SHAWN ABASPOR

President, CEO

 

Shawn Abaspor is President & CEO of Vitesse Worldwide and a highly respected veteran entrepreneur of successful business ventures. As the founder of several corporate travel management companies, Shawn’s portfolio includes US Limousine Inc (USL), a global chauffeur driven limousine network that provided service in over 600 cities in the USA and worldwide to an unprecedented, loyal and retained corporate Client base that included many Fortune 500 companies.

 

Since childhood, aviation has been Shawn’s passion. An experienced FAA certified commercial pilot in his own right and an insatiable traveler, Shawn’s entrée into the corporate air charter services industry was "a natural". Indeed, the inception of Royal Falcon Air Charter, another of his corporate travel initiatives, stemmed from the encouragement of USL’s elite Clientele who were seeking the same high standard of service and reliability when they chartered aircraft for business trips.

 

Abaspor tries to give of his time in the air, spending the last 14 years volunteering for the Civil Air Patrol, a nonprofit that serves as the official auxiliary of the U.S Air Force. He also volunteers for Angel Flight, a charitable organization run by pilots, that arranges free air transportation for sick people in need to destinations where they can receive their medical treatment.

 

After a quarter of a century of understanding and delivering exclusive services to elite business travelers, Shawn’s vision for Vitesse Worldwide is to deliver a fresh and innovative approach to the world of corporate travel.

ROY BARNES

Sr. VP Operations, East Coast

 

Roy Barnes, Sr. Vice president of Operations East Coast, is a seasoned travel industry professional with four decades of commercial aviation experience.

 

A former senior executive with British Airways, Roy successfully managed the airline’s business operations in major strategic and global markets within Europe, the USA, the Middle East, Latin America and the launch of a new pan-regional Caribbean airline based in Barbados.

 

Roy’s vision for Vitesse Worldwide is to build a customer focused organization yet to be achieved in the corporate travel industry. He and his carefully selected team of skilled professionals are anchored in the details yet dynamic and visionary in their approach to providing superior levels of customer service to their highly valued clients.

JEFF CONLY

Sr. VP Operations, West Coast

 

Jeff Conly possesses more than 20 years of experience working in various areas of the transportation industry, specializing in chauffeured transportation.

 

Jeff has managed ExecuCar Arizona since he took over the reins of ExecuCar in 1990.  Under his leadership, the Phoenix office has developed into the flagship ExecuCar operation featuring the state of Arizona’s largest fleet with more than 140 sedans. This number also represents the seventh-largest fleet nationally.

 

Jeff has solid operational experience in the areas of finance, human resources, customer service and sales strategies along with an extensive understanding of city government/airport regulations as they relate to transportation.

 

He has a particular skill for success with major national annual events both locally and across the country. 

 

Locally Jeff worked closely with high profile clients during the NBA All Star Game 2009 and over the past twelve years has handled all Phoenix Open transportation for Phoenix Thunderbirds, host to this largest attended event on the PGA tour. On a national level, Jeff has coordinated transportation during three recent Super Bowls.

 

Jeff is an active member of the National Limousine Association and regularly serves as an informal consultant to these industry partners.

 

Jeff Conly is renowned industry-wide as a leader in strategic planning for building successful transportation businesses

MARY THOMPSON

VP National Sales

 

Mary Thompson commenced her career in the ground transportation industry over 25 years ago. Her experience includes a wide spectrum of positions initially as owner of Pittsburgh Limousine, Director of Customer Service Worldwide for Carey International, and in sales for Music Express and CLS Transportation in San Francisco.

 

Mary was a member of the World Cup transportation committee in Los Angeles, assisted in the coordination of the ground transportation for numerous Super Bowls, NBA All Star Games, Gold Cup and award shows. Her experience with corporate meetings and events includes high-level board meetings, multiple city events, and large groups. She spent several years as a meeting planner for a non-profit foundation responsible for all aspects of medical educational programs and events.

 

Mary is a past board member of the National Limousine Association and currently serves on the board of directors for the Arizona Chapter of Canine Companions for Independence.

 

Mary values exceptional customer care and the unvarying delivery of premium services. Her vision for Vitesse Worldwide is to expand on an established and proven brand and develop new business for the various services they offer while adhering to the highest level of customer service they deliver.

ANDI GRAY

Business Consultant

 

Andi Gray is President of Strategy Leaders, Inc., a business-consulting firm she launched in 1995. Clients are owners of successful, established, privately held businesses, who are determined to get to the next level of growth, profit, stability and predictability.

 

Andi’s corporate experience included 20-plus years in business development and strategic planning, working for Xerox, American Express, and Contel. Educated in the United States and Europe, in 1994 Andi earned an MBA from the Executive Program at Columbia University, where she conducted 2 years of research on the success drivers for entrepreneurial businesses.

 

Andi has written extensively about entrepreneurship as the foundation for a thriving US economy in the 21st Century. Her Ask Andi column, published weekly in the Westchester County & Fairfield County Business Journals and HV Biz, is a consistent source of practical information for business owners. From 2008 -2010, Andi developed and hosted a Cable Show series: Ask Andi Live. Today, she regularly hosts live Owners Forums where business owners come together to share and learn.

 

Westfair Publications recognized Andi in 2008 as part of their WWOW, Working Women of Westchester awards. In 2009 she earned the Westchester County Association (WCA)'s exclusive APEX Award for Entrepreneurship. In 2010 the Westchester Business Journal named Andi to it's list of the Top 100 People to Watch, Junior Achievement named her their Over-Achiever of the Year, and she earned her second APEX award for Volunteerism related to work on the WCA Call to Action Committee. By 2011, Andi saw her work lead to a 3rd APEX Award when a Strategy Leaders client was recognized as an entrepreneurial successes.

 

Andi was elected to the Board of the Westchester County Association in 2010, and is a member of the Board of the Westchester YMCA, and sits on the YMCA's Finance Committee. Andi is also Chair of the Business Owners Committee of the Columbia Business School Alumni Club of New York., through which she has launched a continuing education series focused on the needs of business owners.