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Premiere #1 Limousine Service CEO Douglas Rydbom
Middletown, Pa. — Premiere #1 Limousine Service recently announced that is has been named to the Central Penn Business Journal’s 19th annual list of the Top 50 Fastest Growing Companies in Central Pennsylvania. This is the second time that the company has achieved this milestone.
“Receiving notification that we were selected for this list for the second year in a row is extremely gratifying,” said CEO Douglas Rydbom. “Everyone works hard and takes pride in contributing to our growth. It’s great to talk internally about or success, but submitting our revenue reports and letting the numbers talk for themselves is very rewarding.”
In order to be eligible for consideration, companies were required to show revenue of at least $500,000 in each of the fiscal years ending 2012, 2013, and 2014, as well as revenue growth in 2014, as compared to 2012. For-profit entities that are headquartered in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry or York County were eligible for nomination.
The presenting sponsor of the program, SF & Company, calculated the nominations and then ranked the companies according to revenue growth over the three-year period. Both dollar and percentage increases were taken into consideration. This ranking formula led to the list of winners.
Premiere #1 Limousine Service and the other 49 winners will be honored at an awards breakfast on October 23, when their ranks will be revealed. A complete, ranked list of honorees and profiles of each company and their financial growth will be published in a special supplement to the October 30 issue of the Central Penn Business Journal.
Visit premiere1limousine.com for more information.
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EmpireCLS Chairman and CEO David Seelinger
Orlando — There was a lot of takeaway value at the recent Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Convention, but one of the most interesting facts was a study that its education and research arm—the GBTA Foundation-released during a panel session at the event. The session featured the perceptions from business travelers and travel buyers on how the changing environment of ground transportation and the sharing economy has affected traveler decisions and corporate travel policy. The entire study is available exclusively to members of the association.
Some highlights of the 2015 Ground Transportation Study: Rental cars (36 percent) and taxis (24 percent) are the most commonly used methods of ground transportation for business trips followed by chauffeured transportation (13 percent) and ride-sharing companies (11 percent). While safety of travelers was paramount, awareness of specific aspects of duty of care is not universal. Only about one-third of business travelers are at least somewhat familiar with all aspects such as pre-employment driver certification, driver training requirements, and regulations affecting each ground transportation method. Travel buyers are more familiar with most of the duty of care aspects than business travelers, but less than a quarter are very familiar with all of them showing education is necessary to inform them of the differences between ground transportation methods.
Dav El/BostonCoach President and CEO Scott Solombrino
"Our research shows one in four (24 percent) travel buyers say their company does not allow their business travelers to use ride-sharing companies, by far the highest percentage for any form of ground transportation," said GBTA Executive Director and COO Michael McCormick. "In addition, a large number of companies still have not adopted policies around ride-sharing companies, revealing a need for education about the benefits and the risks. GBTA hopes this study is the start to closing that knowledge gap and we welcome an open and constructive dialogue on this topic."
The study, sponsored by Dav El/BostonCoach Chauffeured Transportation Network and EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services, also identified the most important factors business travelers and travel buyers consider when choosing ground transportation. Topping the list was traveler and vehicle safety, availability for a timely pick-up and convenience of payments methods with three-quarters of business travelers and eight in ten travel buyers calling these factors highly important.
"Undoubtedly, there is significant market controversy around ride sharing and we felt it was important to have impartial research to create awareness in the industry," said David Seelinger, chairman and CEO of EmpireCLS.
"In customer dealings, we find that duty of care is such a critical issue that we needed research that will help us better understand the impact of ride sharing on buyers and their corporations," said Scott Solombrino, president and CEO of Dav El/BostonCoach.
Don’t miss the September issue of Chauffeur Driven, where you’ll find an in-depth interview with Seelinger and Solombrino expounding upon the topics they addressed at their GBTA panel, such as TNCs and the future of the ground transportation industry.
Visit gbta.org for more information.
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L to R: GBTA Allied Leadership Council President Scott Solombrino of Dav El/BostonCoach, John Rose of iJET International, GBTA Executive Director and COO Michael McCormick, and David Seelinger of EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services
Orlando — The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) held its 2015 convention July 25-29, which was one of the association’s largest conventions in its history with 6,389 attendees—including 1,366 travel buyers and more than 400 exhibitors on the show floor. Chauffeur Driven Publisher Chris Weiss was among those present for the multi-day event.
Much of the conversation focused on the sharing economy, competition, and technology: The future of not only airline competition but also travel distribution’s landscape, the choice to either disrupt or be disrupted, technology’s effect on the customer experience, customers’ desire for their booking experience to mirror the ease of their online consumer experience, and the rise of services like Airbnb and TNCs were among the timely topics explored across the conference’s five days.
As one of the largest gatherings of travel professionals in the world, the conference both draws from and delivers a wide swath of content to a membership base that spans six continents. The annual event brings together professionals from all walks of the travel industry for an event that offers panels, guest speakers, educational programs, and an expansive expo floor.
The 2015 conference heard from a number of speakers beyond the scope of the industry: actor Kevin Bacon, who discussed his Six Degrees Foundation that puts grassroots charities in touch with celebrities; Apple co-founder and philanthropist Steve Wozniak was interviewed by Fortune’s Nina Easton and spoke about technology’s impact on travel; and Fox News journalist Megyn Kelly spoke to GBTA’s Executive Director and COO Michael McCormick in a Q&A about her personal and professional life.
L to R: Edward Sakakeeny of Signature Livery, CD Publisher Chris Weiss, and Matt Assolin of Nikko’s Worldwide Chauffeured Services
On Tuesday, July 28, McCormick led the four-person panel “Ground Transportation in a Sharing Economy.” He was joined by GBTA Allied Leadership Council President Scott Solombrino of Dav El/BostonCoach, David Seelinger of EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services, and John Rose of iJET International. During the panel, new data was presented that showed how many companies have yet to implement a policy regarding employees’ use of TNCs for business-related transportation. The panelists agreed that while there are some impressive new technologies on the market, travel buyers need to ensure that such services will deliver a high Duty of Care standard. They also called for a level playing field to allow for a fair, competitive marketplace. A video of the half-hour panel can be seen at here.
Don’t miss the September issue of Chauffeur Driven, where you’ll find an in-depth interview with Seelinger and Solombrino expounding upon the topics they addressed at their GBTA panel, such as TNCs and the future of the ground transportation industry.
The 2016 GBTA Convention is scheduled for July 16-20 in Denver, Colo.
Visit gbta.org for more information.
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