NLA News -

Can someone please post NLA news here for us? Because Limos.com is no longer an NLA member, we have been out of communication with them and don't get updates with their activities.

I would appreciate it if someone could post any news that this organization disseminates.

If anyone wants to undertake this task, please post in objective fashion FIRST. Then, if there are comments (Positive or Negative) please follow-up with that post.

I know we should renew our membership to keep abreast of the NLA events however, I don't want to renew soley for this reason.

Thanks!

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Aside from "NLA news" being an oxymoron, remember the old saw that "no news is good news." Seriously, what do you expect?

James H. Joseph
Pegasus Chauffeured Motor Cars
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
jhj@pegasus-pittsburgh.com

Jim,

"News" like the "new" insurance program that is being offered which one member claims isn't exclusive or special at all.

Content in the LimoScene as well. We no longer get this information made available to us so we cannot put it here for comment.

Michael

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Mike,
You can have my copy of limouzine, I have no use for it.

I would be happy to pass on news concerning the NLA. I did have a topic on the Form "Ask John" had fifty lookers but no questions asked.

We will be having our NLA board meeting in DC on May 7-8. The meeting is open to all members. The major topics will be the LCT contract, the Certification program. I am now the chair of the Vendor Liason commitee. I have a very good team who's job is to help our membership settled disputes with vendors or between members.

I will be checking in daily for any questions, and I will be posting updates.

John Sinibaldi
NLA Board Member

John,

Thanks for checking-in and providing the updates.

I am just looking for someone to come here to objectively post the "happenings" such as you described below.

Thanks!

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The NLA Board had their meetings in DC on May 5-8.

We spent two days on the hill meeting members of Congress and the Senate. Our cases were made on the Gas Gussler Tax and on the problems many members are having with Interstate commerce.We were received very well.

Allen Melton has retired from the Limousine industry. His replacement on the Board will be Tim Rose. He had the next highest votes from the East.

The Board voted to sign a three year show contract with LCT.

Our Financial report was given by Jim Seelinger. The books show our revenue is down with a lost in the first quarter of 83K. The board discussed several measures to cut costs and to increase membership and attract other revenue sources.

The Board did vote to table the Certification program. The program has produced a lost to the NLA in the amount of 33K. I was one of the charter companies on this program, but I voted to table the program because I did not want to see the NLA continue to absorb losses on this program.

The certification Board will have to look at this program to resolve the financial problems.

I would be happy to answer any questions.

John Sinibaldi
NLA Board Member

I see alot of comments about getting national industry news, none of you guys must belong to the TLPA, their news is precise and put out quickly. They also seem to have a real good representation on their sedan & limo committee, and that division is growing. It also seems like many NLA members are joing the TLPA.

This is another installment in "the more things change the more they stay the same." According to one version of the February Board meeting in Las Vegas, minutes of all board meetings would be posted on the NLA web site. Anybody seen any such minutes. Note that the effort last year to get the financial information resulted in posting the 1999 financial report in a most useless form on the NLA web site. Where is the 2000 report? And is anybody surprised that NLA is going broke providing almost nothing to its members? I said it before, and I'll say it again - trade associations are no different that any other business. If they don't have a viable product or service, they'll end up on the dustbin of history. Now, about the NALA, the "North American Limousine Association," - stay tuned.
Can you imagine that NLA is so married to certification that it intends to go down with that leaky ship?
Is it me, or has nothing changed at NLA. New faces, same agenda - same illegal meetings, same crap. This association cannot be saved, and, more importantly, is not worth saving.

James H. Joseph
Pegasus Chauffeured Motor Cars
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
jhj@pegasus-pittsburgh.com

Send money to support Washington rep's helping the NLA. First influx of money goes to Torecelli, oop's!

As two of us NLA/TLPA members were chewing the rag today, we were just wondering how come you don't hear didely about the Department of Labor problem from the NLA?
Lets keep concentrating on the gas guzzler tax!!

Thats the news from the NLA. Seems like every piece of paper I receive has something to do with sending the NLA $$$$$. Let's see - send me $500
for a tea party for some guy named Blount - signed
Love Scott Solombrino. Come fly to Atlanta, spend the day, rent a room, pay the NLA $60.00 for the
privilege of hearing the same old bulls**t. Come to Boca Raton and really spend the big bucks. Your membership is up, send money (I did like a fool - one last chance - one more year then bye, bye).

You wonder why the small operator is not represented by NLA - he can't afford it. Every function, every meeting, etc... comes with a price tag. SMALL GUYS CAN'T AFFORD TO PLAY. So unfortunately what you wind up with is a playground for the large companies and the guys with the big bucks.

Why is the gas guzzler still being pushed as a major item. Small operator buys one or two cars and is impacted by $2,000 - $3,000 gas guzzler hit. To big companies that are calling the NLA shots, and turning their fleets, it means 10's of thousands of dollars saved. Who realy makes out if the gas guzzler goes away, the little guy or the big guy?

You hear nothing from the NLA on the item mentioned previously in regards to the Department of Labor and the potential impact their investigations and reviews may have on this industry. The gas guzzler is obviously more important than the survival of the operators.

As was stated before - the names changed, the faces changed, but the bulls**t still continues.