Spring Newsletter - Greater New Jersey Motorcoach Association

Greater New Jersey
Motorcoach Association
GNJMA Officers and
Board of Directors
GNJMA Spring Association Meeting
and Awards Luncheon
*not in photo
Officers
President, Tim Stout
Stout’s Transportation
Vice President, Tom Taylor
Lakeland Bus Lines
Secretary, David Benedict
David Tours & Travel
Co-Treasurer, Joseph P. Fernandez*
Co-Treasurer, John Gillispie,
Starr Tours
Executive Director, Pattie Cowley
Board of Directors
Thomas Dugan, Jr., Safety Bus
Scott Henry*, Martz Lines
Thomas JeBran, Trans-Bridge Lines
Nate Karp, Greyhound Lines, Inc.
Wayne Klein, Klein’s Bus Service, Inc.
James Murphy, Saddle River Tours
Mark Waterhouse, Classic Tours
Michelle Petelicki, Panorama Tours
Meg Lewis*, Resorts Casino
Dave Schmidt, Prevost
Legal Counsel, Jerry A. Casser
GNJMA Takes
on CDL Testing
Concerns on Behalf
of the Membership
A meeting was held with the leaders
of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle
Commission (NJMVC) on April 14th in
Trenton. The meeting was requested by
the Association in response to the growing
problems regarding CDL testing for our
members in NJ and the industry overall.
Approximately 100 members attended the Spring Association meeting
on March 15th at Bally’s in Atlantic City. The agenda included an
update from Association President Tim Stout, the 17th Annual
Motorcoach Professional Awards and a panel discussion regarding
national industry issues with Presidents Peter Pantuso of the
American Bus Association (ABA) and Victor Parra of the
United Motorcoach Association (UMA).
Tim Stout welcomed the members and invited guests.
He thanked Allan Doerr and his staff at Bally’s for
hosting the event. Tim shared information on challenges
and opportunities that the board has
been busy addressing on behalf of the
membership.
He thanked Victor and Peter for
speaking at the event to educate the
membership on national industry
issues. He also reminded the attendees
to consider attending Capitol Hill
Days and the Fly-In hosted by ABA
and UMA in Washington DC (held in
April and May). Tim introduced Pattie
Cowley as the new Executive Director. She took over this role effective January 1, 2016.
More photos of the Meeting and Award Winners continued inside
These issues were outlined in a letter to
Blaine Steen on January 28th.
Attendees from GNJMA were Tim
Stout, Joe Simonetta, Tom Dugan, Alan
Glickman and Pattie Cowley. Attendees
from NJMVC were Ray Martinez,
Chair and Chief Administrator, Jim
Ferguson, Director, Robert Grill, Deputy
Administer, Jeanne Ashmore, Deputy
Chief Administrator & Blaine Steen,
Coordinator.
Members of the NJMVC shared
information on test changes mandated
by the FMCSA, testing failure rates,
test sites alternates including mobile
units, concerns regarding duplicate test
bookings (resulting in no shows) and
lack of driver preparedness.
The group discussed potention solutions
which included having a primary point of
contact for mitigating long delays in test
dates, driver training and engaging the
national associations (ABA and UMA) to
address federal test requirements.
Blaine Steen will be our point of contact
with testing issues. He said we will do
everything possible to get testing date
help for our members. Pattie Cowley will
be our primary contact with NJMVC.
Note, batch testing is preferred and most
advantageous to getting a quicker testing
date via Blaine. For example, 10-15
appointments per location. n
GNJMA Welcomes New Executive Director & New Members
Patricia Cowley
has been appointed
the new Executive
Director for the
Greater New
Jersey Motorcoach
Association
(GNJMA) effective
January 1, 2016.
Pattie has been involved in the related
activities of the bus industry since the
early 1990s. She worked for a commercial
insurer managing transportation clients
throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and
the Midwest. She also helped develop
Motorcoach Partners with Integrity
(MPI), an industry peer group, in which
she serves as the group’s facilitator.
“During my involvement with MPI,
I facilitated all aspects of group
management and developed several
cooperative purchasing programs for the
group, including the purchase of fuel and
other supplies. From an educational value
perspective, I have organized events for
our members’ and the owners.”
As Executive Director of GNJMA, which
represents some 50+ motorcoach operators
throughout the Garden State, Pattie will
work with motorcoach operators and
owners on matters of collective interest
throughout the state including working
with industry associations, local, state
and federal agencies, legislators, vendors,
attractions and destinations.
NEW MEMBERS
McGee Towing
Marty McGee, 201-935-0425
AMBEST Davis Travel Centers
Sylvia Jackson, 434-594-4810
M&S Parking Fund
Anthony Terranova, 732-219-8611
Broadway Elite Tours, Inc.
d/b/a/ Passaic Valley Coaches
Jason Sharenow, 973-635-2374
“My initial primary goals are to increase
awareness of the value of the association to
New Jersey-based operators and to enhance
some of the existing programs and processes
for the benefits of the members, including
working closer with motorcoach associations
in neighboring states on collective issues,”
Pattie added.
Perfect Body Company
Joseph Patella, 201-868-8994
She also looks forward to recruiting
additional members and enhancing
communications to improve the overall
value of membership. n
Executive Coach
Dale McMichael, 717-464-2767
Visit Lebanon Valley
Laura Putt, 717-454-7762
Krapf Coaches
Gary Krapf, 610-594-2664
Motorcoach Tire Sales
Karen Glisson, 706-321-8133
Wolfington Bus
Al Dellinger, 609-267-0763
GNJMA Spring Association Meeting and Awards Luncheon
www.gnjma.com
The 17th Annual Motorcoach Professional Awards
The Professional Award allows companies
to recognize drivers as well as motorcoach
professionals in their organization who
have been employed with them for more
than 5 years and demonstrate excellence
and professionalism in the industry.
This year there was a record 13 recipients.
These fine professionals were honored at
the GNJMA Spring Association Meeting
held on March 15th at Bally’s. The
recipients received watches and plaques.
In addition, our casino partners offered
vouchers for overnight accommodations
for each. Congratulations to all the award
recipients! You exemplify the best in our
industry. n
New Member Benefit!
M&S Parking’s Summons Management
Program is designed to reduce our
client’s cost from NYC parking tickets.
It will also minimize their interaction
with the Department of Finance so
they can focus on what’s importantthe success of their business. M&S
has over 45 years of experience in
successfully contesting NYC parking
tickets. GNJMA Member Savings:
13% discount.
Meeting with South
Jersey Transportation
Authority Yields Better
Communication
A meeting with the new leadership
at the SJTA in March opened up the
dialogue on how to work together to
mutually beneficial changes. A wish
list was compiled from the ad-hoc
committee. This list was submitted
to the SJTA ahead of their scheduled
review of the Bus Regulations on
April 15th. We are looking to have
a follow-up meeting to continue the
dialogue. Members of the ad-hoc are
Tim Stout, Nate Karp, Tom Taylor,
Mark Waterhouse and Pattie Cowley.
Stay tuned for updates in upcoming
email communications. n
Not in photo Chudzik & Salemme
This year’s recipients are:
Randy St. Hill, A. Yankee Line
David Barnes, Classic Tours
Patricia Ingram, DeCamp Bus
Jerome D. Thompson, Greyhound Lines
Jose Lopez, Lakeland Bus Lines
Joseph Chudzik, Panorama Tours
Jose Perez, Panorama Tours
Roland Rich, Peter Pan Bus Lines
Guisepa Salemme, Saddle River Tours
Hank Lyde, Starr Transit Co.
Susan Ziegler, Stout’s Transportation
Luis Morocho, Suburban Transit/Coach USA
Deke Reichard , Trans-Bridge Lines
Potential Union Rail Stoppage Sparks Opportunity
for Association Members with NJ Transit
We submitted a request to NJ Transit sharing our collective interest in bidding on
transportation services with the potential NJ Transit strike. We were notified that we were
determined ‘qualified’ to provide fixed-route motor coach ground transportation services
in direct response to emergent situations, which include any event, man-made or natural,
that interferes with or otherwise disrupts NJ Transit’s operations. Although the strike was
avoided at the 11th hour, the Association was still awarded $187,500 for the cancelled
contract. This opportunity was open to all members via email communication from our
Executive Director. Therefore, please stay tuned in to future communications you receive! n
SAVE THE DATE!
Be Sure To Attend Our Fall Events!
Wednesday, October 26th:
• Golf at Atlantic City Country Club, 10am Tee Time
• Meet & Mingle, 7-9pm at Harrah’s
Thursday, October 27th:
• Group Leader Marketplace 10-1pm
• Luncheon Meeting, 1pm
(includes Mini-Marketplace during) at Harrah’s
Please Be Sure to Pre-register!
• Registration forms can be found at www.gnjma.com
• Contact Pattie Cowley, Executive Director
Email: pcowley@gnjma.com or call 908-835-0935 x105
Association Contact Information
Greater New Jersey Motorcoach Association
Executive Director Office
PO Box 186, Washington, NJ 07882
908-835-0935 x105 • pcowley@gnjma.com
www.gnjma.com
Special Thanks To Our Platinum, Gold and Silver Sponsors!
An appreciation dinner was held for our sponsors at Steve & Cookie’s in Margate City on March 14th.
A special thanks to Tom Dugan for organizing this special evening.
Platinum
Gold
Silver
Refer-A-Member and Get 50% Off of Your Membership!
Do you know a fellow Motorcoach operator who may benefit from joining our Association? Refer-a-member, and if they join, you will get your membership dues for 2016-2017 discounted by 50%!