Tour Operation Shows The Atlantic City Beyond Gambling

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Three years ago, operator Stacy Foster-Goodwin and her husband walked along the oceanfront boardwalk in Atlantic City. She looked out at her hometown and wondered why it lacked tour offerings.

Although many visitors came for the casinos, there was an underserved market of something else to see and do. So Foster-Goodwin opened her own touring service. She talked about her experiences Nov. 8 on a Women Owners Business Panel during LCT-NLA Show East at Harrah’s Atlantic City, and followed up the event with an interview for Small Fleet Business.

Company challenges: For the first two years of her business, Foster-Goodwin partnered with a local car rental company and rented a different vehicle depending on how many people booked a particular tour. She continued to work a 9-to-5 job in finance for the Superior Court of New Jersey, and offered tours Thursday-Saturday to test the market. Once she saw visitors liked her tours, she added more days, and now runs six days a week while working her full-time job.

Start-up costs and methods: “The basic startup of course is registering your business and making sure you’re incorporated and you have those appropriate protections in place,” Foster-Goodwin said. Her biggest investment came a year ago when she purchased a 15-passenger Ford E350 van.

Fast Facts

A1 Tours

Location: Atlantic City, N.J.

Founded: 2012

OWNER: Stacy Foster-Goodwin

Main service region: Atlantic City

Vehicles: Ford E350 van

Fleet Size: 1

Employees: 3

Annual revenues: $46,000

Website: http://ift.tt/1NTt4OO

Marketing strategies: Foster-Goodwin’s biggest success has come from partnering with Atlantic City’s visitor website. “That really helped to get our offerings out there. I’ve looked at my SEO and most of my orders come from the website.” She’s also partnered with hotels that refer customers to her.

Mistakes: “Underestimating the costs associated with running a travel business. With transporting people, the insurance is really high,” Foster-Goodwin said. She didn’t imagine how much that would cost her. “If I could have delayed the purchase of my vehicle to give myself more time to get my financials in order to better handle and manage things, I would have done that.”

Biggest success: “The biggest success has been the partnerships that I have been able to develop along the way. That’s across the venues I use for attractions and the small business here. How we’re able to support each other and reference each other.” Stacy-Goodwin added that now is a good time to be a non-casino business in Atlantic City. Four casinos have closed down in recent years and some of the eight remaining casinos are struggling. The city is promoting businesses like hers to bring people into the city who have interests beyond casino gambling.

Customer service: Foster-Goodwin makes sure her drivers and tour guides are always on the same page and smiling, even with their voices. She also treats everyone who travels with A1 Tours to a goody bag full of coupons, and a staple of Atlantic City — salt water taffy. “Everyone likes them. It’s always a big surprise. They say, ‘Oh wow, I wasn’t expecting this,’ and ‘That’s what we want.’ We want to have that surprise element and that thank you because they could have done anything while in the city; they didn’t need to come to our tours.”

Advice: “Research, research, research.” Operators need to know their markets, Foster-Goodwin said. Just because something may work in one market does not mean it will work in yours.

Future plans: “I’m really looking to grow this business outside Atlantic County. A1 Tours is here to stay. We’re going to do our very best to offer world class service to our customers.”

Keywords

Atlantic city   LCT-NLA Show East   new jersey   New Jersey operators   New Operator   small business   small-fleet operators   women in the industry   

 

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Best Chauffeured Worldwide Acquires VIP Limousines & Coaches

 

Orange County’s top two services unite as Best-VIP Chauffeured Worldwide, providing the ultimate in luxury transportation.

[Orange County, CA.] – Best Chauffeured Worldwide, an acclaimed luxury transportation service, is pleased to announce the acquisition of their highly respected competitors, VIP Limousines & Coaches. Both award-winning companies have earned multiple industry accolades, and independently earned reputations for being customer-driven and employee oriented. Their similar business philosophies made the acquisition a natural step, with official integration beginning in early 2016. With over 50 years of combined expertise, Best-VIP Chauffeured Worldwide offers decades of experience while moving into the future of luxury transportation.

“This is extremely exciting,” Robert Vaughan, Best Chauffeured Worldwide founder and CEO, said. “VIP has a great team coming over with the company and the owner, Roger Webb, is staying on for two years to ensure a seamless transition before he retires. We’re taking the best of both companies and implementing fresh processes and procedures, and we’re looking forward to combining into one location next year. We’re very energized about it.”

Once integrated, Best-VIP Chauffeured Worldwide will offer a united staff and an extraordinary fleet of over 140 vehicles. Top-of-the-line limousines, sedans, vans, SUV’s, minicoaches and motorcoaches will be available, functioning with cutting edge technology to ensure luxurious travel with hassle-free reservations. Both companies hold a rapport with the leading DMC’s and Meeting Planners in Southern California, and the new Best-VIP brand will maintain the highest level of service and deliver innovative options for travelers booking transportation locally and globally.

Best Chauffeured Worldwide started as a one-vehicle, weekend limousine service, and grew into a company that offers a stunning of fleet of vehicles and services across the globe. They take pride in every facet of their business, from their back office and mechanical crew to their charismatic drivers. After 20 years, Best Chauffeured accumulated a client roster that includes Fortune 500 companies and VIP celebrities.

VIP Limousines & Coaches is a leading force in ground transportation, offering a top quality fleet designed to give clients the finest services and support available. During their 30 years of business, they’ve worked with high profile clients including Broadcom, the Anaheim Ducks, and Montage Resort. Now a part of the Best Chauffeured Worldwide family, VIP will offer the same level of service to their loyal clients on a global level.

“What’s made us both very successful is our commitment to service,” comments Vaughan. “We provide high-end vehicles with professional chauffeurs, and strong backbone support within our office structure. Best and VIP have been able to compete in the market with one another, and now that we’re moving forward as one we’ll continue to provide elevated service and premium transportation on a larger scale.”

Both companies are pillars in Orange County transportation, and the new Best-VIP Chauffeured Worldwide brand is a unified point of strength and reliability in the industry. For more information, visit www.best-vip.com.

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