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GRiDD Technologies is very excited to announce its membership with the National Limousine Association (NLA) in addition to its participation in the NLA’s Affinity Program. NLA members can now take advantage of an exclusive 5 percent bonus credit for every prepaid GNet credit top up.
GRiDD team (L to R): VP of Operations Brad Brown: VP of Operations, Account Manager Shahram Mirhosseini, and Founder/CEO Amir Zafar
GNet is the industry solution for providing booking and trip information between global proprietary industry booking/reservation systems. It allows sending and receiving reliable, real-time booking and trip information using the operators’ chosen booking/reservation systems and driver apps. The GNet platform has been live for almost 4 years, and connects over 1289 members in 44 countries across 6 continents and growing.
NLA Technology Committee Co-chair Ken Carter of Aadvanced Limousines
“GNet was built to address the need for technical connectivity in the premium chauffeured industry,” says GRiDD CEO Amir Zafar. “By supporting the NLA and working with their Technology Committee and with NLA members, we are enabling our technologies for the industry as a whole. As an Affinity Member, GRiDD Technologies is excited to be able to offer both a discount to NLA members as well as a rebate to the NLA based on member usage.”
Ken Carter, co-chair of the NLA technology committee and owner of Aadvanced Limousines put it simply when asked why he supports GNet for his affiliate work: “GNet allows you to do more with less.”
By becoming a GNet member, you can reduce human error, optimize your ability to handle more business, and expand your connectivity across the globe. To date, hundreds of thousands of reservations have been successfully transferred through this network. GNet membership is free and there is no need to purchase any new software.
“Our GNet platform allows the augmentation of existing industry booking and reservation technologies to enable seamless exchange of data with multiple disparate reservation systems,” explains GRiDD VP of Operations Brad Brown.
Visit grdd.net or griddtechnologies.com for more information.
Jeff Rose of Attitude New York
In other news, the NLA held a special election to fill a one-year vacancy on the Board of Directors in the Northeast region through January 14. Jeff Rose of Attitude New York, Inc. and Nancy Vargas of DH2 Chauffeured Transportation submitted nominations, and Rose was elected after the ballots were counted. He will take his seat on the January 28 Board meeting, along with the three newly elected Board members from the 2020 election.
The January 28 Board meeting will be livestreamed on the NLA’s main Facebook page at 2:00 p.m. ET. The Board invites anyone interested in attending, members and non-members, to listen in to the meeting for important NLA updates.
Visit limo.org for more information.
[01.18.21]
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When was the last time you changed your computer passwords? Are your website’s plug-ins updated? Who in your company has access to your company’s email server? These questions, and more, were addressed during a seminar hosted by the Illinois Limousine & Bus Association (ILLBA). During the first Coffee With ILLBA of the new year on January 12, members and guests learned the Importance of Virtual Security in a session by Charles Kaelin, president of Summit 7 Agency.
Coffee With ILLBA
New ILLBA President Arthur Rento of Ponterelli Companies started the meeting by welcoming attendees and pledging to continue the popular monthly Zoom conferences.
“We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from these meetings,” says Rento. “We’re going to try to continue to bring topics of interest to operators.”
After introducing the 2021 ILLBA Board, Rento wasted no time in getting things started, and welcomed Kaelin, a digital expert who has provided digital services for more than 200 companies in the ground transportation space. With so many companies relying on their networks and websites to do everything from book work and communicate with customers (hello, Zoom), online security is paramount. Many operators have been burdened with ransomware and less-than-trustworthy providers. Kaelin covered the nuts and bolts of website, server, and email security, from basics like changing your passwords frequently to more advanced concepts like ICANN and website registration.
Kaelin fielded questions from the attendees and served as unofficial moderator as operators shared best practices—and horror stories—about online security issues. One hot-button topic dealt with legitimate-looking links sent through spam. Kaelin advised everyone to avoid clicking any unsolicited links, and suggested running an immediate system scan if you or an employee has clicked something suspicious.
After the session, Executive Director/Secretary/Treasurer Paula DeBiasi of Chicago Coachworks updated attendees on the latest Chicago area happenings. The association recently held talks with O’Hare representatives to add a motorcoach staging lots. In the meantime, operators were advised to continue following guidelines for pickups, etc. In other news, Illinois recently distributed $275M in Business Interruption Grants to businesses affected by the pandemic. DeBiasi said that this was the largest state program of its kind, and several operators received funds.
The next Coffee With ILLBA seminar is scheduled for February 15.
Visit illinoislimousineassociation.com for more information.
[01.18.21]
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- Category: Industry News
Driverge Vehicle Innovations, a builder of commercial accessible vans, shuttles, transporters, work vans, and recreational vehicles, announced that it has acquired California-based NorCal Van Conversions, an innovative designer of accessible, shuttle, vocational, secure transport, and healthcare vans. With manufacturing facilities in Akron, Ohio; Kansas City, Kansas; and Ladson, South Carolina, the acquisition for Driverge will provide enhanced manufacturing, product offerings, and distribution in support of the western United States.
Driverge President Mark Minatel
"We are excited to welcome NorCal Van Conversions' customers and team to the Driverge family. This acquisition is very dynamic for Driverge. While improving our geographic footprint, the acquisition grows us in so many areas," said Driverge President Mark Minatel. "Our companies share customer-focused missions for delivering solutions to an incredible and supportive client base. This is a powerful combination that strengthens our abilities to drive leading innovation and value for our clients."
NorCal COO Todd LaPant
For NorCal owners Todd and Laurie LaPant, selling to a like-minded company that upholds NorCal's values and focus on clients were primary considerations.
"Becoming a part of Driverge made great sense for us and our clients in the long run," said NorCal co-owner and COO Todd LaPant. LaPant said that he and co-owner and Chief Financial Officer Laurie LaPant will remain a part of the operation in California and be a part of the Driverge leadership team for many years to come.
"This is an ideal opportunity for our customers who will benefit greatly from the combined product offerings, future innovations and continued relationships with the NorCal team," said Laurie LaPant.
NorCal CFO Laurie LaPant
Driverge is a Ford Qualified Vehicle Modifier (QVM), Mercedes-Benz MasterSolutions Upfitter, and Ram Commercial Q-Pro supplier. With manufacturing facilities in Ohio, Kansas, South Carolina, and California, Driverge provides vehicle conversions to numerous industries and government agencies including healthcare, fleet management, hospitality, wheelchair transport services, rideshare, and other vocational markets. Driverge Vehicle Innovations and MobilityWorks together make up WMK, which has been recognized on the Inc. 500|5000 list of Inc. Magazine's fastest growing, privately held companies for the past 10 years.
Visit driverge.com for more information.
[01.18.21]