MARTIN ROMJUE: In this blog version of my January magazine column, I touch the third rail of chauffeured transportation industry politics: The 2013 Lincoln MKT Town Car.
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DECEMBER 2011: This is the first posting of the updated blog version of my magazine column, aimed to zap nonsense and report what is relevant in the industry.
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WHO'S GOT YOUR BACK? Amid the clutter of industry events, coalitions, and groups, no trade association has the resources, the reach, and the ROI that the National Limousine Association can provide. Here are seven facts why the NLA is good for limousine businesses and for industry unity. -- Martin Romjue, LCT editor
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GOOD NEWS: At LCT, we've been noticing this year that the latest recession scare talk and fiscal dramas do not seem to be spooking the limo industry into a contraction as did the meltdown and recession of 2008-2009.
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As the U.S. economy struggles to regain its footing, operators would be wise to expand their global reach. See what markets are the best for business.
On this year’s list, Forbes has ranked Canada No. 1 out of 134 countries as the best country for business. The United States (barely) made it in the top 10, coming in at No. 10, one spot below last year’s rank of No. 9. Canada moved up from No. 4 in last year’s rankings thanks to its improved tax standing, and the U.S. has been hurt by its heavy tax burden (this year it surpassed Japan to have the highest corporate tax rate among developed countries).
Forbes determined the best countries for business by looking at 11 different factors including property rights, innovation, taxes, technology, corruption, freedom (personal, trade and monetary), red tape, investor protection and stock market performance.
Forbes used research and published reports from the Central Intelligence Agency, Freedom House, Heritage Foundation, Property Rights Alliance, Transparency International, the World Bank and World Economic Forum to compile the rankings.
-- Michael Campos, LCT assistant editor
MULTIPLIER EFFECT: We hear a lot about this concept in connection with President Obama's failed economic stimulus program, but the principle actually works in the private sector market of business travel. The latest figures show for every dollar spent on business travel, companies generate $12.50 in revenue and $3.80 in new profits. The International Business Times also reports on the top 10 most expensive and least expensive cities for business travel. Operators in or near the least expensive cities can market that to their advantage.
Complete business travel article, stats and lists here. --
Martin Romjue, LCT editor
Veteran operator H.A. Thompson of Rose Chauffeured Transportation in Charlotte, N.C. recently shared his thoughts with LCT on something that should not stay in Las Vegas, nor in your chauffeured operations. It makes all the difference in doing good business.
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A California operator shares his thoughts on how airport regulations and larger fleets’ vehicle choices will influence the industry’s Town Car successor.
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H.A. Thompson, the owner of North Carolina-based Rose Chauffeured Transportation who we like to refer to as the elder statesman of the chauffeured transportation industry, updated his 2009 book this month with a new title, chapters, and concept.
Learn more at his website which plays off the title: Do Something Scary: Get Undressed For Business. H.A. also has a new blog where he posts his insights. LCT Magazine featured an interview with H.A. Thompson about his book in the May 2009 issue. -- Martin Romjue, LCT editor
What happens when hip-hop superstars take a saw and blowtorch to a premium luxury vehicle?
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Why is some form of the Lincoln MKT on THREE covers of LCT Magazine this year alone?
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FOLLOW THE PROFIT PERFORMANCE: Amid all the dismal financial news and political panic, there are signs of strength among some of the major private industry sectors. Financial analysis firm Sageworks just ranked the Top 10 Booming Industries based on YOY profit performance. The Orange County (Calif.) Register posted a simple online info gallery that ranks the top 10 industries in reverse order. -- Martin Romjue, LCT editor
SAY IT ISN'T SO: The end of Lincoln Town Car production is about a month away, as final orders are delivered.
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Since when did size, power, and luxury become such bad words in Autoland? Let's help the luxury environment by making the Escalade an official evergreen.
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PRINT V. DIGITAL: The June/July 2011 issue of LCT Magazine doesn't need much of a preview since it's already in the mailboxes or in the mail. With the advent of LCT's new web site, we now have reason to post far more magazine content online, where you'll find much of this issue divided among eight primary topic channels.
Look for cover stories on getting destination management and convention business and the DaBryan debut of the Lincoln MKT stretch limousine.
You'll find two key types of content on LCTMag.com: articles and news. The articles consist of magazine features and departments and exclusive online features; news consists of all items posted and blasted via LCT E-News.
We can now post more than one photo per item, so look for a more visually stimulating website.
A complete guide to the new LCTMag.com is here.
Also in the June/July issue is a complete schedule for the LCT Leadership Summit, now just two months away in Miami Beach. Get updates at the Leadership Summit website.
Coming up on LCTMag.com later this month will be content from the August issue. LCT is finishing up the annual Black Book issue with a Who's Who of operators ranked according to the number of owned/leased vehicles.
We'll also bring you a gallery of operators throughout the industry who share some of their best fleet practices and business approaches. -- Martin Romjue, LCT editor
Whoops, there it goes again. President Obama's Presidential seal on the limousine keeps slipping, just like those polls.
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Public relations diva Lizzie Grubman lives the mantra, "any press is good press," as she's famous for bulldozing her Mercedes SUV into a crowd of partiers, and more recently, for being sued by her chauffeur, who claims Grubman stiffed him for $1 million worth of overtime.
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Cloud computing is a major technological breakthrough because of its potential to save costs and reduce the hassle of having in-house computer servers. It would also allow companies to access and use back-office software from anywhere, as the cloud can host business documents, files, and accounts, among other things. But just how safe is your data in the cloud?
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At 26 years old, singer-songwriter Katy Perry has quite the résumé: her album Teenage Dream is one of only nine albums to ever produce four or more Billboard Hot 100 number one hits, and she is the first artist in history to spend an entire year – 52 consecutive weeks – in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, which apparently give her the right to make preposterous demands of her chauffeurs...
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FLAKY & FINICKY: Hollywood-types are well-know for changing gigs, swapping out spouses and partners ("
Shine On Liz, You Crazy Diamond!"), reinventing their images, "moving on". . . so it should be no surprise that the glitzy jet set, now canoodling at the annual Cannes Film Festival on the French Riviera, have
DUMPED THE LITTLE TOYOTA PRIUS ("I think, it's like, we each need more space, ya know?") in favor of a younger, more desirable electric vehicle. Once the darling of luminaries striving to be greener than Kermit, the Priussy ferried many a high-profile celebrity into the media-studded awards-show drop-off lanes. But if the Hollywood hipsters and their assistants truly had a clue about green luxury vehicles, they would be patronizing en masse the as-yet unrivaled
LINCOLN MKZ HYBRID and/or the
ROYALE VERSIONS of that vehicle. Those U.S.-built hybrids provide the best mileage and comfort in the green zone so far, and have thankfully, finally jettisoned the Priussy from the chauffeured curbside to its rightful place in the commuter lanes. -- Martin Romjue, LCT editor
LIVELY LIVERY: One of the more challenging client bases for the industry is the prom market, which is now at fever pitch, with May being the big prom month at high schools nationwide. The prom market is a solid, reliable money-maker for operators, but it comes with more risks and watchful eyes. A generation ago, limos on prom night were the exception; now they are commonplace. One chauffeur with
ABOVE ALL EXECUTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND LIMOUSINE SERVICE in Decatur, Ga., recently was interviewed by a local newspaper about
DRIVING ON PROM NIGHT. -- Martin Romjue, LCT editor
FACTS NOT FEAR: May is always a month with benefits in LCT Land — the kind of benefits not even our morbidly obese public sector can deliver.
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TAKING THE OPPOSITE APPROACH:
A report from Southwest Florida provides a snapshot of an OPERATOR FILLING UP A BLACK VEHICLE, while describing fuel-driven economic woes. Which brings to mind that the Great Recession/Gradual Recovery in many ways needs to be considered the Contrarian Economy; things are not what they seem, the old rules don't always apply, and sometimes it's best to go against the panicky herd. For example, during the last surge in fuel prices, SUVs piled up on used car lots while waiting lists mounted for those little Toyota Priussys.
Many customers could name a price for an SUV and walk away. By January 2009, fuel prices actually dipped below $2 per gallon again. So now, with fuel prices once again revistiing 08 levels, it will be an opportune time for operators to stock up on cheaper SUVs. Gas prices will come down again, eventually, which will mean it's time to buy a hybrid, once those waiting lists subside -- again. -- Martin Romjue, LCT editor
PREVIEW AND ARTICLES from the April 2011 issue of LCT MAGAZINE. . .
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MKT LIVERY VERSION NOT FAR BEHIND:
A prototype of the next generation Lincoln hearse was made available in Dearborn, Mich., recently, in full view of photographers for various auto media. Of course, the MKT livery version, likely to be called the MKT-L, will be make its official debut at the 2011 INTERNATIONAL LCT SHOW in Las Vegas on Feb. 14, along with prototype limousine MKTs from Lincoln and DABRYAN COACH BUILDERS.
See blogs and reports on the MKT Hearse at JALOPNIK, CAR & DRIVER, and AUTO BLOG. In the 21st Century, "graduates" of Planet Earth will be ascending in a cross-over styled hearse instead of the station wagonesque models of yore. -- M.R.
UNEVEN RECOVERY: The consensus in the chauffeured transportation industry is that so far 2010 outpaces 2009 in client business and revenue; however, there are still pockets of recession affecting operators nationwide.
BADGER STATE LIMOUSINE SERVICE, an NLA member, offers some frontline information and insights on the Milwaukee market in
THIS RECENT BLOG POST. -- M.R.
GOOD CAUSE IS GOOD BIZ: Carrie Peele, owner of Blue Diamond Worldwide Transportation, recently bought a stretch limousine and painted it pink to support breast cancer research and awareness. In this Q&A with LCT writer Jim Luff, Peele provides firsthand insights on the benefits and fleet management of a pink limo.
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POSITIVE SIGNS: When a publication other than LCT does an article about the improving fortunes of the chauffeured transportation industry, then it can only be a good sign. Industry figures
Scott Solombrino of Dav El,
Rick Szilagyi of the New England Livery Association, and Massachusetts operator
Bob DiFazio are all quoted in an
ARTICLE BY THE QUINCY (MASS.) PATRIOT-LEDGER.
FRUGAL RECOVERY: Although business travel --- with its accompanying convention, hotel, airline and ground transportation business --- will steadily increase through at least 2013, the millennial-era good times among corporations won't be repeated anytime soon.
COMPANIES GOING SLOW.
THE RIGHT CONCEPT:
The YELLOW UNICAB, favored by the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission, would be a vast improvement over the traditional Crown Vic cab colonies.
But as is often the case, the chauffeured transportation industry already beats the cab industry in doing this concept one better via the VEHICLE PRODUCTION GROUP's MV-1, to begin production in October in fossil fuel and compressed natural gas versions.
Such vehicles, when properly adapted to consumer preferences and demands, will bring about more efficient and profitable ground transportation. -- M.R.
A WAY TO GO: Two thirds of operators particpating in an LCT WEB POLL say "their recession" is not over yet.
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DEADLINE NEARS: As the Friday, May 28 deadline approaches for the LCT 100 LARGEST FLEETS LIST, we wanted to dispel some myths and misconceptions about the list that keep some operators from participating. The list is part Who's Who, the only ranking of operators based on fleet numbers, and an industry reference.
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REFORMS TO AVERT FUTURE OVERCHARGES; RIP-OFFS NOT WIDESPREAD: The NY cab fare overcharge investigation concludes; this is not a problem in chauffeured transportation. No meters needed. You get what you pay for.
CHAUFFEURED TRANSPORTATION CATCHING UP? That's the next question beyond today's report from Business Travel News on
SOARING DEMAND FOR BUSINESS TRAVEL. All those travelers need to get somewhere when they land.
UP AND UP: The surest signs of a recovery do not come from statistics, but rather the every day anecdotes conveyed word of mouth. Three well-known industry operators share some recent revenue figures.
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CLEAN & GREEN: The American Bus Association reminds everyone today what being green really means. After 40 years of Earth Days, let's dedicate this day to making the world greener by fueling prosperity, i.e. green money in your pocket. How about tax cuts and exemptions for the motorcoach and chauffeured transportation industries -- the real green movers on the planet? Now that would be an Earth Day event worth celebrating.
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SURVIVAL STRATEGY: Sensitive pricing for today’s economy can make you flexible enough to get the sales volume you need.
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TRAVEL BAG:
Corporate CEOs are spending more on private jets, figures show, and of course such tidbits invariably are meant to stoke PC resentments toward the rich. LCT supports increase use of private jets, especially at FBOs, since jet passengers often get to the FBO in a chauffeured vehicle.
More flights = More chauffeured runs = More business for operators. Meanwhile, a second item in the same article reports that meeting planners are still penching pennies. -- M.R.
QUOTABLE & NOTABLE:
NLA board director Deena Papagni of A Touch of Class Transportation in Fresno, CA is quoted,and one of her chauffeurs is pictured, in an article in her hometown newspaper about the state of the local limousine industry in the heart of California's Central Valley.
(Papagni also has one of the industry's most innovative web sites -- click above link above). -- M.R.
LEADING INDICATOR? Wealthy consumers are spending again on luxury goods, according to a report in this week's Wall Street Journal, so could chauffeured service spending be close behind? Consumer spending on chauffeured transportation tends to keep pace with the performance of luxury good retailers. As goes Gucci, there glides the limousine industry. -- M.R.