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Coffee with ILLBA featuring Matt Daus of Windels Marx
Amid freezing temperatures and rolling blackouts in the Midwest, the Illinois Limousine & Bus Association (ILLBA) held its monthly Coffee With ILLBA meeting via Zoom on February 16. Featuring a look at the state of the industry, courtesy of regulatory expert Matt Daus of Windels Marx, the educational seminar was attended by operators from around the world.
ILLBA President Art Rento of Pontarelli Companies welcomed attendees and noted that the monthly series has “grown into a positive industry movement” and looks forward to offering more free content to ILLBA members and guests in the future. Wasting no time, Vice President Tracy Raimer of Windy City Limousine & Bus introduced Daus and his session, entitled State of the Limo and Bus Industry: Business Opportunities, Legal Options, Labor Impact, and Getting Involved With ILLBA.
With the industry struggling due to the pandemic, and corporate travel facing a slow comeback, Daus loaded much of his meeting with business opportunities available to operators. According to Daus, corporate shuttle solutions are a realistic alternative to public transit, as the cleanliness and distancing afforded by luxury vehicles will offer businesses and the workforce safety and peace of mind. Package delivery is another way that operators have gotten their vehicles back on the road, as evidenced in large cities like New York.
No doubt about it, vaccines are THE hot topic, both in and out of the industry. As rollout has begun with some success across the country, the vaccination of the public is the number-one indicator for confidence in travel booking. As such, Daus has been a leading advocate for all for-hire chauffeurs to receive prioritized vaccinations, and has garnered support from all of the New York mayoral candidates. He encouraged industry leaders to lobby for Phase 1B vaccination as an essential service, and advised operators to promote chauffeur and/or company-wide vaccination in their marketing.
With PPP 2.0 ending on March 31, Daus fielded questions about the program, and provided some differentiation between it and EIDL loans. Next he explained the benefit of doing due diligence when seeking M&A options, and explained some of the benefits of the new Subchapter V bankruptcy regulations. (Note: the expanded debt threshold in the Subchapter V closes on March 27, 2021.)
Since AB5 and Prop 22 passed in California last year, Daus has kept a close eye on the effect of this legislation nationwide. According to his session, no fewer than six states are pursuing AB5-like laws, which would make all gig workers independent contractors (New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Wisconsin, Washington, and Pennsylvania). As these laws are largely “not if, but when”, Daus promoted the value of organizations like the New York Black Car Fund, which offers ICs full workers’ comp benefits (which are not seen under AB5).
To end his program, Daus advocated that members assist ILLBA through grassroots lobbying efforts. Spreading industry information to lobby organizations and local/state representatives is key to make legislature aware of industry causes and struggles. Daus also promoted his piece in February’s Chauffeur Driven, which takes a close look at whether operators in the post-pandemic market should buy, sell, or retire.
A full recording of the February Coffee With ILLBA is available by clicking here.
Visit illinoislimousineassociation.com for more information.
[02.19.21]
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The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) announced that Suzanne Neufang has been named its next executive director, leading the combined GBTA and the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE). Since July 2020, the interim executive director role has been held by Dave Hilfman, who will remain with the association in a temporary consulting role to smooth the transition.
GBTA Executive Director Suzanne Neufang
Neufang was hired after a comprehensive and exhaustive review of more than 130 candidates from around the world. The months-long process was led by an independent search committee of industry leaders and staff. The search was coordinated by leading association consulting firm MCI-USA, which served as a third-party hub to screen applicants and facilitate the extensive interview process.
“The independent search committee has provided GBTA with an exceptional leader for the future of our association and industry. Suzanne is unquestionably the visionary to lead business travel to a complete recovery in the years ahead,” said GBTA President Bhart Sarin. “It will be a distinct privilege to support her as we complete our integration of GBTA and ACTE and build on the momentum of the Ready. Safe. Travel. campaign toward our annual convention in July.”
Neufang, whose diverse executive career has included senior leadership roles with several high-profile travel and technology companies, most recently served as senior VP-Americas for HRS Global Hotel Solutions. Before HRS, Neufang worked for 10 years as an executive leader with Sabre Travel Network, GetThere, and Travelocity, and later as a divisional chief marketing officer for Fortune 500 software giant Intuit. An active member of GBTA since 2005, Neufang led ACTE as Board president from 2012 to 2014 and as a Board member from 2014 to 2018. She served as ACTE’s interim executive director during summer 2012.
Neufang described the opportunity to lead GBTA as a “pinnacle career opportunity” and an important way to give back to an industry she loves, and which has offered her many opportunities. “It’s not a secret that business travel is at an historic low point as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but in crises we find opportunities to be bold and to excel,” said Neufang. “Business travel has been down before and we have recovered—always coming back more technologically savvy, data-focused, and globally connected. The key questions for me are when we as an industry will recover, and how we as GBTA can drive economic and industry recovery to be even faster.
“We need to emerge from this pandemic as a healthier, more transparent association, one with the strongest possible, globally-focused foundation. As an organization, I believe we can work together to provide more value, better education and research, and even more effective advocacy for our members and sponsors. I’m very much looking forward to working with the professional staff at GBTA—and the Board, members, sponsors, and regional partners—who have had a long track record of growth and success serving the business travel community.”
Neufang will take over on February 24.
“It’s been a privilege serving the business travel industry in this interim role over the past eight months and I’m grateful for the opportunity,” said Hilfman, who retired from United Airlines as senior VP of worldwide sales in 2018. “To be entrusted to lead the largest business travel association in the world at a truly consequential moment in our history is a true honor. I’m proud of the work we’ve done together and the significant progress made to date. My sincere thanks to the staff, Board and members of GBTA for all their support. Stepping aside for Suzanne is easy, because she understands business travel from the buyer and supplier perspectives like few people I’ve ever met.”
Visit gbta.org for more information.
[02.18.21]
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The Greater California Livery Association (GCLA) recently announced that it will be holding its Spring Conference in person at the Orange County Hyatt Regency in Huntington Beach on March 30, 2021 (barring any state restrictions or a sudden spike in COVID rates). The event is sponsored by Cadillac and will be limited to 200 attendees.
The theme of the event is We Move California—LIVE!, which will have a dedicated focus on helping area operators reboot their businesses, regain lost clients, and explore additional revue streams. Of course, networking with fellow members is the ultimate bonus.
According to the announcement on its Facebook page, GCLA is also working on its Fall Expo, which will be held September 14-15 and will include education and an exhibit area. The host property for the two-day event is the Portofino Hotel & Conference Center in Rondondo Beach. Additional details will be shared on the event's page in the coming weeks.
GCLA notes that 70 percent of its 2020 membership renewed for another year in January, in addition to signing up 32 first-time members (great news for our friends in the Golden State!). California has been hit particularly hard in the recent months with several waves of local and state restrictions and the passage of Proposition 22, which carved out an exception to labor laws (ICs versus employees) for the app-based ridesharing companies.
Registration information for the GCLA’s Spring Conference can be found at gcla.org.
[02.16.21]