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TAXICAB, LIMOUSINE & PARATRANSIT ASSOCIATIONTLPA 2009 OPERATORS OF THE YEAR
2009 Taxicab Large Fleet Operator of the Year - Craig Hughes (left). Craig C. Hughes, CEO of Total Transit of Glendale, Arizona Before owning his own company, Craig admits that he’d only ridden in a taxicab just twice in his life. Nonetheless, in 1984 at the age of 30, he bought a struggling cab company with 15 vehicles. “We almost went broke the first summer in 1984,” he recalls. “We lost $20,000 that summer which was a fortune to me at the time.” But just a few short years after that, in 1990, Craig recalls with pride the day his company moved into a new facility. "The facility was so nice “someone came in and thought it was a law office and they wanted to know if we knew where the cab company was!” Now Craig commands one of the most impressive fleets in the country. Comprised of 550 vehicles, the Toyota Prius now accounts for 100 of those, and Craig has a goal to be 50 percent hybrid within the next year. “We’re very impressed with the vehicle,” says Craig of the Prius, adding that he is keeping meticulous records so that other companies considering a transition to hybrids can make an educated decision before making the move. Born and raised in Blytheville, Arkansas and a graduate of the University of Arkansas, Craig and his wife Chris have raised four children: Alison, Jordan, Jacob and Danielle. Sons Jacob and Jordan work with him at the company. In his personal time he enjoys trips with his wife to the mountains, playing golf, and spending time with his children and grandchildren. Giving back to the community is a core company value at Total Transit. The company sponsors shelters for battered mothers, and works with Governor’s Office of Highway Safety and MADD. The company has also committed to donating a percentage of its profits to charity, and has even taken this to the next level with the recent establishment of the Total Transit Foundation. “Those involvements do tie us closer to our communities and lead to more business, but they also make our communities better places to live,” Craig says. Craig’s first exposure to TLPA was in 1986 at a convention. His advice to members: “If you’re in TLPA you need to get involved,” he says. “They are the nicest group of folks and they’ll share their advice and experiences willingly. The TLPA doesn’t cost me a dime. I get every dollar invested back in the ideas that are shared and the improvements they lead to in our operations. You don’t have to figure this business out alone.” Craig knows the company’s reputation is either enhanced or diminished with every customer interaction. “This is really a simple business,” he says. “You take the calls as efficiently as possible, you send your customers a nice clean cab on time with a nice driver, and you keep doing this over and over all day every day. As simple as this proposition is it’s amazing how difficult it is to execute.” To meet that challenge Craig employs a mix of business practices. He instructs his staff to “hire people that are smarter than you and have them hire people that are smarter than they are. He believes strongly in empowering workers to fix problems on their own without having to run it up the chain of command for approval. He encourages and coaches managers and supervisors to lead “a balanced, meaningful life.” In addition, several years ago he incorporated formal strategic planning with an outside facilitator. The process allows personnel to visualize what they want the company to look like six years into the future, and then to work backward from there to make it happen. “This is our 25th year in business yet it feels like we are a startup,” Craig says. “We think we have an enormous future both in and out of the transportation field. Our management team is up to almost any task so I can’t wait to see how the future unfolds.”
Jeb Corey, Vice President of C&H Taxi in Charleston, West Virginia — With a combination of hard work, new ideas and a healthy sense of humor, Jeb has succeeded in making his company known in the Charleston area for superior service and assistance to the community. C&H Taxi was originally bought and operated by Jeb’s father, Richard. In 2000, and while he was still studying for a degree in Business Administration at West Virginia University, Jeb helped move the company from “pen and paper” to Excel spreadsheets making the company more efficient. After graduating in 2001, Jeb came on board full time at the company. Jeb summarizes his company philosophy as “The Triple Win”, that is, any C&H experience has to be a “win” for the passenger, driver and the company. “If any one of the parties is failing or unhappy then things fall apart,” Jeb says. Innovation—and having fun with new ideas—is also evident in C&H Taxi. The company created its own mascot called Captain Cab which, by Jeb’s own admission, wears “a ridiculous outfit in the company colors but the public loves it. It’s something so funny you can’t help to laugh. It helps make our company more personable.”
For Charleston’s annual “Anything That Floats Race” Jeb and his mechanics used a real taxi and modified it to float. They took third place, and now use the float annually in the race, in parades, and in other local events. To combat drunk driving Jeb came up with the Intoxi-Taxi™ program that provides free transportation to inebriated customers. The only catch is this: “To get the free ride you have to say, ‘Intoxi-Taxi’™,” Jeb says. “It’s a way to spice it up and make it more fun.” The Intoxi-Taxi™ program was so successful that local media have cited it as a reason for significantly lowered counts of drunk driving arrests in the area. “It seems our program really made a difference and potentially even saved lives,” says Jeb. The company also has a Pet Taxi program, suggested first by an employee, allowing low income families to transport their pets to the veterinarian so they can be spayed or neutered. “Really, we’re in the business of serving the community so why not reach out beyond transportation? It has helped us create a better relationship with our community,” he says. Jeb is no stranger to TLPA conventions—his father used to take the whole family to them as a vacation. So his first official TLPA convention attendance as a company owner in 2001 felt like old home week. “I remember meeting Rick Hewett and seeing his operation. I remember checking out all of the trade show booths. I remember seeing people I saw growing up when my father went to the conventions and the family went as a vacation. People like Murray Rosenberg and Jim McLary. It seemed like my father knew everyone and he just kept introducing me to more and more people.” Over the years Jeb regularly served on the Taxicab Steering Committee, and has been on the PAC, Nominating and Paratransit Steering Committees. A past chair of the Youth Committee he has now served on the TLPA board for three years. Looking ahead, Jeb sees numerous goals. In the short term, he’s planning on implementing a computerized dispatch system, something that “should help us to become more efficient and add to our Triple Win philosophy,” he indicated. In the long term, Jeb has an eye toward adding more environmentally friendly vehicles to the fleet such has hybrids or even hydrogen vehicles since Charleston just recently opened its first hydrogen fueling station. But as always, he says his goal is to keep a “community first” attitude in all of the things he does. It’s no wonder that Jeb recently unveiled his new company slogan: “Your Community Cab Company”.
Dean Schuler, CEO of Carey New Orleans — It’s been a while since Dean first moonlighted as a part time limousine driver for weddings in 1976 while attending graduate school for a psychology degree. But the lessons of customer service have stuck with him and helped him to build his company. “Love working with people and knock yourself out providing great customer service,” advises Dean when asked what drives a successful company. “Service is like a personal signature: Get that right, and you can roll with anything else.” A native of Portland, Oregon, Dean’s father was an insurance company executive and his mother a child psychologist. He started Signature Livery in New Orleans in 1994 with one vehicle, a 1977 Moloney 36’ stretch limousine. Signature Livery began working as a Carey associate that same year, and Dean was granted the Carey franchise for the New Orleans, Louisiana region in 1996. The company now has 21 vehicles including sedans, SUVs, limousines, vans and minibuses. He counts “quality, fairness and consistency” among the trademarks of his company’s service. But he’s proudest and most thankful for the people with whom he works. His drivers and staff are like family, he says. “It’s the people who take the journey of business with you that make the difference,” Dean says. “I’ve always been lucky in attracting the right people to work with me.” That philosophy has helped him to retain high quality people, many of whom have been working with him for more than 10 years. Even his former chauffeurs still work part time as coordinators or trackers, or in some cases chauffeur trainers for big events. “We work with talented former personnel to find a way they can contribute. We take pride in longevity like that.” Dean is also vigilant about proper training and quality control. The company’s vice-president for operations is Smith System certified and continues to oversee all aspects of safety training. A well known local guide takes all new drivers on a half day bus tour of the city. All new hires must take a road test with a senior chauffeur, pass a defensive driving course, and attend classroom training on proper chauffeuring. And just to be sure the company’s reputation is upheld Dean has “spotters” to check on the service—a system of checks and balances that incorporates “mystery riders” to evaluate the experience. Background checks are also important. All Carey New Orleans drivers undergo drug testing and an FBI background check, and the company diligently follows up with references for feedback on prior work history. At Carey, New Orleans drivers know where they stand when it comes to policies. Dean ensures that everyone has read and understands detailed policies and procedures, and says the company’s chauffeur evaluation form is “heads and shoulders above most others in the industry.” Dean also says it’s important to give back to the community, and he takes great pleasure in donating time to the Make-A-Wish Foundation which helps make dreams come true for children with life threatening illnesses as well as other charities. “Focusing on charities attracts the right people to your business,” he states. Dean first joined TLPA in 1991 because he “was not getting a clear picture of the chauffeured transportation trade from the other associations I was involved in” . “The TLPA presence in D.C. has made me hyper-aware of the issues facing the ground transportation trade. Being exposed to other forms of transportation has broadened my understanding of the big picture of our profession," he indicates. Some of those issues for his industry these days include the increase of federal regulations, insurance requirements and the state of corporate travel due to the economic downturn. He says he’s thrilled to have been chosen for this year’s award. “It’s a very prestigious award with plenty of high quality competition,” Dean stated. “I’m surprised and delighted!”
Thomas P. Arrighi, President of A & A Metro Transportation, Bridgewater, MA — Started first as Bill’s Taxi in 1952 by his parents Bill and Dorothy, Thomas, born in Brockton, MA, later bought the company in 1987. “After my first year in business I knew I had to expand our lines of service. I decided to buy our first wheelchair van and won a contract to transport school children,” Tom says. His first vehicle was a 1985 Ford E350. The company now has an impressive fleet of almost 100 vehicles, 50 percent of which are ADA accessible, and operates 685,000 passenger trips each year. The fleet is comprised of a mix of lift equipped vans, buses sedans and limousines that serve Boston and the South Shore communities of Massachusetts. A & A now has 130 employees including two human resource professionals and a safety officer.
A weekly employee newsletter offers safety tips, customer compliments and driver recognition. The company’s "High Five" program recognizes one driver each week, voted on by office personnel, who has exemplified the highest standards during the week. The award comes with a $25 bonus, and the driver's name appears in the newsletter. Additionally, a Driver of the Month award, also determined by office vote after a review of customer compliments, is given to the driver who most exemplifies the highest standard of safety, reliability and courteousness. The driver receives a letter of recognition, a $100 bonus and his or her name is published in the newsletter and placed on a plaque in the lobby of the main office. “We feel we are only as strong as our front line employees,” Tom says. “Without them we cannot succeed.”
“There should be no cost put on people’s safety and well being. Drug and alcohol testing to ensure safe paratransit vehicles are a must,” Tom says. Community involvement is a passion for Tom whose services outside of work are numerous. For 20 years he served on the YMCA's Board of Governors in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts. He is an elected member of the Town of Bridgewater's Recreation Department where he served as chairman for 20 years before becoming a general member five years ago. He has also served on the Bridgewater Savings Bank Board of Directors for the past 17 years. Along with the help of his brothers and family, Tom has organized the annual St Thomas Aquinas Charity Golf Tournament for the past eleven years raising a total $150,000. His community involvement was recognized in 2004 when he was named “Citizen of the Year Award” by the Bridgewater Rotary Club. “My involvement in community affairs helps my company as well as myself to remain engaged in the community we serve,” Tom stated.
“From the seminars to the great professionals you meet, people come from across the country to share ideas and experiences,” he says. “Without TLPA it would have been extremely difficult to succeed.” He brings up one story of which he is particularly fond, and one he says exemplifies the quality of the membership of TLPA: “I had a wheelchair accessible bus that was having a problem with the lift about two hours from my garage,” Tom recalls. “I needed a wheelchair van to transport a client from my bus. I called Corky Renzi, a fellow TLPA member and also a TLPA Operator of the Year recipient, and he said ‘no problem.’ He sent a vehicle right over telling me to bring my bus over to his garage so his mechanic could fix it. This is what it means to be a member of TLPA.”
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