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LANJ President Jason Sharenow of Broadway Elite Transportation with Sarah McKee of Chosen Payments
Atlantic City, N.J. — The Limousine Association of New Jersey (LANJ) held a general membership meeting at Harrah’s Atlantic City Hotel on November 14. More than 70 members and guests were in attendance, including CD’s Publisher Chris Weiss and Industry & Brand Ambassador Philip Jagiela. The breakfast meeting gave attendees the opportunity to catch up on recent legislation and industry-related news.
LANJ President Jason Sharenow of Broadway Elite Transportation got the meeting underway with an update on the TNC Bill that’s currently under consideration by the N.J. state legislature. While the Bill to allow TNCs to operate in the state was approved in May, it has been stalled due to the reluctance of the TNCs to allow fingerprinting and background checks. However, Sharenow estimates that the Bill will pass before the end of the year. Another piece of legislation, the Limo Bill, is also before the state Assembly, and is designed to eliminate sales tax on service and reduce insurance requirements. LANJ Board Members Jon Epstein of Royal Coachman Worldwide Limousine Service and Pete Corelli of Lakeview Custom Coach recently provided testimony on behalf of N.J. operators and have worked tirelessly on behalf of LANJ to get this Bill passed.
L to R: Jason Gogel of MyLimo, Brett Barenholtz of Boston Car Service/Above All Transportation, Jon Epstein of Royal Coachman Worldwide, and Anthony Azara of Touch of Class Limousine
Following the legal updates, Sharenow shifted gears to discuss changes to LANJ membership requirements, which include a reduction in dues for small operators who operate with one or two cars. He credited the support of Chauffeur Driven, Chosen Payments, and Complete Fleet Livery Sales for being able to reduce the fees. Also, Sharenow spotlighted LANJ’s Affiliate Membership program that welcomes out-of-state entities who run legitimate operations in their home state. Some of the association’s Affiliate Members include Boston Car Service/Above All Transportation, Desert Rose Limousine, RMA Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation, and Windy City Limousine, among others.
Next, David Piccolo, a representative from Meeting Sponsor T-Mobile was introduced. With T-Mobile serving as a LANJ Platinum Vendor member, Piccolo told the crowd that he is proud to consider himself a consultant to the association for technology issues. He then highlighted the services that T-Mobile can offer the chauffeured ground transportation industry, including GPS and SMS secure messaging. After T-Mobile’s presentation, Sara McKee and Katie Martinez from Chosen Payments were given the floor, and presented LANJ with a check for $10,753.03 for the past year’s shared revenue between the company and the association. They also offered those in attendance a $100 rebate towards any LANJ member dues for anyone who climbs on board Chosen Payment’s service before the end of 2016.
David Picollo, a representative of meeting sponsor T-Mobile
The meeting concluded with an educational session about marketing, which feature panelists Pat Charla of DriveProfit and Arthur Messina of Create-A-Card. Charla discussed the benefits of digital marketing, particularly the value of having processes automated with an up-to-date website. She also emphasized the importance of having a strong web presence particularly in regard to SEO and social media. Messina then followed up with a strong case for the notion of print being far from “dead,” suggesting that printed marketing materials add credibility to a business. He also proposed that operators should put headshots on business cards to increase exposure and familiarity.
The next LANJ general meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 18.
Visit lanj.org for more information.
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Oklahoma City, Ok. — Kings Worldwide Transportation recently received the Third Quarter 2016 LMC Group Circle of Excellence Award. The company won the award for excellence in HR compliance and implementation.
Operations Manager Ken Southard
Since its inception in 1978 as Kings Limousine, Kings has grown to become the provider of choice for high-end transportation in Oklahoma City and in 500 cities around the world. With Greg Pruitt and Joey Allen at the helm, Kings continues to expand its reach and offer impeccable service to all of its customers.
With growth come new challenges and responsibilities. Fortunately, Kings has Ken Southard. Ken is the newly-appointed Operations Manager at Kings, whose responsibilities include tracking HR compliance, implementing HR standards, and managing staff. Ken has done an amazing job in all of these areas.
LMC Group Director of Human Resources Christina Davis has worked closely with Kings and Ken to develop their HR department. Kings now has a thorough and well-administered training program and 30/60/90 day check-ins with employees. A monthly newsletter and quarterly employee meetings have enhanced communication. Clear and effective feedback, as well as the implementation of the Kings Cash rewards program, has bolstered employee motivation and buy-in.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure to assist Kings in their HR efforts,” said Davis. “I believe they have made the commitments and implemented the programs to ensure the excellence of its HR compliance and its employee base. Kings will continue to grow and achieve with this solid foundation, and the lion’s share of the credit goes to Ken Southard’s focus and dedication.”
Visit kingsworldwidetrans.com for more information.
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New York, N.Y. — Tech-based ground transportation company GroundLink has launched their Ride Now app-based service in Chicago, which offers rides within as little as five minutes of making the request. For Ride Now service, customers simply open GroundLink’s mobile app, select the location where they would like to be picked up, and then select Ride Now as the time that they would like the ride. Once booked, the customer can watch in real-time as their driver is on the way to their location.
To encourage Chicago residents and visitors to try GroundLink’s Ride Now option, the company is offering a 20 percent discount on all Ride Now rides booked from now through the end of the year. Ride Now rides can only be booked via GroundLink’s mobile app. Once the ride is in progress, customers can track their car and communicate directly with their driver.
For customers wishing to reserve a car in advance, whether in need of a ride to and from the airport or for an important meeting, the company also offers scheduled service in Chicago. The lead-time for this service, which previously had been upwards of two hours, has now been reduced to 20 minutes or less. Additionally, GroundLink has updated its pricing model which translates into lower rates for shorter distance rides and better pricing to and from the airport.
“Our customers are frequent travelers and they stressed to us how important Chicago was as a destination and business market for them,” said Liz Carisone, CEO of GroundLink. “Therefore, it was imperative that we continue to expand our Chicago operations as we are committed to providing Chicagoans and travelers coming to the city with more options for both scheduled and near-demand services. It was also important for us to adjust our pricing to make it more competitive to what is currently being offered by ride-hailing providers and much more attractive than costlier traditional limo companies. However, no matter what the price point is, we will never sacrifice the safety and security of our customers.”
Visit groundlink.com for more information.
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