will
receive the TLPA 2006 Paratransit & Contracting Operator of the
Year Award.
- Steven
E. Carpenter, Sr., driver of an accessible paratransit van for Yellow
Cab Company of Newark, Inc., Newark, Ohio, will receive the TLPA 2006
Paratransit & Contracting Driver of the Year Award.
- Dick Leshley, Yellow Cab Taxi, Coos Bay, Oregon, will receive the
TLPA 2006 Taxicab Small Fleet Operator of the Year Award.
- Anthony M. Palmeri, President. Yellow Cab of San Diego, San Diego,
California, has been chosen as the TLPA 2006 Taxicab Large Fleet of
the Year.
- George Alva, independent contractor taxicab driver for Greater San
Antonio Transportation Company, dba, Yellow Checker Cab Company, San
Antonio, Texas, will receive the TLPA 2006 Taxicab Driver of the Year
Award.
Following
is additional background on the taxicab award winners.
Dick
Leshley
Shirley
Liberante, Executive Director of the Coos Bay Area Chamber of Commerce,
nominated Dick Leshley for his award. She wrote,
“It
is with great community pride and respect that I nominate Dick Leshley,
owner of Yellow Cab Taxi, for the TLPA 2006 Operator of the Year Award.
Dick
Leshley has been in the industry for over 20 years. Of the many accomplishments
of Coos Bay Yellow Cab, I am most impressed with their enforced Drug
Free policy. Dick not only implemented the policy, but has worked hard
in the community to help other businesses do the same.
Dick
heads up the Drug Free Workplace task force for the Chamber of Commerce.
Dick Leshley gives generously of his time and energy for the betterment
of Oregon's Bay Area and Coos County. I highly recommend Dick Leshley
for this most prestigious award."
Dick
Leshley was born and raised in Oregon. He and his wife, Becky, have
been married for 37 years. They have a grown daughter and son, and have
5 grandchildren, one boy and four girls.
Dick
and Becky moved to Coos Bay in 1984. Dick says, " Coos Bay in the
mid 1980's was in a depression - no jobs were available. I was able
to begin driving for Yellow Cab in March 1985. I took the job until
I could get a " real " job. After a few months, I realize
that I didn't want to do anything else. When the owners of the company
went bankrupt in 1986, we were able to purchase the company. We started
with 2 cars and have been growing ever since." Today the company
operates 20 taxicabs.
When
asked to describe his management philosophy, Dick responded, "I
believe that several things have to happen to manage successfully:
- First
is fiscal responsibility - if you can't pay the bills you have nothing
to manage;
- Second
is to attract and keep quality people;
- Third
is to assess the needs of the community and move quickly to fill those
needs;
- Finally
- education, constantly educate yourself. "
" I graduated from high school in 1965 and had no further formal
education. I quickly realized the extent of my ignorance in running
a business and began looking for help. I found it through our Chamber
of Commerce and the Business Development Center at our local community
college.
We
continue to take advantage of these learning opportunities several times
a year. This benefits our drivers and passengers by instilling a sense
of confidence that our company will do what it says it will do and will
be here tomorrow to try to do it better."
Dick
notes, " My wife, Becky, is my full time partner both in life and
in our company. She is the detail person and lets me think I am the
boss. I couldn't do it without her."
Dick says, "Our company has been a member of TLPA off and on since
the mid 1990's. Like a lot of companies, if we had the money when it
was renewal time we paid, if not, we renewed the next year.
This
all changed in 2003 when I attended the Annual Meeting in Reno. I looked
around and could not believe my eyes! Here were professionals involved
in my industry. I listened and learned that their challenges were my
challenges. Since that 2003 meeting in Reno, I have been a regular attendee
to nearly all TLPA meetings.
Since
that 2003 meeting in Reno, our ride count has increased 50%; our turnover
has decreased 50%, and our bottom line has increased substantially.
I currently serve on the Taxicab Steering Committee. If you are a taxicab
operator join TLPA. If you are a member of TLPA come to the meetings.
It will be the best investment you will ever make! "
The
list of community organizations that Dick belongs to is very long and
includes:
- the
Bay Area Chamber of Commerce,
- the
Coos County Public Transit Advisory Board, and
- the
Bay Area Rotary Club (he is President-Elect for 2007/2008).
Dick
says, " This involvement has helped our business in two ways:
- one
- it has helped to alert us to the changing needs of our community,
- two
- it has put a face to our company. "
In his spare time, Dick likes to read, spend time with his family and
collect taxi memorabilia. He stated, " To be awarded the 2006 TLPA
Small Fleet Taxicab Operator of the Year award is just incredible! We
are gratified to have our work recognized by our peers. We are excited
to bring this award home to the people that really deserve it - our
employees, drivers, and clients. We are also humbled by the responsibility
to continue and improve on the activities that lead to this honor. "
Anthony
Palmeri
In
her letter nominating Anthony for his award, Sharon Geraty, Vice President
of Yellow Cab wrote:
"In
2004, Anthony Palmeri returned to Yellow Cab of San Diego, (where he
previously served as Operation Manager, Vice President and General Manager)
after a seven year hiatus spent in Los Angeles as President of Taxi
Systems, Inc. This time around he was going to do things differently.
This time it was personal.
Anthony
and his partners had a vision. They wanted to streamline and convert
a company consisting of a taxicab leasing division, a limousine division
and a Paratransit division into an owner operated cooperative which
would theoretically come back and lease the services of a newly developed
lean and mean service company. This company's sole focus was to provide
administrative functions, radio and dispatch service and marketing.
In
the short time frame of less than a year, Anthony succeeded in enacting
this business model by selling the Paratransit and limousine divisions,
and converting and transferring the 310 fleet owned vehicles and permits
and the 207 airport permits to independent shareholders.
In
his spare time, he oversaw the:
- removal
of several very large underground storage tanks;
- moved
Yellow Cab of San Diego's entire operations to a new location;
- upgraded
all the Mobile Data terminals in every taxicab; and
- upgraded
the company's radio towers.
The
above mentioned undertakings are but a mere example of the many accomplishments
Anthony Palmeri has achieved throughout his twenty-three year career
as a taxicab operator and seriously illustrate why he deserves to be
recognized as Operator of the Year."
Anthony
was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Anthony says, "My father
and mother owned a chain of paint and hardware stores in Brooklyn. From
a very early age, I worked every weekend and all my summers in their
stores until I went away to college. That working experience was equivalent
to an MBA degree from Wharton School of Business."
After
attending the University of Pittsburgh, he spent 4 years in the U.S.
Navy including two tours to Vietnam. When Anthony was in the Navy stationed
in San Diego, he met and married his wife, Barbara. Anthony notes, "
I also had the opportunity to meet a gentleman named Don Swortwood in
the early 1980's and in 1983 he asked me to join his team at Yellow
Cab of San Diego and learn the taxicab business.
In
1989, I was promoted to VP and GM and operated Yellow Cab of San Diego
as if it was my own business. I was not born into the taxi business
like many people I know, but it is definitely in my blood. Most people
can't wait to reach a certain age and retire. I honestly enjoy this
business and the challenges associated with it and have no vision of
moving on to the golden years. "
Anthony
declares, "Outstanding management comes from dedicated intelligent
people. My basic philosophy is to surround my self with excellent people
that compliment my weaknesses. That is why in Los Angles I had Bill
Rouse and Kia Tehrany and in San Diego I have Sharon Geraty and Akbar
Majid.
One
of the keys to this company's success is the term "small staff".
Everyone is cross trained and nobody, including myself, is above doing
even the smallest task like answering the phones.
I
know that Yellow Cab of San Diego is the number one taxicab company
in this city, and, just as in sports, staying number one is always harder
than becoming number one. My goal is to never give up that number one
position."
Anthony
attended his first TLPA Annual Convention & Trade Show in 1986.
He served as the association president in 1998 and will be the Treasurer
in 2007. Anthony and Barbara have four children: Madelyn, Anthony, Matthew
and Michael, two grandchildren: Alyssa and Brandon, and a new granddaughter
named Isabella due in November.
For
hobbies, Anthony enjoys playing the stock market, fishing and boating,
but mostly he just loves being with his family. He says, " As I
get older I enjoy being around my grandchildren as they definitely have
a calming effect on me."
Asked
his reaction to receiving this award, Anthony stated, "Of course
I am deeply honored to receive from my peers this award of recognition.
We all have personal families that we love and I am so proud to say
that I truly love my extended family, which, of course, is the TLPA.
Most importantly I must thank, with all my heart, my close friend Mitch
Rouse for giving me the opportunity to own part of this company and
for sharing his knowledge so openly with people he trusts."
George
Alva
The
impressive package submitted by Mike Barnard, President & General
Manager of Greater San Antonio Transportation Company (GSATC), nominating
George for his award listed 17 major accomplishments and contributions
George has made to the company generating significant improvements in
customer service and company procedures.
He
wrote, " Most recently, George was appointed by the San Antonio
City Council to serve as a voting member on the city's Transportation
Advisory Board."
George
Alva was born in San Antonio, Texas. When he was six years old, his
mother began working for the original Checker Cab Company. After graduation
from high school, he worked intermittently for Checker as a driver,
call taker, dispatcher and inspector.
George
left the company to join the U.S. Navy and served a 4 year tour of duty.
He says, '" They kept their promise to show me the world. I became
a Shellback (Equator crossing), Blue Nose (Arctic Circle crossing),
and member of the Order of the Ditch (Panama Canal crossing)."
Upon
return to civilian life, George held a variety of jobs. In 1998 he left
a position where he was the Training Supervisor and decided he would
drive a cab until something else came along. George states, "Nothing
else came along but I'm not complaining. This business gets in your
blood and nothing else seems as exciting or challenging.
Driving
a cab is not a job for a lazy, unmotivated person. You have to hustle
for every dollar. It"s as nerve racking as it is exciting and rewarding.
And, I enjoy the freedom that comes with driving a cab. The scenery
changes every few minutes and I learn something from everyone I meet
in my cab. There are times when I get to touch people's lives in what
I hope is a positive way."
When
asked what he liked about working for GSATC, George responded, "I
have seen the other side of the coin. I have seen paper tab dispatching,
greasy shade tree mechanics plus graft and corruption. Those were the
old days that I hope will never make a comeback.
What
I like about GSATC is the professional, positive appearance, attitude
and outlook of the company. The technology is hi-tech which makes my
job easier. Management actively strives to make this Yellow Checker
Cab Company the BEST in the country! And, management allows me to personally
participate and contribute in achieving this goal."
George's
interesting experiences driving a taxicab include, " A couple of
years ago a local news anchor rode with me for two days taping a confessions
type of scenario for her morning show. Fortunately, everyone kept it
G-rated. My cab and I made a couple of incredibly brief appearances
in the movie Miss Congeniality. Meeting Sir Michael Caine, Candice Bergen,
Benjamin Bratt and Sandra Bullock was a highlight of my taxi career."
George
lists the qualities of a good taxicab driver:
- Motivation,
- Intelligence,
- Wisdom,
- Firmness,
- Sense
of humor,
- Street
knowledge,
- Good
grooming and Hygiene habits,
- Good
communication skills,
- Respect
for self and others, and
- A
friendly, cheerful attitude.
George said that since he began driving a taxicab the key changes he
has seen are:
- improvements
in technology,
- better
vehicles and better maintenance,
- drivers'
personal pride in grooming and appearance,
- better
attitudes, quicker response time to calls,
- less
down time,
- continuing
training programs, and
- driver
certifications.
George
notes, "My interests are history, science, religion, trivia, some
sports, politics, music and my extensive collection of taxi memorabilia.
In my spare time I'm an actor in a murder mystery dinner theater troupe.
I sing and play guitar and have so far written one country love song.
The only two things that stand between me and a recording contract are
my singing and my playing."
George
has two adult sons, Alan and Tim, and a younger sister, Laura. He met
his wife, Rachel in 2001 when she worked for Yellow Checker Cab in charge
of the Lost & Found Department. They were wed in July 2005.
George's
reaction to winning this award is the following: "There are few
things that are as fulfilling as recognition of one's efforts and accomplishments.
I am overwhelmed, surprised and ecstatic. I'm very proud to be the recipient
of such a prestigious award. I am grateful to the people who run the
company I work with for giving me the opportunity to excel. By no means
am I the only driver within this company that should have been considered
for this award. Others have contributed to the advancement of company
goals and the overall improvement in the local taxi industry. They,
too, deserve recognition. I thank them, company management, staff and
every driver that willingly and generously gave of their time to help
me every time I asked them to participate in any community project."
Harold
Morgan, TLPA Director of Research & Education, submitted this article.