Park Avenue Limousine Chief Strategy Officer Scott Szwed Trevose, Pa. — Park Avenue Limousine is pleased to announce that industry veteran Scott Szwed has joined its team as Chief Strategy Officer.
Szwed brings more than 25 years of industry experience to Park Avenue, gleaned from his involvement in “every aspect of running a ground transportation company—from maintaining day-to-day operations to strategizing innovative approaches for business development”—as well as his drive to blend the classic industry standards with the advancements in trends, technology, and on-demand service expectations of the 21st century.
“What drew me to joining Park Avenue was the clear vision of the leadership and management teams to expand offerings to the greater tristate area, but respect for the ‘old school’ methodology that can be leveraged into the next generation of this industry,” he says. “Our industry is ever evolving—management teams have to be agile and ready to adapt with new business needs, but hold on to the core values and principles of service that makes our industry thrive. Park Avenue is a service-driven company and our success is dependent on delivering the highest-quality service to our clients.”
Szwed, whose career began in law enforcement, has “had the pleasure to serve at the direction of CEOs and presidents of some of the largest transportation companies on the East Coast.” He says that one of his earliest responsibilities was ensuring safety measures by “performing DOT-compliant background checks and recruiting top-tier chauffeurs.”
“I have been involved with so many of the DOT regulations we have now since their infancy,” Szwed says. “II’ve seen improvements overtime from the old days of drug testing in the office to today’s Medical Review Officers, government background checks, and fingerprinting standards. I’m fortunate enough to understand the rough beginnings of standards that are now the norm in this industry. There’s not much in this business that I haven’t experienced from the ground up.”
In addition to helping implement safety measures, Szwed has also helped several companies institute employee training and standard operating protocols, fleet selection and expansion, and assess operation needs for expert decision-making.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have Scott as a part of the team,” says Park Avenue Vice President of Operations Briana Candeub. “With With more than 25 years of experience in the industry, he brings unmatched support to the table. Our leadership team is looking forward to working with Scott and rapidly expanding Park Avenue in innovative ways to achieve our next level of service and success.”
Szwed, in turn, looks forward to this next phase of his ground transportation career as an opportunity to further the education that his time working for an array of Delaware Valley operations has yielded.
“I’ve been in this industry a long time, but I’m still learning,” he says. “I learned how to anticipate what’s coming next and be proactive. The 'old days' are gone: You need to learn how to apply new advancements to improve your services by thinking outside of the box; otherwise, you won’t succeed. It’s that simple.”
And one of his first lessons was familiarizing himself with the CSO title that Park Avenue President Alan Candeub offered him.
“I researched the roles and responsibilities of a CSO to better understand the expectations of my new position," Szwed said. "A CSO is tasked with developing, communicating, executing, and sustaining corporate strategic initiatives. What I love about the CSO position is that it requires someone who wears many hats—it’s equal parts strategy and action. This is the perfect opportunity to apply my professional experience at just the right time in my career.”
And it’s a unique position that will benefit from Szwed’s genuine passion for the industry.
“I live this business, I breathe this business, and I love this business,” he said. “I wake up and I’m thinking about it, and I go to bed thinking about it. I just love it.”
Visit parkavenuelimousine.com for more information.
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