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L to R: WFLA President Jeremy Jenkins of His & Hers Limousines, CD Editor Madeleine Maccar, WFLA Executive Director Dave Shaw, and WFLA Director Terry Kurmay of Alpha Limousine & Chauffeur ServiceOldsmar, Fla. — The West Florida Livery Association (WFLA) met up at Flamestone Grill March 16, where nearly 30 members were present for an afternoon of discussing the current issues affecting local operators. CD’s Editor Madeleine Maccar was welcomed as the event’s guest speaker.
WFLA President Jeremy Jenkins of His and Hers Limousines kicked off the meeting by imploring those in attendance to stay the course of corporate work as TNCs continue to dog the Florida chauffeured transportation scene, as well as continuing to attend industry events to help create a wider networking reach.
Maccar then spoke about the value both the magazine and events aim to bring to the industry, and how input from operators are what help Chauffeur Driven deliver the content they seek. She also raffled off a pass to the Executive Retreat in New Orleans, which was won by Gus Shahin of Luxury Transportation Limousine.
With NLA’s Day on the Hill slated for next month, the legislative event is at the forefront of many operators’ minds, and Jenkins shared his previous experiences of walking the halls and meeting with elected officials throughout the history of the annual event.
WFLA Treasurer Gus Shahin of Luxury Transportation Limousine, who won a pass to Chauffeur Driven’s Executive Retreat in New Orleans “You’re meeting people and letting them know that our industry is still here year after year,” Jenkins said.
The discussion shifted to the March meeting of the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission (HCPTC), which was attended by two WFLA members. While TNC operations are currently illegal in the county and their drivers are being ticketed, members are concerned that “a lack of recourse” for collecting on those tickets won’t curb the problem; however, they also hope that the public will take note of how often TNC vehicles receive citations and “will begin to realize that they are not kosher organizations.”
WFLA President Jeremy Jenkins of His & Hers LimousinesMembers’ optimism was cautious, though, feeling that they have only a year’s reprieve before the TNC battle rears its ugly head once more: “Rest assured, Uber will be back,” Jenkins warned. “We can’t just sleep until next year—we have this year to figure out how to fight Uber when they do come back.”
As operators in the Tampa area and throughout the state have been working closely with Florida’s taxi drivers, the “tireless efforts” and lobbying donations of Lou Minardi, president of the Yellow Cab Company of Tampa, were spoken of as being instrumental in effecting local regulatory change.
“Lou is in Tallahassee more than some Congressmen!” WFLA Executive Director Dave Shaw observed. “I’m proud that he’s in the Tampa area, fighting for us—and winning.”
Minardi’s work was also praised for being instrumental in helping to kill HB-1439, a Florida House bill that would have prevented HCPTC from banning TNCs, as was that of Senator Athenia Joyner, who WFLA members were quick to refer to as a friend of the association. Brook Negusei of Luxury Transportation of Tampa Bay echoed the call for the two industries to work together, saying that while chauffeured ground transportation hasn’t suffered the way taxis have at the hands of TNCs, some aspects of the industry taken a significant hit from them.
“Some of those taxi guys are putting out $100,000 a year for this fight—our weekend trips are dying and we need to stick together,” Negusei said.
WFLA’s next meeting will be May 18.
Visit wflatampa.com for more information.
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Jeff Shanker (left) and Robert Alexander of RMA Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation Rockville, Md. — What started as casual banter has become a new opportunity for Jeff Shanker, formerly of A-1 Limousine in Princeton, who has been named General Manager of RMA Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation in Rockville, Md.
Shanker, whose first day with the company was February 29, says that his new role “was the perfect move that came at the perfect time” after it became less of an “if” and more of a “when” through increasingly serious discussions with RMA President/CEO Robert Alexander.
“Robert used to say ‘You’ll be working with me one day’ or I’d say ‘One day, I’ll be working with you’ whenever we saw each other,” Shanker says. “Then we had a conversation about it at the Chauffeur Driven Show in Miami, and we’ve been exploring the possibility since then.”
In fact, Shanker says that much of the appeal of working at RMA stems from Alexander himself, saying that the company’s owner “inspires greatness in others” from leading by example—and fostering a work environment that encourages success through both hard work and camaraderie alike.
“Robert and the RMA team are passionate and professional, the facility is state-of-the-art, and just the other day, I walked into the office while the reservations staff was cheering about how many reservations they’d booked in a short amount of time,” Shanker says. “We deliver service that we call ‘RMA Perfect’: the ride will be perfect, your chauffeur will be perfect, and the experience will be perfect.”
Shanker joined RMA in his second year of serving as the president for Limousine Association of New Jersey (LANJ)—one of the industry’s largest associations with nearly 150 members—where he had spent much of his time at LANJ’s helm lobbying for both passenger safety and a level playing field as TNCs continue to threaten chauffeured ground transportation. He believes that RMA’s dedication to quality is demonstrative of how the industry can best digital ride-hailing services.
“Will the TNCs of the world affect ground transportation? They will to a point, but we’ll overcome them with high-quality service,” he says.
With kudos and congratulations from the industry pouring in through calls, texts, email, and Facebook messages since he announced his new role, Shanker is looking forward to this next chapter in his career and eagerly embraces his future at RMA.
“This is just about the happiest I’ve been since the day I started dating my wife,” he says.
Visit rmalimo.com for more information.
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Richard Weiner
Irving, Texas — Wynne Sedans and Wynne Motorcoaches announced the expansion of their sales and marketing team with the recent hiring of Richard Weiner and Mary Denson.
Weiner has an extensive background in the transportation industry and has worked closely with corporations, hotels, and event planners to provide efficient ground transportation solutions. Most recently, he worked for Carey International as vice president, general manager of the Dallas office.
Denson, a Certified Meeting Planner, has an extensive background in global meetings, incentives, and special event management. She has worked in multiple business verticals including high tech, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, professional services, and non-profit organizations.
Mary Denson
Both Weiner and Denson are enthusiastic about their new roles at Wynne.
“I’ve been in this business for a long time and to be a part of the Wynne team is very exciting for me,” said Weiner.
“Wynne has always been a company you can trust to deliver a level of service that exceeds expectations, added Denson. “The skills and dedication that the Wynne team members have to making every ride a great experience is energizing.”
Wynne, a certified woman-owned business, has over 100 employees and proudly serves clients throughout North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Visit golimo.com for more information.
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