About LCT's The Great Limo Race

LCT will be comparing how five operators with less than two years in the industry build their success, including the challenges, failures, and achievements. Read more

Players

Deborah Talbott

Debbie is a former purchasing director who after 20 years found herself unemployed in a recession. She immediately launched her new business from home starting with a single 120-inch stretch limousine and has since added a Lincoln Town Car Executive L to the fleet. Read more

Ricardo Garza

Ric, as he is known to friends, is 45 years old, married, and a proud parent of two boys and one girl. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science and spent many years working in the Houston Mayor’s Office as a certified conflict mediator and business developer. Read more

Becky Laramee

Along with her brother, John, Becky bought All Points Limousine in 2008. Their mother had spent time in the motorcoach and travel industry and had retired, but wasn’t quite ready for retirement. Needless to say, mother Bonnie is the office manager. Read more

Brad Gregory

Brad bought a 25-year-old limousine service in 2009 from a retiring owner. The company is located between Nashville, Tenn. and Bowling Green, Ky. He had no previous experience in the industry, working for the past decade for an automotive company. Read more

Georgia Berg

In July 2007, at the age of 44, Georgia became a long-distance business partner with her longtime Australian friend, Peter Smith. They met by chance while vacationing in Hawaii in 1993. During a 2003 visit to the U.S., Smith saw a Ford Excursion limousine and vowed to bring the first one to Australia. Read more

Race Referee

Jim Luff

LCT Contributing Editor Jim Luff is an operator from Bakersfield, Calif. After working as a chauffeur in the early 1990s, he joined The Limousine Scene in 1993 as general manager and later became a partner in the business. Read more

LCT GREAT LIMO RACE GOES LIVE!

A BLOG ABOUT FIVE NEW OPERATORS BUILDING THEIR BUSINESSES
 
Welcome to our blog. At the 2010 International LCT Show in Las Vegas, five operators were selected to be chronicled as they grew their businesses. While technically, neither a race or competition, each operator had less than two years in the industry. One player operates her business in Australia giving the race a global flavor. LCT first introduced and reported about the five contestants in the March/April issue, and already has an update in the works for the June/July issue. This blog will keep race followers informed of developments beyond what's reported in print. 
 
Jumping into the livery industry is a daunting task. Unlike most mom and pop businesses, there are huge investments in vehicles. The vehicles require marketing to a unique segment of society to build sales. There are numerous regulatory agencies to comply with and the ongoing expense of maintaining a fleet of cars as well as managing employees to drive the vehicles. All of this requires planning and executing new programs in training, marketing, accounting, and a host of other things. 
 
Feel free to comment here, ask our players questions, make suggestions and interact with them on this blog. For our first series of posts, I will briefly update you on the players and what is going on in their respective lives. Who knows, they might drop a comment themselves and are welcome to do so.
 
— Jim Luff, LCT Contributing Editor
Print | posted on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 9:41 AM
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