BELLE CHASSE, La. — Belle Chasse-based American Safety has acquired Baton Rouge’s Dixieland Tours, adding 21 charter buses to its fleet and expanding its footprint in the hospitality and tourism transportation market.
The purchase brings American Safety’s regional fleet to more than 400 vehicles, positioning the company among the largest privately owned transportation carriers in the United States.
Founded in 2019, American Safety operates across Louisiana, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia, with plans to expand further along the Gulf Coast. The minority-owned company provides transportation and logistics services to clients in the industrial, environmental, disaster relief and hospitality sectors.
Company President and CEO Corey Rosales said the acquisition reflects continued growth driven by customer demand.
“We have grown quickly as a company because we listen and respond to the needs of our clients,” Rosales said. “Adding new services and equipment allows us to be a one-stop-shop partner. Expanding our transportation solutions across the region created an opportunity to serve a new client base with our existing fleet of buses, motor coaches, shuttles and black cars.”
The move follows American Safety’s 2024 acquisition of New Orleans Tours and broadens its service offerings for events including weddings, conventions, sporting events and industrial transportation.
Super Bowl vendor
The company recently served as a preferred vendor for Super Bowl LIX, transporting more than 10,000 media members and VIPs, including teams and their families. Earlier this year, it was named the official transportation partner of the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans. In 2025, American Safety ranked No. 2 on the LSU 100 list of fastest-growing businesses owned or led by a Louisiana State University graduate.
Dixieland Tours was purchased in 1995 by the late Norman Augusta Jr. as part of an effort to diversify his company, American International Travel Inc. The business later merged with Travel New Orleans, a tour operator specializing in travel to the New Orleans area.
Lori Guyton assumed day-to-day leadership of Dixieland Tours in 2010, and her brother, Norman “Bubbie” Augusta III, joined as director of operations in 2013. The company received the United Motorcoach Association’s Vision Award for Large Fleet Operator of the Year in 2019.
With no next-generation family successors prepared to assume ownership, the Augusta family began exploring options for the company’s future.
“We were looking for a path in which Dixieland Tours could continue its dedication to its customers and employees in South Louisiana in the same fashion we have for the last 30 years,” Guiton said. “We feel fortunate to have found that with the vision and dedication of Corey Rosales and American Safety.”
Rosales said no changes are planned for current Dixieland employees or clients. Existing leadership will remain in place, he said, with access to American Safety’s broader fleet and operational resources.
