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Linda Jean (Liles) Assolin, wife and mother to Nick and Matt Assolin, respectively, of Nikko’s Worldwide Transportation, passed away December 29, 2014, at MD Anderson Cancer Center due to complications following surgery. She was 63.
Linda joined her husband in co-founding then-Nikko’s Luxury Limousines after founding Pinemont Office Supplies in 1982, which she managed until 1989. She started her career as a legal secretary for a prominent Houston law firm, where she worked until 1975. She then obtained employment with Southern Host, a national hotel/motel management corporation, and worked her way up to being named general manager in 1979—becoming the first female general manager in the Southern Host System. In 1981, the company transferred her to Tampa, Fla., to be general manager of its new Holiday Inn franchise.
A two-time cancer survivor, Linda is survived by her husband Nick; son Matthew Allen, his wife Xochitl, and their child Matthew William; her parents, V.E. "Huey" and Ann Liles; her sister, Patti Brown; and her nephew Christopher, his wife Kathy, and their three boys, Remington, Aidan, and Cole.
The memorial service was held January 10 in the Jasek Chapel of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons in Houston.
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Members of the Destination MCO team attended the GrowFL Florida Companies to Watch awards gala. Top row (L to R): Ambassador Chauffeur Luis Luzuriaga, Dispatcher Nelson Cobos, Meeting and Events Manager Dana Cross, Dispatcher Vantressa Nichols, Ambassador Chauffeur Anna Alvarez, HR Manager Rose Lawson, and Field Supervisor Hans Hoekstra. Bottom row (L to R): Operations Manager Sean Gara, CEO Nour Elotmani, and VP of Operations Sami Elotmani
Orlando, Fla. — Destination MCO was among 50 companies honored from a variety of industries all across The Sunshine State in GrowFL’s annual Florida Companies to Watch awards on October 23.
The awards, held for their fourth year in 2014, recognize privately held second-stage companies (businesses that have grown past the startup stage) that demonstrate “the intent and capacity to grow based on employee or sales growth, exceptional entrepreneurial leadership, sustainable competitive advantage, outstanding corporate culture, [and] inspired community giving,” according to the GrowFL website. More than 500 statewide nominations were winnowed down to 50 winners for the 2014 awards.
“The main goal of the awards is to help second-stage companies take it to the next level,” said Sami Elotmani, Destination MCO’s VP of Operations. “It’s a very prestigious award for small companies that are growing rapidly, and it shows the amount of energy and resources we have spent in making sure that we’re doing the right thing.”
Destination MCO has been nominated for the award once before. A nomination is the first of a two-step process: Once a company has been recognized, it must provide additional information and records to make sure the operation is in accordance with award criteria.
This year’s nomination came from the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which Destination MCO had been working with. Elotmani says that the win is both an honor and a testament to the quality of the company’s team.
Destination MCO’s President and CEO (left) Nour Elotmani and VP of Operations Sami Elotmani
“Obviously, this is something we could not have achieved without our team,” he said. “It’s something that we took very seriously, and we dedicated the award to our team because, without them, we wouldn’t have achieved this.”
Many Destination MCO employees attended the awards gala, which was held at Orlando’s Hard Rock Live, as did the other winning companies’ teams, VIPs, and members from both GrowFL and SBDC.
“Some of the counselors from the GlowFL community who worked with us and a consultant who worked with us at SBDC were there to see us receive the award,” Elotmani said. “When we attended the gala, we brought along some employees who represented all of our departments—chauffeurs, office staff, dispatchers, and managers—because we won the award together.”
Visit destinationmco.com for more information.
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South Hackensack, N.J. — HQ Custom Design, a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Preferred Upfitter, was recently given the opportunity to create a concept van exclusively for the German automaker. And when the company delivered its final product, the 2016 Mercedes-Benz Metris, to November’s SEMA Show, the vehicle made quite an impression on the industry.
HQ Custom Design takes an innovative approach to customizing Sprinter Vans and Cadillac Escalades that results in unique, high-quality designs, which got Mercedes-Benz’s attention and helped the manufacturer land this prestigious opportunity.
“Building a concept vehicle is much different from building one for a client,” says Lenny Levin, vice president of engineering and research development. “You are truly able to implement the vision inside your head into a reality and are not bound to the specific customer requests. The fact that we were the only Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Preferred Upfitter who was selected made it even more of an incentive to create something spectacular and innovative.”
Despite its cutting-edge design, the midsize luxury van retains the time-honored beauty of a Mercedes-Benz vehicle, and offers a smattering of modern touches that make it a distinctly appealing retro-classic. Comfort, convenience, and high-tech equipment are all major features of the Metris, the concept of which was designed and created from scratch and without the use of any shelf products—including touch-screen passenger controls that Levin says any passenger will understand how to use almost immediately.
“We have made probably the most convenient and intuitive control panel,” he says.
The two captain chairs, which were custom-built with superior comfort in mind and can recline to a fully supine position, feature double-action leg extensions that are operated by the 7-inch touch-screen control and fixed-control table in the gooseneck. The seats, along with the interior walls, are upholstered in European leather and suede. The vehicle also boasts ambient LED lights and a 55-inch LED TV roof panel, a 48-inch curved 4K TV installed in the front partition, audiophile surround sound (which are all controlled by the touch screen), and teak wood flooring.
The Metris even has a few unique surprises in store for its passengers, too, beginning with a roof panel that offers an infinite possibility of moods with its pre-loaded images—according to Levin, “a blue sky with moving clouds, a night sky with stars, fireworks, or any custom moving screensaver that the customer wants” are just a small sampling of available options—as well as a camera so passengers can see outside as if they were looking through a moon roof. But the special flourishes don’t stop there.
“I wanted to create a luxurious vehicle with a relaxing atmosphere where someone can enjoy lunch with a glass of wine from the vehicle’s picnic basket,” Levin says. The vehicle’s built-in, dark-wood picnic basket, which is safely nestled in a nook between its rear subwoofers and closes with a decorative latch, could also be packed with a meal that would complement a cup of espresso or cappuccino—as the Metris conveniently features a cappuccino maker hidden inside its front console.
As Levin is not only a car lover but also a boat enthusiast, much of the Metris’ design was inspired by wanting to create a “yacht on wheels.”
“In cars and yachts, the biggest challenge for designers and engineers is maximizing and utilizing the space around you,” he says. “The vision behind this van was to create a true yacht-like experience. That is why we implemented a white interior with brown suede, ebony trim, and teak flooring to create a look that is modern with an art deco design.”
The Mercedes-Benz Metris Luxury Van Concept needs to be experienced in person to be truly appreciated, and can be seen at HQ’s facility. “Please contact us to see this one-of-a-kind vehicle, take a plant tour, and see firsthand what separates our vehicles from the competition,” says Levin. HQ Custom Design can be reached at (201) 592-6939 or info@hqcustomdesign.com, and is located at 275 Huyler Street, South Hackensack, NJ, 07606. Visit hqcustomdesign.com for more information about the Mercedes-Benz Metris Luxury Van Concept and additional Mercedes Sprinter luxury and commercial projects.
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