- Details
- Category: Industry News
Brentwood Livery, a luxury ground transportation company based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, commemorated their 30th anniversary with a Virtual Celebration on April 30. Founded in 1990 by the husband-and-wife team of David and Marilyn Ferguson, the family-run company is now manned by the second generation.
Owners Laura and Brent Ferguson toast clients
“My parents started this company with a six-passenger Caprice Classic stretch limousine with burgundy interior,” says Brentwood Livery “Chief Experience Officer” Brent Ferguson. “Before he passed away in 2007, his focus was always on customer service. He taught me how to be an entrepreneur. Helping our clients be successful is why we continue to do this.”
Brent is joined in the company by his wife Laura, who he says fills the role of “chief whatever-I-don’t-do” and his sister Beverly Bryant, who serves as key reservationist.
“I’m fortunate to have successful women around me,” says Ferguson. “They make me a better person.”
Together, the Ferguson/Bryant team spearhead a staff of 30 employees and manage a fleet of 30 vehicles, which includes everything from sedans to buses. Recently, Brentwood introduced a couple Teslas into their vehicle options, and they’ve become a hit with clients—and spectators.
Brentwood Livery fleet
“After we dropped our first Tesla clients at the airport, they called from the terminal to book their next two trips with the electric cars. And, our chauffeur told us that people were taking pictures of the car at curbside because they were so impressed with the look of the gull-wing doors,” says Ferguson.
When it came time to celebrate Brentwood’s approaching anniversary, the company initially planned a large party for their clients and friends. However, the COVID-19 crisis forced the team to be creative.
“How do you celebrate when you can’t hug your clients?” wondered Ferguson.
In lieu of a traditional get-together, on April 30, the Ferguson family hosted a 30th Anniversary Virtual Celebration on Zoom and Facebook Live where their clients were invited to share any memories of how Brentwood Livery contributed to an unforgettable life event or experience. Dozens participated, including their hometown mayor, who sent a message of thanks. Several videos from the celebration can be viewed on Brentwood's Facebook page.
Brent says that another person who took part in the virtual celebration was a 25-year Brentwood client who was first driven by David Ferguson to a high-school reunion. Since then, the client has booked with the company for several major life events–including his mother’s 90th birthday party—not to mention regular corporate transportation.
“It’s cool to know that we’ve made an impact on peoples’ lives,” says Ferguson.
Visit brentwoodlivery.ca for more information.
[05.11.20]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
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.”
ABC Companies President and Chief Commercial Officer Roman Cornell
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]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
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?
We did an audit of the company to limit unnecessary spending, control the costs, and enhance some processes. We are updating our website and are launching Kingdom Côte d’Azur, a concierge service dedicated to the ultra-high net worth in the French Riviera. We have been supplying yacht charter and jet and villa rentals to our customers for more than 10 years, so it is time to market these services.
We have kept a few chauffeurs to take care of two to three jobs a week, but also to help group that helps the most destitute by delivering foodstuffs. Hopefully, 2021 will be a good restart.
Jean-Noel Aimasso, Co-founder and CEO
Kingdom Limousines in Côte d’Azur, France
We are using the downtime to have all of our customer service representatives take the Limo University Sales Training online course. In addition to taking the course, we are using it as a framework for creating our CSR training manual and standard operating procedures documentation.
Randy Allen, Partner/CTO
James Limousine in Richmond, Va.
I have been able to spend quiet time in nature to help rebuild some creative ideas for the business. It has also allowed me more family time, something I haven't done in a while, and to re-prioritize my time as a business owner and a member of my family. While spending time at home, I was also able to find items in my house that I had forgotten I had and sell them online to help replenish lost income. On the professional side of things, I have read articles about new safety training and protocol for staff and drivers to implement for the future of our industry.
Abdou Brahim, Owner
VA Executive Sedan & Limousine Service in Virginia Beach, Va.
Basically, we are focused on checking our current processes while identifying areas of opportunity in order to improve them. The goal is to have a new business model once we return to our daily routine. In particular, we want one that is more efficient and fully adapted to a new global market demand. For us, it is really important to meet and surpass our clients' expectations.
Ylse Escamilla, International Market & Roadshow Manager
Alquimavi Transportation in Mexico City, Mexico
We moved our headquarters right at the beginning of the COVID-19 work stoppage. We had no choice and could not delay because our existing lease ran out and our brand-new building was ready for occupancy. Fortunately, we were able to use the downturn time very productively. We were able to get all of our new systems—from data, voice, intranet, security, etc.—in perfect sync. It took every vendor team imaginable to get it all done. Looking back on it, I honestly have no idea how we could possibly have done all of that with a regular business schedule.
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.
After the initial shock and the realization that the situation was going to last longer than anyone expected, I decided to improve my content creating skills. I searched out some resources on- and offline and found Everybody Writes by Anne Handley to be a great book. As someone who is not used to creative writing, it breaks the process down into stages from initial thoughts and ideas to finished article.
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
During this downturn, we have been working on a new online training platform for our chauffeurs with courses such as fatigue management, hygiene awareness (COVID-19), anti-discrimination & sexual harassment, disability awareness, and customer service support. Both our new and current drivers will need to complete 100 percent of the courses to get in one of our vehicles. This is being done for the safety of our drivers and clients.
Juan Gonzalo Parra, Owner
Luxury Rentals in Medellin, Colombia
Bill Faeth [of Limo University] has been trying really hard to be helpful to the industry by sharing information whenever he gets it and keeping a positive attitude even as he deals with his own business challenges. Also, the Driving Results team has really kept the support dialogue going for their groups by holding weekly meeting calls to keep everyone connected and supported during this time. The LMC Group has been popping in on meetings and sharing wisdom and encouragement, being a bright spot for many.
Athena Grimm, COO
BAC Transportation in Anchorage, Alaska
All of our chauffeurs and staff have taken part in development with webinars, podcasts, and through reading articles. They are instructed to join in four webinars per day, with the majority in the tourism area. Our team can log into podcasts and webinars through DEEM, GBTA, Go Travel, IBTA, TSIA, and ASEM, on topics such as corporate travel, leadership, health, and COVID 19 recommendations.
Agustin Hernandez, Owner
Blackcar Offers Limo Services, Mexico City
I have been focusing on getting all my business finances in order, such as 2019 taxes, 2020 P&L, plus preparing for PPP and EIDL loans.
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.
As the chauffeur manager, working from home and operating on a skeleton crew of chauffeurs and office staff has been a somber pace change from the usual on-your-feet, fast-paced nature of our industry. However, being home more has allowed me to further develop my passion for fruit and vegetable gardening. The circumstances of our current world have made it more important than ever to be able to grow your own food in your backyard to cut back on grocery store visits. I started my plants indoors in Chicago in March and because of that early start have food to eat ready from my plants by June. I grow so much that I do weekly farmers market giveaways for my coworkers and chauffeurs in the office. You can follow my gardening videocast on Facebook and Instagram @TheCrocodilePlanter.
Michael Jedrzejewski, JKS Chauffeur Manager
Windy City Limousine & Bus in Broadview, Ill.
[My wife and business partner] Kathy and I have been keeping in touch with our group members with weekly Zoom Meetings. Over the past few weeks, our groups have discussed almost everything related to COVID 19; shared information about SBA, EDIL, and PPP programs; and now we’re discussing restarting their operations. We brought on guest speakers such as CD Publisher Chris Weiss, Kristen Carroll and Christina Davis from the LMC Group, as well as Matt Daus from Windels Marx to name a few. It is our goal to keep our members informed and also support them during these uneasy times. We are just waiting for the opportunity to see everyone in person once again.
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]