Windy City Among the First to Offer Caleche Convertible Shuttle

The progression of the convertible roof Henderson, Nev. — Caleche USA Inc. has successfully launched its convertible shuttle in the United States. Having first shown the product to the chauffeured ground transportation industry this past March, Caleche is currently delivering the first units to Napa, Chicago, New Orleans, and more cities around the country.

The convertible shuttle allows operators to provide luxury panoramic tours all year long, thanks to the in-house designed and patented Panoramic Roof system. Automatically inflating seals are integrated into the system, preventing any moisture from coming in regardless of weather conditions. Protections against UV rays and heat are fitted around the sides and roof, ensuring that passengers will remain comfortable even in the hottest climates.

Furthermore, the convertible shuttle offers something refreshingly new and game-changing to ground transportation companies. According to Windy City Limousine’s Operations Manager Dave Lahr, “This is the coolest vehicle I have seen in my 25 years in the industry.”

In fact, Windy City is one of the first companies in the country to purchase a convertible shuttle, a vehicle acquisition that President George Jacobs has been anticipating for quite some time—and couldn’t be happier about.

Napa Valley Wine Tours in California was also one of the first companies to purchase a convertible shuttle “I am so happy with it—it is just the coolest vehicle,” Jacobs said. “We’ve had a lot of unusual, attention-getting cars over the years, but nothing like this. People just react to it: They honk, they point, they do almost comedic double-takes when they see it drive by.”

Windy City hasn’t even had the 16-passenger vehicle for a month, but it is already a popular request for brides-to-be, city tours, and group events; meanwhile, Jacobs says that the lucky few who have already ridden in it are instantly fans.

Though as head-turning as the vehicle is, safety remains a top priority.

“The manufacturer has already installed a rail for it, and there will be no standing when the bus is in motion,” Jacobs says. “And we’ll have to close the convertible top when we go faster than 40 miles an hour.”

Windy City Limousine’s convertible shuttle is already seeing a high demand as a special-event vehicle Caleche USA President Robin Verachtert explains that, until now, the industry has not been able to offer a vehicle that delivers both a luxury ride and a panoramic viewing experience.

“A double-decker bus you share with 60 others in the blazing heat or cold rain is not something every passenger would pay for, while a conventional shuttle will provide comfort but not the opportunity to look outside properly,” he says.

Caleche USA offers both 16- and 10-seat models of the convertible shuttle, with standard three-point safety belts in all models.

Visit caleche-usa.com or windycitylimos.com for more information.

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Brevard to Add Continentals to Fleet

Brevard Executive Transportation Owner Wendy Kleefisch
Indialantic, Fla. — Brevard Executive Transportation announces the addition of two 2017 Lincoln Continentals to its fleet. Wendy Kleefisch, owner of Brevard Executive Transportation, says that she strives to be the industry leader by supplying her customers with the most modern and luxurious Lincolns in the livery space. She joins a handful of industry companies that have already announced that they will also be adding Lincoln’s new flagship vehicle to their fleets once the vehicle is available later this year.

“Brevard Executive Transportation aims to be the first to test out the latest technology,” she says. “As the president of the newly formed Central Florida Livery Association (CFLA), I felt it was important to try out the newest that Lincoln has to offer, while making my customers feel like VIPs in new vehicles. It’s important to rotate the fleet and have the newest version of their favorite luxury brand. We are certain adding these two new vehicles will be a huge success. There are those who want to be in business, and those who want to stand out and be an example for their industry peers!” 

Brevard Executive Transportation serves the Space Coast—so named for one of its most famous landmarks, the Kennedy Space Center—and is located in Indialantic, Florida. They service Melbourne International Airport, Orlando International Airport, as well as Port Canaveral. Port Canaveral is now the largest passenger port with seven ships, servicing over 350,000 passengers at any given time.

Visit brevardexecutive.com for more information.

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NELA Thanks Chauffeurs With Annual Appreciation Day

NELA’s Executive Director Rick Szilagyi and 2nd Vice President Tina Benson of L.A. Limousine
Boston — Now in its 16th year, the annual New England Livery Association (NELA) Chauffeur Appreciation Day treated chauffeurs to an afternoon of free lunches, live music, and prizes at Logan International Airport’s limo pool on June 2.

The day is one of NELA’s most popular events of the year, with the association’s board and general members rallying together to grill up the hot dogs, burgers, and sausages that would feed about 1,000 hungry chauffeurs—with nearly 20 NELA members working during the event’s peak hours, making sure that the vegetables are sliced, the grills are running, and everyone gets a hot lunch.

“It’s a great event,” Benson said. “It’s all volunteers who are there working, setting up, and cooking non-stop for the entire time that we’re there.”

What started with smoky barbecues and often-depleted food supplies has become “a well-oiled machine” that boasts commercial grills and even a concession-stand counter, according to NELA 2nd Vice President Tina Benson of L.A. Limousine. Benson has been involved with the event for much of its history—to the extent that her brother Carl Varney and sister Cindy Crisp often step up to help out, too—and keeps coming back every year because of the camaraderie.

L to R: Mark Mollica of Black Tie Limousine, Lynda Saitta of Momentum Drives, and Steve Crispo of Research Underwriters
In a truly cooperative effort, Benson said that Massachusetts Port Authority, which owns and operates Logan Airport, is “very helpful, setting up chairs and tables for everyone,” and that the event’s many Gold, Silver, and Bronze sponsors helped make the whole day possible—including donated prizes, like the 10 free oil changes that sponsor Sullivan Tire & Auto Service provided. Other prizes included two sets of Red Sox tickets and a lottery tree.

The event also serves as an opportunity for NELA to let chauffeurs know that it’s supporting them and their livelihoods with its ongoing legislative, educational, and lobbying efforts in pursuit of better safety and a more level playing field for ground transportation companies as the TNC fight continues.

“It’s about thanking the chauffeurs and letting them know that the New England Livery Association is in their corner, to help make their jobs and lives easier by fighting Uber,” Benson said. “It’s a very successful, well-organized event, and just a really great day.”

The next NELA meeting will be June 14, while its next social event will be the 17th Annual George Colarullo Memorial Golf Tournament on August 16.

Visit nelivery.org for more information.

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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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