Why Giving Away Pays Off The Most

The bidding war that erupted among two industry titans Nov. 14, 2016 over a donated Lincoln Continental sedan finally had to wind down to a draw and a good deal.

No industry auction event had ever spawned such high stakes one-upmanship before a rapt audience. And all this over a mid-$40,000s sedan that either one could have just bought on his own, checkbook in hand.

Dawson Rutter, the CEO-owner of Commonwealth Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation in Boston, and George Jacobs, CEO-owner of Windy City Limousine & Bus in Chicago, finally settled on giving $72,000 each for the car. The vehicle donor, Ford/Lincoln Limousine & Livery Vehicles, came up with a second car so each CEO would get one. When the tab was settled, the auction beneficiary, the NLA Harold Memorial Berkman Fund, netted a record $100,000, while $44,000 funded the second vehicle.

At one point during the dinner gala bidding, held during LCT-NLA Show East in Atlantic City, N.J., the sparring CEOs threw out $2,500 raises on each other as other bidders fell by the wayside.

“Dawson says to me, ‘How far do you want to go with this?’ It was so funny,” recalled Jacobs in a recent interview. Craig Hall, the marketing manager for Ford/Lincoln, got worried about the clash. “He feared Dawson and I would come to blows. He was terrified our friendship was disintegrating but he had no idea we were having the best time. It didn’t matter who got the car and what we paid. We’re both Type As and knew we were doing something special for charity. You give to charity and have the best possible fun.”

Rutter recalled how at one industry auction about 15 years ago a bidding session for an auction item stalled at $3,400. So Jacobs waved a $100 bill to keep interest going. Once bids resumed, the auctioneer returned the $100 bill to Jacobs, who didn’t want it back and instead bid it out on behalf of the auction. Rutter bought the $100 bill for $1,000.

Intangible ROI
So how did these two chauffeured transportation leaders, who trace their industry lineage to the founding era of the mid-1980s when LCT and the NLA started, get so carefree about donating to charity? Their charitable efforts provide some guidelines for operators who seek the most joyful investments of all.

Jacobs and Rutter say their philanthropy grants a satisfaction that goes beyond any bottom line ROI. Most of their donations consist of money and chauffeured transportation.

“I didn’t have a particular motive,” Jacobs says of his years of philanthropy, “other than just a desire to give back.”

Among the many groups Jacobs has donated to over the years: Make-A-Wish Foundation Illinois/Wisconsin/Indiana, Hydrocephalus Foundation, Front Row Foundation, Harold Berkman Memorial Fund, Step Up Women’s Network, YWCA, Ronald McDonald House, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago Police Department, Food Bank, Hemisphere Travel, Rush University, University of Chicago Hospitals, Loyola University, Toys For Tots, The Salvation Army, Nature Conversancy, Autobahn Society, Covenant House, Alzheimer’s Foundation, National Arbor Day, the SPCA, Animal Rescue, scholarship funds, and hometown teams Chicago Bulls, Bears, White Sox, and Cubs. In August, Jacobs will donate to Camp Kids Are Kids, a group that helps children with cancer attend summer camp free of distractions.

“It makes you feel good when you are doing something good for others,” Jacobs says. “Everything I have I got from the limousine industry. I like to give it away; sometimes it’s dollars, transportation, or advice, or sometimes it’s speaking and giving incentives to people. The letters we get from Make-A-Wish kids who draw pictures and take photos when they ride in a limo gives me joy. To them it’s everything. In some cases, it’s their final request.”

As Commonwealth grew, Rutter started compiling a list of local charity recipients, such as Massachusetts General Hospital. At first, he donated small amounts of $1,000 or less. Since 2001, Rutter has been a grand benefactor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, donating $1.5 million in transportation. He’s also been involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Wounded Warriors, the Berkman Fund, and the Lupus Foundation of America, to name a few.

“One thing I really felt great about is donating to cystic fibrosis for 25 years,” Rutter said. “There have been major breakthroughs and they are on the verge of curing a significant part of the fibrosis population. When you’re giving money for many years and seeing no result, and then see progress, that is very gratifying.”

Sometimes charity donations can involve showing up at activities such as golf tournaments and fishing derbies. At one event, Rutter bought a few golf balls bid up to $5,000.

Forming A Habit
Jacobs and Rutter say once a company finds a financial rhythm for donations, it should become a budget item. The amount can still vary depending on revenue and economic conditions. “When we have a soft year, I drop the amount of donated service; in a good year it goes back up,” Rutter says.

During the last recession, Jacobs had to cut salaries at his company 10% and reduce charitable donations, but the company never laid anyone off and kept giving as it could. “You try to plan ahead and make it part of your expenses,” Jacobs says. “You do the most you can do; sometimes you don’t have the best year ever. You always let them know you’re there and you always do something.”

Finding The Right Causes
Like any business line item, organized donations require review and evaluation. Donors often learn by doing. To select charities, Jacobs and Rutter follow two approaches:

1. Check out recommendations from clients and employees. “I like to get input from other people and see the best use of funds to do the most good and cover the greatest number of people,” Jacobs says.

2. Rutter suggests using charity scorecard websites online that can tell you if a charity misuses funds or doesn’t run efficiently. “Some of them donate very little to the actual cause and most of the money is eaten up by administration and to support salaries,” he says.

While both companies give generously, they do not designate a position to handle donations. Rutter makes all decisions on charity. Jacobs and senior managers choose where to disburse funds. Jacobs advises not to allow sales staff to determine giveaways because “they think they can sell more if they give more.”

Personal Connections
Some causes are obvious good fits for the limousine industry, such as the NLA’s Harold Berkman Memorial Fund that sends money to a group of charities, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation that uses free limousine rides for children. Otherwise, operators should choose donors based on success and a high pass-through of funds to recipients, Rutter says.

Worthy causes also can reflect the interests and motives of the owner. “A lot of charities suit my own wishes and desires,” Rutter says. “With the Lupus foundation, it almost all goes to the patients. I donate to Alzheimer’s because by the time I get older, I’d like to see less risk for getting the condition. I’ve had animals my whole life, so I donate to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. I had a heart issue, heart arrhythmia, so I put in $50,000 for a heart charity. I’m with a group of men a friend put together and we all pledged $50,000 each to Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s cardiac center and cardiologist research.”

“The Berkman Fund has no fees or salaries and makes perfect sense because it’s a good central location,” adds Jacobs, who helped start the fund named after the late founder and owner of Los Angeles-based Music Express, Harold Berkman.

Qualifiers
As with any business-related venture, not all charitable efforts necessarily work for the best. “We do not donate to auctions anymore,” Rutter says. “The reason is when people buy [your service] at an auction, they think they own the car. It’s based on availability, but we had so many problems with people arguing and complaining to us about the free service. No more. People abused us on one-off donations. Now we’ll donate $200 instead of a car.”

For the same reason, Commonwealth does not offer rides for weddings or proms. “Too many complaining brides and we don’t have limos anymore,” Rutter says. “We don’t do proms or retail work, so we don’t get people throwing up in the back of limos. No more brides complaining dirt got on their dress from my car.”

Let Publicity Find You
While media exposure on charitable activities can yield new clients and positive word-of-mouth, the CEOs eschew those motives. “You don’t do it with that mind, but it’s a nice thing when that happens and it comes back to you,” Jacobs says.

“I don’t look for publicity,” Rutter says. “I used to go to charity golf events and donate items back to be auctioned off. It’s a lot of fun just giving away money to the right people.”

Inspiring Employees
Another benefit for a business with a charity program is it sets an example for employees. At Commonwealth, employees participate in a YMCA Christmas gift giveaway for children in underprivileged neighborhoods. “They are happy to be part of what we’re doing as a company,” Rutter says. Adds Jacobs: “What our company does is if a chauffeur or employee falls on hard times, has a death in the family, or a setback, employees raise funds. I match the employees by a set amount and it creates great camaraderie.

Tax Write Offs?
Rutter advises keeping accurate records for tax returns. The mention of taxes spurs a pet peeve for Jacobs: “Everything you do in business — payroll, rent, gas, etc. is an expense. It’s income minus expenses. Charitable expenses are no different. You give because you want to give, not because it’s a tax deduction. Every expense is a tax deduction in a way.”

What’s Next?
After the blowout auction in Atlantic City, Jacobs and Rutter plan to ratchet up their efforts.

“We have all this year to figure out how to top ourselves,” Rutter said. “We’re starting to have a germ of an idea: Team Dawson and Team George. Maybe we raise $10,000 from each of 10 people. . .” he says, thinking out loud.

Such an idea could yield another high-stakes stalemate.

But then, who cares if Rutter or Jacobs gives more? The benefits always ensure the most winners.

Keywords

charity   Commonwealth Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation   Craig Hall   Dawson Rutter   Ford   George Jacobs   industry charity   LCT-NLA Show East   Lincoln Limousine & Livery Vehicles   Lincoln-Continental   National Limousine Association   vehicle auctions   Windy City Limousine   

 

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Attendees Apply Winning Concepts To Their Companies (Pt. 2)

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — If you want to know how operators successfully run their companies, you’ll find a showcase of best practices among Summit attendees. This year, LCT editors took some time out from the three-day event agenda to talk with operators one-on-one about how they manage staff and lead in an era of tech disruption.

Jeff Wright, owner, Pinnacle Car Services, Rogers, Ark.

Wright has 81 employees, including about 50 chauffeurs. He’s had to evolve staff from a small operation to one that does $4 million per year in revenue.

Empowering managers: “If it’s day one and you’re wearing every hat in the company, there isn’t anyone to empower, and there’s more micromanagement. Then you start hiring a few associates. The first person I think you want to get on board and empower to do things is either a bookkeeper or somebody who has the potential to be a CFO. It’s easy for an operator to manage everything else, but you need somebody else managing payroll and making sure all the car payments and finances are done correctly — payments being made on time, cash flow being correct. As you get up to $350,000, $400,000, $500,000 in sales revenue, you must have that bookkeeper/CFO in place.

The second position you can empower would be someone in operations who can take some of the items off your plate. It should be someone you can train, trust, and then ultimately empower to run all of operations. And then additional people from a support standpoint such as a human resources director who can handle everything from hiring to unemployment claims to training. Anything that falls under HR you should empower someone else to do for you full-time.”

Cory Zucker, EVP sales/marketing, VR Worldwide, E. Elmhurst, N.Y.

Growing responsibility: Cory Zucker describes his personal leadership style as stern but fair. “I try to look at the other person’s thought process and what they did that I don’t agree with. If there’s some merit to I say, ‘Okay, I see why you did it that way, but this is the way to do it.’” He then explains why in detail, so the person fully understands.

“If you just tell them they did it wrong, they shut off. You want people to be receptive. I feel explaining it in fine detail helps. If you’re going to do something, do it right. Don’t try to patch it temporarily like a Band-Aid…fix it so it stays that way long-term.”

Empowering his employees boils down to giving them as much responsibility as possible and not limiting their abilities. He wants them to feel they have a role in helping build the company and are not just another cog in the wheel. “The simplest thing you can do that many overlook is just acknowledging them and telling them they did a great job. Thank them for the extra effort they make to help you out.”

Nick Lopez, VP of operations, and Todd Roberts, president, JACO Limousine & Transportation, Louisville, Ky., Cincinnati, Ohio, and Knoxville, Tenn.

Communication commandos: Nick Lopez and Todd Roberts are rarely seen apart, and while their leadership styles may differ, their belief in the power of teamwork doesn’t. Lopez believes leadership is based on training and helping people understand what’s expected of them.

“Every day I work to hold people more accountable as they become more aware of the context of what we do. You can never be upset at somebody if they don’t know what to do, but when they’re trained and they know, they’re expected to do things a certain way,” he says.

A difficult obstacle the two have faced in business is running the company in three different markets, but they’ve been able to do it by being experts in communicating. “We’re so heavily involved, and since we’re always together, we’re able to meet demand and expectations because our line of communication is so good; we’re always able to get a hold of each other and solve things pretty quickly,” Lopez says.

The basics of what operators do is turn employees loose in $100,000 plus vehicles and leave important people in their care. Therefore, your staff is always empowered. It’s up to operators to put competent people in place and provide them with the proper training.

“We let them know they’re in charge of their trips so they have an owner’s mentality in everything they do. You have to instill that belief and thought process in them, which interests a lot of people when they are being hired because they’ve not had that kind of ability before,” Lopez says.

Nadeem Ajaib and Rabia Patel, Icona Global, London, U.K.

High-end humility: Serving the ultra-high-net-worth global VIPs, they must take more of an “OCD” approach to business: Check and recheck all details and anticipate all client needs.

Nadeem: “When you deal at the highest end, royalty and A-list celebrity status, you can have as many layers of trained managers as you like, but often they want to reach out to the owners and operations director at any time of the day or night. Sometimes it has a lot to do with security as well because often we’re not disclosing the names of the clients even to our chauffeurs and staff. We’re using pseudonyms at times because we can’t afford to leak out details of specific itineraries, as they’re often mobbed by paparazzi, so it’s very intense for ourselves.”

Rabia: “I find very wealthy clients will want personal attention. So even if they’re happy with a comped ride, they’ll want you to go a little bit extra and make sure the owner of the company calls them back so they feel valued. Any time of day or night, I will do that. . . I don’t mind humbling myself, going down on one knee to any client. At the end of the day, they’re paying for a service and I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Ajaib and Patel admire Richard Branson, the worldwide famous founder and CEO of the Virgin brand. They cite a story of Branson getting down on one knee to ask a former client to return to Virgin Airways.

Nadeem: “One thing about Richard Branson is he started his business with a phone call in a pub, one of those old red telephone boxes in London. He never had a telephone in his house, so he went to a public telephone box and set up a meeting with somebody he called. He dialed that number and the person answered. So he’s gone from very humble beginnings and a fairly impoverished background to being at where he is.”

Rabia: “I think he’s a brilliant person. He really looks after his employees, he spends a lot of time with them, gets to know them, and they will always stay with him.”

Michael Brinks, owner, American Luxury Limousines, New Orleans, La.

Cooperative competition: In a town known for conventions and group outings, Brinks sees competitors as an asset to leading in a market.

“When I look at the market, I’ve always been able to appreciate competition and see value in working with your competitors. If everybody works together and ends up getting better…then that leads to the success of everything. If you assume you have a pie of 100%, and if a given company has 20% of that pie, in order to increase to 22%, you have the choice of taking from someone else or working together to increase the pie. Because if the pie goes up to 110%, 20% of the market is like 22%. The bigger the market gets, the better it is for every company.”

John Paraoan, assistant VP/brand manager, West Suburban Limousine, Winfield, Ill.

Can-do attitudes: Paraoan uses the acronym TRIP to describe the foundations of his leadership style: Teamwork, Responsibility, Integrity, and Professionalism. “None of us can do it all by ourselves, so my leadership style is to be approachable to our team as well as our customers. There’s no question or issue too big or small they can’t come to us with.”

His company has implemented a feature called “Rate My Ride.” This enables customers to provide feedback at the end of a trip. “Our goal is to, within 24 hours or less, immediately respond in a professional manner. If they touch base with us, whether it’s through Yelp, Facebook, email, or even a phone call, we want to be there for them; I don’t think TNCs take their customers as seriously as we do.”

Paraoan wants his company to foster a “never say no” attitude among employees. “You want them to think in terms of ‘let’s find out how we can do it. Maybe it’s a no now, but it might be yes in the future.’ That starts with hiring the right people.”

To find the right person, you have to hire slow and fire fast. “Recognize the positive and/or negative influences in who you are looking to hire. You may have to go through a coaching and probationary period, but you need to make a decision quick before that type of negativity or inactivity creates the wrong type of atmosphere.”

The biggest obstacle Paraoan has seen is changing the company culture to handle today’s sales pressure. There wasn’t as much competition in the past, so employees didn’t have to work as hard. To prevent a laissez-faire attitude toward business, he ensures staff feels comfortable discussing issues with one another and acting as a team to maintain prestige. They must realize everyone is working toward one goal: Creating a successful company.

Michael Fogarty, CEO, Tristar Worldwide Chauffeur Services/Americas, Boston

Info-driven delegating: As an executive at one of the world’s largest ground transportation companies and former president of the Taxi Limousine & Paratransit Association, Fogarty maintains consistent quality through a detailed reporting system that allows him to delegate and focus on priorities.

 “I’m a metrics driven leader. Fortunately, I have a really strong team of tenured managers, many of whom have worked for me for more than 10 years. This management structure enables me to focus my time and business development in any problem areas that arise. We have a tremendous reporting system that enables our team to keep an eye on the health of the business, quickly diagnose business issues, and work collaboratively to resolve them. These metrics also demonstrate successful sales and marketing efforts, so we can quickly double down on what’s working. I love frontline employees who step up and resolve customer issues on the first call. We will always stand behind this person’s efforts to satisfy our customers. I also mentioned we are a metrics driven organization. I tend to leave my team alone to do their jobs. We all understand what the key metrics we need to achieve are, and we share these with all involved to deliver on these goals. If we need to support any area of the business, I work with my managers to assure the resources are deployed.”

Jeff and Laura Canady, co-owners of CLT Express Livery and S.C. Express Chauffeured Transportation, Charlotte, N.C., and Aiken, S.C.

Hands on & hands off: The Canadys practice a leadership balanced by knowing when to pay close attention and stay on top of matters and when to empower employees to solve problems.

Jeff: “I am always hands on. I follow up all emails and with dispatchers, communicate with our mechanics every morning, our South Carolina office, and out motorcoach office. We educate and re-educate staff. I’m there and they can always get in touch with me when they have to.”

The co-owners make sure clients or prospective ones are only asked questions once, and not subjected to a phone tree or multiple transfers requiring them to re-explain the reasons they called.

Laura: You want to have that personal touch…We empower all our team to make decisions on reservations. We give the staff the tools needed to handle conflicts and resolve them. They can do a 10% discount if they are negotiating rates. It gives them ownership and they know they are part of the business.”

Related: Attendees Apply Winning Concepts To Their Companies (Pt. 1)

Keywords

business management   Cory Zucker   employee management   Jeff Canady   Laura Canady   LCT Events   LCT Leadership Summit   Michael Fogarty   Nick Lopez   staff management   Todd Roberts   

 

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BusCon 2017 Has Plenty To Offer Limo And Bus Operators

INDIANAPOLIS — BusCon 2017, at Indianapolis’ Indiana Convention Center, Sept. 19-21, will offer a variety of excellent educational opportunities aimed at the limousine, tour, and charter transportation industries.

Two sessions will be led by Bill Faeth, founder of Limo University & Inbound Marketing Agents — “Leveraging Automation to Sell 24 Hours a Day” and “Creating a High-Powered Infrastructure for Growth.”

After spending several years in the limousine industry, Faeth founded Inbound Marketing Agents (IMA), an award-winning marketing agency specializing at serving the online marketing and sales needs of more than 165 ground transportation companies globally. He also developed Limo University, where he shares the tools, resources, and knowledge gained during his time in the industry, as well as the current tools he and his IMA team use every day to help limousine companies grow a more profitable business.

In addition, the United Motorcoach Association (UMA) is once again hosting a track on Sept. 18 that will feature a session on the capital cost of contracting services, which allows public transit agencies to reduce their capital outlay by contracting for just the service delivered.

The often-overlooked formula is a great method for public agencies to engage local, private bus companies in special projects and commuter services. The UMA’s other session will focus on how to make the most of the Data Q system to appeal errors that show up on an operator’s federal Safety Measurement System scores — a key component in ensuring your operation’s crucial customer-facing safety score is accurate.

Additional sessions of interest to the chauffeured and motorcoach transportation industries will focus on what you need to know about aftersales service, warranties, and more; how to create a solid social media strategy; and how to make staying in compliance with federal regulations easier.

In addition to plenty of networking opportunities, this year’s BusCon will also feature a timely Keynote Address — How Connected/Automated Vehicle Technology Will Impact Transportation — which will discuss the evolution of the technology, how and where it is being tested, and what its impact will be on the various transportation industries.

The 135,800 sq. ft. show floor — open Tuesday, Sept. 12 from Noon to 5 p.m. and Wednesday, Sept. 13 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. — will once again offer the largest quantity and widest variety of vehicles and products, with attendees able to use BusCon’s mobile app to get around the show.

Vehicle manufacturers slated to be on the show floor this year include Blue Bird, Diamond Coach, Embassy by SVO Group Inc., Freightliner Custom Chassis, Irizar, Mercedes-Benz Vans, MCI, and Ram Trucks, as well as offerings from the REV Group family of products, which includes Champion, Federal, Krystal, and World Trans.

Sponsors for the 22nd installment of BusCon include Host Operator IndyGo; Platinum Sponsor REV Bus Group; Gold Sponsor MobilityTrans; Silver Sponsors Ford, HSM, and Terrapin Blue; and Bronze Sponsors AC Delco and GoExpressTravel.

Exhibit hall only passes are free if you register by Aug.18, with a full conference pass costing $98. To view the full schedule, click here.

Related: How To Break Into The Bus Business

Keywords

BusCon   charter and tour operators   motorcoach operators   motorcoaches   

 

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South Florida Limo Service Strives To Stay Edgy

MIAMI, Fla. — With a background in finance, getting into the limo business was the furthest thing from Fernando Carlison Jr.’s mind. The CEO of Mundi Limousine, along with his business partner Bernardo Botelho, both started as independent chauffeurs working in South Florida with several different companies.

Eventually, they developed a client base working with travel agents, hotels, FBOs, and local DMCs. Their stellar reputation spread by word of mouth, which quickly ushered them into starting Mundi Limousine.

Here, “the new kids on the block with service that exceeds expectations” share what has made them so successful.

Youthful Edge

As a Millennial, Carlison Jr. believes the ability to understand and integrate leading industry technology to streamline process is what has helped the company remain effective. If other companies hope to draw in young talent, he suggests making sure your business is run with the best tech and provides the ability for employees to work remotely.

“Giving them the chance to travel to assist with global programs is definitely an attractive aspect of innovative companies. The ability to grow with a dynamic company in itself is a great perk,” he says.

Competitive Edge

The company’s fleet consists of all late models. These include the Cadillac CT6 and Escalade, Mercedes-Benz S550 and Sprinter, and minibuses. Its core clientele is the C Level corporate traveler, which is what has dictated Mundi Limousine’s vehicle choices.

While impeccable service as its main focus, Carlison Jr. says respecting boundaries of clients and other ground transportation partners is also a trait that sets them apart. They ensure customer needs are met and never solicit them. “It takes years to earn a client, and a second to lose them if you don’t treat them right,” he says.

He believes building a great network and maintaining a dynamic relationship with those you meet will help take you and your company far.

The Mundi Limousine team has over 50 years of industry experience combined from their chauffeurs to their detailer. The company culture is built on the desire to ensure every ride is an exceptional experience.

“Through communication and meticulous attention to clients, we strive to exceed expectations. We’re focused and results driven, and extensively train everyone.”

Future Edge

Partnerships can either work flawlessly or fizzle out. Luckily for Fernando and Bernardo, it’s something they are proud of. Carlison Jr. believes it has worked so well because they work different shifts in different areas. “We’re happy we’ve been able to survive so many challenges affecting our industry and continue to grow and succeed.”

The team hopes to continue to thrive and remain solid and strong. Their goals include increasing the company’s presence within the industry and strengthening their alliances with affiliates.

Keywords

business partnerships   customer service   Florida operators   LCTFast40   Millennials   operator profiles   WebXclusive   

 

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Attendees Apply Winning Concepts To Their Companies (Pt. 1)

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — If you want to know how operators successfully run their companies, you’ll find a showcase of best practices among Summit attendees. This year, LCT editors took some time out from the three-day event agenda to talk with operators one-on-one about how they manage staff and lead in an era of tech disruption.

Selim Aslan, president, MIB Worldwide Chauffeured Services, San Diego, Calif.

Teamwork: Selim Aslan describes his leadership style as “compromising”; he prefers to listen to his employees and start a dialogue. For example, he describes the process of choosing the logo for his business: “There were four finalists we decided on, and we chose the winner together as a company,” Aslan says. Oddly enough, they all decided on the same one.

Aslan empowers his employees by educating them and letting them make decisions on their own. “My staff automatically knows they can offer discounts if it’s a customer who uses our services constantly. They don’t have to ask me because they know the boundaries.”

Zappos is a company he admires because of its great customer service. “Their philosophy is ‘you’ve got to make the customer happy.’ Everybody knows there’s one goal, and it’s to keep the client happy.” He also names Tesla — not only because of their attitude toward innovation, but because of CEO Elon Musk’s work ethic. “He failed so many times, and he always got back up and he’s still trying to do new things.”

Aslan is involved in his community and on the board of the San Diego Young Leaders association (a subgroup within the city’s Chamber of Commerce). He talks to attendees at every meeting, educates them on TNCs, and even offers them complementary services after some of the events so nobody uses Uber or Lyft.

Barry Gross, vice president of business development, Reston Limousine, Sterling, Va.

The veteran industry executive has cultivated a management approach honed at several large fleet operations around the nation.

Macro-management: “In terms of my style, I tend to be much more of a coach than a disciplinarian, the idea being we want our people to be as prepared as possible. We want to give them the tools and support to feel they’re best prepared so they can focus on delivering the service. When there are problems, we want them to feel free to think about solutions and then we can discuss the results after the fact. One of the things I say to my people is whatever you do, have a plan. Don’t let me see an incident report where we forgot about something or we overlooked it or we just didn’t pay attention. Give me an incident report stating the action we took. If it didn’t work out, then we can coach on that and determine what would have been the better course of action.

“Training and preparation are the two biggest things, and at that point you trust your people to make good decisions. I have this analogy that leadership and operations can be kind of like holding on to a cube of Jello. You can hold a cube of Jello in your palm with no problem, but when you squeeze it, it starts to go through your fingers and out of your hand. So, it’s a weird analogy but I think it’s most apropos. So if I’m constantly micromanaging my people and squeezing the life and decision-making out of them, ultimately we’re going to have problems because people will be hyper tense.”

Nick Boccio, fleet manager, Buffalo Limousine, Buffalo, N.Y

Steady presence: Nick Boccio leads in a calm, calculated manner. He doesn’t believe in flying off the handle or saying something without thinking it through first. “I would say seek first to understand, and then seek to be understood. That’s what my Uncle says, and it sums up how you have to consider what a person was thinking while they were doing something and why they did it,” he says. “If I can’t even begin to wonder, then obviously my response will indicate that, but if I can say, ‘Well, you know what? This person has a point,’ I’ll react differently.”

As a manager, Boccio empowers his employees by understanding their capabilities so he doesn’t expect too much of any one person. “I think as long as you enable them to enjoy what they’re doing, don’t create a hostile environment, and encourage them to explore positions that interest them, no one will dislike coming in to work every day.”

Mike Barreto, COO, Eagle Chauffeured Services, Upland, Pa.

Rebuild with respect: Mike Barreto recently took over another company, so his leadership style has centered on rebuilding it from the inside out. “It was hard for me; it wasn’t like I withdrew myself to the point where I wasn’t talking to anybody, but I wanted to make sure the company was running properly,” he explains.

With employees used to working under a different leader for 15 plus years, Barreto understood he couldn’t just tell them they were doing things wrong and change overnight. “You have less of a chance of retention once new policies come in place. So, I try to be as disciplined as possible as to how I release information, and how I was able to get people to understand the vision we’re going towards.”

Barreto wants his people to be free thinkers and gives them what he calls “the 180 view.” If there’s a problem or issue, he wants them to understand what ownership is like and let them make decisions; but he also tries to help them see why he acts in a specific way.

He credits Tim Rose (of Flyte Time) as a mentor who taught him a lot about how to manage people. “He doesn’t look at anyone as a stat on a payroll sheet,” Barreto says. “You have to consider what you need to do to put your employees in the best position to succeed.”

Barreto tells his staff to not come to him with a problem, but also with a solution they think is best. “It might not always be something the person at the top agrees with, but at least it shows you they care about the bottom line.”

The most difficult obstacle he has overcome in taking over Eagle is setting up proper processes. “I’ve had to really be a puzzle maker to be able to fit the pieces together where they were falling short and rearrange it so everything fit, and that was the biggest challenge that drew me to do this company.”

Eagle was once a very large, strong operation in the region. “It was in the ashes, but there’s still something great there — it’s just a matter of doing the right things to make it grow and rise up out of them.”

H.A. Thompson, founder and owner, Rose Chauffeured Transportation, Charlotte, N.C.

Customer service: “One of the things you have to understand in any business, especially in the service business, is how do you treat the customer? How you treat the employees is how they treat the customer. So you have to create respect. And a lot of people in our business have a tendency not to respect the chauffeurs. They respect the vehicles and the equipment sometimes more than the chauffeurs. And you’ve got to build respect and trust between the employees and the chauffeurs. That’s so critical, and it takes a long time. We didn’t have it for a long time and we’re really coming full circle now. It is so important, because our product is hospitality. This is a high service business. And I don’t think a lot of people who have limousine and transportation companies realize the level of service.

“We have driver meetings and I read [emails] to them. Then we talk to them, and sometimes if they drop the ball, I bring them in and talk to them about it and say, ‘Hey, what happened?’ You know, ‘Why did you do that?’ And when they’re hired, we talk about this. The driver is the whole company when they’re out. They’re everything. They are the pipeline to the company. This is why if you do it right you don’t have to advertise. Like a killer restaurant that has awesome food and servers. They don’t have to promote because you get an experience. Then they come back in the door.”

Harry Dhillon, owner, Ecko Transportation, San Jose, Calif., and two-time LCT Operator of the Year Award winner

Employee attention: “I’m very involved with employees and understand what can be done to make their lives easier. I give them incentives on a quarterly basis, such as $50 gift cards. I have not overloaded any employee in the office or on the road with work that can stress them to a point where they miss something very critical. The quality check system we have in place gives them the power to back up their work and give 100%. For chauffeurs there are incentives for spot time; whichever driver is making the most spot time will get a gift card at the end of the pay period. We have a fleet manager who does spot checks on them, and anyone who scores best in the pay period also gets another incentive. That gives them a reason to be there before the pick-up time, to keep their cars clean, and to keep the assortments such as sanitizers, newspapers, and magazines in order because they know that if they get spot-checked and it’s 100%, they’ll get a gift card at the end of the pay period.”

Evan Blanchette, CEO, VIP Global Ultra-Premium Chauffeured Transportation, Miami, Fla.

Focus: Evan Blanchette describes his leadership style as being swift and direct. He doesn’t sugar coat things, and makes sure to convey to his team the details they need to succeed. “I don’t usually micromanage, but I do when I need to until things are running smoother,” he explains. Clarity is the key to ensuring there’s no miscommunication. “Everyone’s very clear on our vision and how we do things, and it resonates through the company.”

President Donald Trump is a leader he admires because he’s focused and makes things happen. “I see myself in some of his struggles as far as being the underdog. People counting you out, let’s say. But if you just stay focused and consistent, things will eventually work through. And I think that’s what he’s shown.”

Rising from zero and establishing the company’s credibility was Blanchette’s biggest challenge when he started his business four years ago with one car. He’d build a department and then pass it along to someone he could trust to manage it. “I didn’t start with a lot of money; I started with $10,000, one car, and a cell phone, and just grinded through it.”

Nick Kokas, vice president of business development, Brentwood Limousine, Macomb, Mich.

Team of rivals: “I’m a firm believer of not surrounding myself with yes men or yes women. I don’t mind someone who may have an opposing view or idea. I think it creates dialogue. It creates new insight and ideas. I think when you surround yourself with a bunch of yes people you limit your potential and creative thinking within an organization. So we have discussions among ourselves where we’ll sit around at a table and throw out ideas at each other. That even includes the chauffeurs. We’ll ask them for their feedback and what they like and don’t like. And we really take those things into consideration. It also gives our staff a sense of unity, inclusion, and creates a better team environment.

Difficult decisions: You have to look at your company almost as a living, breathing entity. What do you have to do to keep that thing healthy? Sometimes you have to make tough decisions. And so during those times, we downsized. We right-sized the fleet and renegotiated with many of our vendors. That includes insurance. A lot of people think, ‘Oh, well. Insurance is something you really can’t negotiate.’ Not true. We’ve been with our insurance broker for over two decades, so we have a great relationship with them. But I think many people put their pride in front of the well-being of the company. You should be willing to swallow your pride and really look at the company as a human being and take care of it. I think it’s one way to go through difficult obstacles.”

Related: Attendees Apply Winning Concepts To Their Companies (Pt. 2)

Keywords

Barry Gross   business management   employee management   Evan Blanchette   H.A. Thompson   LCT Events   LCT Leadership Summit   Mike Barreto   Nick Kokas   staff management   

 

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Nominate Now (Yourself?) For People’s Choice Awards

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — This industry is filled with remarkable people. Operators nationwide do work every day worthy of being recognized. If you’re reading this, chances are you’re included in this group. Don’t let this opportunity go to waste. It takes only five minutes to tell us why you deserve one of the following awards:

Entrepreneur of the Year: An operator who has shown a unique pursuit of business, developed a product or concept, and/or found ways to expand operations.

Leadership Award: An operator who has influenced others to accomplish an objective or goal which resulted in positive effects on the organization.

Innovation Award: An operator who has shown advanced knowledge and use of social media, mobile apps, tech amenities, and/or tech-based fleet management, or an operator who has started a technology venture.

Carla Boroday Humanitarian Award: Named after the late Florida operator, industry association leader, and activist Carla Boroday, this award recognizes a person who has been creative and consistent in supporting a charity to improve quality of life or support a worthwhile cause.

Gold Star Award: Goes to a Good Samaritan who has gone beyond the call of duty in the spirit of service, acts of kindness, and good will.

If you know someone who deserves one of these more than any other operator, do them a solid and nominate them. Those who work in the world of chauffeured transportation need to be reminded they make a difference in the lives of their peers and those in their community.

APPLY HERE NOW! The deadline is October 10.

Related: 2016 People’s Choice Awards Celebrate Amazing Operators

Keywords

Atlantic city   Harrah’s   honors and awards   industry events   industry leaders   LCT-NLA Show East   limo tradeshows   operator achievements   People’s Choice Awards   special events   

 

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High Touch Helps Sell Luxury Travel

The travel industry continues to add to amenities and personal customer service to appeal to their luxury customers. Travel agents who sell to this market know “high-touch” makes for the happiest of clients.

Travel Agent Central article here

Related: The Latest Luxury Travel Trend: Exhibitionist Showers

Keywords

customer service   luxury market trends   luxury travel   VIP service   

 

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America’s Top Business Travel Cities

On Call International, a company that specializes in travel risk management, compiled a Business Travel Productivity Report that evaluated which cities are “best equipped for hosting productive, seamless business travel experiences.”

Top 10 cities for business travel:

1. Detroit
2. Phoenix
3. Cleveland
4. Minneapolis
5. Denver
6. Dallas
7. Sacramento
8. Tampa
9. Orlando
10. Houston

CNBC article here

Related: Business Travelers More Anxious About Security

Keywords

business travel   business trends   corporate travel   research and trends   

 

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Wedding Party Receives Limo Fire Police Escort

The group stopped at the Public Gardens in Halifax to take photos when they found their limousine on fire.

CTV News Atlantic article here\

Related: How To Work With Brides On A Budget

Keywords

law enforcement   limo fire   limousine fires   weddings   

 

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Announcing Our 2016 CD Show Keynote Speaker: Mark Thompson

Come be inspired by our dynamic and engaging Keynote Speaker, Mark C. Thompson, at the 2016 Chauffeur Driven Show this October 9-12 in Washington, D.C. The Keynote, sponsored by Grech Motors and Mosaic Global Transportation, is scheduled for Monday, October 10 at 2:45 pm.

2016 CD Show Keynote Speaker Mark Thompson
At a time when our industry is changing so rapidly due to unregulated competitors and the advent of the latest technology, understanding how to not only survive but thrive is on the minds of many operators. Operators understandably can get wrapped up in the fight to level the playing field, which may impact their ability to focus on their business, to think broadly about the future and compete intelligently against the disruptors. Thompson—a businessman, investor, executive coach, business speaker, and bestselling author—has spoken and written extensively about technology (including the “disruptive” kind) and will share his ideas for adapting to avoid getting run over by progress.

During his career, he has worked closely with three of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs, including Steve Jobs at Apple, Charles Schwab, and Sir Richard Branson at Virgin, where Thompson is the CEO and cofounder of the VIRGIN Entrepreneurship Academy. He is an executive coach to C-level leaders in Fortune 500 companies and high-growth startups in a wide array of industries including retail, internet, pharmaceutical, healthcare, automotive, energy, and banking as well as government and global non-profit organizations like the World Bank, The U.S. State Department, and The Nature Conservancy. He was recently featured as one of the World’s Top Executive Coaches and the #1 Thought Leader on Innovation Culture and Engagement by the American Management Association. Forbes Magazine has called him the “Investor with the ‘Midas’ touch” because of his many successful investments in a variety of industries. He is also a sought-after speaker, and has spoken to the teams of numerous world renowned businesses as well as conferences like the World Business Forum.

You can get a taste of what you can expect from Thompson before you head to the show. The accomplished author has written three acclaimed books on business, including Success Built to Last, the sequel to Jim Collins’ Built to Last. His most recent book is called Admired: 21 Ways to Double Your Value, which reveals the secrets behind Jim Collins’ classic, Great by Choice and Fortune Magazine’s List of World’s Most Admired Companies. He’s also a regular contributor to Inc.com, Fast Company, and Forbes.com, and you can read many of his articles online for free.

This lively, on-point event is one you won’t want to miss!

Registration for the show is now available at chauffeurdrivenshow.com. Don’t forget to also book your stay at our host property, the Renaissance Downtown, DC Hotel, for the unheard of rate of only $210 per night.

All of the latest details are available at chauffeurdrivenshow.com. We’ll see you in D.C.!

[CD0716]

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