- Details
- Category: Industry News
L to R: Barry Trabb of Complete Fleet Livery Sales, CD Assistant Editor Rob Smentek, CD Director of Events Jess Pavlow, Bruce Cirlin of Complete Fleet Livery Sales, Jeff Brodsly of Chosen Payments, and Jon Epstein of Royal Coachman Worldwide
The Complete Fleet team—President Barry Trabb, Sales Expert Bruce Cirlin, and Finance Specialist Dino Olivares—worked two months to plan and execute the meeting, including securing donated items for the auction. Complete Fleet also offered a preview of the upcoming 2017 Lincoln Continental outside of the venue.
“It’s always nice to see the group get together and give back to the association,” said Trabb. “I think the evening setting helped people be more relaxed, more and treat the event more like an occasion than just another meeting.”
Following a meet-and-greet cocktail hour, LANJ President Jason Sharenow of Broadway Elite Chauffeured Services Worldwide welcomed the crowd and thanked the evening’s sponsors, which included Premier Sponsors Complete Fleet Sales, Maplecrest Ford-Lincoln, and Ford Motor Company; Gold Sponsors Capacity Coverage and Karhoo; Silver Sponsors Chosen Payments, Create-A-Card, DriveProfit, and Intek Auto Leasing; and Grech Motors, who backed the cocktail hour and valet parking.
LANJ President Jason Sharenow of Broadway Elite Chauffeured Services Worldwide presents a plaque to former LANJ President Jeff Shanker of RMA Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation for his years of service to the association
Sharenow then recognized two individuals for their dedication to LANJ. First, previous LANJ President Jeff Shanker, now with RMA Worldwide in Rockville, Md., was presented with a plaque for what Sharenow described as “laying out the framework” for the success of the association; next, Jim Moseley, also a past president of LANJ who retired from the industry earlier in the year, was gifted a clock for his years of service.
Coincidently, the auction event was held on the eve of an important hearing in the N.J. State Legislature. In the association update Sharenow provided to the evening’s attendees, he detailed the testimony that he would deliver the next day in support of two proposed bills, AB-3695 (“Uber Bill”) and AB-3696 (“Limousine Bill”), which were designed to level the playing field between TNCs and the chauffeured ground transportation industry. Among the items in the Uber Bill are mandatory background checks and fingerprinting for TNC drivers. The Limousine Bill deals with new insurance provisions and the removing sales tax from limousine services, from which TNCs are exempt. Mike Delamater, legislative director for the NJ Assembly, was on hand at the auction to provide some further insight into the bills.
After dinner was served, the auction got underway. As he has every year, Peter Corelli of Lakeview Custom Coach once again filled the role of auctioneer, encouraging members to be generous with their bids. A wide array of donations was up for auction, including items like sports memorabilia, event tickets, wine baskets, professional services, and gift cards. CD contributed a full-page advertisement, a pass to next year’s Executive Retreat, and a pair of certificates for October’s Chauffeur Driven Show in Washington, D.C. The ad was won by Billy Reitman of Intek Leasing; Joe Gulino of Gem Limousine Worldwide took home the Retreat pass; and the D.C. certificates were awarded to Mike Rose of Flyte Tyme Worldwide Transportation. The auction’s big ticket item, a set of eight custom conference room chairs, was won by Jeff Brodsly from Chosen Payments. In total, the auction, and accompanying 50-50 raffle, raised more than $21,000 for the association. Trabb estimates that the auction events have raised a total $200,000 for LANJ over the years.
To close the event, Sharenow invited a few attendees to speak, including Weiss, who recognized the generosity of LANJ members and provided a brief overview of the Chauffeur Driven Show. National Limousine Association Executive Director Sarah Gazi closed out the night by presenting LANJ with a rebate check for $7,422.
The following day, Sharenow and other LANJ members—including Corelli, Michael Barreto of Flyte Tyme Worldwide Transportation, Rich Badalamenti of Music Express, and board members David Seelinger of EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services and Michael Renehan of Concorde Worldwide—headed to Trenton to testify before lawmakers about the bills at hand. Ultimately, the day was a rousing success with the Uber Bill passing through the assembly with a staggering 11-0 vote (2 legislators abstained). The Limousine Bill was even more successful, as it was passed with a 14-0 vote.
The next LANJ general meeting is September 28.
Visit lanj.org for more information.
[CD0516]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
ILA President Tracy Raimer of Your Private Limousine (right) present ILA Director Mary Paul of Crown Cars & Limousines with an award recognizing her service and dedication to the associationSchiller Park, Ill. — When the Illinois Limousine Association (ILA) met up May 11 at Comfort Suites O’Hare Airport, the packed house boasted nearly 80 people, including the nearly two dozen supporters who flocked to the association’s general meeting from as far as the East and West coasts. Chauffeur Driven Publisher Chris Weiss, who’s on ILA’s board of directors, was also among the day’s guest speakers.
After touring some of the vehicles on display and networking before the meeting, attendees heard from ILA President Tracy Raimer of Your Private Limousine. She kicked off the full agenda by introducing the association’s board of directors before handing off the mic to Bill Faeth of Inbound Marketing Agents and Limo University, whose live workshop “The $4,000,000 Campaign” itemized the ways to quickly launch a marketing campaign to recapture old clients that, in the past four years, has generated more than $4M in revenue for companies in the chauffeured ground transportation sector.
Once sponsor introductions were made, there were two additional presentations before lunch. Spencer Tenney of Tenney Group discussed “Leveling the Playing Field with Industry Consolidators/Experienced Business Acquirers,” which covered topics like the industry’s rise of mergers and acquisitions, as well as the necessity of trusted guidance throughout the duration of the transaction or deal. He also utilized the “Shark Tank” format of evaluating businesses as a role-playing exercise, while Reston Limousine’s Keith Johnson also laid out his “B.A.S.I.C.S.” (Being Audit Safe Isn’t Complicated Seminar) program, with a focus on passing DOT audits and the requirements of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s record retention and recordkeeping.
ILA's 2016 Board of DirectorsThe meeting then broke for lunch, which was followed by additional recognition of and thanks to meeting sponsors. Kristen Carroll of The LMC Group and Derek Maxwell of Chosen Payments spoke about “Small Business Hacks, Technology, and Trade Secrets,” offering tips and tricks to increase operational efficiency. Weiss then talked about the most recent industry trends before the slate of speakers closed out with Pasqualino Russo of Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, who provided and overview of both national and global TNC activity.
To cap off the annual meeting, numerous prizes were given out, including a pass to the 2016 Chauffeur Driven show in Washington, D.C., which was won by Todd Roberts of JACO Limousine. After Raimer gave her closing remarks and listed upcoming events that may be of interest to ILA members, the meeting was adjourned.
The ILA will hold an open board meeting Jun1.
Visit illinoislimousineassociation.com for more information.
[CD0516]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
Springfield, Mo. — Executive Coach Builders (ECB) is pleased to announce the addition of the Ford F550 limobus to its extensive lineup of vehicles. The F550 is a 32-passenger vehicle with amenities that include wraparound seating, two 60-inch LED televisions, high-quality surround sound, and custom lighting packages.
“ECB is proud to be the largest limousine manufacturer in the world,” said Tom Fielding, vice president of sales and marketing. “It’s another way of giving our customers what they need.”
Founded in 1976, ECB carries a complete line of ground transportation vehicles ranging from QVM limousines to 50-passenger luxury shuttle buses.
Visit ecblimo.com for more information.
[CD0516]