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GBTA Executive Director Scott Solombrino
Marlton, N.J. — On May 23, 2019, National Limousine Association (NLA) President Gary Buffo of Pure Luxury issued a press release announcing that Scott Solombrino has stepped down from the NLA Board of Directors, effective immediately.
“On behalf of the NLA Board of Directors, I would like to thank Scott Solombrino for his tireless and unwavering support of the NLA throughout his decades of service to our industry,” wrote Buffo. “As one of the NLA's founding members and a four-term NLA President, Scott has been a constant pillar of leadership and support for not just myself, but so many others on the NLA Board and within this industry.”
In his statement, Buffo congratulated Solombrino on his new position as Executive Director of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), which was announced last month. In a career that spanned more than four decades, Solombrino founded his first company while he was still in college and retired as the longtime president and CEO of Dav El/BostonCoach, one of the largest networks in the industry.
“I hope we will continue to see him at future industry functions. I look forward to honoring his legacy at one of our upcoming partnered events,” added Buffo.
Visit limo.org for more information.
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L to R: ILLBA President Tracy Raimer of Windy City Limousine & Bus, CD Publisher Chris Weiss, and Kathy Kahne of Windy City Limousine & Bus Rosemont, Ill. — The Illinois Limousine & Bus Association’s (ILLBA’s) annual meeting once again brought in attendees and speakers from across the country, who flocked to the Edward Hotel in droves for a day of education, networking, and vendor exhibits on May 15.
The event kicked off with a Pre Meeting Networking Cocktail Reception the evening of May 14. Attendees had an opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones while gearing up for the next day's big event.
On the meeting day, vendors were already open and ready to show off their vehicles, services, and products an hour before ILLBA President Tracy Raimer of Windy City Limousine & Bus welcomed her statewide, regional, and national industry peers to the first ILLBA annual meeting under its new association name.
And the day’s agenda included education and updates covering everything from a look at the industry itself, regional compliance, and marketing advice.
Art Rento of Pontarelli Companies (left) and Sarah McKee of Chosen Payments, who was recognized for her contributions to ILLBA as a board member Once Raimer introduced the 2019-2020 ILLBA board of directors and spoke about the association’s past year and immediate future, the next hour was dedicated to DOT and compliance. John Murphy—a Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) Compliance Officer with the Illinois Department of Transportation—was joined by Illinois State Police troopers Mark Pietrzyk and Brian Szfranski of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement and the Trooper Passenger Carrier Inspection Team, respectively.
The industry was represented by Florida Limousine Association President and NLA board member Rick Versace of A1A Airplort & Limousine Service and Chauffeur Driven Publisher Chris Weiss, whose hour-long panel explored matters immediately impacting the industry, while also talking about the partnership between NLA and CD that was formalized earlier this year. CD was also a bronze sponsor of the yearly meeting, while Weiss is on the ILLBA board of directors.
Attendees then zeroed in on their companies from a service-selling selling standpoint when Maren Graham of Hudson Software discussed digital marketing’s importance and how operators can maximize its payoffs as part of their marketing efforts. Then Adam Gypalo of the Work Your Way Coalition spoke: The group advocates for flexible working options for Chicago-area employees, as it aims to “educate legislators about the negative impact restrictive scheduling proposals will have on employees, employers and the city.” Formed as a response to the city’s attempts to enforce strict schedules on employees throughout the metropolitan area, the group is trying to fight ordinances that interfere with the inherently last-minute nature of ground transportation.
Chris Norlin (left) and Bill Battisti of Nationwide Bus Sales, a gold sponsor of the event Before raffling off the day’s prizes and drawings, Deputy Commissioner Rupal Bapat from the City of Chicago Business Affairs and Consumer Protection provided further insight and updates into local concerns.
Among the day's lucky winners was Kathy Kahne of of Windy City Limousine & Bus, who won a pass to the 2019 CD Show in Boston this October 13-16.
Check out the June issue of Chauffeur Driven magazine for expanded coverage of and a ton of photos from this annual event.
Visit illinoislimousineassociation.com for more information.
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L to R: LANJ President Jason Sharenow with Complete Fleet’s Barry Trabb, Bruce Cirlin, Les Meyer, and Dino Olivares West Orange, N.J. — A record-setting fundraising total and major legislative news were two of the highlights of the 17th annual dinner auction held by the Limousine Association of New Jersey (LANJ) on May 22. More than 100 members and guests were in attendance for the event at the Wilshire Grand Hotel, including NLA President Gary Buffo of Pure Luxury as well as CD Publisher Chris Weiss and Editor Rob Smentek.
Thanks to the hard work of the Complete Fleet Livery Sales team, who begin planning the event at the start of each new year, and the generosity of the event’s premier sponsors—Complete Fleet, Ford Lincoln Limousine and Livery Vehicles, and Maplecrest Ford Lincoln—the evening was a massive success with more than $35,000 raised through the auction and 50/50 raffle. Operators from all over the country joined their colleagues from the Northeast region to dig deep and raise money for one of the preeminent state industry associations.
L to R: Tracy Salinger of Unique Limousine, CD Publisher Chris Weiss, and Brett Barenholtz of Boston Car/Above All Transportation The evening kicked off with an opening cocktail reception sponsored by Grech Motors and Gem Limousine Worldwide, which gave operators, vendors, and guests ample opportunity to network and view the items available for auction. Next, LANJ President Jason Sharenow of Broadway Elite Worldwide welcomed everyone in attendance before introducing the Complete Fleet team—Barry Trabb, Bruce Cirlin, Dino Olivares, and recent addition Les Mayer—to say a few words. They were followed by a representative from returning sponsor T-Mobile who emphasized the carrier’s continued commitment to the association.
Following a buffet dinner, the auction got underway with returning auctioneer Pete Corelli of Lakeview Custom Premier Products office chairs, wine baskets, sports tickets, and the always-popular lottery ticket board being the hottest items. Corelli was joined by assistants Jill and Nick Trabb who displayed and distributed the items, while Brian O’Neill of Grech Motors enthusiastically encouraged higher bids from attendees.
CD was proud to contribute several prizes to the auction. A full-page ad was won by Buffo, a pair of passes to October’s Chauffeur Driven Show in Boston was won by Brett Barenholtz of Boston Car/Above All Transportation, a pass to our 2020 Nashville Executive Retreat was won by Tracy Salinger of Unique Limousine, and a full-show pass to the debut Chauffeur Driven/NLA show in Las Vegas was won by Jeff Cartagena of Leros/Royal Coachman.
LANJ President Jason Sharenow (left) with NLA President Gary Buffo At auction’s close, Sharenow announced that an all-time high of more than $33,000 dollars was raised, which prompted an ovation from the attendees. The president then followed with his LANJ Report, which offered breaking news in the organization’s battle for parity with the TNCs. On May 23, a bill unanimously passed the NJ assembly to improve identification of rideshare drivers. Dubbed “Sami’s Law” (named after NJ native Samantha Josephson who was murdered by a fake Uber driver in South Carolina), the legislation requires TNC drivers to have a unique QR code and company placard affixed to each vehicle. Sharenow emphasized the groundbreaking nature of this regulation, as no other state has made a move this extreme to improve rider safety. He also discussed a recent meeting with N.J. Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo where the I/O model was discussed with a probable outcome that would make luxury ground transportation operators “very happy.” Sharenow then welcomed Buffo to the podium to discuss the recent NLA/CD partnership and immediate plans for the organizations.
For more coverage and photos of the 17th LANJ dinner auction, be sure to check out the June issue of Chauffeur Driven.
Visit lanj.org for more information.
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