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The New England Livery Association (NELA) held their annual golf tournament on Tuesday, September 24, at the fantastic Marlborough Country Club in Marlborough, Mass. The weather cooperated, delivering dry and very comfortable 65-degree weather for the 85 people attending the event. Dozens of sponsors and volunteers stepped up to make sure the event ran without a hitch, including Platinum Sponsors Above All Transportation & Maine Limousine, Boston Carriage, and Lancer Insurance & Research Underwriters. Other top sponsors included United Private Car, Commonwealth Worldwide, Driving Transactions, Colonial Cadillac (who provided a LYRIQ as a hole-in-one prize), Gem Worldwide Ground, Grech Motors, Waverley Insurance, EBizCharge, Leros Transportation Group, Aadvanced Limousines, AOT Global, BLS, Brown & Brown Insurance, Freedom Assets, Inc., GriDD Technologies (GNET), LTI Worldwide Limousine, MetroWest Car Service, My Limousine Service, Cross Insurance Agency, Master's Transportation, and the LMC Groups.
NELA Executive Director Rick Szilagyi of Lexian Management extended special recognition to the NELA Golf Committee, led by Larry White of Above All/Maine Limousine and Tina Benson of L.A. Limousine, for their hard work in making the event a success. Rounding out the committee were board members Alicia Hayes of American Classic Limousine, Brittni Kirk of All Points Limousine, Steve Crispo of Research Underwriters, Terry Murtaugh of United Private Car, Denis Sema of Prestige Limo, Jim King of Waverley Insurance, Jay Pearson of EBizCharge, and Pat Enxing of Pat’s Car Service, and Katya Portnaya of Boston Carriage. These NELA board members continued their support of the event by serving as volunteers during the event, and were joined by Becky Laramee of All Points Limousine, Chris St. Cyr of American Classic Limousine, and Lynda Saitta of Momentum Drives, Lee Sickles of A-Executive, Deb Rourke and Sarah Anderson of Avery Insurance, and Jason Dornhoffer of United Private Car.
Participants were given the opportunity to qualify for a Putting Contest, introduced to the annual event in 2023. Once the golfers finished their eighteen holes, everyone moved back to the putting practice green, where the qualifiers had one chance at a 35-foot putt. One by one they stepped up, while the other qualifiers remained with their backs turned, so they did not receive an advantage watching the speed and break of the long putt. The prize, a large Yeti cooler provided by American Classic Limousine, went to Dave Harrington of All Points Limo.
After the contest, everyone sat down to the evening’s lavish dinner. Szilagyi introduced NELA President Brett Barenholtz of Above All/Boston Car/ETS/Maine Limousine, who served as master of ceremonies for the evening. This year’s winners of the tournament included a first-place award to L.A. Limousine and second place going to All Points Limousine. Chauffeur Driven donated a pass to the 2024 CD/NLA Show in National Harbor, which was won by Hayes.
Visit nelivery.org for more information.
[10.01.24]
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Ira Goldstein, executive director of the New York Black Car Fund (BCF), has been honored as The Transportation Alliance’s (TTA’s) 2024 Advocate of the Year. Goldstein was celebrated at an awards ceremony during TTA’s Mobilize 2024 Convention in Dallas on October 1 for his longstanding dedication to the industry as well as his lobbying efforts on behalf of the tens of thousands of independent drivers that BCF represents. Goldstein, who is also on the TTA Board of Directors, has been recognized by the association in the past, most recently as the 2020 Executive of the Year.
TTA is among the oldest transportation associations in the country. Formerly known as the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association, the longtime organization advocates for taxicab companies, executive sedan and limousine services, airport shuttle fleets, non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) companies, and paratransit services.
The plaudits coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Black Car Fund, which was established to provide workers’ compensation coverage and other benefits to the black car operators in New York. Goldstein joined BCF in 2010, and under his exceptional leadership, BCF has implemented programs to streamline workers’ compensation, increase driver safety, and expand benefits to include health insurance at no cost to drivers.
BCF marked the milestone occasion with a celebration at the TWA Hotel, located at New York’s JFK Airport, on September 17. The evening’s guest list was a who’s who of New York transportation professionals, including Matt Daus of Windels Marx and Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) Commissioner David Do, to name a few.
Daus, who is also a former TLC commissioner and current International Association of Transportation Regulators (IATR) president, congratulated Goldstein in his daily newsletter for his award from TTA: “Ira is a ‘one-of-a-kind’ tenacious advocate and representative of the industry. He deeply cares about the industry and has continued his public service orientation after being the tech architect at TLC of so many innovative projects by effectively representing the black car and limousine industry in NYC and through his adept management of the NY Black Car Fund, which has helped countless drivers. Ira is a close friend, confidant and, might I add, a ‘true mensch’ overall. Kudos to the TTA for acknowledging our Ira, as he is truly an inspiration to so many and his good work has and will continue to benefit so many people. Congratulations!”
Goldstein has been recognized for his work in the past. He was given the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s first annual 9/11 Commemoration Hero for Tolerance award, and the League of Mutual Taxi Owners’ “Man of the Year” award. He has also received an award for Corporate Social Responsibility in the Banking, Finance, and Insurance fields from City & State Reports, and was again named to the “Transportation Power 100” list this year from City & State New York (#65), alongside Do (#15) and Daus (#68).
Visit nybcf.org and thetransportationalliance.org for more information.
Hat tip to Matt Daus of Windels Marx and Neil Weiss of Black Car News for additional information and photos.
[10.01.24]
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- Category: Industry News
On September 18, the Greater Northeast Motorcoach Association (GNEMA) honored seven “standout” employees in the industry with the 2024 Motorcoach Professional Awards at their annual meeting at Resorts Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. Held from September 17-19, the GNEMA Fall Meeting offers safety workshops for bus drivers, driver excellence award programs, inspection workshops, scholarship program, and industry professional awards
The Motorcoach Professional Awards presentation is a way for association members and companies to recognize employees in front of fellow members, industry leaders, peers, and friends. The seven honorees were nominated by their company, and the recipients received a plaque from the association, a cash prize plus overnight stays from both Resorts Casino Hotel and Caesars Entertainment.
Below are this year’s honorees:
- Dennis Lyons of DATTCO
- Danny Serff of Klein Transportation
- Bob Roth of Lakeland Bus
- Rohan Actable of Panorama Tours
- Ryan Anderson of Starr Charter & Tours
- Lloyd Kearney of Stout’s Transportation
- Maureen Stewart of Werner Bus Lines
Also at the meeting, the GNEMA announced the winners of the 6th Annual Scholarship Awards for 2024. The program was developed to promote higher education goals of our members, and their families, whether it be to pursue a college degree or a trade certification. The Scholarship Program is funded by fundraising efforts. This year, GNEMA held their Annual Golf Outing on September 17 to benefit the program.
The winners for 2024 are Elisabeth Cancelliere, nominated by operator member Trans-Bridge Lines, and George Roggiero, nominated by allied supplier member Sprague Operating Resources. Each received a check in the amount of $1,500 and a plaque.
Those eligible to apply for scholarships are full-time employees or the dependent children of full-time employees of Operator Member companies. Also eligible are the employees of Allied Members companies or the dependent children of the Allied Member companies.
Visit gnema.org for more information.
[10.01.24]