Cover Art: CLT Express Livery Co-owners Jeff and Laura Canady in downtown Charlotte, N.C. Photography by Chris Weiss.
BY ROB SMENTEK
This year is proving to be a major milestone for operators Jeff and Laura Canady. The pair, who own a quartet of luxury ground transportation companies in three locations across the Carolinas, is celebrating a series of anniversaries of their operations.
“Technically, we’re celebrating four anniversaries this year. The big anniversary is for CLT Express Livery in Charlotte, N.C., which we consider the mothership of all our companies. This is the 25th anniversary of CLT Express Livery. We are currently the longest-tenured chauffeured transportation company in Charlotte, N.C., and one of the largest companies in the Carolinas,” says Co-owner Jeff.
Meanwhile, 2025 marks 15 years for SC Express-Aiken, located in South Carolina, just across the Georgia border, and 10th anniversary for both SC Express-Charleston and SC Coach, their motorcoach division.
As an award-winning company, and among the most respected operators in the Southeast, they are often approached by fellow owners who want to know the secret to their decades of success.
CLT Express Livery Owners Laura and Jeff Canady with an SC Coach branded trolley at Rainbow Row in Charleston, S.C. “Frankly, there is no secret,” says Jeff. “It’s just long days and lots of hard work.” In the nearly three decades since the pair began their journey into the luxury transportation world, they’ve expanded their business from a single overnight ride in their personal Jeep to a fleet of 130 vehicles operating within an area that spans the Carolinas called the Southern Triangle. The couple got their start while they were working toward their bachelor’s degrees at University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
“I was working at a car rental company inside the Charlotte airport,” says Jeff. “During those pre-Uber days, there’d occasionally be a big thunderstorm or convention, which meant that there were no taxis. So, I’d have people come up and say, ‘I need to get to Columbia, and there are no taxis. How do I get there?’ I would tell them about a single-car operator that would take people places for a price. So, I would call him, he’d take the passengers where they needed to go, and he’d give me 10%. This went on for a few months, until one evening I called and called and couldn’t get ahold of him. This was around midnight, and I had a gentleman looking for a ride to Columbia, S.C. Since I was getting ready to punch out in 15 minutes, I took him in my Jeep Cherokee. That was my very first for-hire ride.”
SC Express-Charleston Office (L to R): Affiliate Manager Sonja Williams, Team Member Shelia Middleton, General Manager Bruce Hanna, Fleet Manager Michael Cody, and Team Member Teresa Sutton Before long, more rides would follow, and Jeff would invest in a Lincoln Town Car in the early 2000s, eventually working part-time out of the Marriott City Center in uptown Charlotte—all while pulling full-time shifts at the car rental company and studying for his degree.
“After a while, the Marriott manager came out and asked me if I wanted to take over the contract with all the cars. Slowly we grew our business with regular clientele to the point where I couldn’t go back to the car rental company because I was so busy,” says Jeff.
The growing transportation company soon added a van, as well as staff, which included Jeff’s father and his wife/business partner, Laura.
“Laura would do the early-morning rides at 4 a.m. My dad would do rides as well, so I bought him a car. Then we grew to where we purchased a limousine. Eventually my brother started driving. So, I started buying more vehicles and that was our first big break,” says Jeff.
L to R: Detailer Levi Adams, Michael Cody, and Detailer Arthur Foster Soon, CLT Express Livery became a trusted affiliate in Charlotte, and a relationship with Carey International would lead them into the corporate transportation world. “That was our next big break,” admits Jeff.
So, with corporate connections secured and a strong local reputation intact, the Canadys continued with affiliate and retail work for 10 years. Then, out of nowhere, in 2010, they got a call from a competitor in Aiken, S.C., which would change the company’s trajectory—giving them access to an unprecedented annual event.
“I got a call about buying Aiken Limousine, located near the Georgia border. We negotiated and purchased them, largely because of the Masters Tournament.”
The Canadys call the Masters—a preeminent golf tournament—their annual “Super Bowl” ... and that’s a fair description. Each spring, the Augusta, Ga., area welcomes 90,000 visitors and participants for the event—all VIPs.
Laura and Jeff Canady at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., the home of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers “We’ve grown the Masters year after year into something that’s our biggest annual event. It’s unlike any other golf tournament. We deal with people who fly into FBOs; everyone that comes to the Masters is a VIP. They’re either a CEO or celebrity. So, it’s unlike anything else we’ve ever seen. But our greatest strength with the Masters is that we keep hitting a 99% service rate. Considering that we must hire about 60 temporary chauffeurs for that week, that success rate is due to our hard work and preparation throughout the year by our entire team,” says Jeff.
With Augusta essentially shutting down for two weeks during the tournament, SC Express-Aiken is able to cherry-pick experienced temporary chauffeurs year after year.
“We have some folks who have come back for 15 years,” says Laura. “They’re teachers or police officers that are from the area and know it well. They come and work for us for the week.”
CLT Express’ on-site fueling station in Charlotte The fortuitous location of SC Express-Aiken makes it easy for the company to serve the tournament, as well.
“We’re lucky that we own a location that’s right off the interstate. We can park and stage our vehicles there; it’s a central location where we wash and fuel our fleet. It’s 25 minutes to the course, and we have a private airport across the road. We’re also blessed that Charleston is only two hours away so chauffeurs can come and stay with us for the week. For the Aiken office, we do one-third of the annual revenue in 10 days,” says Jeff.
He adds that they purchased a driver’s house about five years ago specifically for this event, which gets a ton of use over the two-week period.
As a vital arm in the Canadys’ triangle of locations, Charleston offers the pair a somewhat relaxed environment.
“A decade ago, we branched out into the Charleston area because we had major affiliates that wanted us in that area,” says Jeff. “So, I reached out to Kristen Carroll of The LMC Groups to find us a transportation company that was for sale or would consider selling. After some back and forth, we purchased Charleston Style Limo and now it’s our tenth anniversary.”
The CLT Express Livery family: Bailey, Jeff, and Laura Canady (center) with (L to R) Office Manager Shelly Punch, Dispatcher Lori Lindsey, Dispatcher Mary Jackson, Team Member Gaven Fletcher, and General Manager James Canady “Charleston is a very different market. It’s more leisurely, but there’s a lot of golf and weddings. Corporate is definitely picking up,” adds Laura.
An early adopter of buses and motorcoaches, the Canadys are proud to celebrate a decade with their motorcoach division, SC Coach, based out of Charlotte.
“Ten years ago, we got into this market and bought our first coach because we didn’t have any oversight with the coaches—and we wanted oversight with all our clients. We bought a small company called Busy Bee out of Columbia, and we’ve grown it from four buses to 22 motorcoaches in just 10 years,” says Jeff.
The Canadys believe that motorcoach drivers are a special breed.
“In my opinion, they’re like pilots,” says Jeff. “There’s not much difference between that and a pilot of a small jet. What we’ve done is implement a new safety incentive program: If you don’t bang the bus, you’ll get $1,000 after six months. It’s worked very well. We try to have incentives for chauffeurs and compensate them fairly.”
Despite the distance between them, the culture across all four companies remains familiar and connected, says Laura.
Jeff and Laura Canady in front of the Charleston Ravenel Bridge “Even though our offices are spread out geographically, each one retains a warm, welcoming feel,” she explains. “We’re not a typical corporate environment. While we operate a fleet of over 100 vehicles, our office spaces and culture remain intentionally small and personal. There’s a true family atmosphere here—one we work hard to preserve. We maintain a high level of professionalism. Many of our employees have been with us for years, and those long-standing relationships speak to the strength and closeness of our team.”
Case in point is Office Manager Shelly Punch, who has been with CLT Express for 15 years.
“I joke that she runs the place, but she lets us stay here. She runs all the staff here and does a phenomenal job,” says Laura.
SC Express-Aiken General Manager James Canady and Office Manager Shelly Punch Another standout is Jeff’s brother James, who started as a driver, and now spearheads SC Express-Aiken and works on the Coach division too. Also, key is Michael Cody, who runs the company’s safety division and acts as fleet manager as well as handling IT. Ten-year-vet Bruce Hanna has the reins at the Charleston office serving as their general manager, where Sonja Williams serves as affiliate manager. Moreover, Jesseka Barrett serves as manager in the Aiken office for the last four years.
The couple also recognizes Mary Ellsmare, who oversees the entire coach division in Charlotte.
“A big part of our growth with motorcoaches is due to her hard work,” says Laura.
When talking to the Canadys, it’s very clear that they love the industry. Even after a long day or a full schedule, coming home and opening email isn’t considered a chore; it’s something they still enjoy after 25 years.
SC Express-Aiken Manager Jesseka Barrett “It’s a lot of hard work but we still love it. We love our locations. We have the best locations in the Southeast with Charleston, Aiken, and Charlotte. We’ve got the New South along with the Old South,” says Jeff.
That love is evident in their advocacy for the industry, notably Laura’s near-decade service as a National Limousine Association (NLA) board member.
“The NLA is instrumental for our industry. It’s a great resource for old and new, big and small companies. Being part of the industry association is important: it offers discounts through the affinity program and provides knowledge. You can talk to other NLA members if you’re facing something you’ve never faced before. It’s invaluable. In my 9 years on the board, there wasn’t a day where I didn’t learn something new,” says Laura.
When not running a trio of locations in some of the most expanding markets in the country—did you know that Charlotte is the second largest banking hub?—the Canadys enjoy spending time with their daughters, Bailey and Morgan, who have both been involved in the Charlotte operation.
“Bailey is working full-time for us, while pursuing her master’s degree from East Carolina University (ECU). Morgan worked for us in the summer and is attending ECU. Hopefully, she’ll work for us when she graduates. They both have great customer service skills, which we’re happy about,” says Laura.
And with the second generation coming on board, Jeff and Laura feel an immense sense of pride for what they’ve built over a quarter century.
“We’re proud of our footprint in the Carolinas and that we’re known nationally. We’re proud to have great affiliates working with us, and we’re proud of the growth of these four companies,” says Jeff.
“And most of all, we’re proud to be part of this industry,” adds Laura. [CD1025]
