Two small motorcoach operators who took a chance on the future of their businesses by investing in new facilities a little over five years ago have come up winners.
George's Motor Coach of Mableton, Ga., and Executive Coach Inc. of Lancaster, Pa., say the bold moves they made in the late 1990s proved to be just what was needed to help them grow.
Both were being squeezed by overcrowded quarters that were stunting their dreams of becoming bigger and more competitive players in their parts of the country. George's was shoehorned into a single facility that was busting at the seams, while Executive Coach was spread out in three different locations.
"It turned out to be a very good move for us," says Elvin McMichael, president and general manager of Executive Coach, which runs charters throughout North America.
Don George, president of George's, echoes that view, noting he couldn't even fill up his new facility when he moved in, but in the intervening years has added a second story to the building to accommodate company growth.
Initially, the George's facility in the Atlanta suburbs contained 14,000 square feet, including 8,000 square feet housing five service bays, a service pit, an automatic bus wash, a restroom dump and parts room. The remaining 6,000 square feet was for offices, although only about half of it was occupied.
Two and one-half years ago, George's office staff had not only filled the vacant space but needed more room. Constructing a 3,200-square-foot second story over the office area filled the need.
The additional office space was considered necessary because the business was growing. The company expanded its charter service to include cities across the country - Chicago, Detroit and Salt Lake City among them - although its main focus remains on communities along the East Coast.
It also added corporate work to its offerings and started going after more convention shuttle jobs. "We've tried to build our business into a one-stop shop," says George.
To accommodate the new business, the bus fleet was expanded to 40 motorcoaches, transit buses and minibuses from 26; six corporate sedans also were added. The number of employees climbed to 60 from 27.

Hither and yawn
Before moving into its 5,500-square-foot home, Executive Coach ran its office functions from one building, washed its coaches at a second facility and parked them at a third site. "We were doing a lot of running around and needed a place where everything was together," notes McMichael.
To accomplish that, the company built a 5,500-square-foot building that was divided into two sections, one for operations and administrative offices, and the other for servicing coaches. The 4,400-square-foot service area includes two service bays and a wash bay, while the 1,100-square-foot office area is spread over two stories and contains a drivers' lounge and meeting rooms.
Although Executive Coach's fleet has increased the past five years by just two buses to 12, and its staff size remains at about 30, its business has grown substantially. Its main pickup points have been expanded from a single county to four additional counties in Pennsylvania and into Maryland. Also, its charter runs have grown from mostly the East Coast to all points in North America.
"We really need some more buses right now, but we also need the money to buy them," he laughs.
Like just about everyone else in the industry, George's and Executive Coach have felt the affects of the slowed national economy, the Iraq War and the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Yet, both remain optimistic.

Where credit is due
George credits his staff for helping sustain the company. "The people who work for me get the real credit," he says. "It's mainly the people who are in the forefront, from the people who take the calls, continuing through to the person who takes the charter order, and on to the driver. The driver is really the one who sells the company because what a customer sees in the driver is what they see in the image of the company."
To hold onto customers, as well as capture new ones, George has developed a marketing program that includes mailings and telephone calls. George also is pushing to have his company name become even more familiar among existing and potential customers. To help, he's planning special informational gatherings at his offices for his corporate clients and meeting and convention planners. "You get so tied up doing charters every day that you don't get an opportunity to tell your story to the people who should hear it," he says.
At Executive Coach, McMichael created a new marketing position this year to bolster sales. Jim Garman, a long-time industry executive, has been aggressively expanding the company's customer base. "It used to be you waited for the phone to ring and the customers to call," he says. "But now you need to get out there and knock on the doors, and that's just what we're doing."