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Marlton, N.J.—Madeleine Maccar is the newest addition to the Chauffeur Driven team, joining the staff as the magazine’s editor.
Maccar is a 2006 graduate from Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J., having earned her B.A., magna cum laude, in English with a concentration in writing. While in college, she was a photographer, staff writer, and section editor for the school’s award-winning newspaper, The Rider News.
She began her career as the social editor for two weekly newspapers in the Princeton Packet family of publications, where she won New Jersey Press Association awards for both writing and layout, before working at the Gannett-owned daily paper, The Courier-Post, as a page designer and copy editor. She then further honed her editing skills in the financial-services industry, proofreading documents for clients such as First Investors, John Hancock Investments and Putnam Investments. Maccar is also a book reviewer and critic at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography, through which she will be publishing a collection of essays in early 2015.
Chauffeur Driven is her first foray into the world of the chauffeured ground transportation industry, and Maccar is eager to embrace the new challenges and many rewards of navigating a new industry while returning to the print-media realm. In addition to feature writing and assisting with photography, she will cover industry associations and events.
“I’m excited about the opportunities that Chauffeur Driven has in store for me and the ways that the enthusiasm I’ll bring to my role will benefit the magazine,” Maccar says. “I look forward to learning something new and building on that knowledge with every day that passes.”
Maccar can be reached at madeleine@chauffeurdriven.com.
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Essington, Pa.—The latest meeting of the Philadelphia Regional Limousine Association (PRLA) took place at the Deck at Harbor Pointe and included a stop on the American Motor Products (AMProd) road show, which featured presentations from several sponsors in addition to giveaways and a buffet dinner. Chauffeur Driven Show Manager Lauren D’Ambra also attended the meeting.
Mike Barreto of Flyte Tyme Worldwide Transportation updated the members on the recent sting operation, a joint effort of the Philadelphia Police Department and Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA), to target illegal operators, solicitors, and TNCs. Over the two-month period, five violations were handed to illegal solicitors and one vehicle was impounded, resulting in $4,800 in fines.
Barreto also alerted members to the crackdown on livery vehicles parked illegally around the airport, including at the cell phone lot off Route 291. He noted that of the 45 summons given, 15 alone were written to Uber’s Philadelphia company, Gegen. Barreto says that the tickets are currently issued and recorded by the Department of Aviation, but will soon be converted to summary offenses and sent directly to the city of Philadelphia. This means that it could impact an operator’s registration if the fines are not paid, and vehicles can and will be booted and/or impounded.
Some good news for Philadelphia area operators: commercial pickups are at their highest levels since 2008 and that the total recorded pickups for the year is already 20 percent higher than 2013. If the trend continues, the numbers might match those of 2008, pre-recession levels.
David and Wendy Ward of AMProd gave several presentations from some of the sponsors of their road show, including those from Create-A-Card, LimoLive24, and Chosen Payments. The couple also spoke about the benefits of becoming an AMProd member for special discounts and availability of tires specifically for our industry (which can and have been in short supply elsewhere at times).
The next meeting will be held at Maggiano’s in King of Prussia on September 10.
Visit prlainc.com for more information.
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Lake Success, N.Y.—Back in March, Mosaic Global Transportation’s CEO Maurice Brewster was one of several small businesses featured in a story appearing in The Wall Street Journal about the difficulties encountered by small-business owners—especially those who are minorities—when trying to secure a bank loan. “I had contacted several banks, and they told me they didn’t like the fact that my assets were mobile, and that my national operations use a network of independent affiliates rather than employees,” says Brewster.
Michael Kaplan, vice president and a principal of Advantage Funding, based in Lake Success, N.Y., read the article and took immediate action. “After learning more about his business and discussing various options, we were certain we could offer him a loan.”
Like most businesses, Redwood City, Calif.-based Mosaic took a hit over the last few years, but by the beginning of 2013 the company was back on track, Brewster says, and 2014 points toward a strong increase of 25 percent by the end of this year. Since then Advantage Funding has provided three more loans and a letter of reference for Mosaic’s use when bidding on municipal transportation projects.
“Maurice and Mosaic Global have developed a close relationship with us, because we figured out how to meet his needs,” says Kaplan. “When we talk, it’s not just about a particular financing need, but also about business strategy. We share our knowledge where we feel we can add value. We’re looking for ways to do business, unlike other lenders that present too many hurdles.”
Brewster, meanwhile, is grateful and excited about Mosaic Global’s prospects. “I feel blessed that [Kaplan] read that newspaper article and reached out to me,” he says.
Visit advantagefund.com for more information. For more about Mosaic Global, visit mosaicglobaltransportation.com.
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