Local Entrepreneur Seeks Niche in the Chauffeur Business

By Alan Cooper

On February 10, 2009, South Carolina passed into law stricter rules and penalties for DUI (driving under the influence of alcohol).  The move, which finally aligns our laws with those of other states, lowers the acceptable blood alcohol content (BAC) from .1 to .08.

One company that will most likely benefit from this new legislation is Imperial Transportation Service (ITS), owned by local entrepreneur, Laddie Howard.   Howard grew up in South Carolina, went to college in Orangeburg and received his law degree from the University of South Carolina.   After working for a number of years for the Association of Counties and as a lobbyist, he decided to enter the world of entrepreneurship and ten years ago started his own governmental affairs practice.  Last May, he founded ITS.

But allowing people to avoid steep penalties and the embarrassment of 24 hours in jail is not the reason why Howard started ITS.  The core business of ITS is executive transportation, and came about as a result of conversations with local business owners and executives who expressed dissatisfaction with the existing options for transportation, and in particular, taxis.  Ground transportation for the regular business traveler in Columbia was a market that was simply not being served.
 
Before starting the business, I also talked to the local hotels and none of them were committed to using any one particular company for transportation services.  To me, that also indicated that there was an opportunity in the market, says Howard. 

When people hear about a limousine service, they think of stretch limos – very long cars that stick out like a Hummer or a Cadillac.  That is NOT what we do.  The people who use our services are not interested in drawing attention to themselves, in fact, it’s the opposite.  They seek a high level of service, and most importantly, discretion in their transportation and business dealings.  That’s what we offer.  Our primary focus is service.

The cars that ITS uses such as the Lincoln and the Yukon Denali offer an additional 6 inches in the back, and while that may not sound like a lot, they make a big difference in terms of comfort.  These vehicles are tailor made for chauffeuring. 

Consider the advantages of a night out on the town with a few of your friends without having to ask your spouse half way through the evening, You’re driving, right?  For $75 plus gratuity, between 6 pm and 11 pm, ITS will pick you and your friends up, take to you to dinner, have a car waiting for you at an appointed time, and drive you home.

Whether you are out on the town to close a deal or just to have some comaraderie with friends, when you factor all that’s at stake, why take the risk, especially when you have a service such as ours here in town, says Howard. I would love to have people use our transportation services as part of their regular course of business here in town, but the change in the DUI laws certainly highlights a need to be smart about getting behind the wheel after you have been our for dinner and drinks.

The key strategic growth area for the company is corporate memberships where companies pay a monthly fee for transportation services similar to how they might pay for a private jet.  ITS will coordinate all of their local transportation needs. 

When you think of all that a business traveler has to go through in this country post 911, it just makes good sense to outsource your transportation needs.  You don’t have to leave a couple of hours in advance to get to the airport, park the car, and take a shuttle  You don’t have to worry about the risk involved with driving clients.  You don’t have to plan around the schedule of an employee.

Howard hires only professional, local people such retired teachers, former military and local actors, people who understand the value proposition: be courteous, be prompt, and be discreet. 

Another unique side venture of ITS that is generating a lot of buzz locally started up as a result of gridlock traffic in and around Williams Bryce Stadium.  It’s called Gridiron Transportation.  When Howard realized that clients that he was chauffeuring in and out of stadiums spent most of their time sitting in traffic, he came up with a solution: a fleet of limo golf carts. 

Our clients were not happy because they couldn’t get into the stadium and my comptroller wasn’t happy because our cars were tied up for hours in traffic.  We decided to pick people up at their homes or hotels with our Lincoln, drive them to a pre-designated spot around the stadium, put them into the golf cart and whiz them around all the traffic right up to the stadium doors.  After the game, we reverse the process.  Our clients love it, says Howard. 

The best way to learn more about the company, to check out rates and policies, and read background information about the chauffeurs is the website:  www.itslion.com.  You can also make reservations for any of ITS’s services. 

Howard hopes to grow the business to where he will have what is widely considered to be a pretty standard definition of a fleet:  8-12 cars.  He may also take the business model to other cities, but for the moment he realizes that success in Columbia will not come overnight and will involve a whole lot of work. 

Chauffeur services are prevalent in larger towns, but the market here is Columbia is unconditioned to the availability of such a classy level of transportation. 

I want to grow my fleet responsibly.  One silver lining to the economic downturn is it forces you to be responsible and build your business based on what you produce.  Good advice for all entrepreneurs!

Call ITS so you can avoid a BAC of over .08, a DUI and a night in the CAN.