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On Tuesday, December 6, the New England Livery Association (NELA) held its annual holiday quarterly meeting at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Woburn, Mass. The event attracted 75 members and guests for a dinner and entertainment, courtesy of renowned mentalist Jon Stetson.
Sponsors for the event included meeting sponsors Lancer Insurance and Research Underwriters; entertainment sponsor American Classic Limousine; cocktail sponsors Great Bay Limousine and EngineIQ; and raffle sponsors Alternative Claims Management, Center Insurance, Cross Insurance, DavEl BostonCoach, Four Star Limousine, Prevost, Sullivan Tire, TIB Insurance, and Town Fair Tire.
Following a cocktail hour and registration, NELA Executive Director Rick Szilagyi of Lexian Management kicked off the meeting by thanking everyone for turning out to make the event a success.
NELA President Joe Cardillo also thanked everyone for attending, and gave a shout-out to sponsors—including Mitch Guralnick representing Prevost and the New England Bus Association. He also cited important programs which the NELA continues to offer and wished everyone a nice holiday.
Next, Bob Crescenzo of Lancer and Steve Crispo of Research Underwriters presented. Crescenzo stated that there are training modules online for all operators to use, and Crispo emphasized the importance of supporting vendors that support the organization.
Szilagyi then welcomed Mitch Guralnick of Prevost and the New England Bus Association (NEBA), who presented information about Prevost, and provided details for the upcoming annual NEBA meeting in the summer of 2023, along with recent discussions with the NELA relative to participation in the event.
Before welcoming Stetson, the evening’s entertainment, Szilagyi stated that “sometimes people do things that benefit us, and we may not even know who they are.” He then thanked Carl Varney of LA Limousine for his help in securing Andrew Card, who served as Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush during 9/11, as a speaker at a NELA meeting in 2019.
Stetson—who was the basis of the hit CBS show The Mentalist—then took the spotlight. For nearly an hour, the real-life mentalist mystified the crowd, culminating in a trick that left the attendees wondering “how did he do that?”
Following the entertainment, it was time for the always popular NELA raffles. Kevin Cronin of Above All Transportation won the 50/50 raffle, and donated his $400+ share back to the association, winning a round of applause. Mitch Guralnick of Prevost and NEBA won $200 worth of scratch tickets, while Teale Smith of Maine Limousine Service won the basket of holiday cheer provided by Dav El/BostonCoach. Debbie Sickles of A-1 Limousine won the large Yeti cooler and Kato Murray of The LMC Groups won a gigantic Lindt Chocolates basket, compliments of Amela and Brion Svenson of Four Star Limousine.
Visit nelivery.org for more information.
[12.12.22]
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The Colorado Limousine Association (CLA) held a holiday party on Tuesday, December 6, at Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão in Lone Tree, Colo. Attracting operators from throughout the state, the event welcomed 49 members and guests, which is record-breaking attendance for the organization.
Sponsors for the event included Chauffeur Driven, South Point Risk Advisors—Nathan Spears, Cobblestone Auto Spa Car Wash, Sierra Restaurant, and ExecuStar World Class Transportation. More than $1000 in gift certificates, gift cards, and gift baskets were raffled to the members.
CLA Secretary Erica Bugbee of ExecuStar/A Ride in Luxury took a few minutes to address the group, thanking the sponsors and encouraging everyone to renew their membership. She also spoke a bit about upcoming events in the Colorado region.
“We’re thrilled with the turnout of regular attendees and so many new faces and hope everyone was able to make valuable connections,” says Bugbee. “I’m looking forward to even more meeting attendance and planning more events like this one.”
Chauffeur Driven and the National Limousine Association donated a show pass to the upcoming 2023 CD/NLA Show in Las Vegas on March 5-8 at the MGM Grand. The winner was Tammy Barrera from BT Car Service. As a newer operation excited to start working with other operators, Barrera and her husband were particularly thrilled because the Vegas event will be the first industry trade show they’ve attended.
Visit facebook.com/ColoLimoAssoc for more information.
[12.9.22]
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November Jobs Report Released: Last month’s job numbers announced this past Friday by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics were better than economists expected as employers added 263,000 jobs to their payrolls in November. The unemployment rate remains unchanged at 3.7 percent. The sectors that added the most jobs were leisure and hospitality (88,000, mostly in food services and drinking places), health care (45,000), and government (42,000). Employment in leisure and hospitality is below its pre-pandemic February 2020 level; the sector was the hardest hit during the pandemic, but has been the most consistently increasing since 2021.
While most consider this good news for the overall economy moving into 2023, steady payroll increases are still coupled with stubborn inflation, higher-than-average fuel costs, supply chain snags, and rising interest rates, which are taking a toll on businesses and consumers alike. Also, several large employers—including many big tech and media firms—have been slowing down on hiring or outright laying off employees. In fact, transportation and professional services were two sectors that saw a decrease in recent months. Some economists are calling it a “white collar downturn,” as most recent job losses have been in the so-called skilled sectors. It is being attributed to a right-siding of jobs in the tech sector, as payrolls were quickly bolstered to accommodate the sudden demand from at-home work and play during the shutdowns. As consumers continue to be comfortable with the risk of COVID, the demand is less for tech and jobs in the hospitality and service sectors have been recouped instead.
Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CNBC, The Hill
REAL ID Gets Another Break: It’s been nearly two decades in the making, but the REAL ID program is getting yet another extension until May 2025. Originally passed three presidential administrations ago, the REAL ID Act of 2005 was enacted to make it more difficult to steal ID cards for travel and get access to certain federal properties by setting standards across all US states and territories, an issue highlighted by the 9/11 Commission in the ‘aughts. It’s faced several delays since. The Department of Homeland Security, which has been tasked with program enforcement, announced the new deadline this past week, blaming enduring issues from the pandemic and the lack of staff at ID-issuing agencies to meet compliance. After May 7, 2025, you will be required to use a REAL ID-endorsed driver’s license—denoted by the star in the upper righthand corner—to board airplanes and enter certain federal buildings. A valid and current passport is also an acceptable substitute. As local departments of motor vehicles require supplemental paperwork to prove identity before the enhanced IDs will be issued, not to mention an in-person visit to the agency, it’s best to budget extra time and patience.
Sources: Department of Homeland Security, AP News
[12.06.22]