NELA Board of Directors
On June 23, the New England Livery Association (NELA) held their quarterly membership meeting at Venezia Restaurant in Dorchester, Mass. More than 50 members and guests were present for the evening event, which offered networking and professional education from guest speakers. NELA thanks Platinum Sponsors Grech Motors and Tesla for their support of the meeting.
Prior to welcoming guest presenter Jodie Lethgo of Conversion Interactive Agency, NELA President Brett Barenholtz of Above All/Maine Limousine announced the results of the association’s recent board election:
- President: Brett Barenholtz of Above All/Maine Limousine
- 1st Vice President: Terry Murtaugh of United Private Car
- 2nd Vice President: Andrew Tighe of RMA Worldwide
- Secretary: Brittni Kirk of All Points Limousine
- Directors: Keith Ali of Dav El/BostonCoach, Pat Enxing of Pat’s Car Service, Alicia Hayes of American Classic Limousine, Brendan McNiff of DPV Transportation, Katya Portnaya of Boston Carriage, Denis Sema of Prestige Livery, Karrine Tessier of Great Bay Limousine, and Charles Wisniewski of Teddy’s Private Car Service
- Vendor Directors: Steve Crispo of Infusion Insurance and Henry Heinlein of Acton Fleet Sales
L to R: NELA Executive Director Rick Szilagyi of Lexian Management, Jodie Lethgo of Conversion Interactive Agency, and President Brett Barenholtz of Above All/Maine Limousine
“I would also like to congratulate all of our newly elected and reelected board members. I am honored to serve alongside such a committed and talented group of leaders. I am also thrilled to be elected as the president for another two years,” said Barenholtz.
During his President’s Address, Barenholtz also discussed Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s proposal to explore congestion pricing in the city, which he believes will put an additional financial burden on the industry and its clients. Fortunately, he said that the association’s lobbyist is working hard to ensure the industry’s voice is heard regarding this issue. Barenholtz also thanked several operators and supporters that have contributed financially towards the advocacy.
Barenholtz, who also serves as National Limousine Association (NLA) president, provided updates from the national organization. Included in his discussion was the renewal of the NLA’s partnership with Chauffeur Driven as well as the plans for the first CD/NLA international event in Paris in June 2027. He also highlighted the NLA’s presence at the upcoming GBTA convention in August and the association’s ongoing battles with Uber and illegal operators.
CD/NLA Show pass winner Anthony Russo of A Plus Coach (left) with Brett Barenholtz
Guest speaker Lethgo was then welcomed to present about AI and its uses within the luxury ground transportation space. In her session, she demonstrated how AI reads websites, described what GPT Optimization means, and detailed the simple steps operators can take to stay visible, relevant, and easy to find.
“This was a dynamic presentation loaded with impressive ideas and concepts,” said NELA Executive Director Rick Szilagyi of Lexian Management.
Also present at the meeting were representatives from Green Energy Consumers Alliance, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), and Tesla to offer their perspectives on “green” opportunities for ground transportation operators. In addition to offering live demonstrations of Tesla vehicles, it was revealed that operators can receive a grant of up to $17,500 off new electric vehicles from MassCEC.
“The reaction to the Tesla cars was extremely positive,” said Szilagyi. “Even those who were initially skeptical were impressed by the vehicles.”
Other sponsors included Gold Sponsor Dav El/BostonCoach, Silver Sponsors Century Insurance and Pat’s Car Service, and Raffle Sponsor Vibrant Visions Marketing. Among the items raffled was a pass to the 2026 CD/NLA Fall Show in National Harbor on October 25-27 donated by Chauffeur Driven and the NLA. The winner of the pass was Anthony Russo of A Plus Coach.
Before the evening concluded, Szilagyi also announced plans for NELA’s annual golf tournament to be held August 31 at New England Country Club. Both registration and sponsorship opportunities are open and available.
Visit nelivery.org for more information.
[06.30.26]
