BY ROB SMENTEK
L to R: Vice President of Client Relations & Sales Kevin Stankewicz, Vice President of Finance Nicole Stankewicz, President Joe Gulino, CEO Deanna Gulino, Special Events Coordinator Gina Land, Executive Vice President Joe Gulino Jr., and Vice President of Business Development Lauren Gulino
As Gem Worldwide Ground Transportation celebrates its landmark 50th anniversary, President Joe Gulino is excited for the future, while also recognizing the preceding five decades that led to this moment.
“It’s been an incredible journey,” he says. “It’s a very humbling and special milestone.”
To commemorate an amazing half-century of continuous operation, Gem Worldwide has recently unveiled a complete renovation of its headquarters in Woodbridge, N.J., not far from the New York metro area. Needless to say, the ultra-modern facility is a far cry from the suburban kitchen where the late Barbara Chirico built the company back in the mid-’70s.
“We’re very honored to be able to continue Barb’s legacy,” says Gulino of the founder who passed away in early 2024. “For her to start it out of her house in Linden, N.J., from the ground up and create something out of thin air—that was the hard part. I’m pleased to have had the opportunity to help grow the company.”
Alongside his wife Deanna, who serves as CEO and is Chirico’s daughter, Gulino planned the two-year renovation to be completed in time for the anniversary. Construction included a full overhaul of the building’s 8,000-square-foot offices, call center, conference rooms, and dispatch center while all the technology was replaced with state-of-the-art equipment, including AI readers for facial recognition and key fobs to open the doors. Floor-to-ceiling glass offices add to the contemporary feel of the HQ.
CEO & Founder Barbara Chirico (1943-2024) “We often talk about how proud Barbara would be to see what we’ve done. We probably put two dozen 60-inch TVs around the office. Our goal was to renovate to the highest standard possible so that our employees have an amazing place to work. We could have done it a different way, or been conservative, but we feel that people come here every day and spend a fair majority of their lives here. We really wanted it to be next level for our current team and for the future generation as well,” says Gulino.
The well-being of Gem team was always on the mind of Chirico—and that school of thought remains part of the company’s ethos.
“Barbara’s culture is embedded into this company. She always said that everything we do is for the staff. She was concerned about her employees since they’re relying on us for jobs to feed their families. She took that very seriously,” says Gulino. “We are a very close, tight-knit company. She regularly communicated her core family values to all of us, which we’ve morphed into how we run our company today. Barb’s culture is ingrained in everything we do here. In fact, her voice is still on the Ring Central phone system.”
To further honor the familial culture and legacy of honesty, integrity, and trust that Chirico strived for, a 50-year timeline welcomes visitors on the wall in their conference room.
L to R: Vice President of Administration Shady Azer, Executive Vice President of Sales & Client Relations Ed Walch, and Executive Vice President of Operations Ian Reilly “We don’t forget where we came from,” says Gulino. “And when visitors come in, they’re going to understand the culture of this organization within five minutes. But this new office is really putting the cherry on top of who we are and how we do things. This is a detail business—from the chauffeur to the car to the technology—but the details need to be in your facility as well. When clients or prospects walk through our door, they get it.”
For Gulino, entering the luxury ground transportation industry wasn’t part of his initial plan, although it was a natural extension of his ingrained customer service background.
“I come from the bar and restaurant industry. My brother and I owned a family sports bar. At the time, 30 years ago or so, Deanna worked at Merck and then she went to work for her mother at Gem. Barbara approached me and asked if I was interested in coming aboard and learning the business too,” he says.
Gulino took what was expected to be a one-year leave of absence from the bar to see if he could adapt to something different. However, Gulino was immediately attracted to the industry.
L to R: Customer Service Representatives Lisa DeJesus, Christian Boyle, and Jason Martinez with Customer Service & Billing Representative Kathy Panella “I really liked the image from the client perspective. You know, multiple cars at a location with chauffeurs in black suits and white shirts and ties standing at attention at the curb. Wow, I just loved it. I loved the show, the shine, and the service of taking care of people,” says Gulino about joining the company in the mid-1990s.
Spending a solid year working six days a week, 12 hours a day, allowed Gulino to connect with the chauffeurs and gain the respect of the dispatchers. Eventually, he found his place within Gem’s sales department.
“I really liked trying to figure out who our future clients could be. I used to walk into multi-use office complexes at 8 or 9 in the morning with my marketing material and take the elevator to the top floors and just pretend like I was an employee. Then I used to work every floor, going down to the first level. This, of course, was in the days when security wasn’t that tight. I never ever stopped, and our phones eventually started ringing because of it. Sometimes you throw a lot at the wall and something sticks. That was a big a-ha moment for my career,” says Gulino.
L to R: Dispatcher Marty Campagna, Dispatcher Matt Rossi, Ian Reilly, Dispatcher Alex Orellana, and Manager of Dispatch Operations Maddy Noguera Ultimately, the nascent salesman would be the key player in expanding Gem’s widening footprint, especially in the ultra-competitive North Jersey market.
“I remember telling Barbara back in the day that if we didn’t turn this company nationwide and global, we were going to get eaten up by the big guys. And she basically looked at me and said, ‘Do it. Don’t talk about it, get it done.’ I think the biggest impact that I made as an employee was in sales, marketing, and putting the global network together successfully, because it took off. We started landing national contracts, and at the same time, I was doing bids and really closing deals. It was just unbelievable. But, to me, making Barbara proud was all I was looking to do. It was everything to me to prove my value to her, and be a high-level contributor,” says Gulino.
As Gulino cemented his place in the luxury ground transportation world, he became involved in industry advocacy. Today, he is 1st vice president of the Chauffeured Transportation Association of New Jersey (CTANJ) and is on the National Limousine Association (NLA) Board of Directors.
L to R: Maddy Noguera, Lauren Gulino, Joe Gulino Jr., Deanna Gulino, Joe Gulino, Gina Land, Kevin Stankewicz, Nicole Stankewicz, Ian Reilly, and Fleet Manager Joel Gerez Perez “You have to have a voice, both locally and nationally. It’s a privilege to be involved with very bright individuals on these respective boards. Together, we can accomplish our common goals and fight to keep this industry relevant. We’re the collective voice that needs to be heard by regulators and various state and federal agencies. We’re more powerful together to face the same challenges.” he says.
Though Gulino says that it can be challenging to run a business in the bustling N.J./N.Y. market while setting aside time for his association leadership duties, he feels that it’s not only worthwhile but fulfilling.
“It’s truly rewarding work—and the relationships are just amazing. I always like to quote my fellow board member Doug Schwartz of Executive Limousine, who says ‘An association is like a gym membership. You only get out what you put into it.’ The takeaways and benefits I’m getting from my peers in the NLA are invaluable. They really are,” he says.
Fortunately, having an incredible team allows him to balance his role at Gem and his advocacy efforts. The company’s executive leadership comprises a blend of family members and long-term trusted professionals across key jobs.
To start, Gulino relies on his “shining star,” Deanna, who was just a preschooler when her mother launched Gem.
“This whole place depends on her. She works 24/7 and followed right into her mother’s footsteps. Deanna is a carbon copy of Barbara in her dedication, her work ethic, and the way she cares for her employees. I can’t even begin to tell you what this business and the team mean to her. She’s working day and night to make sure that Gem is running in a way that her people are being taken care of. It’s really in her heart,” he says.
The next generation of the Gulino family plays a similarly significant role in the day-to-day operations of the company. Executive Vice President Joe Gulino Jr. and Vice President of Business Development Lauren Gulino have demonstrated an aptitude when it comes to the technological side of the business.
“They’ve done it all—everything from the call centers to all of the technology aspects of our software and the RFPs and training and overseas training,” says Gulino of his son and daughter-in-law. “They’re college grads who have a hunger for the business and the industry. They’re passionate about what they do. They’re hard workers and very technology-driven individuals. What they’re doing with AI and rate structures... it’s just amazing.”
Joe Jr. and Lauren are complemented by Vice President of Client Relations & Sales Kevin Stankewicz and Vice President of Finance Nicole Stankewicz.
“My daughter, Nicole, works under Deanna, managing payroll, payables, receivables, and cash flow, and I couldn’t be happier with her performance. My son-in-law, Kevin, came from a background in pharmaceutical device sales. He’s a natural sales professional and just hit the ground running. He’s truly instrumental. My other daughter, Gina Land, is our special events coordinator, who came from Calvin Klein after college. She’s been instrumental in growing that department,” says Gulino.
It’s natural that Gulino has a great deal of pride in continuing the family culture that Chirico fostered, whether it’s his children or his longtime managers.
“It’s worked out very well. The kids are all in different buckets, and have different strengths, which enables us to spread their talents out across departments. I still have a management team that’s not technically family, but it’s my work family,” he says.
Gulino sites Executive Vice President of Operations Ian Reilly, Executive Vice President of Sales & Client Relations Ed Walch, and Vice President of Administration Shady Azer as being key figures at Gem. Also vital to operations are Manager of Dispatch Operations Maddy Noguera and Fleet Manager Joel Gerez Perez.
“Without my team, I’d be dead in the water. My staff is loyal, dedicated, and very bright. This type of operation is a machine, and if any piece is broken it will not run correctly. We’re lucky to have them,” says Gulino. [CD0926]
