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Jack Forbes of Prevost (left) with Tom Taylor of Lakeland Bus Lines, who won Prevost’s giveaway of an autographed Bruce Springsteen guitar San Antonio — The 2018 UMA Motorcoach Expo called San Antonio, Texas, its home from January 6-10, where CD’s Business Development Manager Rickie Roberts was among the nearly 2,000 industry professionals and vendors on hand for the United Motorcoach Association’s annual multi-day event.
Other familiar faces in attendance included ABC Companies, Access Commercial Capital, Advantage Funding, Bitimec Wash-Bots, Blue Bird Body Company, Executive Coach Builders, Lancer Insurance Company, MCI, Prevost, Protective Insurance Company, and REV. In fact, Prevost gave away a guitar autographed by Bruce Springsteen, which was won by Tom Taylor of Lakeland Bus Lines.
The Expo consistently offers a confluence of educational sessions, networking opportunities, and a show floor featuring an array of services, technologies, and vehicles available to those entrenched in luxury ground transportation’s motorcoach side. This year was no different, with the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center hosting not only the expansive exhibit hall but also the majority of the expo’s events, from receptions to sessions. The show floor itself was filled with familiar faces like
One of the MCI buses on display Appealing to a wide range of attendees is always a top priority, and UMA reflected that in its five-pronged concurrent “Solutions Seminars,” where sessions focused on financials, marketing, operations, technology, and the specific needs of small operators. Topics ranged from trends to regulatory mandates, from hiring practices to looking toward the future.
There was education of another kind when author and entrepreneur Les McKeown took the stage as UMA’s keynote speaker on the expo’s second day, when he spoke to attendees about his work as a consultant to everything from small companies to Fortune 500 powerhouses, as well as his experiences with identifying business lifecycles and adopting practices to grow and prosper at those stages.
The AmeriFuel team was among the vendors discussing their services on the show floor "UMA chose Les McKeown to keynote because his theme of predictable success aligns perfectly with UMA's continuing focus on supporting our members to achieve prosperity and growth," said UMA President and CEO Stacy Tetschner. The following day, McKeown offered a 90-minute session on the show floor to help company decision-makers not only identify their own challenges but also outline their next steps to meet those challenges head-on.
Check out the February issue of Chauffeur Driven for expanded coverage of the expo.
Other 2018 events for UMA include its Capitol Hill Days in Washington, D.C., from April 10-11, and the annual Safety Management Seminar in Ashburn, Va., December 5-6.
Visit uma.org or motorcoachexpo.com for more information.
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New PRLA Vice President Anthony Viscusi 
New PRLA Secretary Johnny Donohue 
John Arone of Hub International King of Prussia, Pa. — The Philadelphia Regional Limousine Association (PRLA) held their first meeting of 2018 at Maggiano’s Little Italy on January 10. Chief among the items addressed at the event were the election of new board members and a new legislative strategy to aid in the ongoing battle with the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA).
PRLA President Steve Rhoads of New Rhoads Transportation announced that Anthony Viscusi of Global Limousine was elected as the association’s new Vice President, while Johnny Donohoe of Sterling Limousine was chosen as secretary. The PRLA also welcomed John Arone of Hub International as their newest vendor member. Rhoads will continue as the organization’s president, Chris Haines of Michaels Classic Limousine will remain in his role as treasurer, and Anthony Onorata of Anthony Limousine and Jordan Sanders from Hollowsands Luxury Limousine will remain on the PRLA board as members-at-large.
Following the election announcements, the group welcomed Jodie Stuck, a lobbyist from the firm of Malady & Wooten who has been representing the PRLA in Harrisburg in legislative matters. At the meeting, she presented the association with a detailed strategy and timeline to achieve a level playing field with the TNCs concerning the fee structure imposed by the PPA and the Philadelphia Airport. Recently, Stuck has drafted House Bill 1977 and Senate Bill 1004, which propose an assessment fee of 1 percent of gross revenue for work done in the city instead of the $500 per vehicle fee that the city currently imposes. It should be noted that TNCs currently pay a 1.4 percent levy of rides originating in the city, which is split between the PPA and the city’s schools. These bills currently have sponsorship in the state house, and Stuck is optimistic that they will pass.
The PRLA’s next meeting is scheduled for February 7 at La Cena Restaurant in Bensalem, Pa.
Visit prlainc.com for more information.
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Director of Business Development Mary Johnson
Ardsley, N.Y. — Alliance Limousine has announced the addition of industry veteran Mary Johnson to their management team as director of business development. She has represented the ground transportation for over 15 years and the company is pleased to welcome her into the Alliance Limousine family.
Johnson will participate in Alliance’s new vision of business development strategies with affiliates as well as developing new corporate partnerships. She is enthusiastic and excited about our new approach that will involve her very early in the development cycle, an approach that is believed will revolutionize sales within the company.
“I can’t even tell you how excited I am,” says Johnson. “Frank Castro [Alliance Limousine president] and I have done business together for more than 10 years. I’m thrilled about having the opportunity to build on a global platform, and there’s no better place to do so than New York. The sky is the limit!”
Visit alliancelimoNY.com for more information.
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