Welcome to LimoCentric, LCT Magazine's blog devoted to "stretching chauffeured transportation." The LCT team appreciates you clicking in, and hopes you'll find some useful and entertaining information. Read more

Jon LeSage

Jon LeSage is the webitor of LimoCentric, and a managing editor at LCT Magazine. You may have seen him at an industry event; he's been to a few since joining LCT in 2005. Read more

Martin Romjue

Martin Romjue joined LCT Magazine as editor on Jan. 2, 2008. He most recently worked as a business editor for the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, and previously reported at newspapers in Virginia, Florida, and California. Read more

Jim Luff

Jim Luff is an operator from Bakersfield, CA who wears a few different hats. Jim began his career in the industry as a private chauffeur in 1990. In 1993 he found a permanent home at The Limousine Scene as the general manager, later becoming a partner. Read more

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GREEN IMAGE: Why are Big 3 CEOs riding in hybrids to lobby for federal loans, instead of private jets or non-hybrid luxury cars? It's all about putting out the right image. Automakers need federal funding, and have come back for round two of lobbying efforts - and want to avoid criticism for the image they're projecting. Corporate execs learned this lesson in recent years and have been switching out of stretches and into sedans and SUVs. Having hybrids and other alternative-fuel vehicles ready for executive transportation continues to provide revenue opportunity. High-level execs still need to be chauffeured, and want to look good when stepping out. -- J.L.

SIGN OF THE TIMES? For all the talk of consumer cutbacks, we are intrigued by this motorcoach trend. It seems there is still a healthy market for luxury, RV-style, customized motorcoach buses. This seems like a logical niche within luxury transportation. While RVs obviously are not chauffeured, we can think of endless configurations of luxury motorcoaches that could be, with the "rock star" bus being the most prominent example. Why be confined to small to medium party buses, when the next size up offers so much potential? -- M.R.  

CORE STRATEGIES: The limousine and chauffeured transportation industry, at its heart, is a premium, luxury-oriented service. So there is always a segment of clientele that for all practical purposes is recession-proof. Whatever financial hits they take, the losses won't impinge on lifestyle. Since luxury transportation closely tracks luxury goods consumption,  operators should note the latest marketing trends among upper-end retailers who cater to the wealthy. Just as these retailers are fawning over their core demographic to keep them spending, many luxury transportation operators may well consider the same. Reaching out with special promotional events, giveaways, packages, and "buzzy" tactics, may be one worthwhile strategy to cover the core clients and get through this recession. -- M.R.

MORE DRAMA: Ford CEO Alan Mulally just told the Wall Street Journal he's concerned that GM and Chrysler may not survive. OUCH!!!

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JUST IN CASE: Ford Motor Co. submitted a plan to Congress yesterday outlining its strategy to restore profitability, or break even, by 2011. Ford will be introducing electric and plug-in hybrids, eliminating its corporate jets, cutting executive compensation, and asking its labor union to be more flexible. Ford is asking the feds for a $9 billion line of credit, but believes it can get through the financial crisis without borrowing the money unless market conditions sink way down. The Detroit News is carefully tracking this story along with news updates and analysis of GM and Chrysler's lobbying efforts.

FLAIR FOR LIMOS: With the overdose of bad news about the economy and struggling operators, we at LCT are always looking out for the positive glimpses of this industry , and today, we found one. This Tampa Bay operator brings a wholesome, community-minded approach to his work, and can serve as an inspiration to others in the chauffeured transportation industry. Success can happen anywhere, during any time, and depends more on attitude than anything else. -- M.R.

CLEAN BUSING: Mountainbikers, hikers, and outdoor recreationists are a potential new market for greener livery, given the growing popularity of eco-vacations and eco-tours among members of Gens X and Y. One Colorado operator has capitalized on connecting clean ground transportation with the even cleaner pursuits of biking and hiking. -- M.R.

BUSCENTRIC: Stay tuned for much more coverage of charter and tour bus news and management topics in LCT Magazine starting in the February issue... and a new LCT blog focusing on the bus business and what's happening with motorcoach and shuttle buses. Having buses in your fleet and marketing them to the right customers is a great way to build business, even during a recession. It's a very important industry sector for LCT to expand its coverage. When you talk to operators active in the bus business, they'll tell you two industry associations are important to know about and consider joining. One is United Motorcoach Association and the other is American Bus Association.  Their websites are chock full of industry info and resources.

BUSY MEDIA DAYS AHEAD: As president of the NLA and CEO of one of Washington, D.C.'s highest profile chauffeured transportation companies, Richard Kane will be getting lots of press in coming weeks as the Presidential Inauguration draws near. His company is preparing to service its 10th Presidential Inauguration, having first provided vehicles for the big day after President Richard Nixon was re-elected in 1972. Here is the latest interview in the DC Examiner. -- M.R. 

CLASS, TIME FOR RECESS(ION): A panel of  academic economists now has officially decreed that the U.S. has been in an economic recession since December 2007. Thanks for the breaking news, you academic whipper-snappers. Maybe if they had been hanging out a bit more with Main Street businesses they could have figured things out faster and been more in tune with solutions that actually work.

We've always understood recessions to be two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth, which very likely will mean the third and fourth quarters of 2008 -- as opposed to the whole year. At this point, being a quarter or two off is no worse than most other economic predictions. Frankly, Americans are fed up with the "expert analytics" of "acadumbic economists." All the MBAs, finance gurus, Wall Streeters, Ivy League "gee-whizzers," Fed pontificators, academic economists, investment economists, government economists, moronic economists, etc. could not effectively evaluate or maintain our entire economic system for the better part of this decade. It's time again for us private-sector taxpayer grown-ups to take control, and of course, bail out the idiots. -- M.R.

Headline we'd like to see: WAL-MART SHOPPERS TRAMPLE WALL STREET CREDIT SWAPPERS