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Keep yourself informed and connected to other members of the industry by attending these important virtual meetings.
Limousine, Bus, Taxi Operators of Update New York
Zoom meeting to discuss COVID state regulations, DOT legislation for stretch limousines in NYS, federal relief programs, and payroll changes.
2/23/21 at 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m. (RSVP required to limocompanies@yahoo.com)
Maryland Motorcoach Association
FMCSA 18-Carat Workshop (Virtual)
3/2/21 at 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. ET (registration required)
Northwest Motorcoach Association
2021 VIRTUAL Maintenance & Technology Conference
4/13/21 at 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. PST (registration required)
Maryland Motorcoach Association/Virginia Motorcoach Association
Spring Operators Meeting & Mini Marketplace
5/10-5/12/21 at Virginia Crossings in Richmond, Va. (registration required)
Did we miss your association meeting? Let us know! Email susan@chauffeurdriven.com or rob@chauffeurdriven.com to be included in our calendar.
[02.01.21]
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The National Limousine Association (NLA) held its first board meeting on January 28 via Facebook Live. Members from around the world were invited to view and take part in the event, and let their voices be “heard” through the comments thread. The full meeting can be heard here.
To kick off the meeting, NLA President Robert Alexander of RMA Worldwide acknowledged the dedication of three board members who are leaving after impressive tenures. Laura Canady of SC Express, Jeff Greene of Greene Worldwide Transportation, and Don Mahnke of ABC Worldwide Transportation were each cited for their hard work during their time on the NLA Board. Alexander thanked them and said the “NLA will forever be a part of them.”
New board members Shawn Glasgow of Peak Limousine, Joe Reinhardt of Carolina Limousine & Coach, Jeff Rose of Attitude New York, and Dave Uziel of UrbanBCN were each given an opportunity to thank the members for their votes and support, and share a bit about their plans.
Next, vendor directors were given the spotlight. Kim Johnston of Ford-Lincoln talked a bit about the new Navigator and Aviator vehicles, followed by GM’s Mark Leddy, who shared some big news about the OEM’s future. With electric vehicles gaining traction in the market (and our industry), Cadillac and its sister brands have pledged to go fully electric by 2035. Leddy pointed out that this is not only “greener” but maintenance costs, short of tires, will be greatly reduced. Alexander then shared the news that longtime vendor director AJ Thurber of Grech Motors graciously stepped down from the position citing Grech’s pivot into the RV market. The NLA Board offered Thurber a virtual round of applause and acknowledged Grech Motors’ history of support for the association. Finally, CD President Chris Weiss expressed his optimism for the partnership’s first in-person meeting since the beginning of COVID with the October 10-13 CD/NLA Show at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Dallas.
Lots of positive buzz was heard during the NLA Committee updates. Each of the groups offered some good news resulting from their hard work. Whether it was the ever-growing list of NLA Affinity program partners or success with electronic voting for board members, each committee had encouraging news during otherwise dark times for the industry. The Public Relations Committee, headed by Jason Kaplan of The Driver Provider and Rick Versace of A1A Airport & Limousine Service, shared that the Evins Communications, the NLA’s PR firm, has agreed to slash their fee in half with no intention of slowing down the work they do for the organization. Also, Legislative Committee Chairs Matt Assolin of Nikko’s Worldwide and Brett Barenholtz of Above All Transportation/Boston Car informed members that Iowa has mandated that drivers using app-based platforms (i.e., TNCs) must have commercial insurance whenever the app is on. This is big news for the state, and was passed thanks to efforts made by NLA member Scott Woodruff of Majestic Limo & Coach.
In what might be the association’s biggest news in years, the NLA recently announced a new program to offer health insurance to member operators. On February 1, Alexander was joined live on the NLA’s Facebook page by two representatives of World Insurance Associates to discuss the plan and how to enroll. He encouraged operators and their staffs to fill out a health questionnaire (deadline is February 15) in order for the plan underwriters to determine a rate. Alexander emphasized that filling out the form is NOT a commitment; however, the more people that participate in the survey, the better the rates for coverage. It is estimated that operators could save between 10 and 40 percent on their current health coverage.
The NLA will be holding officer elections during its meeting on February 17. Members interested in running for one of the five positions should notify the NLA Board before Friday, February 5. Alexander announced his intention to continue serving as president for another year, which was met with enthusiasm.
Jeff Brodsly of Chosen Payments will also present a special webinar, moderated by Bill Faeth of Limo U, on industry trends year over year vs. COVID, what is working and what is not, and more on February 10 at 12 p.m. ET on the NLA's main Facebook page.
Visit limo.org for more information.
[01.29.21]
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The American Bus Association (ABA) held its virtual Annual Meeting on January 27 that included a Board election, a chat with members on how they are surviving the pandemic, and an optimistic Keynote speaker on the economic outlook for the coming year ahead.
ABA President & CEO Peter Pantuso
President & CEO Peter Pantuso kicked off the meeting with a 2020 year in review (spoiler: last year was terrible), but noted the important win that the association and industry achieved with the inclusion of the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services (CERTS) Act in the latest round of economic relief. The program will offer $2B in direct aid to several industries including motorcoach operators, and applications will likely be available starting in late February or March.
The meeting also included an election of the association’s newest Board members, who will serve three-year terms. Congratulations to the new Board, including:
Mike Canino of Lorenz Bus Service
Terry Cordell of Transcor Data Services
Jeff Greteman of Windstar Lines
Elizabeth Hall of John Hall’s Alaska
Joey Hemphill of Hemphill Brothers Coach Company
Brent Maitland of Motor Coach Industries
Tom McCaughey of Flagship Trailways
ABA Board Chairman Eugene Berardi
Additionally, Eugene Berardi Jr. of Adirondack Trailways was named Chairman of the Board and Chris Shepler of Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry was named Vice Chairman of the Board. Pantuso also thanked outgoing Chairman Don DeVivo of DATTCO for his dedication to the association.
ABA Board Vice Chairman Chris Shepler
“I am honored to have been named the Chairman of the Board,” said Berardi. “Our industry is going through unprecedented times and I look forward to working with the ABA Board of Directors to help steer the association with our members’ best interests at the center of our programming, no matter what sector of the industry they represent. Together we are stronger than a pandemic and this association and our industry will come out of this stronger than ever.”
Berardi also thanked the retiring Board members for their service. To view the entire ABA Board of Directors, click here.
Moving on to the upcoming 2021 Marketplace and Busworld North America shows that are scheduled for June 18-22 in Baltimore, Pantuso alerted the membership to a new wrinkle that has arisen with the in-person events. As the city and state continue to use the Baltimore Convention Center as an auxiliary COVID medical facility through the end of June (as it has for the past 10 months), the choice now is in the hands of the membership on whether to go virtual again for this year, or relocate to another Southern host city. ABA has a poll for attendees and vendors currently available on its website (through February 3) on which option you would prefer.
Finally, the closing speaker of the meeting left attendees with a much-needed dose of positivity. Keynote speaker Adam Sacks, president and founder of Tourism Economics, crunched the data and shared the good news about a recovery projected for the industry starting in late summer and picking up in earnest this fall. He already sees pockets of hope in the smaller, less dense markets, with urban centers to follow later in the year. With the vaccine ramping up (a promise of the Biden administration), levels of spending in other sectors (including a robust housing market) holding steady, and the pent-up urge for travel, he predicts that the industry is primed for a comeback in the second half of this year. Although he sees a bounce-back over many months—barring any other major upsets to the economy and major spikes in COVID cases—the light at the end of the tunnel is finally getting brighter. He also reminded members that the most enduring legacy of this crisis isn’t pain or frustration, but gratitude.
Visit buses.org for more information about ABA.
[01.29.21]