Kristina Bouweiri on what the brand means to the business For you to really understand how our company grew so big, you’ll have to understand that when we started we just just five cars and we only had one bus. We saw that there was a trend out there in moving people in groups and we fell into government contracts kind of by accident. We were just in our office one day minding our own business and a guy knocked on the door and literally said. Here’s an RFP for a government contract, would you like to bid on this? And if you win the bid, can I work for you as a driver. And that’s how we got into the government contracting business. So we got our first contract and it was out in Reston at the U.S. Geological Survey and our brand was to buy a brand new bus every time we got a new contract and then hire a fantastic driver because for us, our drivers are our ambassadors. We’re not going to be the ones greeting the customers every day, it’s the great drivers. So the brand was to get a brand new bus, hire a great new driver, close our eyes and then move on to the next contract. And after we got the first government contract we though, well there has to be more of these.†So we subscribed to the Commerce Business Daily and we started bidding on government contracts and because we did a a great job, we won every government contract in the shuttle market for the next five years in Washington D.C. And doing a great job just meant that we answered our phones 24/7, we used brand new equipment, we embraced technology, and today we still do all of those things. We have more technology than anyone in our industry, we have cameras on the buses, we have double GPS, we have a software called TrafficLand we can monitor traffic patterns so when we came onto the market, our competitors were using used equipment, they weren’t answering their
phones after hours, and it was kind of easy to do a better job. And then we just tried to get better and better, and reinvent ourselves along the way.
Kristina Bouweiri on investing in the brand I’m lucky in a way because in my industry we only pay the drivers when they’re working so we haven’t had to cut back and lay people off because they either have work or they don’t. And we’ve been able to maintain a steady stream of drivers. With the government contracts they are paid 40 hours, they do get full fringe benefits. So my industry being a limo/bus mixture has really helped us a lot because they can drive for a government contract in the week, and then on the weekends they can drive a limousine for a brewery tour, wine tour or a wedding. And it has allowed us by diversifying and helping 12 different markets to keep our employees busy. We’ve been able to weather the storm through the recessions and not really lay any of the chauffeurs off. We find you always have to invest in technology if that is your brand and you are trying to stay ahead of your competition.
Kristina Bouweiri on exemplifying the brand promise My situation is a little harder because I have 300 employees and 240 of them are chauffeurs and they are out on the road. So it’s hard for me to touch my employees every single day but some of the things that we do are on Mondays I am in the office all day long and I conduct all
of my meetings on Mondays so all of the managers and department heads do see me on Mondays. During the rest of the week I’m in and out, doing a lot of networking, doing things like this. I’ve been in business 20 years so that now, I kind of do what I enjoy doing, which is mostly the PR and marketing for the company. But my policy with all of those employees is I have an open door policy. On payday I like to be the one handing out paychecks and that’s a great chance to see people because they definitely come in to get their paycheck. I will do it in Virginia and also in Maryland, I have a 2-hour session in the afternoon where I have an open-door policy if anyone wants to come in and talk to me about anything. If one of my employees in Maryland wants to talk to me, I’ll get in the car and driver over to Maryland, as long as they make an appointment, and talk to them if they’re not happy with something. So even though it is a large company and we have a lot of employees, we still treat our employees as if it’s a family-owned small business. We’ve got the best benefits in the industry;; even the chauffeurs get paid sick leave and I think that you’ll find that most transportation companies don’t offer that. We do offer health insurance, matching 401K, paid sick leave, vacation, and we treat everyone as family.
Kristina Bouweiri on creating new markets for the brand I am definitely a wine snob, or I used to be. About 10 years ago, after 9/11, someone said well why don’t you do wine tours of Virginia and I said there’s no way I’m drinking Virginia wine. And then my mom actually had a birthday at a winery, I tried the wine and it was fantastic. So I thought maybe we could make a business out of this. I went with two friends to wine country
and we had a list of nine wineries we were going to go to and we made a pact, we’re not going to drink any of the wine, this is going to be all business. We’re going to go out there and we’re going to make sure all the buses will fit in the parking lot because we have over 100 buses, we only have seven limos. I’m not worried about making the limousines busy on the weekends, they’re doing weddings and all sorts of things, but I wanted my buses to be busy on the weekends. So I had to personally inspect each winery to make sure the bus could fit into the parking lot and I see a lot of my customers out there by the way. So we went out on this journey to visit the nine wineries, we had appointments with the owners, we were going to be asking them for discounts, trying to make this wine tour thing work. Unfortunately, we got horribly lost. This was 10 years ago, cell phones were not working out there very well, most of the wineries were not in my GPS and we tried all the wine and we had a fantastic day. From that experience we created the Virginia wine tours, so today in 2011 we have about 20 buses in wine country every Saturday and every Sunday. You can either go with your own group and hire a vehicle or you can jump on what we call our public wine tour. And that is, we are trying to tap into all those people in DC who don’t have cars we’ll pick you up at the subway and take you out to wine country. You’ll go to two wineries, there’s an optional picnic lunch, and then we bring you home.
A Surprise Twist: What I Learned at Girl Scouts Camp CEO This summer I had the honor of being invited to Girl Scouts Camp CEO by Lidia Soto Harmon, CEO of the Girl Scout organization. Arriving at camp on August 7, 2012.
I joined a group of about 25 Scouts and 10 counselors and staff members at an outdoor amphitheater where a panel of four CEOs was relating their life stories. Following their presentation was a question and answer session. The high level of interest and outgoing nature of the campers struck me. They were taking advantage of every opportunity to learn from the CEOs. At the conclusion of the Inspirational CEO session, we headed to the cafeteria for a class on making and canning salsa. I got to make salsa also! We were taught how to cut safely and mix delicious ingredients, most of them grown at the camp’s garden. After lunch we had three activities, with the first being an inspirational hike through a forest. Each person had his or her name on a piece of paper with string. We were to look for a tree that inspired us, relate why, and then tie our name on the tree. As I walked through the trees I reflected on my life and could not remember the last time I had a relaxing walk through a forest. I made a mental note to start exercising more and to take more time out of my busy schedule to smell the roses! The girls also had great moments of inspiration. I was so impressed with their thoughts, character, and excitement with this exercise. After each girl stopped and told the group what inspired her, the other Scouts would relate the inspiration to a current popular song and the entire group would start singing. I could not believe how well they could sing or how well they were able to relate the inspiration to a song, and I was deeply moved by this experience. Included in the songs were Lean On Me, We Are Family,and You Are So Beautiful. Our next session was creating a piece of art using color and inspirational words, followed by an hour spent with some animals at the nature house. It was hot and muggy and I was excited that our next session involved basket weaving IN THE POOL! We all got into our bathing suits and were taught how to make baskets. I was very impressed with myself that I was able to figure it out and create something in about an hour. Dinner was next and we were served a Thanksgiving-style meal of turkey, potatoes, green beans, and pumpkin pie. You sure have a hearty appetite when trying to keep up with the Girl
Scouts! After dinner the Scouts sang and did some skits. When the girls were excused, the CEOs stayed behind to plot the inspirational track for the next day. Lidia Soto Harmon led the discussion and brought out more snacks and goodies for us. It was incredible meeting the other CEOs. We had Mozella Pademilyui, a poet, writer and storyteller, Angela Avant, Managing Director of KPMG, Natalie Givans, EVP of Booz Allen, Stephanie Linartz, head of Global Marketing for Marriott, and more! On the first day I was hot, bothered, and exhausted, but inspired. I made a mental note that I would never do this again! My cabin was far away and I had to walk half a mile to the bathroom. I was really worried that I was going to be up all night and not be able to sleep. Well, guess what? I slept like a baby. The weather cooled off and there was a nice breeze. Apart from getting up in the middle of the night and not being able to find my glasses or shoes and having to walk to the bathroom with a flashlight, I had a good night. I woke up in the morning energized, excited to be there, and ready to be on my panel of CEOs to inspire the girls. After a great breakfast of French toast, we went back to the amphitheater for our presentation. By the end of my 36 hours at Camp Winona, I decided not only did I want to return in 2013, but also I would like to do this every year. I felt that what I gained from the experience, the girls, and the other CEOs, far surpassed what I was able to give to the group. I was the true winner, walking away from this experience blown away by the courage, confidence, and character of these girls knowing they are going to make the world a better place.
A fortunate meeting with a turnaround expert I am grateful. I have an incredible life and I want to be a better communicator so that I can share some of my incredible experiences!
Recently, I had some amazing experiences. I was invited to lunch with Karen Wayne, CEO of the American Red Cross in Loudoun and Prince William counties. She wanted to introduce me to Bruce Potter, the new Chair of the Board for the American Red Cross. On my way to the lunch I thought. Oh, they want to get me more engaged with the American Red Cross. That wasn’t the case at all! Bruce Potter is a charming man, an entrepreneur, and proven leader. He has just been hired by the new owner of Leesburg Today, Loudoun Business and Loudoun Magazine to turn these three publications around from bankruptcy to profitability. By chance the new owner was in town and Bruce invited him to join us! Richard L. Connor is a publishing mogul having spent 40 years in the business with a career that includes stints at ABC, Disney and dozens of papers. He is a turnaround genius! His strategy is clear. He buys fledgling papers in dynamic areas like Loudoun and turns them around by creating loyalty with his readers and employees. Mr. Connor does this by having his newspapers not only serve the community as a voice of needed change but also by building bridges among its leaders and diverse forces. He has been recognized constantly for his unique brand of media leadership. He has won numerous awards as a columnist and for his editorials and has received a number of honors for his newspapers, community leadership and achievement. He has served on numerous community and industry boards, including two times as a member of the Pulitzer Prize Nominating Committee. It was a fascinating experience to meet this man. He asked a lot of questions and he did a lot of listening. He wanted to hear how I grew Reston Limousine, why I founded Sterling Women. And he was very interested in my client appreciation lunches. By the end of the lunch Mr. Connor was calling me a marketing machine. This was a huge honor coming from him. I can tell we bonded as two business people who think outside the box.
He would like to collaborate on some events and he wants to get more involved in my monthly lunches and annual women’s conference. Several times during lunch he mentioned that he had to get back to the office for another appointment, and finally he told us why he was in a hurry. After noting that he was an old dog that could not learn new tricks but that at the ripe age of 65 he was certain he had the secret to running a successful business. Personality tests and skills assessment tools are these the secrets to a successful business? At this point I was sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what he was going to say! He explained that 10 years prior he had been introduced to a personality test/skills assessment tool. He uses this tool before he hires someone. He also uses this tool if he buys a business. He makes all the employees take the test and he reviews the results. I asked him what he does with the employees he does not think will work out. He said he lets them go! I was fascinated with this story and have heard of pre-employment testing tools before but have never really used them. I found this to be a riveting testimonial. We have followed up and he sent me the name of this tool. I plan to introduce it soon to Reston Limousine!
Vistage meetings open the world of knowledge Friday was my Vistage day. Vistage is a CEO membership organization that blends the power of a peer group with private mentoring sessions led by a seasoned advisor, and fresh ideas
and perspectives from thought leaders around the world. One day a month I take a day off from work and meet with 17 other CEOs for an offsite retreat. In the morning we have an amazing (Harvard MBA quality) speaker. In the afternoon we solve each other’s business problems. It is like having 17 additional brilliant minds working on my business! Our meeting today was held at Inova Loudoun Hospital. One of our members is a physician who runs the emergency room at the hospital. I have enjoyed having doctors as friends. They are extremely helpful when you have a medical emergency (or not!) On our lunch break we were given a tour of the hospital that included a tour of a Cath Lab. We were allowed us to watch a patient’s procedure. The technology was amazing. We were told that most heart attacks and strokes could be treated as soon as the patient is in the ambulance and as long as they get to the hospital in less than 90 minutes, they can generally leave the hospital several days later without any long-term damage. So, today, I am feeling grateful. Grateful that I live in this amazing country. Grateful that I am a business owner who is also a lifelong learner and that I am open to meetings and educational opportunities that have truly broadened my horizons. I am energized and intellectually stimulated by the people I meet. Life is good!