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Rod McSweeney (left) and Vern Kauffman
Statesville, N.C. — The L.A. West name rises again under original founder Vern Kauffman, who until recently was the COO of McSweeney Designs, a division of McSweeney Holdings based in Trussville, Ala. L.A. West has acquired the inventory, equipment, engineering rights, and warranties from McSweeney Designs, which is exiting the industry to focus on its core market in performance trucks.
“It’s a win-win all the way around for McSweeney, for L.A. West, and for the dealers,” says Kauffman. “The DNA of the product won’t change; it will literally be a new logo and the continuation of a vehicle line that customers have grown to love. For end-users with shuttle buses currently in service, the warranty and technical support will continue on without interruption in a seamless and transparent fashion. Operators will win from a service standpoint and the dealers win from ongoing product support from us.”
L.A. West will be based in a 30,000-square-foot facility in Statesville, N.C., and production has just launched. L.A. West is ramped up to handle all warranty claims for current McSweeney shuttle bus product owners.
Semi-retired since selling L.A. West in 2005, Kauffman has three decades of experience in second-stage automotive customization and was recruited by the owners of McSweeney Designs in 2015 when the company was ramping up its Sprinter production in this market segment to spearhead the companywide quality assurance and quality control initiative while overseeing all aspects of the operation. He’s built nearly 100,000 vehicles over the life of his career … and counting.
Joining Kauffman is Kevin Kropf, formerly the regional sales manager for McSweeney, who will serve as the company’s VP of sales. Kropf also has nearly three decades in the luxury bus and upscale executive transportation market. Several other employees on the manufacturing side will relocate to N.C., but the majority of the administrative staff is new to the company.
“Our mantra is twofold: To build on the quality DNA of the McSweeney product that customers have come to expect in the past three years, and for L.A. West to be best in class in everything that we do. We’re proud to revive the L.A. West name,” says Kauffman.
“We are very excited for Vern and his team,” says Rod McSweeney, CEO of MCM Vehicles, manufacturing entity of SCA Performance Vehicles and McSweeney Designs. “Vern has such a passion for the livery segment that it was a natural to help him with as many of the assets he needed to make sure past and present McSweeney Designs customers never miss a beat. Vern is a quality individual, and my prediction is he will be wildly successful.”
For more information, visit lawestcoaches.com or call 704.498.4940 for more information.
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The LANJ board welcomed attendees from all over the country to its most recent meeting Englewood Cliffs, N.J. — The Limousine Association of New Jersey (LANJ) welcomed a packed house to its March 28 meeting at Englewood Cliffs Cadillac when nearly 100 attendees traveled from all across the state as well as Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, and California for the event. CD Editor Madeleine Maccar and Industry & Brand Ambassador Philip Jagiela were among the members and supporters who were on hand for the meeting.
After the Englewood Cliffs Cadillac team put out a buffet lunch to kick off the afternoon meeting, the dealership’s Livery Manager Bill Fellbaum offered his greetings, support, and ongoing assistance to not only those in attendance but also the industry at large.
LANJ President Jason Sharenow of Broadway Elite Worldwide then delivered The LANJ Report, which detailed the many legislative battles and changes the association is fighting for its members’ benefit.
Keynote Speaker Scott Solombrino of Dav El/BostonCoach With newly installed Governor Phil Murphy looking to overturn several bills signed into law by his predecessor Chris Christie, it is feared that the tax relief transportation providers have seen these past few months is slated to be bumped back up to 7 percent, rather than the current 6.25 percent.
Other areas of concern included the proposal to raise minimum wage to $15, as well as the paid sick leave bill—which allows employees to accrue one hour of bankable time off for prolonged illness for every 30 hours they work—that recently passed through the Assembly and is expected to sail through Senate.
With a new attorney general and several industry-sympathetic legislators still in the state capital of Trenton, however, LANJ is optimistic about the future it will aggressively pursue for the benefit of not only its members but also their passengers’ safety.
“LANJ will not stop fighting for you in Trenton,” Sharenow promised attendees. “I will make sure our voices are heard.”
Michael Renehan of Concorde Worldwide (center) won a pass to the CD Executive Retreat in San Diego, which was raffled off by Editor Madeleine Maccar and Industry & Brand Ambassador Philip Jagiela First Vice President/Treasurer Jon Epstein of Royal Coachman Worldwide, who also serves as the association’s Membership Committee Co-chair with Barry Trabb of Complete Fleet Livery Sales, then spoke about the importance of presenting a unified front and stepping up to help LANJ continually serve as a vehicle of activism for the industry at a statewide level.
“We can’t do any of this without the board and active members we have,” he said.
That sentiment was immediately echoed when the afternoon’s Keynote Speaker Scott Solombrino of Dav El/BostonCoach took to the podium.
“There is nothing more important than volunteerism in your industry,” Solombrino said. “Those are the people who show up and keep fighting those fights for you. The threats to our industry are enormous and we only have a chance if you all show up.”
More than 100 members and supporters attended the March 28 meeting at Englewood Cliffs Cadillac Solombrino’s speech touched on myriad topics that are keenly relevant in today’s ever-shifting operational landscape. Among them: the NLA’s PSA campaign with Pamela Anderson as its spokeswoman advocating for passenger safety through better understanding of TNCs’ protective shortcomings; how fingerprinting laws differ among neighboring states; labor laws and their accompanying regulations; tax cuts; the importance of donating either time or money to worthy causes—“or both if you’re really dedicated”; automated vehicles; and how the NLA is working on a national level to support its far-flung membership base.
At the heart of his message was that it is ultimately “people who still make things happen—not technology.”
“I think we can win against the TNCs because we’re on the right side of history,” said Solombrino. “You can survive this battle because nothing can replace the level of service we provide to our customers.”
LANJ President Jason Sharenow of Broadway Elite Worldwide After an impassioned Q&A between Solombrino and several meeting attendees, Sharenow spoke about LANJ’s upcoming dinner gala, calling for auction items to be donated for the evening’s fundraiser. The association’s second annual Golf Outing is also currently open to players and those just looking to spend the day with their industry peers.
At the end of the meeting, Jagiela and Maccar raffled off a pass to Chauffeur Driven’s May 6-8 Executive Retreat in San Diego, which was won by Michael Renehan of Concorde Worldwide.
LANJ’s next event will be its May 16 Dinner and Auction Gala at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in West Orange. Its Golf Outing is scheduled for September 17 at Cherry Valley Country Club in Skillman.
Visit lanj.org for more information.
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CEO David Seelinger
Secaucus, N.J. — EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services has announced the acquisition of Wilshire Chauffeured Services, a leading provider of luxury chauffeured services. EmpireCLS sees the addition of Wilshire Chauffeured Services as an opportunity to expand its services in the Los Angeles area, as well as enhance its technology offerings through the company’s advanced software system, which is currently undergoing significant client-facing upgrades. Clients of Wilshire Chauffeured Services will also benefit from EmpireCLS’s extensive network of affiliates in over 1,000 cities around the world, which as a result, will reduce estimated arrival times for on-demand reservations.
“EmpireCLS prides itself on accepting nothing less than stringent hospitality standards for our fleet and chauffeurs, and our clients select us for our commitment to providing the same professional service they expect from the world’s best airlines and five-star hotels,” said EmpireCLS CEO David Seelinger. “With an impressive book of business built through delivering consistent first-class service and maintaining a relationship-focused culture, Wilshire Chauffeured Services is an ideal fit for our company. We’re excited to have them onboard and look forward to providing their long-standing clients with the high quality service that they’ve become accustomed to.”
Established in 2007 as a division of Southern California-based rental company Midway Car Rental, Wilshire Chauffeured Services provided services in over 650 cities worldwide, with bases of operations in Los Angeles and New York.
Visit EmpireCLS.com for more information.
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