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A reinvigorated Long Island Limousine Association (LILA) conducted its spring membership meeting on May 25 at the Holiday Inn Plainview. Despite being held during the busy prom season, forty members and guests attended the meeting. In addition to a presentation from CPA Firm Gettry Marcus, the event also served as an opportunity for the organization to elect a new board of directors.
The 2021 LILA Board of Directors are:
President: Tom Gouldsbury of Azure Limousines
1st Vice President: Charlie Gandolfo of Dynasty Limousine
2nd Vice President: Jim Powers of All Star Limousines
Treasurer: William Vedro of Friendly Transportation
Secretary: David Laschever of Winston Transportation
Sergeant at Arms: Michael Laschever of Winston Transportation
Director: Jim Powers Jr. of Star Touch Luxury Transportation
Director: Doug Schwartz of Executive Limousine
Safety Director: Joseph Marotta of Whitmore Group
LILA Director Doug Schwartz of Executive Ground Transportation
“Our meeting’s theme was built around employee retention tax credit,” says Board Member Douglas Schwartz of Executive Ground Transportation. “We had a Zoom with Gettry Marcus to educate members to take advantage of that situation because there’s a lot of money on the table.”
LILA membership meeting held on May 25
In short, the Employee Retention Credit is a fully refundable tax credit for employers equal to 50 percent of qualified wages (including allocable qualified health plan expenses) that Eligible Employers pay their employees. This Employee Retention Credit applies to qualified wages paid after March 12, 2020, and before January 1, 2021. The maximum amount of qualified wages taken into account with respect to each employee for all calendar quarters is $10,000, so that the maximum credit for an eligible employer for qualified wages paid to any employee is $5,000.
In addition to the presentation, the board also discussed the current state of the economy and its effect on the industry. The meeting also provided excellent networking opportunities for the members.
“A lot of operators got to meet people they never met before,” says Schwartz. “We’re in a forward motion situation, and we’re going to be good moving into the future. We look forward to growing the association.”
The next LILA meeting is the association’s annual barbecue social event planned for August (date TBD).
Visit lilimoassociation.com for more information.
[06.20.22]
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The US Travel Association is reporting that nearly 4,800 attendees participated in the recent IPW 2022, which took place in Orlando, Florida, this past June 4-8. The annual event connects travel companies and organizations from across the industry—hotels, attractions, sports teams, cruise lines, airlines, and transportation companies—with buyers from around the world.
UTA President & CEO Roger Dow addresses attendees at the IPW 2022 in Orlando
The association, which has been working diligently to urge the Biden administration to overturn the COVID-era pre-departure testing requirement for inbound vaccinated travelers to the US received the good news during the event that the mandate was being lifted as of June 12. The US was among the last major countries to drop the mandate, and associations across the industry have noted the serious impact it has had on the recovery of tourism to the US. Canada, following the lead of the US, also paused the random COVID testing among its vaccinated travelers, although it is expected to return in July.
USTA President & CEO Roger Dow is encouraged by the news, and shared an updated international travel forecast during the convention in light of the change. The international travel forecast now projects that international arrivals and spending will fully recover to 2019 levels by 2025, but the US could gain an additional 5.4 million visitors and $9 billion in spending by the end of 2022 with the removal of the pre-departure testing.
Dow, who is stepping down from the association this year, was also encouraged by the number of attendees from across the world who joined the Florida conference, even before the mandate was lifted.
“This IPW is sending a message that the US is open for business and eager to welcome travelers from around the world,” said Dow. “We are taking a huge step forward here to bring back international travel, restore jobs, and re-establish the bonds that connect our countries and cultures.”
In 2023, IPW heads to San Antonio, Texas—a first for the association—for its 54th annual conference May 20-24.
Visit ustravel.org or ipw.com for more information.
[06.15.22]
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BCF newly elected Board Member Bill Yuhnke
In May, The Black Car Fund (BCF) announced the election of William “Bill” Yuhnke and Andrea Majer to its Board. Both new members were voted in unanimously by the Black Car Assistance Corporation, an industry trade group who is responsible for appointing six of the eleven board members for BCF.
Yuhnke is the president and CEO of Liberty Yellow Cab of Buffalo, as well as WEBR Radio 1440 AM. He has more than 35 years of experience in the ground transportation industry and currently manages the largest fleet of ground transportation vehicles in upstate New York. He is also a vice president, and longtime board member, of The Transportation Alliance and vice president of the Limousine, Bus, Taxi Operators of Upstate New York (LBTOUNY).
He has succeeded in expanding his company through diversification of its fleet to include paratransit vehicles; Liberty Yellow Cab of Buffalo is currently among the largest non-TNC bases of BCF outside of New York City. Yuhnke is also heavily involved in the local Buffalo community and established several programs such as:
BCF newly elected Board Member Andrea Majer
- The Safe Ride Program—Patrons are encouraged to surrender their car keys to bartenders in exchange for a free ride home, as well as a ride back to retrieve their vehicles the following day.
- Liberty Ride for Life Program—Citizens are offered rides to blood donation centers free of charge.
- Buffalo Bills Fans Safety Program—Transports football fans, who may have had too much to drink, safely back to their residences.
Andrea Majer is the executive vice president of Delux Transportation Services of Port Washington, N.Y. She has a career spanning nearly five decades in the limousine and taxi industry, beginning as a part-time driver while attending college working her way up to co-owner and COO of one of Long Island’s largest transportation companies.
Majer has played an important role bringing Delux into the computer age and assuring that the company maintains state-of-the-art technology in all areas. Majer has been given citations from the Town of North Hempstead, Nassau County Legislature, Nassau County office of the Executive, Long Island Center for Business and Professional Women, and many years of Lancer’s Safety Excellence Award.
Majer is also a proud member of the Long Island and New York communities. She currently sits on the Board of Project Independence, an initiative program of the Town of North Hempstead that affords many savings to its seniors. It provides a standard reduced fare, free transportation for weekly grocery shopping, and non-emergency medical transport for a nominal fee.
“I am excited to welcome Andrea and Bill, who are well-known in this industry, to The Black Car Fund’s Board,” said BCF Executive Chairman Berj Haroutunian. “The knowledge and experience that they bring to the Board is invaluable and will go a long way toward helping to guide The Black Car Fund into the future. We look forward to working with them to continue supporting our covered drivers.”
“I have known Bill and Andrea for many years, and I can say without a doubt that they are supremely qualified to serve on The Black Car Fund’s Board,” said BCF Executive Director Ira Goldstein. “They bring a wealth of experience, but just as importantly, they provide a valuable geographic diversity to this Board. Bill and Andrea are our first Upstate New York and Long Island-based Board members, respectively, and their election ensures that our Board represents all of New York.”
“After reviewing their resumes and qualifications, it was clear to me that Bill and Andrea would be extremely valuable additions to The Black Car Fund’s Board,” said The Black Car Assistance Corporation (BCAC) President Diana Clemente. “It’s no surprise that the rest of the BCAC felt the same and elected them unanimously. As an operator myself, I know first-hand how important the work that The Black Car Fund does truly is. With Bill and Andrea on board, I look forward to years of fruitful cooperation and contribution to the growth and success of The Fund.”
Visit nybcf.org for more information.
[06.10.22]