Elite Motorcoach Group Partners With High-End Training Outfit

SAUSALITO, Calif. — The International Motorcoach Group (IMG) has partnered with the International Tour Management Institute (ITMI) to enable IMG members to receive ITMI training in customer service excellence at exclusive IMG discounts.

“We value the opportunity to use ITMI’s extensive experience in the tour and travel industry, to offer their exceptional customer service training for our members,” said Bronwyn Wilson, president of IMG.

ITMI CEO Ted Bravos said, “While all drivers receive continuous safety and driving skills training, we have recognized there is an opportunity to teach the effective handling of people related issues to increase professional behavior. The ITMI training helps the driver identify areas for enhancement such as understanding the psychology of group travel, the critical nature of the drivers’ interpersonal communication and problem-solving skills, maintaining a positive attitude, and keeping their cool.”

The training will also help build brand recognition, increase driver morale and retention, and give tips for handling the challenges on the road and long-distance travel.    

For more than 40 years, ITMI has trained and certified travel and tourism professionals. For the past decade, ITMI has also developed custom training and certification for motorcoach drivers.

Information: http://ift.tt/2wUH1vm

About ITMI: Since 1976, ITMI has been America’s premier training and certification program for travel and tourism professionals and travel staff. Information: Annemarie Osborne, Annemarie.Osborne@gmail.com (949) 237-2906 or www.itmisf.com.

About IMG: IMG is the leading network of transportation providers in North America that provides premier ground transportation through high performance standards. This private group focuses on the areas of safety, maintenance, training, on road support, and customer service. Information: Bronwyn Wilson, (913) 906-0111; bwilson@imgcoach.com or www.imgcoach.com.

Source: PRWeb press release

Keywords

business partnerships   customer service   driver training   Internatonal Motorcoach Group   motorcoach operators   

 

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Big Bus And Tour Operation Buys Eco-Friendly Limo Company

PETALUMA, Calif. — Pure Luxury Transportation, one of the largest chauffeured vehicle and bus tour transportation companies in California, has purchased San Francisco-based Green Carpet Limousine.

Erin Shields, owner of Green Carpet, was among the first operators committed to providing an eco-friendly choice in the chauffeured transportation industry. For the past 10 years, Erin and her dedicated team provided more than 25,000 rides in the Bay Area.

While each individual ride helped the environment, Green Carpet overall led to a reduction of more than three million pounds of CO2 emissions. In deciding to sell her business, Shields was committed to finding a transportation company that would continue to provide a high level of service. It did not take her long to choose Pure Luxury, known for its award-winning wider array of ground transportation services.

Pure Luxury was founded by Gary Buffo in 1991. Buffo, who has served as president of the National Limousine Association since 2013, and his wife Jennifer have grown Pure Luxury from a one car operation to a full service, worldwide executive ground transportation and touring company.

Providing transportation for a diverse clientele with every type of chauffeured vehicle and bus available, Pure Luxury has become an industry leader in service and standards.

“When Erin approached us several months ago, we were thoroughly impressed with her dedication to her clients and especially her employees,” Pure Luxury President Gary Buffo said. “We instantly knew Green Carpet would be a perfect fit within our corporate structure, as we share very similar visions and goals.”

The Buffos’ focus on client experience is reflected in the Pure Luxury’s company slogan, “Committed to Perfection.” The company is also a member of
Green Ride Global, and has committed to a minimum of 10% GHG emission reductions each year from all areas of its operations since joining GRG in 2008.

Shields will join the Pure Luxury team in a business development role, where she will further develop Pure Luxury’s innovative services and grow business relationships with existing and new clients.

“I was so thoroughly impressed, not only by Pure Luxury’s corporate structure, but also by their technology advances, core values, mission statements, and their goals,” Shields said. “Green Carpet and our employees and clients will benefit greatly by this acquisition. I am so proud to become a part of a fantastic forward thinking company.”

COO Jennifer Buffo added, “It is truly amazing to have the opportunity to acquire a company that mirrored our service and safety standards, and with Erin joining our team is just an incredible bonus. Both teams will greatly benefit long term, including all of our clients.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. A Google search for Green Carpet Limousine indicates its former website links now connect to Pure Luxury’s website.

Pure Luxury runs a fleet of about 200 vehicles, with a licensed global affiliate team of nearly 400 companies serving more than 500 cities worldwide. Pure Luxury is a privately held company with local offices in Petaluma, Napa Valley, Foster City, and Hayward that serve the Northern California region with private passenger, corporate, meetings, group and tour transportation.

Source: Pure Luxury press release

LCT related article: NLA President Rallies Industry For The Good Fight

Keywords

business deals   California operators   emissions reduction   Gary Buffo   Green Ride Global   green vehicles   Jennifer Buffo   mergers & acquisitions   operation growth   Pure Luxury Transportation   San Francisco operators   

 

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The Driver Provider Announces Key Hires

Executive Director Barry Gross

Regional Director Kaity Quinley
Phoenix — The Driver Provider is pleased to announce two high-profile hires to the company’s leadership team. Barry Gross has signed on as the company’s new executive director, where he will be joined by Kaity Quinley. The two had previously worked together at All Resort Group in Salt Lake City.

As executive director. Gross will be based out of the company’s headquarters in Phoenix and will oversee the company’s operations in all five markets. His experience in two of The Driver Provider’s key markets, Phoenix and Salt Lake City, will enable rapid assimilation.

Quinley will remain in Salt Lake City as regional director of the company’s operations there, where her 11 years of experience in operations and client relations will lend a steady hand to the company’s newest office.

“We are thrilled to welcome Barry and Kaity to our team,” says The Driver Provider principals Kendra and Jason R. Kaplan. “Each has an impressive record of success, commendable business principles, and an unwavering commitment to excellence; all traits we value in our leadership team. We believe these are strong moves to bolster our rapidly growing business.”

Visit driverprovider.com for more information.

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Limited Space Left for Benchmark Breakouts and Operator Mentoring Program Sessions

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–>Orlando, Fla. — After an incredibly successful debut at last year’s Chauffeur Driven Show, Benchmark Breakouts has proven to be one of our event’s can’t-miss sessions. Bursts of brainstorming with like-minded operators in non-compete markets will give you a taste of peer group benefits while letting you discuss solutions and exchange ideas.

This is your chance to openly compare and contrast your company to similar ones while benefiting from the experiences and insights of your fellow operators.

Sponsored by Reston Limousine, Benchmark Breakouts offers operators the opportunity to interact within a small group of colleagues to share ideas, business challenges, and proffer solutions. Each of the groups is broken down by revenue or type of staff, and has a moderator present for a structured, but open, exchange in a private meeting room. Company “owners” of all sizes (only one per company, please) are invited, but requires pre-registration—so don’t delay. Spots are filling quickly. Register at chauffeurdrivenshow.com.

This year’s Benchmark Breakout groups are:

• Less Than $2 Million in Gross Annual Revenue
• $2-5 Million in Gross Annual Revenue
• More Than $5 Million in Gross Annual Revenue
• Affiliate Managers
• Operations Managers
• International Operators
• Motorcoach Operators
• Human Resources (New for 2017!)

Also back by popular demand is our Operator Mentoring Program, which remains one of the show’s longest-running hits and an enduring audience favorite. This is your opportunity to learn from some of the industry’s most iconic names and successful owners—and the roundtable discussions give everyone in your intimate group a chance to contribute and bring fresh ideas to the conversation, too. Moreover, we’re thrilled to bring you five new mentors into the program. This annual favorite is once again sponsored by Grech Motors.

Don’t delay! All seats are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, and more than half are already filled. Since there will be no on-site registration, we encourage you to head over to chauffeurdrivenshow.com and sign up now. The sessions will take place Sunday, October 22 from 4:30-6:30 pm. This year’s mentors are:

• Robert Alexander, President/CEO of RMA Worldwide
• Sam Amato, President/Founder of Gateway Global
• Brett Barenholtz, CEO of Boston Car Service/Above All Transportation (New for 2017!)
• Kristina Bouweiri, President/CEO of Reston Limousine
• Maurice Brewster, President/Founder of Mosaic Global Transportation
• Alan Candeub, President of Park Avenue Limousine
• Eric Devlin, President of Premier Transportation
• Mike Fogarty, CEO North America of Tristar Worldwide
• Diane Forgy, President of Overland Chauffeured Services (New for 2017!)
• Kim J. Garner, President/Co-Owner of BEST Transportation
• George Jacobs, President of Windy City Limousine
• Joe Ironi, President of Global Alliance Worldwide (New for 2017!)
• Patrick Pierron, President of Edward Limousines – EQSL Global (New for 2017!)
• Tracy Raimer, Vice President of Windy City Limousine
• Dawson Rutter, Founder/President/CEO, Commonwealth Worldwide Executive Transportation
• David Seelinger, CEO/Chairman of EmpireCLS Worldwide
• Jason Sharenow, COO of Broadway Elite Worldwide (New for 2017!)
• Scott Solombrino, CEO of Dav El/BostonCoach

Visit chauffeurdrivenshow.com for more information.

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Aristocat Names New Affiliate Manager

Affiliate Manager Julia Zabel
Warren, Mich. — Aristocat Chauffeured Transportation is pleased to announce that they have named Julia Zabel as affiliate manager for the company. Zabel comes to the position with 23 years of retail management experience.

“With our increase in global transportation requests, Julia does an excellent job finding us like minded affiliates around the world,” said Sue Jarvis, Aristocat’s president. “We have had great success in growing this side of our business and believe that 2017 will be the best year yet.”

As affiliate manager, Zabel says she has her hands in virtually every part of the business. “I regularly handle corporate clients and reservations, along with a bit of HR, payroll, and billing. What I’m really looking forward to doing is expanding Aristocat’s outreach into new markets. In the past three months, we’ve been fortunate enough to acquire new affiliates in Brazil, Ireland, and Paris.”

Zabel is enjoying her role at Aristocat, particularly the relationships she’s forged with coworkers and clients. “We’re a great group with a terrific connection. We truly have each others’ backs. I’m really thankful for the people I’ve met over this year and everything I’ve learned from them.”

“Currently we have a combined 70 years of ground transportation experience represented within our current office staff, and look forward to seeing Julia grow in her new position,” added Jarvis. “She is a great brand ambassador for us and a joy to work with.”

Visit aristocattransportation.com for more information.

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Chosen Payments Creates Disaster Fund

Moorpark, Calif. — Chosen Payments recently created a GoFundMe page to collect funds for their clients affected by the recent national disasters including Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. The campaign raised a total of $5,125 to be distributed to 14 merchants identified as needing assistance

CEO Jeff BrodslyChosen Payments reached out to all 360 clients with a personal phone call to check their welfare and see how the company can best assist those affected by the disasters. This includes replacing damaged credit card terminals which are the primary method of accepting payments for most businesses.

Jeff Brodsly, CEO of Chosen Payments says, “We feel it is our duty as an industry vendor to assist in whatever way we can. Chosen Payments has a reputation for helping causes within the industry and we can’t think of a more important cause than assisting our individual merchants in our time of need.” Brodsly generously donated the first $2,000 to the fund.

Visit chosenpayments.com for more information.

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McSweeney Designs Announces New Southern Regional Sales Manager

Southern Regional Sales Manager Adam HarrisTrussville, Ala. —McSweeney Designs, an industry leading Sprinter luxury coach manufacturer and MasterUpfitter for Mercedes-Benz, announced today that Adam Harris has been added to its elite business development team to serve as its new southern regional sales manager. In this capacity, Harris will now represent the full line of McSweeney Designs’ Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Ford Transit-based luxury and livery vehicles to its exclusive dealership network.

Harris will draw upon the depth of his automotive industry experience and key industry relationships to enhance brand representation and gain market share for the McSweeney Designs’ portfolio among top-tier bus dealer groups, preferred Mercedes-Benz Sprinter dealerships, and specialty luxury transportation providers.

Prior to joining the McSweeney Designs’ business development team, Harris established a stellar reputation for himself throughout the industry with his track record of success as the Sprinter commercial, fleet, and new car sales manager for Mercedes-Benz of the Woodlands (a member of the Dream Motor dealer group network) just north of Houston, Texas. As such, Adam Harris comes to us with a strong background in all aspects of sales, marketing, finance, and service on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter platform. When asked his thoughts about stepping into his new role with McSweeney Designs, Harris responded, “Having witnessed first hand from a retail perspective the value of the McSweeney Designs brand—with its attention to detail and commitment to first class customer service—I am excited to be on the other side now where I can help extend those types of exceptional client experiences and higher gross margin opportunities to an expanded dealerships base all throughout the southern region.”

Having worked with Harris in various capacities in recent years, Jeffrey Hunter, XO executive officer/brand manager of McSweeney Designs, expressed his excitement for the recruitment of Adam Harris by saying, “We feel Adam is the perfect fit for our company and our culture, and are excited to have him on board. He is a driven, passionate, high integrity individual who we know we can trust implicitly to take care of the needs of our clients and add value to all of our growth initiatives in this important southern region.”

McSweeney Designs is a definitive world leader in the lifestyle enhanced luxury design and custom automotive manufacturing business. For over 35 years, their world-class design and engineering team has been dreaming up and bringing to life some of the most innovative and highly sought after luxury vehicles on the planet. Having honed their skills by hand crafting private commission vehicles for an exclusive clientele ranging from heads of state to titans of industry as well as high profile custom automotive enthusiasts from all walks of life; McSweeney Designs, a certified MasterUpfitter for Mercedes-Benz, has now extended the current range of their custom vehicle portfolio to include upscale livery shuttles, paratransit vehicles, and executive luxury coach vehicles all based primarily on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Ford Transit platforms.

Visit mcsweeneydesigns.com for more information, or contact info@mcsweeneydesigns.com.

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James Limousine Acquires Operation of Blue Ridge Executive Transportation

Richmond, Va. — James Limousine, a leading chauffeured executive transportation service in the Richmond area, has announced the company’s recent acquisition of Blue Ridge Executive Transportation of Charlottesville.

The deal, which finalized August 10, provides James Limousine with operating rights over Blue Ridge Executive Transportation. While exact terms of the deal have not been made public, James Limousine has already taken over client relations and reservations for the business. During a transition period, all Blue Ridge Executive Transportation domains will remain active in order to continue to serve loyal clientele.

Last year, the successful Blue Ridge Executive Transportation operated 10 cars and boasted revenue of over $750,000. With the company’s former owners are retiring, James Limousine CEO Randy Allen saw the possibility of serving the Charlottesville area as an excellent opportunity to expand the company footprint.

“The Charlottesville market is currently underserved. When we heard about the possibility of acquiring operations over Blue Ridge, we knew there was a huge potential for growth,” said Allen. “We’re going into this ready to raise the bar Charlottesville residents are used to—by providing the highest quality customer service.”

James Limousine already operates in Newport News, Williamsburg, and Richmond. This merger allows the company to serve the entire 200-mile corridor, from Charlottesville to Newport News. The expansion comes at a time of celebration for James Limousine, as it celebrates 25 years of service this year.

Visit jameslimousine.com for more information.

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