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Houston, Texas—The most recent meeting of the Houston Area Livery and Charter Association (HALCA) was held at the palatial Crowne Plaza hotel in downtown Houston.
The meeting saw a nice turnout of members, and they were joined by Chauffeur Driven Show Manager Lauren D’Ambra. She also raffled off passes to the upcoming CD shows in Atlantic City and Toronto, which were won, respectively, by Ayman Aljazzazi of HAS Limousine and Moe Hosaini of Deluxe Limousine & Transportation.
The looming specter of Uber dominated the meeting, as all three speakers—Davis Dillon, president of Carey Worldwide Chauffeured Services, Joe Jordan, owner of Jordan Limousines and editor of Limo Insider Report, and Erich Reindl, president/CEO of Avanti Transportation and president of HALCA—all spoke on the ways and means to combat the pervasive, rogue app’s influence.
Dillon spoke at length on the legal methods that HALCA is employing to keep Uber out of Houston. Jordan, a well-known cage-rattler with his blistering Limo Insider reports on all things Uber, preached on the importance of attending the Houston City Council meetings in support of those representing the association on this important issue. Reindl rounded out the discussion by trying to get a feel of what members would be interested in contributing to a dedicated “HALCA app” that would be used to combat Uber (and the other ridesharing apps) in the greater Houston area.
The next HALCA meeting will be held on August 5.
Visit houstonlimos.info for more information.
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West Orange, N.J.—The May meeting of the Limousine Associations of New Jersey (LANJ) was a packed house, which included a series of speakers, a luncheon, and its annual auction—its largest fundraiser of the year. The event was sponsored by Complete Fleet/Maplecrest, The Lincoln Motor Company, Grech Motors, and Chosen Payments. Chauffeur Driven Sales Manager Darren Saat and Managing Editor Susan Rose attended the meeting, which was held at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in West Orange, N.J.
At the end of the event, over $15,000 had been raised for the association. LANJ board member Pete Corelli of Lakeview Custom Coach was again the association’s auctioneer, often getting just one more bid out of reluctant members. The auction included dozens of donated items, such as sports memorabilia, tickets, and trips. Chauffeur Driven donated a show pass to the Atlantic City show this November, a full page of advertising, and an Affiliate Central ad, which were won, respectively, by John Sutich of Perfect Limousine Service, Mike Marroccoli of Capacity Coverage, and Bob Shiavo of Albert’s Limousine. Jay Glick of First Class Customs won the 50/50 raffle, which he generously donated back to LANJ—over $500.
Raising money wasn’t the only goal of the day. The meeting also included several speakers, such as James Arose of the Division of Inspection Services for the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission, who gave an overview of some of the new plates that will be required for some types of specialty vehicles; Julie Tattoni, special counsel with Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, who shared some strategies on how small businesses can take advantage of some grants that are designed to spur economic development; and Matthew Daus, also with Windels Marx and president of the International Association of Transportation Regulators, who gave an update on the current state of Uber and other apps in many cities across the country.
LANJ President Jim Moseley of TripTracker also presented former president Tim Rose of Flyte Tyme Worldwide with a plaque for his 14 years of service to the association. Rose still serves on the board of LANJ.
The meeting also marked the debut of the brand-new Ford Transit van, which features several wheelbases, body lengths, and roof heights for any purpose. The vehicle was displayed outside the hotel, where members could get a closer look inside and out.
The next LANJ meeting is scheduled for September 17.
Visit lanj.org for more information
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The annual meeting of Illinois Limousine Association (ILA) was held at the White Pines Golf Course in a northwestern suburb of the Windy City. The event was sponsored by Midwest Transportation and Battisti Customs. Bensenville, Ill.—
ILA President Greg Eggan of O’Hare-Midway Limousine Service warmly welcomed members to the well-attended event, but it was soon down to the business at hand with several presenters and panels. Those of note were Randy Allen of James Limousine who spoke about technology for operators; Maria Guerra Lapacek, the Commissioner of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection for the City of Chicago, gave updates on what her department is currently doing, citywide, for those in the chauffeured ground transportation industry; and Chauffeur Driven Publisher Chris Weiss gave a well-received speech on the state of the industry, the rising economy, technology (i.e., Uber and the ridesharing apps), productivity tools, and business profit.
Weiss also raffled off passes to the upcoming Chauffeur Driven shows; Joseph Glinka of Joseph’s Limousine won the pass to the Atlantic City show this November, and Scott Delheimer of Class Act Limousine walked away with a pass for the Canadian Summit, which is scheduled for August in Toronto. In addition, Weiss was asked to speak after the event, behind closed doors, to ILA members on ways grow the association and expand its membership. And, speaking of membership, Chauffeur Driven is now proud members of the ILA.
“The ILA has welcomed with open arms the increased support from our current member vendors in addition to several new members that have recently joined, including the very welcome addition of Chauffeur Driven.” says Tracy Reimer of Your Private Limo and vice president of ILA. “Several times throughout the day, I would hear from vendors, ‘How can we be more supportive to the ILA?’ It is evident by the attendance of members and vendors that uniting as an industry in order to face the current issues affecting us is imperative. Our industry as we have known it is changing, and we need to be in the forefront of this change in order to stay competitive and offer services that our travelers are requesting.”
“2014 is an exciting year for the Illinois Limousine Association. We initiated a modified annual meeting format with the objective of bringing more educational and industry-relevant information of interest to our membership,” says Paula DeBiasi of Chicago Coachworks and ILA board member. “Starting in June we will initiate a newly modified newsletter that will report on industry news as well as tips and techniques to help members optimize their business operations.”
In addition, there were well over 20 exhibitors and vendors at the meeting with various vehicles and wares on display, including Nationwide Bus Sales, Napleton Auto Group, Tesla Motors, Illinois Bus Sales, and Grech Motors.
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