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Delaware Limo has announced that they’ve been honored with a spot on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies for 2023. The Wilmington-based luxury ground transportation provider was ranked as #444 out of 5,000 and #2 in Delaware.
Since 2007, Inc. magazine has published its annual rankings of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. based on their revenue growth rate over the past three years.
“We were recommended to apply, and like any other company we submitted our information. Based on the numbers of our growth over the years, we were able to secure the 444th slot,” says Delaware Limo Cofounder and Chief Growth Officer Allen Yang.
In addition to being named to the prestigious Inc. 5000, Delaware Limo also placed number 4 in the Philadelphia 100. The companies chosen for this list are among the fastest growing, privately held companies in the greater Philadelphia region.
“To be named in the Inc 5000 and the Philadelphia 100 is a testament to providing exceptional service across the board to our clients and employees. Without having a very strong culture, we wouldn’t be able to see the success we’re currently experiencing,” says Yang.
Founded in 2018, Delaware Limo has a fleet of 19 vehicles, ranging from sedans and SUVs to stretch limousines and executive vans. The company is proud to do both retail and corporate work, and has a nationwide presence thanks to their affiliate network. In 2021, the company was honored to handle the transportation for the Presidential Inauguration. With their partners in Washington D.C., they arranged all the buses and sedans for the event.
Visit delaware.limo for more information.
[11.27.23]
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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: Are you utilizing AI for your business? If so, in what capacity?
Teresa Callahan, Chief Administrative Officer
Jax Black Car Transportation in Jacksonville, Fla.
Jean-Philippe Desjardins, General Manager
Limotour in Dorval, Quebec
We have been using Fresh Desk for years. Fresh Desk is a cloud-based customer service software that provides cloud-based tools for customer relationship management through an e-mail ticketing system, which has AI embedded in it. An AI Assistant known as Freddie helps us compose emails, auto reads emails, and composes automated responses. It allows us to quickly go through a trail of emails and summarize the important things of an email string. Fresh Desk properly routes emails to the correct person in our organization based upon the contents and comments of an email. It prevents two employees from working on the same ticket and allows us to quickly check the status of any open ticket as well as set SLAs for various types of service tickets. As we continue to grow and AI continues to grow, we plan to embrace more of it in the future.
Harry Dhillon, President
Ecko Worldwide Transportation in Santa Clara, Calif.
Len Joseph, President
On The Town Limousines in Frederick, Md.
Mark Kini, President & CEO
Boston Chauffeur in Peabody, Mass.
Shariff McMichael, President & CEO
Dav El/BostonCoach in Everett, Mass.
We are starting the process of building an all-new website, and of course that will integrate AI. We haven’t finalized how that will look, but we just know it will be part of it. We are cognizant of ensuring personal connections with our clientele along with automating the more mundane.
It’s exciting, and a little scary all at the same time! This is a brand-new chapter in technology, and we hope to use it as wisely as possible.
Tracy Salinger, President
Unique Limousine in Harrisburg, Pa.
Jess Sandhu, Director of Operations
A&A Limousine & Bus Service in Kenmore, Wash.
Jason Santiago, General Manager
Exclusive Sedan Service Worldwide in Newhall, Calif.
Quentin Shackelford, Owner
AllClassLimo.com in Wichita, Kansas
On the administrative side, AI is being used for spam email detection, which streamlines internal and external communications.
Joseph Swetnam, IT Manager
Reston Limousine in Sterling, Va.
Ralph van Delden, CEO
Van Delden Limousines in Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Bart van Leijden, CEO/Founder
Majestic Limousine & Coach in Des Moines, Iowa
Scott Woodruff, President & CEO
Majestic Limousine & Coach in Des Moines, Iowa
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.
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Now that the UAW-Big Three strikes have settled down, we’re looking ahead to what’s going on in the automotive world that may impact our industry now and in the future. Here's a roundup of the latest info we're hearing about.
Cadillac Is Expanding Its EV Lineup: The Escalade IQ and Lyriq EVs (and the Celestiq, but how many of you are purchasing $300K cars?) are getting a new baby brother in 2024. The OEM has announced that the Optiq—which is somewhere between an SUV and a crossover—will be available next year as a 2025 model year. Although Cadillac is tight-lipped on the details for now, they have announced that this will be their most affordable EV yet. Cadillac, via its parent company GM, has stated that it intends for its lineup to be fully electric by 2035. There’s not much to it, but you can read the full release here.
Lexus Debuts TX 3-Row Seater: Announced last year, Lexus’ first US-assembled SUV is now making its way to showrooms (at least by the end of the month). The 7-seater TX is available in both gas and hybrid options, has 20.2 cu. ft. of cargo space behind the last row, and is the smallest of the company’s 3-row SUVs, just behind the GX and LX. As it’s expected to feature prominently in Lexus’ annual ‘December to Remember’ commercials, you’ll be seeing a lot of this vehicle during the holidays. See more details about the vehicle here.
Volvo Looks to Total Energy Solutions: Could your Volvo EV act as an oversized power bank? Not satisfied with the goal of being an EV-only manufacturer by 2030, the Swedish automaker is now seeing the potential for those batteries to power more than their metal. Volvo recently launched Volvo Cars Energy Solutions to explore the possibilities of how that stored energy might be used to power appliances and homes as well using bi-directional charging, which they define as “a technology that allows customers to repurpose energy stored in the battery of their electric Volvo at a later stage.” Volvo is in the testing phases now in Europe. Read the full release here. Shameless plug: We’re in the process of test-driving the S90 and XC90, so look for those reviews in our upcoming ‘First Drive’ section of the magazine in the next few months.
Mercedes-Benz Debuts Its First-Ever Charging Network in Georgia: The German automaker has partnered with MN8 Energy to launch its first premium EV charging station, initially at its Sandy Springs, Georgia, headquarters, with additional locations expected throughout the Southeast at the popular Buc-ee’s travel stops by the end of the year. According to a press release from the companies, the hub uses ‘clean’ energy sources—which they say are renewable and carbon neutral. Offering some of the fastest chargers on the market, Mercedes says that all EV types are welcome to use the centers, which feature a lounge with restrooms and refreshments. The hub also has spaces for electric vans or EVs towing trailers up to 26 feet. Further, the companies aim to build more than 400 charging hubs (with up to 2,500 individual charging stations, cumulatively) by the end of the decade. Read the full release here.
[11.21.23]