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Members and supporters of CFLA with the association’s first Cans For a Cause donations Orlando — When the Central Florida Livery Association (CFLA) met up May 9, it had a special item on the agenda: Fill up a limousine with nonperishables for Cans For a Cause, a food drive to help feed the area’s neediest residents through two organizations, Hope & Help and Daily Bread, which will continue through May 23. Extra support came from throughout the industry and across the country, as Chauffeur Driven Director of Events Jess Pavlow was on hand for the event, as was Jeff Brodsly from Chosen Payments.
CD Director of Events Jess Pavlow (right) with Mary Elmahdi of Noble Transportation & Limo, winner of the pass to the 2017 CD Show in OrlandoWhile knowing that their contributions were filling hungry bellies was incentive enough, CFLA and CD sweetened the deal with a raffle to win a pass to the 2017 Chauffeur Driven Show in Orlando. Every six cans earned each donor one ticket to enter the raffle, while a donation of 12 cans garnered three chances to win. Mary Elmahdi of Noble Transportation & Limo was the lucky certificate winner.
The business portion of the meeting saw discussion of local and industry news. Pavlow and Brodsly both discussed how their respective companies aim to help luxury ground transportation: While Brodsly explained the importance and procedures of being Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant, Pavlow highlighted Chauffeur Driven’s upcoming events and their benefits for operators, especially to those seeking education and firsthand advice from their peers.
The next CFLA meeting will be June 13.
Visit cfla.org for more information.
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Robert “Bob” Boroday (right) with long-time friend Bito Pimenta at the 2015 CD show in Miami.
Robert “Bob” Boroday, president of Associated Limousine Services, passed away at his home on April 9. He was 70.
Boroday is survived by his sons Adrian and Derrick (Shelly), brother Allan, and sister Patricia Boroday-Saroli. His wife of 49 years, Carla, passed away in 2012.
Born May 25, 1946, in Montreal, Canada, Boroday started his first limousine company alongside his wife in 1975. In 1995, he and his family moved from Canada and relocated the business to South Florida. Once settled into his new home, Boroday became an instrumental voice in the legislative and industry issues faced by operators in South Florida, eventually serving as a board member—and then president—of the Florida Limousine Association. Later he would represent the industry on a national level as a board member of the National Limousine Association representing the Southeast region.
Known as “Popper” by his close friends and coworkers at Associated Limousine Services, Boroday was widely respected by his industry peers and was recognized for his unparalleled work ethic.
“I remember the days when he’d drive clients all day and then come to the Miami office to wash and fix cars, then come to the Fort Lauderdale office to pick up Carla—only to have to wait because she was always glued to talking on the phone,” said longtime friend Ray Garcia of Prestige Limousines. “Remarkably while waiting, he’d then even wash or fix more cars just to have them ready for the next day’s reservations. He was nonstop!”
Outside of work, Boroday enjoyed collecting and restoring vintage vehicles, and always looked forward to weekly Sunday family dinners and visiting with his extensive family both throughout the country and abroad.
A memorial service will be held Wednesday, April 19, at Fred Hunter Funeral Home, 6301 Taft Street, Hollywood, Fla., 33024. Visitation will be held from 5 to 6 p.m.; the service and reception will follow at 6 p.m.
Visit fredhunters.com/obituary/180644/Robert-Boroday for more information.
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Milwaukee, Wisc. — REV Group recently announced the acquisition of Midwest Automotive Designs, a leading custom van upfitter that develops and manufactures luxury vehicles for end segments including motorhomes, shuttle vans, limousines, and customized executive transportation vehicles. This acquisition enhances REV’s product offerings in both its Recreation and Commercial segments through the RV and bus divisions, by adding a selection of Class B RVs and multiple products for the luxury ground transportation industry.
Headquartered in Elkhart, Ind., Midwest Automotive Designs custom-builds RVs and vans on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and the newly introduced Dodge ProMaster chassis. Since its inception in 2003, the company has grown to over 130 employees with combined manufacturing and office space of over 100,000 square feet and annual revenue of approximately $45 million.
“One of our key strengths is our ability to rapidly design, engineer, and commercialize new products,” states Tim Gray, president of Midwest Automotive Designs. “Our combination with REV makes all of the sense in the world. We are excited to tap into REV’s technical resources and nationwide dealership footprint.”
“We are pleased to welcome Tim and his outstanding team at Midwest into the REV RV family,” adds Jim Jacobs, president of REV Recreation Group. “Product quality and craftsmanship are words consistently applied to describe the Midwest product, and integrity is a word used to describe the team Tim Gray has built over the past 14 years. The attention-to-detail in the production of their vehicles is second to none. I truly believe that with REV, Midwest Automotive Designs now has all of the resources and backing in place to become a leading brand in our RV segment.”
John Walsh, President of REV’s bus division says, “The addition of top quality custom shuttle buses, limousines and executive transportation vehicles is complementary to our existing commercial vehicle line of products. All of these products add to an already solid line of luxury vehicles under our Krystal and Federal brands. Our luxury transportation dealers will be very excited about these additions to our luxury product line.”
Midwest’s manufacturing operations will remain in Elkhart, IN., and the company’s 130 employees will continue to be an integral part of the day-to-day operations and its future growth plans. Midwest has built a strong independent dealer network that will continue to promote and sell the Midwest products nationwide and now be further complemented by REV’s network.
“We are extremely pleased to have Midwest Automotive Designs join our team at REV, and I personally look forward to welcoming their talented group of employees,” states Tim Sullivan, CEO, REV Group. “Midwest brings a strong quality-focused reputation and a diverse product portfolio that is entirely complementary to our line of great American-made specialty vehicles. Furthermore, Midwest is a strong cultural fit within REV Group and we will be able to quickly assimilate them into our company. They will immediately contribute strategic value in alignment with REV’s mission of delivering high quality specialty vehicles and support services to various end markets while also driving shareholder value creation through growth.”
Visit revgroup.com for more information.
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