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NELA honored 2nd Vice President Tina Benson of L.A. Limousine (center) for her longtime dedication to the association, with (L to R) Mike Callahan of Able Limousine, NELA President Brett Barenholtz, and NELA Executive Director Rick Szilagyi
The New England Livery Association (NELA) held their annual holiday quarterly meeting at Spinelli’s in Lynnfield, Mass., on December 12. The event attracted 100 members and guests for dinner and entertainment, courtesy of renowned mentalist Jon Stetson. The evening also honored longtime board member and 2nd Vice President Tina Benson of L.A. Limousine, who is entering her 18th year on the NELA Board of Directors.
Following a cocktail hour and registration, NELA Executive Director Rick Szilagyi of Lexian Management kicked off the meeting by thanking the evening’s sponsors. The lengthy list included Meeting Sponsors Above All Transportation, Lancer Insurance, and Research Underwriters; Entertainment Sponsor A&A Metro; Cocktail Sponsors Brown and Brown Insurance Agency, Great Bay Limousine, and LTI Worldwide; and Raffle Sponsors American Classic Limousine, Boston Pro Car Service, Center Insurance Agency, Four Star Limousine, Pat's Car Service, Prevost, and RMA Worldwide. Sponsors who addressed the large group included Tom Arrighi of A&A Metro, Steve Crispo of Research Underwriters, Mitch Guralnick of Prevost, and Andy Tighe of RMA Worldwide.
Mark Kini of Boston Chauffeur (left) with CD/NLA Show pass winner Kevin Cronin of Above All Transportation/Boston Car
Szilagyi also recognized the Quarterly Meeting Committee, including NELA Directors Alicia Hayes of ACL Transportation, Brittni Bogar of All Points Limousine, and Larry White of Boston Chauffeur who helped put the event together, as well as Directors Andy Tighe and Keith Ali of Dav El/BostonCoach who worked registration. Additionally, he thanked Vendor Director Steve Crispo for always helping with selling raffle tickets, Vendor Director Jim King of Waverley Insurance who is already working on NELA’s next event, and President Brett Barenholtz of Above All Transportation/Boston Car Service/ETS/Maine Limousine Service for guidance and support all along the way and during the event.
Barenholtz then took the podium and cited NELA’s involvement in important issues like curb space at Logan Airport, and the NLA’s ongoing advocacy efforts and upcoming events, including the CD/NLA Show in Las Vegas, and the NLA’s Day on the Hill (held in the summer). Barenholtz encouraged New England-based company owners and managers to participate in the Day on the Hill and to consider running for NLA Board seats in next year’s election. Barenholtz also noted Tina Benson’s years of service to the association and the industry.
Joan Libby and Mitch Gurlanick of Prevost
Szilagyi shared a couple of stories about Benson’s service on the NELA Board, both light and heartfelt, as a testament of her personal integrity. He said that volunteer board members have many roles in their lives, including their full-time job as well as their family and personal life, and unpaid positions are often the first to be abandoned. Szilagyi recalled the time when Benson’s father was seriously ill shortly before NELA’s Chauffeur Appreciation Day, an annual cookout held at Logan Airport for chauffeurs, where she could have stepped aside, and everyone would have understood. Instead, Benson and her brother Carl not only drove the equipment necessary to the airport, but they also worked the grills as they had for many years. Sadly, they received the call that their father had passed during the event.
Mentalist Jon Stetson, a returning favorite, also performed for members
Benson’s impact was clear as more than a dozen testimonials were received from her industry peers who had worked closely with her over the years, personally experiencing her commitment to the NELA Board firsthand. Benson was then invited to the podium to give her thanks to the leaders who came before her who made her work possible, such as Mark Mollica (formerly of Black Tie Limousine) who started the Chauffeur Appreciation Day. She also recalled the discussion with her father before his passing, where he encouraged her to honor her commitment to the event, giving her peace of mind. After her remarks, Barenholtz again thanked her for incredible dedication and presented her with a gift from the association.
The evening also included a return performance of Jon Stetson—who was the basis of the hit CBS show The Mentalist and was a big hit at NELA’s previous holiday event. Following the entertainment, NELA held their always-popular raffles, which included the auction of a CD/NLA show pass for the upcoming Vegas show in March. Kevin Cronin of Above All Transportation/Boston Car was the winner of the show pass.
Visit nelivery.org for more information.
[12.26.23]
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Shawn Corcoran of My Limousine Serivce
My Limousine Service is happy to announce the recent promotion of Shawn Corcoran to senior director of charter and group services. Corcoran is a 15-year industry veteran who served in various roles within the company before this promotion. In this new role, Corcoran will oversee all motorcoach operations and group services.
“Shawn has been a dedicated member of the My Limo Team for many years and has worked to develop and grow the motorcoach portfolio within the company,” according to My Limo President Mike Rose. “As part of his new role, Shawn will be focused on further expansion of the motorcoach division within My Limo. We look forward to continued growth of our motorcoach operations under Shawn’s leadership.”
Founded in 1983, My Limousine Service is based in Mount Olive, N.J. The company operates a fleet of more than 100 vehicles, which includes motorcoaches, minibuses, and Transit vans in addition to a selection of sedans and SUVs. Owners Howard and Stewart Gogel recently passed the company onto the next generation of leadership (the announcement can be read here).
Visit mylimo.com for more information.
[12.21.23]
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The Illinois Limousine and Bus Association (ILLBA) held their year-end Coffee With ILLBA educational session on Tuesday, December 19. Sponsored this month by Celeron Commerce, the mid-morning webinar welcomed operators from across the country. Guest speaker Becky Laramee of All Points Limousine (aka “Becky from Boston”) was on call for a presentation called Let’s Talk Money.
Becky Laramee Guest Speaker
To kick things off, ILLBA President Tracy Raimer of Windy City Limousine & Bus welcomed the online attendees, and introduced Will Foley, a senior account manager with Celero Commerce. A recent member of ILLBA, Foley spoke about Celero’s various services as a large credit card processor.
Will Foley Guest Speaker
Before introducing the ILLBA Board of Directors, Raimer discussed the upcoming ILLBA Holiday Party, being held January 9 at Carlucci’s in Rosemont, Ill. On hand at the event will be a photographer who will take complimentary head shots of the operators in attendance. ILLBA Executive Director and Secretary Paula DiBiasi of Chicago Coachworks said that the free photos offer a great opportunity to update business cards in time for upcoming trade shows.
Next came Laramee’s Let’s Talk Money presentation, which offered ways to minimize taxes while creating generational wealth. Laramee, in addition to running a transportation company, is also a CPA. She began by sharing several helpful best business practices, including performing monthly and annual reviews, creating the appropriate business entity, filing taxes on time, and building relationships with peers and business/financial advisors. Laramee emphasized the significance of planning for the future, noting the importance of having a will and power of attorney in place, as well as having “tough” conversations with your parents about their health and what happens if they should die suddenly.
A detailed discussion about tax strategies followed, including how operators can put their children to “work” in order to put money in a lower tax bracket.
“There are so many things you can do to change your tax destiny and keep the money you earned,” says Laramee.
She then fielded questions from attendees, which included topics such as ordinary income vs. capital gains; Rule 179 deductions; CERTS, PPP, and ERTC filings, and rental properties and passive income. Laramee concluded by sharing a bit about her success as an Amazon DSP.
David Eckstein from Valeria Global was then invited to speak a bit about the Limo Patriot Ride, which is scheduled for March 7 in Las Vegas (the day after the 2024 CD/NLA Vegas Show). Supporting the Semper Fi Fund, this relaxing motorcycle (and bus) ride takes participants through the beautiful Valley of Fire just outside of Vegas.
The webinar concluded with some news about Chicagoland airports, especially the efforts being made to eliminate ride hustlers at the baggage claims.
Visit illba.org for more information.
[12.21.23]