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Ellen Kearns of Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete with NELA Executive Director Rick Szilagyi
Saugus, Mass. — More than 75 members were on hand at the New England Livery Association (NELA) quarterly meeting held on June 14 at the Kowloon Restaurant. In addition to providing news and industry updates for the members, the evening meeting also saw the announcement of the 2016-2017 NELA board of directors, who will assume their roles on July 1. The elected officers are:
President: Michael Callahan of Able Limousine
1st Vice President: Andrew Tighe of Tristar Worldwide Chauffeur Services
2nd Vice President: Tina Benson of L.A. Limousine Service
Treasurer: Teale Smith of Maine Limousine Service
Secretary: Lynda Saitta of Momentum Drives
NELA Executive Director Rick Szilagyi, Scott Solombrino of Dav El/BostonCoach, Brett Barenholtz of Boston Car Service, and NELA President Michael Callahan of Able Limousine
Following a cocktail hour and a demo of the Mercedes-Benz Metris, sponsored by Flagship Motors of Lynnfield, Mass., the group took part in a buffet dinner. After the meal, the evening's sponsors spoke to the members. CD Publisher Chris Weiss, representing the meeting's entertainment sponsor Chauffeur Driven, thanked the association and briefly touched upon October's Chauffeur Driven Show in Washington, D.C. Rob Slocum from Flagship was next to speak, followed by Chris Simpson of Allied Technologies, who sponsored the evening's raffle.
NELA Executive Director Rick Szilagyi of Lexian Management provided his update, which included the introduction of the new board and a recap of highlights from the fiscal year, which included NELA's recent Chauffeur Appreciation Day at Logan Airport that served barbecue to 1,000 drivers in the area. Szilagyi also touched upon recent TNC legislation in the six states that represent the association.
National Limousine Association (NLA) Secretary Scott Solombrino, president of Dav El/BostonCoach, took to the podium to share NLA news. As one of the chauffeured ground transportation industry's leading opponents of TNCs, Solombrino detailed the challenges operators currently face on the local, state, and federal levels.
"We're fortunate to have Scott working on the TNC issue across the country," said Szilagyi. "He's a dynamic speaker, and we're always glad to have him present."
NELA Board of Directors
The final speaker of the evening was Ellen Kearns of Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, who has been an editor of the first, second, and third editions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. She was on-hand to discuss the impending changes to the overtime rules, which goes into effect on December 1.
The meeting concluded with a number of raffles. Weiss donated a pass to the Chauffeur Driven D.C. show, to be held October 9-12, and was won by Brittni Kirk of All Points Limousine, Boston, Mass. Jeff Brodsly of Chosen Payments was the winner of the evening's 50/50, and he generously donated the money back into the association.
NELA's next quarterly membership meeting is scheduled for September 13.
Visit nelivery.org for more information.
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Members of CFLA at its most recent meeting
Orlando — In the wake of the horrific tragedies that have impacted the Orlando area over the past week, the Central Florida Limousine Association (CFLA) has demonstrated solidarity and strength to its community. At its most recent meeting--and second ever since its inception--the group strategically planned how they were going to be help the families that were directly involved, including working with funeral homes and local carrier JetBlue to assist with transportation of loved ones.
The incident at Pulse nightclub unfolded during the early morning hours of June 12, and claimed the lives of 49 men and women with an additional 53 injured. The majority of victims were sent to the Orlando Regional Medical Center, where many are still recovering. CFLA members have been lending their support to those families to and from the airport, and most recently, with funerals. Many area operators donated their services to the families and sadly had to navigate through local protests in some cases.
"The Central Florida Livery Association would like to send our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the victims of this terrible act of terrorism," said CFLA President Wendy Kleefisch of Brevard Executive Limousine. "We send our condolences to VIP Transportation Group and Destination MCO, as both companies were directly affected. Please contact via cell or email so we can help."
For more information about the association, email cfla2016@gmail.com or call 321.360.6090.
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2016 will see the winds of change blowing through our nation’s capital—and our flagship event will be no exception. After literally taking our show on the road for nearly 2,000 attendees in 2015, we’ll be coming back to the Northeast just in time for the most history-making presidential election ever.
This year’s host property is the stunning and newly renovated Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel—which will also be the site of our latest hotel takeover, with the staggering majority of rooms reserved for our guests. Directly across the street, you’ll find the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, where the latest products and most in-demand services from more than 130 vendors will be displayed in 115,000 square feet of space. Best of all, no shuttles!
While the schedule is being fleshed out, here’s a sneak peek at two incredible events we have planned. First, we debut our Benchmark Breakouts for 2016, which is based on the popular 20-group concept. Here’s how it works: Operators can pick from a number of different groups, where they will interact with 11 other like-minded operators from non-competing markets to share ideas and come up with solutions to business challenges. Each of the groups (listed below) will be broken down by revenue or type of staff, and have a moderator present for a structured, but open, exchange in a private meeting room.
The categories for our Benchmark Breakouts are:
- Less than $2 Million in Gross Annual Revenue
- $2-5 Million in Gross Annual Revenue
- Over $5 Million in Gross Annual Revenue
- Affiliate Managers
- Operations Managers
- International Operators
- Motorcoach Operators
- Retail Operators
- DOT Compliance
Our 2016 mentors are:- Robert Alexander, President/CEO of RMA Worldwide
- Sam Amato, President/Founder of Gateway Global
- Maurice Brewster, President/Founder of Mosaic Global Transportation
- Alan Candeub, President of Park Avenue Limousine
- Eric Devlin, President of Premier Transportation
- Jon Epstein, President of Royal Coachman Worldwide
- Mike Fogarty, CEO North America of Tristar Worldwide
- Kim Garner, President/Co-Owner of BEST Transportation
- Dan Goff, General Manager of A Goff Limousine & Bus Company
- Joe Ironi, President of Global Alliance Worldwide
- George Jacobs, President of Windy City Limousine
- Kyara Kahakauwila, VP Operations of LA Limousines
- Steve Qua, President of Company Car & Limousine
- Tracy Raimer, President/Founder of Your Private Limousine
- Ron Stein, President/CEO of Exclusive Sedan Service
- Mike Zappone, CEO of All Transportation Network
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