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President and Chief Commercial Officer Roman Cornell
Jersey City, N.J. — ABC Companies, exclusive distributor of Van Hool motorcoaches in North America, announced that improvements to its strategically located Jersey City facility are ahead of schedule. Originally slated for completion in late spring of 2020, site upgrades are projected to be finalized by mid-winter 2020 in order to accommodate a diverse range of customer needs throughout the New York Metro area and Northeast Corridor spanning northern Virginia to Maine.
After conducting a comprehensive business assessment in 2019 that identified the Jersey City facility as a “customer preferred” location, ABC moved quickly to improve and expand the centrally located operation.
“It makes good business sense to target expansion into areas where customer demand is highest,” said ABC Companies President and Chief Commercial Officer Roman Cornell. “The Northeast Corridor and particularly the New York Metro area are rapid growth markets, and ABC is positioned to give customers a stronger competitive advantage within our Jersey City location. As we continue to expand our footprint, providing responsive, reliable products and services centered around improving fleet uptime remains our core focus.”
Senior Vice President/Eastern Region Mike Laffan
With this most recent expansion, several million dollars have been invested in the property. The Jersey City site encompasses five acres, which will double the size of existing operations to include equipment sales, service, and body shop services, and a new 20,000-square-foot parts warehouse with parts sales counter. Along with OEM Van Hool parts and accessories, customers can also choose from over 200,000 and growing parts SKUs, featuring top-brand coach and transit parts for today’s most popular makes and models. A robust inventory of new Van Hool coaches including the restyled 2020 Van Hool CX45 and 35, as well as an expansive inventory of popular preowned motorcoach makes and models, will be available on site for inspection, test drives and sale, including new ABC Express Van Hool models for fast customer delivery.
“ABC’s commitment to continuous improvement is demonstrated at this new facility. Users can expect a premium customer service experience, delivered by our highly-trained and highly-skilled staff who excel in delivering professional sales and service support, as well as parts knowledge and expertise,” said Senior Vice President/Eastern Region Mike Laffan.
The expansion will also create approximately 15 to 20 new jobs within the local labor force, as ABC recruits for new hires to fill a variety of positions. ABC has also supported the Jersey City community through varied charitable donations and affiliations over the years. The company is planning a “re-opening” celebration in early 2020, and anticipates exponential growth in equipment and parts sales, and service contracts directly resulting from its expanded operations, according to Laffan.
Visit abc-companies.com for more information.
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Evgeny (right) and Anton Zhukov of Z Brothers Chauffeur Service accept the BBT Award at the December 6 ceremony Moscow — Z Brothers Chauffeur Service was honored with Best Premium and Business Class Chauffeur Service in Russia and CIS at the Buying Business Travel (BBT) Awards on December 6 at the Hyatt Regency Moscow Petrovsky Park. The BBT Awards are founded and organized by Buying Business Travel Russia, an online publication for corporate customers of business tourism and MICE services.
Founded in 2013 by Evgeny and Anton Zhukov, Z Brothers is one of the fastest growing luxury ground transportation companies in Russia. The BBT Award is the operation’s first major honor.
“This award shows that we are following the right path right now. It opens new roads and opportunities for our company development. I think the most important things are the desire to be the best and thinking in a big-picture terms. When my brother and I were kids, we dreamed of our own business; we didn't have any other thoughts. This award will leads us to work harder and to show that this success was not just an accident,” says Z Brothers CEO Evgeny Zhukov.
The award-winning Z Brothers team
The BBT winners were selected in two stages: The first stage consisted of a closed online voting process, which determined the short list of BBT Awards 2019; during the second stage, the members of the expert commission met face-to-face to discuss the achievements of the participants. As before, the names of the 23 judges on the panel, business travel agency professionals, who were tasked with selecting the winners, were revealed only during the award ceremony.
There was a total of 63 participants vying in the Business Travel category, not counting the 10 travel managers.
“We are happy to see a full room again today, the entire business travel industry elite—top agency officials, the largest corporate customers and suppliers. I saw many smiling faces. Some of the guests said that they were impressed with our coming up with new formats, not repeating ourselves, coming up with new categories, and showing new heroes to the market. The Award is developing, and expect new surprises again next year,” said BBT Publisher Elizaveta Panfilova.
Visit z-brothers.com for more information.
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A Step Above Limousine Owner & Founder Ayman Abusamak and Operations Manager Kaitlin Brady take delivery of four Livery Edition MCI J4500 coaches from MCI sales representatives Sean Kelchen and Janet Cathey
Charlotte, N.C. — Motor Coach Industries (MCI) helps to launch the charter coach division of A Step Above Limousine and its sister company Ambassador Global in Atlanta with the delivery of four luxury MCI J4500 coaches.
The three new and one pre-owned MCI J4500 coaches will allow the company’s clients to enjoy the luxyrt motor coach experience MCI offers its limousine and tour and charter companies throughout North America.
These Livery Edition MCI J4500 coaches are sleek and elegant in resplendent black on the outside and a complete luxury experience on the inside with detailed black leather diamond-stitched seating, the best legroom in its coach class, power outlets, and Wi-Fi connectivity. The models also feature such options as programmable multicolor interior lighting and collision mitigation and back-up cameras.
Ayman Abusamak, founder and owner of both companies, looked at other coach brands and said he was attracted to the MCI J4500 for its modern design and quality craftsmanship along with the professionalism of the MCI teams in service and support.
“Friends in the industry also suggested MCI to me,” said Abusamak, whose 30-plus fleet of vehicles also includes minibuses. “The move to motor coaches is a natural progression for us as top clients are seeking this type of transportation from us.”
Abusamak’s company just signed a contract with Charter UP, an Atlanta-based charter bus service reservation platform that connects customers and groups in need of ground transportation. Other major events in 2020 will keep his divisions on the move. The 2020 NCAA Final Four is coming to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta starting April 4, and the 2020 Republican National Convention in Charlotte runs August 24-27.
“The Livery Edition MCI J4500 class of coaches are real differentiators in both our markets,” said Abusamak.
A Step Above Limousine opened in Charlotte 20 years ago and expanded into Atlanta five years later. Clients in both cities are assured a high level of personal service and well-trained drivers. All drivers receive ongoing training in safe driving practices with required participation in TRAX safety workshops and online courses offered through the MCI Academy. And Abusamak’s company uses the Samsara suite of fleet-tracking technology, including onboard dash cameras, electronic logging devices, telematics, and GPS to track coaches in real time, reduce paperwork, and gain valuable data on driver and fleet performance.
Each driver dresses in a coat and tie for the job. “We’re still a limousine company,” said Abusamak. “And very pleased to be able to bring this new level of service to the areas we serve.”
Visit astepabovelimo.com or mcicoach.com for more information.
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