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www.HartfordBusiness.com • November 5, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 17 EXECUTIVE PROFILE In competitive livery-services industry, Lindsey pairs limo business with tech companies By Sean Teehan steehan@hartfordbusiness.com W orking as a chauffeur is similar to owning your own business without all the headaches, Mi- chael Lindsey says. You generally set your own hours, are by yourself most of the time and the car is essentially your domain. It was the job Lindsey, president and CEO of Lindsey Limousine Worldwide Chauffeured Services, said he was do- ing back in 1987. Lindsey had graduated from Keene State College in New Hampshire the pre- vious year, and was driving for a south- ern New Hampshire livery service as he took classes to become a stock broker. "Literally two weeks after I got my start in stock brokering, and got my li- censes to start that career, Oct. 19, '87 hit, which is referred to as 'Black Mon- day,' and the market crashed around the world," Lindsey said. "You couldn't sell a mutual fund to your mother." A little over three decades later, Lindsey doesn't drive limos — he owns them. In fact, his Windsor-based company is celebrating its 30th anni- versary, and Lindsey also owns several e-commerce and tech companies focused on the chauffeuring business. In hindsight, Lindsey has no regrets regarding his about-face on a Wall- Street career. Turns out there was more mileage to be had driving on the road than brokering on the Street. After the market crash, Lindsey re- turned to his native town in Manches- ter to start a chauffeuring company. "I enjoyed the chauffeuring," Lindsey said. "I looked at it as my party, I was the host; and it was pretty cool." But in Connecticut, limousines are categorized as public transportation, which subjects chauffeur companies to heavy regulations. Lindsey found this out for himself during the year in which he went through the process of seeking ap- proval to start a one-car limo service. Among the most chal- lenging re- quirements of getting the busi- ness up and running was proving to regulators a public "need" for it, Lindsey said. Dur- ing that process, Lindsey said he was introduced to the dirtier side of the business, as prospective competitors came out of the woodwork, appealing to regulators that Lindsey's business would be a detriment. His permit ap- plications were denied at first. But after a final attempt — this time with an attorney representing him — Lindsey received the necessary approv- al to start his company with one white stretch limo he financed through the now-defunct Savings Bank of Manches- ter. He ran it out of a 10-foot by 10-foot office space his father rented to him in a 1920s-era building in Manchester. Lacking the money to advertise his nascent livery business, Lindsey found creative ways to gain exposure. "I was really a guerilla marketer do- ing whatever I could do," Lindsey said. He'd put homemade business card holders with his company contact infor- mation in stores that sold VCRs, reason- ing that people with money to spend on those machines — about $500 at the time — probably had cash to shell out on a limo for a special occasion. He also formed relationships with radio stations, providing a free stretch limo to concert- goers who won tickets from Kiss FM. Those efforts led large national world- wide companies like Empire CLS and Boston Limo to include Lindsey Limou- sine in their network of affiliates. Lindsey became their guy in Connecticut. Tech focus With steady growth, and a shift in focus to corporate services, Lindsey Limousine's fleet now stands at about 50 cars, run out of a Windsor building Lind- sey bought, gutted and refurbished in 2013. And the company's ap- proximately 70 drivers schedule their shifts through Driversched- ule.com, which Lindsey started in 2008 with a scheduling software he developed to keep up with the ever-shifting availability of a grow- ing number of drivers. Lindsey also bought the domain for Airportlimo.com in 2009, which operates as a middleman between chauffeur companies and customers looking for a car. Even with these other businesses in the mix, Lindsey said, the main concern in the livery business is still quality and reli- ability. With the advent of rideshare com- panies like Uber and Lyft, custom- ers increasingly expect on-demand transportation. Gone are the days when requesting a chauffeured vehicle within an hour would be considered a scoff-worthy ask. "I think we were always heading to- ward the instant gratification," Lindsey said. "Thirty years, I've seen it going toward shorter and shorter notice." Michael Lindsey President, CEO, Lindsey Limousine Worldwide Chauffeured Services Highest level of education: Bachelor's in business and marketing, Keene State College, 1986 Executive philosophy: "Never be afraid to roll up your sleeves." Michael Lindsey, founder, president and chief executive of Lindsey Limousine, started the company with one white stretch limousine nearly 30 years ago. $70,000 Fitness Center Vernon, CT SBA Guaranteed $2,100,000 Sports & Recreation Windsor, CT Permanent Mortgage $16,000,000 Office/Retail West Hartford, CT Permanent Mortgage $6,000,000 Medical Center Farmington, CT Construction Mortgage Take a look at Savings Institute Bank & Trust's latest commercial transactions. Our team is thoroughly experienced in all facets of commercial lending – always offering competitive loan rates and terms. Even better, all decisions are made locally, which means that we apply hometown common sense to each and every lending decision. 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