Ritz-Carlton to help you learn how to engage your employees while instilling in them the leadership principles that will put your company ahead of the rest? You can see for yourself the kind of high-quality education we’re packing into the retreat’s second day: Learn more about “Leadership and Employee Engagement” by clicking here and “Memorable Customer Service” by clicking here.
As many business owners in the industry know, first-rate training from the likes of The Ritz-Carlton can often be cost-prohibitive; at our retreat, you can bring any member of your staff demonstrating a leadership mentality to reap the benefits this event offers.
Following Monday’s workshop, we’ll embark upon a private tour of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum—which is seamlessly integrated into the Omni Hotel. Then it’s off to the Hall of Fame Rotunda for drinks and a BBQ dinner before enjoying an exclusive concert in the Ford Theater—or what the Country Music Hall of Fame refers to as its state-of-the-art living room.
After The Ritz-Carlton’s second training session on Tuesday, get ready for a whirlwind tour of Nashville. Take in some of Music City’s most iconic sights and sounds when you visit Music Row, Riverfront Park, Broadway, Ryman Auditorium, the full-scale replica Parthenon, stars’ homes, and much more. The remainder of the evening will be spent enjoying a honky-tonk crawl along Broadway, where we’ll be making stops at well-known watering holes such as Robert’s, Stage, Legends Corner, Whiskey Bent, and Silver Dollar Saloon. And if that’s not enough, we’ll mosey on over to Lynchburg on Wednesday to tour the Jack Daniel’s Distillery to cap off the retreat.
With nearly 50 operators already registered, the retreat is almost a quarter full—and 2015 is only two weeks old. Once we have 50 registrants, the price of admission goes up. Call (856) 334-1988 for more information or to make sure you have a spot in our June 22-24 Executive Retreat.
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"Going undercover was a unique experience to get an unobstructed view of our company and see how we can improve," says Seelinger. "EmpireCLS has grown in leaps and bounds, and it was important to me to connect with our employees and learn how the growth we've experienced has impacted them, our brand, and our clients."
EmpireCLS provides luxury, chauffeured transportation services throughout the world for Fortune 1000 companies, five-star hotel brands, VIPs, dignitaries, and the entertainment/music industry elite, driving nearly one million guests each year.
An entrepreneur with a passion for hospitality and a love for motorcycles, Seelinger has been responsible for the direction and growth of EmpireCLS, formerly Empire International, since 1990. He developed the company's global affiliate network, proprietary reservation system, and, in 2005, merged with one of its largest competitors, CLS Transportation, creating the largest transaction of its kind in the ground transportation industry.
Seelinger stresses that the opportunity to go undercover as a chauffeur, dispatch specialist, fleet inspection manager, and affiliate chauffeur has been "invaluable," learning new ways to improve and expand the EmpireCLS brand. After sharing his finding with EmpireCLS leaders, the company is implementing several initiatives to simplify company processes, stay connected with its employees, and ensure their needs are addressed.
"Admittedly, I've been out of touch with some aspects of our business," says Seelinger, "but EmpireCLS wouldn't be the company it is today without its hardworking employees—making sure their needs are fulfilled is a priority and important lesson I took away from this experience."
Visit empirecls.com for more information.
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Linda Jean (Liles) Assolin, wife and mother to Nick and Matt Assolin, respectively, of Nikko’s Worldwide Transportation, passed away December 29, 2014, at MD Anderson Cancer Center due to complications following surgery. She was 63.
Linda joined her husband in co-founding then-Nikko’s Luxury Limousines after founding Pinemont Office Supplies in 1982, which she managed until 1989. She started her career as a legal secretary for a prominent Houston law firm, where she worked until 1975. She then obtained employment with Southern Host, a national hotel/motel management corporation, and worked her way up to being named general manager in 1979—becoming the first female general manager in the Southern Host System. In 1981, the company transferred her to Tampa, Fla., to be general manager of its new Holiday Inn franchise.
A two-time cancer survivor, Linda is survived by her husband Nick; son Matthew Allen, his wife Xochitl, and their child Matthew William; her parents, V.E. "Huey" and Ann Liles; her sister, Patti Brown; and her nephew Christopher, his wife Kathy, and their three boys, Remington, Aidan, and Cole.
The memorial service was held January 10 in the Jasek Chapel of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons in Houston.
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