EXCELLENCE EXTRAORDINAIRE: I had the privilege of re-presenting the 2009 LCT Association Award of Excellence (Association of the Year) to the board members of the Greater California Livery Association last night before their first meeting of the year. LCT first announced the award during its annual gala in Las Vegas on Jan. 27, with GCLA President Alan Shanedling accepting it then. This was an honor long overdue. A panel of judges from the NLA Liasion Committee selected the GCLA from a group of three finalists that also included the Limousine Association of Houston and the Georgia Limousine Association.
Last night, the award was presented for the benefit of the membership which turned out in force at the Proud Bird restaurant near LAX. The GCLA stands at the cutting edge of industry advocacy in that it represents operators in the state with the most chauffeured transportation activity, and a state with a government that serves up operators with some of the most formidable regulatory and legislative hassles in the nation. California is often labeled a trrendsetter, and that certainly is the case with the GCLA; its success sets a model standard for other industry associations nationwide in advancing regulatory fairness and warding off crippling taxes, fees, and bureaucratic policies. Congratulations to the GCLA as the chauffeured transportation industry faces one of the toughest years in decades in a state with one of the most incompetent and wasteful governments. -- M.R.
Print | posted on Wednesday, February 18, 2009 8:31 AM