New England Livery Association A unified voice for the livery industry of New England

A Livery Affair Winter 2007

MARCH Membership Meeting Thurs 15 Thursday March 15 2007

Meeting Sponsored and Hosted by

6:00PM Cocktail Reception 7:00PM Buffet Dinner 8:00PM Presentations Krystal New England 399 Washington St Woburn MA 01801 For directions visit www.krystalne.com Donation to NELA $25 per person, cash bar Non-Members Welcome

800.457.9782 Woburn MA 01801 www.krystalne.com

RSVP to NELA Office 866.736.6352

Keynote Speaker Bob Lobel Bob Lobel is the Sports Anchor for WBZ-Boston and host of The Boston Globe SportsPlus, NESN’s high energy debate show. Boston Bruins Tickets Krystal New England will award two tickets to a Boston Bruins game! Premium seats. Parking included.

Inside this issue:

Allied Technologies, Inc.

Growing Pains ....................... 4

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Golf Tournament .................... 4 Prom Agreement .................... 4

Proudly distributing the finest automotive appearance products & equipment to New England’s transportation industry since 1949!

Upcoming Elections ............... 5

Car Wash Soaps

Wheel Cleaners

Interior Cleaners

Member Meetings .................. 6

Polishes & Waxes

Air Fresheners

Specialty Items

CT Merritt Parkway .............. 6 Member Spotlight .................. 8

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New Members ...................... 11

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”

-Lou Holtz, former NCAA Football Coach, currently an author and motivational speaker

2006/2007 Calendar

NELA Board of Directors Michael Pazzaneze, President Joe Clemente, 1st Vice President Eric Weiner, 2nd Vice President Hank Droney, Secretary Marc Shpilner, Treasurer Larry White, Immediate Past Pres Lawrence Willwerth, 1st Past Pres

Annual Events

Board Meetings Apr 10 Massport Media Rm, Logan May 8

Massport Media Rm, Logan

Jun 19

Annual Planning Session

Jul 10

Massport Media Rm, Logan

Aug 14 Massport Media Rm, Logan Oct 9

Massport Media Rm, Logan

Nov 13 Massport Media Rm, Logan

Eric Anderson, Director Tina Benson, Director George Colarullo, Director Paul Ford, Director Michael Gay, Director Mike Jacobsen, Director Timothy Kelly, Director Gail Masotta O’Keefe, Director Mark Mollica, Director Stephanie Prince, Director Rick Saks, Director

Membership Meetings Mar 15 Sponsored & Hosted by Krystal New England at Lannan GMC 399 Washington St, Woburn MA Jun 12 Location TBD Dec 11 Location TBD

Kristen Vasserot, Director

Visit our web site for contact info.

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Jul 19 NELA Chauffeur Appreciation Day Logan Airport Limo Pool Aug 7 NELA Golf Tounament Sheraton Colonial, Wakefield MA

Newsletter Ad Rates $500.00 Insert $500.00 Back Cover $400.00 Full Page $250.00 Half Page

$150.00 Quarter Page $ 75.00 Business Card $ 25.00 Classified

NELA Office

Joe Winstanley, Director Rick Szilagyi, Executive Director

Apr 22-24 LCT Leadership Summit Mandarin Oriental, Miami FL www.lctsummit.com

Spring Issue mail date - May 10, 2007

Steven Thibodeau, Director

Steve Edelmann, Affiliate Director

Mar 10-12 Limo Digest Expo South Gaylord Palms, Orlando FL www.limoshow.com

P.O. Box 842, Durham NH 03824 Voice: 866.736.NELA(6352) • Fax: 866.616.NELA(6352) Email: [email protected] • Web Site: www.nelivery.org

www.nelivery.org

A Livery Affair

President’s Letter Dear Fellow Operators, 2007 promises to be a challenging year for all of us at the NELA. Our calendar is full with projects in the pipeline for which your board members are hard at work preparing. Michael Pazzaneze

The events to note on your calendar are:

March 15 - NELA quarterly membership meeting July 19 - Chauffeur Appreciation Day August 7 - Colarullo Memorial Golf Tournament September 11 - LCT East Our board meetings take place every month and any member is welcome and encouraged to attend. Your input is important. Check the NELA website for the date, time and location of the next meeting. Recently the Public Relations Committee chaired by Steve Thibodeau updated the NELA website with the help of our Executive Director, Rick Szilagyi. The major change to alert you to is the Members Only section. This section will continue to evolve. Right now, this addition allows our members to make changes to their own profiles. If you do not have your User Name and Password, please drop an email to [email protected] and your access info will be forwarded to you. Our calendar has also been updated to make you aware of all our board meetings, quarterly meetings and important events for you to attend. The election process for seats on our Board of Directors will begin in April, but any member who is interested in being considered for nomination by the Nominating Committee, should notify Rick Szilagyi, our Executive Director, of their interest. On a national front we are in discussions with the National Limousine Association and their lobbying efforts challenging the Overtime Rule associated with “Thru ticketing”. This is an important issue that will affect each and every one of us. Should this overtime exemption rule, which has been modified by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration stay in effect, the impact will be felt around the industry. I urge you all to contact the NLA at 800-652-7007 and make your opinion known and send a strong message that as members of the NELA we want this issue made a priority, and we want answers. Your voice and actions are important to initiate change and let them know that we are watching. Massachusetts Governor Patrick has indicated he would like the CORI rules changed by determining what information can be reviewed for employers seeking background review information about potential new hires. Governor Patrick has indicated he will allow employers access; but what has yet to be determined is what information will be provided based on the type of

Winter 2007

position for which you are requiring information. The idea behind this “Second Chance” program, in their view, is that individuals who have had offenses listed on the CORI report may be singled out due to their record and not allowed employment. Access was granted to the industry in the late 90’s due to an incident involving a driver of a shuttle company who committed a heinous act. Without this access this could potentially happen again. We do not want history to repeat itself. Our position is that we should have the right to complete access of all information contained in the report as we have had in the past so as to make an informed decision to protect our clients and our companies from any unnecessary liability. Health Insurance: How many of you are insured? The NELA vendor relations committee is currently investigating how health insurance can be acquired for our members. I hope to have more information later on that topic as the committee reports to the board. We will keep you informed. In my last letter to all of you we noted the Airport Advisory Committee was re-established in collaboration with Mr. John Faro and his staff. The enforcement in search of violators has increased with overwhelming results. Their enforcement and your input is one small step to clean up those operators who impose a negative image on those of us that operate within the law and are proud to be in the business. The increase in MA-based operators changing their license plates from Taxi to Livery is one issue that is on my screen. If we are going to reduce our insurance premiums we need to act before the Commonwealth decides to initiate restrictive regulations that will make it difficult to operate. We need you to step up and report to us these offenders so we can make a difference. We have insurance investigators working with us to look into this problem, and so far they have found over 175 operators. We need to police ourselves because we are the only ones who can make a difference. All of you should be commended for your efforts in the way you operate your businesses. Of the issues that have made the news over the last year, none of those were NELA members. Membership: I challenge you to bring a new member to our association. Those of you who belong know the benefits of membership. In order to have a strong voice and create more member benefits, we need all of you to help. Our membership numbers speak volumes in getting our message out and sending a message that we are strong, willing and able to face the challenges ahead. Thank you and best wishes for 2007! Respectfully yours,

Michael Pazzaneze President

www.nelivery.org

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Growing Pains, Growing Gains a businesswoman’s perspective By Kristen Vasserot, Director

Well, I think I found it… the key to success. Five years of experience and thirteen car loans later, it is easier. Every day is easier. I have learned to relax, enjoy and best of all- delegate. I think I am just like most women who start in this business. I thought I had to do it all- president, wife, mother. And as it turns out, I do. And I have, along with my husband and business partner. In doing it all I was afraid to let even the smallest piece go. I didn’t think anyone else could answer the phone properly, or arrange the schedule just right. Although at the same time, I knew I certainly wasn’t perfect. In fact I wasn’t good enough most of the time. Something was always being neglected. But we didn’t have the money to hire someone. We didn’t have any extra money. And so we kept on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for almost five and a half years straight. I had one or more cell phones attached to my person everywhere we went. I thought I was dedicated. I thought I was honoring my commitment. I thought I was earning a living. I drove myself to the brink of insanity on some days. Then I decided to listen to all of the “take care of yourself first” hype. I started to buy into it. I started to convince myself that I needed and deserved things like, oh, a

New England Livery Association

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paycheck. And maybe a few hours off here and there, a little ‘me’ time. How much ‘me’ time have you had lately? Well, I hadn’t had enough. So we planned our first vacation since before starting the business. I tried to back out several times, telling my husband to go with the kids because I had to stay and watch the fort. But on a relaxing summer’s eve, he convinced me that I should go, I needed to go, I deserved to go. After spending a few grand on nonrefundable airfare, I knew I was committed. So I started to create a training manual and training our senior chauffeur to handle everything that might come his way. He trained for two months before we left. And, yes, when the date of departure came I did think about not going. I had barely finished payroll, we had a potential virus infecting our computer, and we were running really late. We were flying out of Logan internationally, and my cell phone would not work. Our newly trained office manager drove us in, and I gave it a last ditch effort to tie up any loose ends. I handed over the bible and the phone and didn’t look back. It was truly the most wonderful time I could remember. There was nothing to do but what was in front of me. Of course I checked in daily only to find that everything was fine. I took over the phones the minute we returned. The cars were all still there. The trips had all been covered. Everything was fine. Everything was fine. We have a great network of local companies with which we work. I knew if our office manager had any problems, he had several people he could call upon for help. I have now put the procedures in place, and I do not have to be there all the time. I am not indispensable to the business, but I am to my family. I gained the most important thing after returning from this trip. It is the feeling of contentment. I am content. I am a wife, mother, president of a growing limousine company. I am content. Thank you to everyone who made that trip possible.

Are you ready for prom season? By Steven Thibodeau, Director

Continuing our relationship with Barbara Harrington, State Executive Director in Boston for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), we again are asking our members who do not already have a prom agreement in place to support this organization and to promote our industry as the safe and reliable way for students to get to and from the prom. A copy of a generic prom agreement that you might consider using for your business can be found on the NELA web site in the News section. While every attempt has been made to conform with Massachusetts state laws in putting this document together, we do advise you to seek legal counsel before using this agreement for your company.

www.nelivery.org

A Livery Affair

Are you a go-getter... always coming up with ideas that make your company stand out? Have you been looking for ways to give back to the industry? Step up, share your experience, make a difference. The NELA is looking for you! Each year we seek members to be considered for nomination to run for our Board of Directors. Take the first step, and please contact Rick Szilagyi, Executive Director for more information. 866.736.6352, [email protected]

Mr. Dan Morgan at (866) 392-1300 Ext 31

HIG.NELA

10/17/06 4:13 PM 31 Page 1 Email: [email protected]

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Winter 2007

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FIVE STAR Award of Distinction

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Holiday Event & Membership Social both a HUGE success! By Steven Thibodeau, Director

By Gail Masotta O’Keefe, Director

Amidst the holiday decorations and gorgeous works of art, the Grand Ballroom on the 17th floor of the Providence Biltmore was the place to be on December 12th. The NELA hosted yet another successful evening with some limousine companies bringing along staff members, making it their company party. Over 110 people enjoyed this event putting this meeting in the record books for one of the best-attended events yet. As guests arrived during the networking hour they had the chance to preview over 160 works of art and collectibles supplied by Ross Galleries. The array of items was incredible! We would like to thank our evening’s sponsors, Herlihy Insurance Group and Stone Insurance Agencies, cosponsors of the event along with our sponsor for the cocktail hour, All Occasion Transportation of Providence, RI. Just a reminder that our event co-sponsors also are our newly selected managing partners for the NELA insurance program. During his address, NELA President Mike Pazzaneze reflected on the events of the past year due to the efforts of your Board of Directors who have volunteered their time to serve you, our members. Events like the annual Golf Tournament, Chauffeur Appreciation Day and even our membership meetings cannot and would not have happened if it weren’t for the time and effort put in by your Board of Directors. Our volunteer work didn’t go un-noticed by cities and towns that were trying to unfairly regulate the industry. The issue in Springfield, MA came to a peaceful resolution thanks to the NELA, while the state house in Hartford, CT is still hearing from our lobbyist on the DOT regulations and the Merritt Parkway issue. Looking forward, Mike hinted at big and exciting events we have planned for 2007. Jeff Greene, NLA President and keynote speaker for the evening, attended as part of his association tour. Taking the podium, he thanked the NELA for inviting him to be part of such a special evening. Jeff reminded us, as Mike did, that if an issue arises which would affect your business, be sure to call the NLA office and make your concern known just as you would call the NELA office. The NLA and its volunteer board of directors are there for you. The finale for the evening was the art auction. Thanks to the generous bidders in the room we sold over 40 pieces of art and memorabilia. Bargains were had including a Bob Dylan autographed guitar valued at more than $5000 and sold for $2800. Someone was very happy this holiday season!

On Tuesday January 16th the Fourth Annual New England Livery Association Membership Social was held at the Mohegan Sun Resort Casino in Uncasville, CT. Due to the sponsorship of Mohegan Sun we have been able to make this a free event for all who attended. Thank you, Brian Fage, for again providing us with this opportunity. This year we had a record attendance of over 150 guests! Our January Social is just that, an opportunity for intraindustry networking in a casual noncompetitive setting. We did, however, use the time to bring both members and nonmembers up to date on various areas of concern within the State of Connecticut. Larry White gave a brief presentation on upcoming issues that NELA will be following closely. The purpose of this event is to thank our members for their continuous support throughout the year. Thanks to the generosity of vendors such as DriveCam, SNORD, LLC, and Allied Technologies, we were able to offer an assortment of raffle prizes including a DriveCam video system, a GPS vehicle tracking system, and a car cleaning package valued at more than $400 in products. Other sponsors in attendance were three Connecticut members American Executive Limousine, Essex Limousine and Liberty Limousine. We also thank our affiliate members, Splash Car Wash and Create-A-Card, for donating additional raffle prizes. Judging from the feedback it was a worthwhile event for both members and non-members. The NELA would also like to welcome and thank the companies in attendance that signed up for membership at the event. Thanks again to all who attended. We look forward to seeing you next year at the Mohegan Sun for our 5th Annual Membership Social.

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www.nelivery.org

Congratulations to Tim Kelly, NELA Director and his wife Maureen on the birth of their daughter, Emerson, on January 4th!

A Livery Affair

CHAUFFEURS GETTING TICKETED ON CONNECTICUT’S MERRITT PARKWAY HARTFORD, CONN. - The New England Livery Association (NELA) is working with Connecticut state officials to remedy a road access problem on a key route leading from the state to New York City. The Merritt Parkway, an historic, scenic, two-lane highway, is the fastest route for livery vehicles taking passengers to New York City and its airports in a part of the state plagued with traffic jams; however, an old law on the books prohibiting access by commercial vehicles to the parkway has recently been enforced in a number of cases. One chauffeur who recently contacted LCT Magazine was given a $75 citation for driving a limousine on the parkway. A number of other chauffeurs have been cited during the past year-and-a-half, according to NELA. Currently, vehicles longer than 24 feet, wider than seven feet, six inches, higher than eight feet and weighing more than 7,500 pounds GVW are not allowed on the parkway, according to NELA. As a point of comparison, both a 120inch Lincoln Town Car and a 130-inch Cadil-lac DTS are slightly more than 28-feet long and could be fined for traveling down the parkway. NELA has pushed new legislation to remedy the problem, but this hasn’t yet been successful in the state legislature. An historic society has lobbied against allowing commercial vehicles on the Merritt Parkway, and state engineers have concerns about the lack of merging lanes and limited space on certain access ramps. More promising was a meeting between NELA officers and state officials including Connecticut’s deputy director of traffic and a state engineer, said Larry White, chairman of NELA’s regulatory committee. White is confident that the state officials have a clearer understanding of NELA’s perspective on the issue, White said, and that this improved relationship will facilitate a positive outcome for the industry -whether it be through new legislation or an administrative remedy. For many years, livery vehicles have been operating without incident on the Merritt Parkway. Well-publicized collisions involving a dump truck and a motorcoach raised concerns about commercial vehicles on the highway, White said, but the chauffeured transportation industry has been a solid citizen when using the Merritt Parkway over the years. NELA also makes the point that livery vehicles are very professional looking compared to most other commercial vehicles. (Reprinted with permission from LCT Magazine, January, 2007)

Winter 2007

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Sunoco Corporate Fleet Card Designed for smaller fleets with fewer needs

Sunoco CashCard Good for anything at every Sunoco - just like cash!

Contact Sergio Lugo for details. 800-777-6444 ext 1594 • [email protected] NELA members receive higher discounts and the association receives a marketing allowance based on members’ cumulative usage. Not only do you as a NELA member benefit, but the association benefits from your participation!

www.nelivery.org

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Le Limo Limousine

Member Spotlight By Steven Thibodeau, Director & Public Relations Chair

Continuing our series of spotlighting different members and vendors of the association, this month we caught up with Jennifer Brugliera, Office Manager of Le Limo in Medway. She explained how the owner, Andrew Foilb, is a major car buff and started the business in 1987 with a 1960’s Lincoln Continental with suicide doors. Since then, with a focus on customer service and treating his staff with care and respect, they grew to a max of 52 cars just prior to September 11th. Le Limo currently operates a diverse fleet of 34 vehicles with 2 more on order.

a business that follows the rules, Andrew feels that any company can grow and be as successful as his.

How long have you been a member of the NELA? And what do you like best about being a member? Andrew has been a member since day one. Belonging to the association has always been important to him. Just as it showed him how and where to go to become a legal operator, he feels the association today still provides this valuable benefit to new operators.

I noticed on your website that you are holding a “I Love Le Limo” contest. What has the response been like? The idea for the contest came from Michael, Andrew’s brother. The two of us brainstormed the idea on how to make it work. The response has been interesting to say the least. We are doing this as one of the ways we can give back to the community. We feel that the community has supported us all these years, it’s now our turn to give back. This contest, in addition to sponsoring several events, hopefully shows the community that we care and want to be a good corporate neighbor.

What advice would you give someone just getting into the business? Make sure you do it right. Do not cut corners, and do it legally. Do not undercut the competition; instead, earn their respect! You’ll go a lot further that way. By running

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What is your company doing to offset the high fuel prices? We added a 5% fuel surcharge to all of our runs. We maintained our rates and just added the surcharge. Our customers appreciate the fact that we do not “sugar coat” our rates; we spell everything out for them, and they respect that.

www.nelivery.org

A Livery Affair

Winter 2007

www.nelivery.org

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A Livery Affair

Welcome New Members! All State Limousine Robert Mitchell 317 North Main St. Natick MA 01760 Phone: 508-315-3307, 1-866-607-4445 Fax: 508-315-3414 E-mail: [email protected]

Ocelot Livery Service Inc. Robert Jones 23 Samuels Path Harwich MA 02645 Phone: 508-432-4213 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: www.rideocelot.com

Atlantic Airport & Limo Service Michael Walsh 3512 Main St, #2 Barnstable MA 02630 Phone: 508-362-6021, 508-397-0178

Red Oak Transportation Mark Maffia 105 Corporate Parkk Dr White Plains NY 10604 Phone: 914-694-2222 Fax: 914-694-2223 E-mail: mark.maffi[email protected] Web Site: www.redoaktrans.com

Dr. Driver George Borey 87 Pleasant St. Northboro MA 01532 Phone: 508-361-6616 E-mail: [email protected] Exclusive Limousine Service, Inc. Walter Brillo PO Box 4508 Stamford CT 06907 Phone: 203-223-5466, 203-325-3000 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: www.911limo.com Latino Transportation Sotero Zapata 823 Canterbury St Boston MA 02131 Phone: 617-908-5086, 617-212-5762 MKS Transportation Mark Stone 337 Grove St, Flr 1 Waltham MA 02453 Phone: 781-893-0786, 781-858-9695 E-mail: [email protected]

Seemo Shuttle LLC Seemo Mohamed Amzil 68 K Bradford St Northampton MA 01060 Phone: 413-586-1120 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: www.seemoshuttle.com

Affiliate Members Krystal New England, LLC Frank Rossetti 399 Washington St Woburn MA 01801 Phone: 781-718-4662 Fax: 866-906-1080 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: www.krystalne.com Services: Limousine Sales and Service Wireless Data Revolutions GPS Navigation Bill Cahill 169 Lynn Shore Dr Lynn MA 01902 Phone: 781-367-3325 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: www.wdrevolutions.com Services: GPS Navigational Technology

NELA Web Site

Veolia Transportation Services, Inc. Steve S. Skiffington 11 Spruce Rd. Reading MA 01867 Phone: 857-364-2991, 857-3642967 Fax: 857-364-2866 E-mail:

Members Only section

Web Site: www.veoliatransportation.com

Annual Membership Rates

steve.skiffi[email protected]

now has a www.nelivery.org

Livery Operator

Royale WHERE CRAFTSMANSHIP COUNTS™ www.royalelimo.com

$125.00

1 - 5 Vehicles

$175.00

6 - 9 Vehicles

$225.00

10-19 Vehicles

$345.00

20-49 Vehicles

$600.00

50+

Vehicles

Affiliate $175.00 1 - 5 Employees $300.00 6+

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Employees

For Membership Application Call the NELA Office 866.736.6352 or visit www.nelivery.org

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Winter 2007

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