LILA Names New President, Reshuffles Board

Stephen DiBenedetto of Cruise Control Limousine, who won a pass to the Chauffeur Driven Show in Washington, D.C., with CD Editor Madeleine Maccar Plainview, N.Y. — The Long Island Limousine Association (LILA) took to Bird Bus Sales’ facility for a membership meeting that hosted nearly 50 people May 31. Chauffeur Driven Editor Madeleine Maccar was among those on hand for the evening meeting.

The meeting saw a passing of the presidential torch, with Robert Cunningham of Platinum Limousines ending his four-year tenure and former LILA Director Bill Goerl of Clique Limousines accepting the association’s head leadership role—and while serving in his new position as Immediate Past President, Cunningham is adamant about remaining an active supporter and advisor for LILA.

“Even though I’m no longer president, I’m not going anywhere,” Cunningham promised. With his positions on the Suffolk County Taxi & Limousine Commission board as well as the Long Island Wine Council, Cunningham vowed to continue fighting for the industry.

The 2016-2017 LILA Board is as follows:

President: Bill Goerl of Clique Limousines
1st Vice President: Paul Cannella of Concord Limousine/Krystal Bus Tours
2nd Vice President: Matt Silver of Ultimate Class Limousines
Treasurer: Michael Fargnoli of Precious Moment Limousine
Sergeant at Arm: Steve Showtime of Showtime Limousine
Immediate Past President: Robert Cunningham of Platinum Limousines
Secretary: Loren Denning of Class A Limousine
East End Advisory Board: George Monsour of Sunny Limousine
2-Year Director: Charles Gandolfo of Dynasty Limousine
1-Year Director: Doug Schwartz of Executive Limousine

In his first speech as the association’s president, Goerl thanked both Cunningham and previous Immediate Past President Schwartz for all the work they’ve done to LILA’s benefit, and promised to continue on the upward trajectory they’ve initiated.

Given the operational and insurance challenges Long Island has been facing over the past year, Goerl recognized the challenges ahead but plans to meet them head-on.

The 2016-2017 LILA board (L to R): President Bill Goerl of Clique Limousines, 2-Year Director Charles Gandolfo of Dynasty Limousine, 1st Vice President Paul Cannella of Concord Limousine/Krystal Bus Tours, 1-Year Director Doug Schwartz of Executive Limousine, Secretary Loren Denning of Class A Limousine, Treasurer Michael Fargnoli of Precious Moment Limousine, Immediate Past President Robert Cunningham, and Membership Director Bob MacDonald of Broward Limousine“We’re looking to elevate the image of chauffeured transportation through continued education of our chauffeurs and re-establishing public awareness of how our chauffeurs are saving lives every day,” he said. “We keep drunk drivers off the road. We take people out and bring them home safely—that’s what we do. We’re focused on getting through the entire year without any insurance claims.”

Goerl added that “Long Island Limousine Association has long been a leader, and will continue to set the example on what an association is all about: Building relationships and keeping current within our industry.”

The meeting also featured a presentation from sponsor Dashride’s CEO Nadav Ullman, which highlighted the software platform’s back-office system and app components, as well as its Dashboard Connect component, which is an affiliate offering that’s scheduled to debut June 15. Bird Bus Sales President Rick Reichenbach later addressed the crowd, inviting all in attendance to take a tour of the facility at the end of the meeting.

LILA’s next meeting will be July 26. It has a number of events planned throughout the rest of the year, including summer trips and parties, as well as an Associate Members Appreciation Day and a black-tie awards banquet to cap off the year.

Visit nslali.com for more information.

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Grech Motors Adds Restivo and Duffy to Executive Sales Team

Senior Sales Executive Carl Restivo
Riverside, Calif. — Grech Motors is happy to announce the addition of bus sales veterans Carl Restivo and Scott Duffy to the Grech Motors team as Senior Sales Executives. Combined they bring more than a decade of sales experience to the Grech Motors team. Their participation in industry events—from major trade shows to local association meetings—has helped them cultivate strong relationships in the chauffeured ground transportation industry. 

“I’m happy and excited for the opportunity because Grech Motors is the best built bus in the industry, by far,” said Restivo. “The quality is second to none. I’ve sold almost every bus manufacturer out there, and when it comes to Grech’s after-sale support and warranty, there’s no one like them, it’s just top notch. And Grech supports the industry more than any other manufacturer. In addition to sponsoring the major industry trade shows, they also support regional associations and always give back to the industry, and that’s important to my clients.”

“I’m looking forward to supporting Grech Motors, along with Carl,” said Duffy. “Grech is far and away the best quality, best design, and best value for operators. There’s nobody that’s even close, in my opinion. Nobody else puts in the time, money, and effort to design and build what Grech Motors does, so it was pretty easy for me to jump on this opportunity. The way Grech supports the industry—from the regional to the national level —is unmatched. Grech Motors buses have proven to be dependable, reliable, and have a great total cost of ownership. If you’re getting something other than a Grech, you’re making a mistake.”

Senior Sales Executive Scott Duffy
Duffy and Restivo join sales veterans Marty Vitelli, Rene Martinez, Kaye Marseilles, Larry Olivarez, Tina Clark, John MacKinney, and Michael Campos, under the leadership of CEO Ed Grech, Vice President of Operations John Beck, and Vice President of Sales & Marketing AJ Thurber.

“With the addition of Carl Restivo and Scott Duffy to the Grech Motors executive sales team, we are positioning our company to continue providing the best sales experience and after-sale support to the entire industry,” said Grech. “What sets our sales executives apart from those of other manufacturers are their relationship within the industry and the understanding of industry trends and operator needs. Carl and Scott, with their experience in the busy Northeast region, will bring new insights to help improve Grech Motors products and the customer experience.”

“Grech Motors has a high standard of excellence not only when it comes to product but also when it comes to service and after-sale support, and this is enhanced by the addition of Carl and Scott to the executive sales team,” said Thurber. “Their skills and experience will be helpful as we continue to grow our footprint in the industry as the highest quality bus manufacturer.”

Restivo and Duffy will be based out of New York.

Visit grechmotors.com for more information.

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Richmond Limousine Acquires BioRide

BioRide Owner Jesse Mobley
Henrico, Va. — Richmond Limousine has announced that they have finalized a deal to purchase BioRide, a grease-powered car service founded in 2010.

The deal marks the second change of ownership for BioRide in the last 12 months. Founders Jeff and Joey Anderson sold the company last May to Jesse Mobley, who in turn worked the deal to sell to Richmond Limousine owner John Oulton.

While the terms of the BioRide deal are confidential, Oulton said the combined companies are driving toward $2 million in annual sales. Richmond Limousine had about $1.1 million in revenue last year. BioRide did about $500,000 in 2015.

As part of the acquisition, Richmond Limousine takes on the BioRide brand, book of business, two full-time employees—Mobley included—and eight part-time drivers.

The two sides became acquainted by referring business to one another, particularly BioRide farming out work to Richmond Limousine’s mini-buses.

Both companies had reached a point of needing to make investments for growth. BioRide was contemplating making the leap to purchase larger vehicles and Oulton said he was looking for a way to keep Richmond Limousine’s growth trajectory going.

“Our growth for the last seven years has been huge,” Oulton said. “It gets a little harder to keep that same growth rate.”

For BioRide, Oulton said, “They were at the point where they were farming out a considerable amount of work. It was time to look at a major investment in vehicles.”

Added Mobley, “(Oulton’s) got the fleet and the resources that BioRide was looking to get, and he’s proven operationally that he can handle the large passenger equipment and frequency of reservations.”

“Together our revenue and fleet will certainly be one of the biggest in Richmond,” Mobley said. “There should be no reason why we can’t become the biggest (locally based) transportation company shortly.”

The BioRide brand will remain, for now, and be used as a separate brand within Richmond Limousine. Mobley said the goal is to eventually merge the two monikers.

The deal also includes the Virginia Brewery Tours brand, which BioRide acquired last month

Visit richmondvalimousine.com for more information.

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TBR Global Names Industry Leader as Head of MICE

TBR Global Head of MICE John Kelly

Glasgow — Executive ground transportation company TBR Global Chauffeuring (TBR) recently announced key leadership changes to support its future growth plans.

Michael O’Hare will relinquish the role of chief executive to become TBR’s executive chairman. He will continue to oversee TBR’s IT development and support delivery of key strategic objectives. This will include managing the development of TBR Secure, a product central to the company’s growth within the corporate travel sector.

Craig Chambers has stepped up from managing director, EMEA, to become Group CEO. He will be responsible for driving growth across all regions and ensuring TBR cements itself as a truly global brand within the high-end ground transportation sector.  

“With TBR in the middle of an aggressive growth strategy, we feel these changes will ensure the company has the leadership required to meet its strategic objectives,” said O’Hare. “Craig is fundamental to and understands TBR’s DNA. His innovative approach will be invaluable during the next stage of our development.”   

TBR CEO Craig Chambers
Chambers said, “I’m delighted to be taking on such a critical role within the organization and excited to be leading a fantastic business. I’m grateful that the board has put its trust in me to take TBR to the next level on its amazing journey.”

Additionally, TBR has appointed John Kelly as Global Head of Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events (MICE). Kelly joins the business as it embarks on an aggressive new global growth strategy.

Working closely with regional leaders in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia-Pacific, and the Americas, Kelly will be responsible for MICE strategy and delivering the continued sales growth in TBR’s global operations. He will report to TBR Global Managing Director Craig Chambers.

Kelly joins TBR Global having previously held senior MICE sales and marketing positions at cievents, Melia Hotels, and Zibrant.

O’Hare said, “John joins at a crucial time. The business has grown rapidly over recent years. We are, therefore, focused on consolidating and expanding into existing and new markets, John’s industry expertise and connections will be central to our future success.”

In addition to heading the organization’s global MICE functions, Kelly will work closely with MICE agencies and corporates to develop and integrate TBR proprietary technology.

Visit tbrglobal.com for more information.

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