- Details
- Category: Industry News
Congressman Long tours Springfield Coach Group, hearing about the business from Kevin West (far right) and Gary Spaniak III, vice president of sales and marketing (center, blue shirt)
Springfield, Mo. — U.S. Rep. Billy Long spent May 7 touring manufacturing facilities in Missouri’s Seventh District, seeing firsthand the growth in area industry.
In a press release circulated by the Congressman’s office, he detailed his stops along the tour, the first of which was Springfield Coach Group. Springfield has expanded its operation over the past year, and has added a mobility-focused line of vehicles, which allow wheelchair-bound individuals easy self-transfer to cars. Kevin West, vice president of Springfield Coach Builder’s mobility, sedan, bus, and channel partner divisions, said it began with the idea of helping wounded veterans returning from combat to have wider access to vehicles than just minivans.
West and his team went over regulations with Long and asked for his help in Congress to reduce some of these regulations, which would hopefully lead to expansion of economic opportunities. Keeping up with regulations is a task for the business. “I could have 10 people in the office looking at regulations” and still not see it all, West said.
Despite the regulatory hurdles, Springfield Coach Group has grown, doubling its employees from 25 to 50 since October 2014. Even better, West said he may need to double the size of the staff again soon.
Visit limoland.com for more information.
[CD0515]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
Greg Reed, owner of Emerald City Limousine with BMW 740Li purchased from BMW of El Cajon San Diego — When the era of the Lincoln Town Car, the industry’s workhorse for two decades, came to an end a few years ago, Greg Reed struggled with what vehicle would eventually replace those in his fleet.
Reed, owner of Emerald City Limousine in San Diego, Calif., said that many of the vehicles he looked at all had downsides such as aluminum engines, lack of legroom, undersized seats, and more. After an exhaustive search, Reed decided to go with the BMW 740Li, which he purchased from BMW of El Cajon.
Reed took advantage of the new livery package offered by BMW. "Not only is BMW the ultimate driving machine, but it provides a superior comfort for the rear seat passenger that our clients deserve," said Reed.
Earlier this month, Emerald City took delivery of its first two 740Li models, and Reed is already planning on adding more. “The response from our most discerning clients has been all positive,” he said.
Visit citylimousineservices.com for more information. Visit bmwofelcajon.com for more information about BMW’s livery package and all available BMW models.
[CD0515]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
New York — Macquarie Group Limited recently announced that it will acquire Advantage Funding Management Co. (Advantage Funding) from Marubeni America Corporation. Under the agreement, Advantage Funding will become a fully owned subsidiary of Macquarie’s Corporate and Asset Finance group (CAF).
Advantage Funding is a leading provider of transportation financing and leasing solutions servicing commercial and vehicle operators, dealers, and manufacturers. Their solutions allow for the acquisition of tow trucks, ambulances, paratransit vehicles, coaches, limousines, and vocational trucks across municipal and industrial operations. Advantage Funding is based in Lake Success, N.Y., and was founded in 1997.
CAF Group Head Garry Farrell said: “This transaction complements our existing leasing portfolio with a commercial vehicle finance platform in the U.S. Advantage Funding has a demonstrated track record of client satisfaction and strong operational performance. The acquisition builds on the strong growth of CAF’s global leasing business.”
Advantage Funding’s CEO Al Damiani said: “We look forward to working with Macquarie to provide our customers with a broader range of transportation financing solutions and product capacity. Macquarie’s complementary leasing and financing expertise will help us expand our service in U.S. markets and position us to further support our clients’ continued growth.”
The transaction is expected to close in mid-2015, subject to customary closing conditions.
Visit advantagefund.com for more information.
[CD0515]