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CD Industry & Brand Ambassador Philip Jagiela (left) with Lucky Adlike of Pulley Limousine, one of ALA’s newest members and winner of the 2016 CD Show pass
Tempe, Ariz. — When the Arizona Limousine Association (ALA) met up for its September 13 meeting, roughly 30 attendees were on hand for a day of guest speakers and general updates. CD’s Industry & Brand Ambassador Philip Jagiela was among those present for the still-growing association’s morning gathering at the Mexican restaurant El Hefe.
Jon Luisi of meeting sponsor MiCamp Solutions, a merchant processing service, was the first speaker of the day and discussed how his company offers funding to the chauffeured ground transportation industry.
Jagiela then spoke about CD’s upcoming show in Washington, D.C., as well as outlined all the ways it strives to be a premium resource for the industry through its events and magazine. He also encouraged those in attendance to continue unifying in their efforts to maintain chauffeured transportation’s integrity and hold TNCs accountable for passenger safety, as being one voice with one message will go farther with local legislators and regulators.
He also raffled off a pass to the 2016 CD Show, which was won by Lucky Adlike of Pulley Limousine. As Adlike was attending the meeting as a guest, he had to first join the association to accept his prize, resulting in an all-around win-win situation.
ALA President Jeff Conly of Vitesse Worldwide then discussed the association’s rising membership stats—33 operators and 11 vendors—as well as other logistical elements and information that come with restarting a previously dormant regional association, like optimal meeting times and benefits of membership. As the ALA just began meeting again earlier in 2016, the association is working toward establishing itself in its region and is pursuing marketing opportunities to keep recruiting members.
The board members of the ALA
Members then sounded off about the continuing onslaught of TNCs in Arizona’s markets, especially around its Sky Harbor International Airport. It was reported that they make 67,000 airport trips in just 45 days—whereas taxis and the airport SuperShuttle combined reported only marginally more business in that same timeframe with 80,000 trips, down from between 20 and 30 percent of the ride counts they saw a year ago.
Toward the end of the meeting, a one-year ALA membership was raffled off to encourage guest attendees to join, which was won by Dennis Bietry of Valley Limousine.
The next ALA meeting will be held October 11.
Visit azlimousineassociation.com for more information.
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Livingston, N.J.—The Limousine Association of New Jersey (LANJ) is pleased to announce the first LANJ Vendor Member Appreciation Day, which will be held on September 28, at the Cedar Hill Country Club. Sponsored by Cadillac Professional Vehicles, this luncheon event will showcase the association’s vendor members.
“At the beginning of the year, our membership committee started discussing a way to express appreciation to LANJ’s vendor members, said LANJ Executive Director Patricia Nelson. “Our vendor members are supportive of us and generous both with their time and monetarily. This event is designed to give them additional value for their membership.”
For all intents and purposes, the Vendor Member Appreciation day will be a mini-trade show with each participating vendor having a tabletop to display products and/or promotional materials. Also, each manufacturer and dealer will have outside space (in addition to the tabletop) to stage up to two vehicles. There are currently 27 vendor members participating, and more than 20 vehicles expected to be displayed.
LANJ President Jason Sharenow
In addition to the networking and display aspect, there will be a panel discussion featuring a Jeff Brodsly from Chosen Payments, Gary Bauer from iCars, Rich Ackerman from the P.A. Post Agency, and a representative from Cadillac. Each will speak a bit about their services and participate in a Q&A with attendees.
Promotion for the event will be extensive with approximately 100 attendees expected. A printed program to include a description of each vendor’s products and/or services and full contact information will be distributed to the guests.
While the Vendor Member Appreciation Day is free to attend and lunch is complimentary, the event is solely open to operators. No outside vendors will be permitted.
To register, contact Nelson via email at patricia.nelson103@gmail.com.
Visit lanj.org for more information.
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Houston — AFC Transportation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the TBL Group, is now a two-time recipient of the National Safety Council’s “Our Driving Concern” Traffic Safety Award. AFC was also honored with the same award in 2014. Presented in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation, the award recognizes employers who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to the safety and well-being of their employees on and off the job in the area of traffic safety.
The 2016 honorees were selected through an application process that evaluated each company’s commitment to promoting safe driving behaviors among their employees. Employee education, training, and other activities centered on traffic safety were considered. While each of these employers has a commitment to traffic safety, the group is diverse in many ways. Applicants ranged from employers with as few as 100 employees to those with 2,000 and from nonprofits to municipal organizations.
Paul Gage (left), safety director at AFC Transportation with Mike Ezzell of the National Safety Council.
Paul Gage, safety director at AFC Transportation accepted the award on behalf of the organization and recognized the accolade as a team effort. “I am very pleased to receive this recognition and award from the National Safety Council on behalf of AFC Transportation and would like to give the credit and recognition where it is due—to the drivers and staff who have joined with us to create this “Safety Culture” within our company.”
Gage also stated that safety is a team effort, achieved by each employee coming together to demonstrate the right attitude and mindset to create a safe environment. AFC actively promotes a safety-first attitude within their corporate culture under their corporate initiative, “PEOPLE POWERED, SAFETY DRIVEN.” Gage believes the commitment to that ideal is present not only behind the wheel, but when dispatching, booking reservations, maintaining the fleet, and at home with AFC families and friends.
“Texas is a leader among states in many areas, but sadly it has the highest rate of fatal car crashes,” said Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “These employers are working to protect their employees and reverse this trend. We are thrilled to recognize their work.”
“Many thanks to the National Safety Council for their commitment to safety in the state of Texas and nationwide,” said John Ferrari, CEO, TBL Group. “I’m also very grateful and proud of the AFC staff and congratulate Paul Gage and our team on a job well done!”
Visit afchouston.com for more information.
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