A few years back I wrote about the economic strain that was on the Limousine Industry here in Milwaukee,

WI. Well as of late I have seen the Politicians spinning their questionable statistics and patting themselves on

their backs, saying how all these jobs have been created and how we as a Nation are "On the road to

recovery." If I may use this word...Poppycock! In my opinion things just seem to be getting progressive worse.

Before 2007  we would average at least 20+ phone calls a day for inquiries regarding prices or actual

reservations, now our phones some days seem like they are just shut off. Now I know what  some of you

folks  might be thinking, this has to do with the advancement of technology, and in part this may

be having some effect, but the reality is that Limousines are a Luxury item any way you look at it, and

people just aren't spending money the way they used to. We have seen our market dwindle considerably with

not only the flood of too many Limousine companies for our area, but also with the lack of confidence in the

Grand Old American Dollar. We have been offering hourly Limousine rates and transfers at prices we set years

ago, yet  the prices of fuel have steadily increased, not to mention the cost of Insurance, and the basic costs of

operating a legitimate Limousine Business. With the way things seem to be going Limousines are soon going to

be a thing of the past if things don't turn around. In fact the selection of new Quality Limousines has also

dropped off significantly, I was talking with my Insurance agent and he told me he hasn't seen anyone

purchasing a new Limousine yet this year. Limousines are built by what are known in the Industry as

Coachbuilders, and since 2007 the amount of legitimate manufacturers has dropped, I would estimate at

least 60% maybe even more. I was told by a Coachbuilder from Las Vegas that some Government official from

the State of California just came into his shop one day and slapped them with some huge fine and basically

forced this guy to pull up roots and move his operation out of the State. With all the economic issues going on

in this country this is all they need more Government restrictions. The Economy and the new

Government restrictions and regulations are not the only things hurting the Manufacturing of Limousines, 

with the elimination of Lincoln's rear wheel drive Town Car, and Cadillac's choice of going to a front wheel

drive with the questionable Northstar engine, the only options that are still somewhat viable are the Chrysler

300's which give you the option of a 6 Cylinder or their gas guzzling 8 Cylinder, these are nice looking vehicles

but lack any significant trunk space, which as anyone in the Limousine Industry knows this can be an issue. So

the other option is to spend big money and purchase the SUV type of Limousine or go with a Foreign type of

vehicle like a Mercedes Benz. Then the Question becomes, how can a Limousine owner make back the purchase

price of one of these expensive vehicles let alone make payroll, pay the fuel bills, Insurance, and the huge

ticket prices for repairs of these type of vehicles? The answer is most Owners can't and this is why more and

more Limousine Companies are having their vehicles repossesed and being forced out of business. The only

solution that I have come up with is to operate within my means,  and don't over extend myself to what the

local market can produce, in other words don't focus on being the biggest, but focus on being the best. This

means going that extra mile, and spending more time on the details of perfection, as well as making sure every

client is more than satisfied with their Limousine experience.  I like to Follow up after a client has rented and

acquire any feedback that I can to improve the quality, and make sure that if they ever would need a

Limousine again they will not have to go shopping elsewhere, because hopefully they will remember their last

experience with my service, and this is first and foremost in my personal mission statement, Repeat clients

can save you when the market is weak. If it takes reducing your fleet size to make things more manageable

so be it, greed is a quality I don't want associated with Badger State Limousine Service. When things get

economically strained we have a tendency...Especially in business to forget to about giving, yes that's right I

said it GIVING, Charities suffer the worst when money gets tight, but I believe giving out to others has a way

of coming back, and helping not only your business, but your soul as well. If you think giving a Limousine ride

to a Make-A-Wish child isn't worth your time or helps your bank account then you have never seen the face of

Joy, and let me tell you this, that Joy is worth more than any amount of money in this world. Again I will put

this out there we here at Badger State Limousine Service will not compromise quality or dedication to

customer service no matter what this economy throws our way, and I would encourage all my Brothers and

Sisters in the Limousine Industry to do the same, and don't forget to give a little back to those less fortunate.