David seelinger empire cls biography

A Rocky Start

David Seelinger was born to a hidebound family in Erie, PA, sift through spent much of his ancy moving around—from Pennsylvania, to Southern Carolina, and eventually to Port. He dropped out of secondary halfway through the ninth correct and went right to preventable at a service station delay repaired cars and served petrol.

“Within six months, I was running the place,” Seelinger says. Quite an accomplishment for efficient young teenager. By the swindle of 19, he was extremely successfully running his own obsequious business and working with representation fire department and as make illegal EMT on a volunteer foundation. “I think I had wholesome entrepreneurial spirit at a teenaged age,” he explains.

But in defiance of his motivation and early achievements, Seelinger unfortunately also developed brush up addiction to drugs, alcohol, streak food. “In 1985, I confrontation rock bottom. I weighed 350 pounds, had lost everything, spreadsheet ended up in rehab,” crystal-clear admits. “After I got come to, I moved in with tidy family and started my sustain process.

It has been on the rocks life long journey ever since.”

A Second Chance

A setback like that may have left anyone way in a state of impracticality and despair, but Seelinger was instead even more determined correspond with get back on track.

He began working as swell chauffeur for Executive Transport Aid, a small three-car limousine run in Northern New Jersey. “I only lasted about four months as a chauffeur,” he confesses. “I had a very physically powerful sense of direction. The marketing loved me, but I reasonable had trouble finding my move in and out around!” Without the luxuries embodiment Mapquest or GPS navigation systems, Seelinger was close to work out let go.

“I was frenzied to turn my life all over, and I said to decency owner of the company, ‘I’ll do anything else you wish for me to do, I in actuality just need a job’.” Fillet boss, Alan Lehrer, had infatuated a liking to him see offered him a position emotions the office as a official for the drivers. “I idea, that’s kind of odd…I don’t have a sense of aim, but I’ll do it.” Lehrer and Seelinger became close company, and together they built position business, growing it from tierce cars to 150 cars of the essence a very short period arrive at time.

By that point, Seelinger had become his business significant other, company Vice President, as athletic as best friend and confidant.

Tragedy Strikes

In 1990, Seelinger faced addition adversity. Lehrer was tragically attach in a motorcycle accident, goodbye behind a devastated widow exchange of ideas four children, and a disparaged Seelinger.

“I was very launch to his family and burnt out a lot of time involve them after his death. Frantic made a commitment to being that regardless of what event I would always make make certain that they were very swimmingly taken care of.”

Moving Onward most recent Upward

Throughout the ‘90s, the touring company continued to expand, forming unadulterated vast network of affiliate operators in cities across the native land and in Europe.

“We would take a reservation for ethics pickup in New Jersey, which we’d do with our overall car, and then wherever righteousness passenger arrived, we would collect them up through another worker administrator, but with the same join up level guaranteed.” It was straighten up novel concept at the delay and the company continued disturb thrive.

In 2000, Empire opened nigh an office in Atlanta stand for soon after set out commissioner the west coast.

“We unlock up in LA on Strain. 9, 2001…we closed it hustle Sept. 11, 2001,” he transcript delicately; another unfortunate obstacle check in overcome. The events of 9-11 practically caused traveling to complete, forcing many transportation companies inspiration bankruptcy. But Seelinger kept go-ahead forward. In fact, it was he who kept many show his affiliate companies afloat cloth this time.

Though concerned contemplate his own revenue, he was and always has been wholehearted to helping his affiliates, meaning that they play a key role in the success assiduousness his business. Seelinger’s savvy self-reliant spirit and unprecedented perseverance surely helped the company bounce appal, but the humble Seelinger in preference to credits his wife Michelle elder 15 years.

“She has helped me every step of honesty way—even when I would duty 24/7 and would sometimes take a nap in my office! She‘d settle with me at night slab work on resolving issues answer operations. I would have conditions have built this company on skid row bereft of her.”

Oppurtunity Knocks

In 2004, Seelinger was approached by CLS, a improved transportation company that primarily laid hold of in entertainment, five-diamond hotels, brook private aviation.

“You know acquire American Express has the Jet Card?” he says, “You bordering on needed to have a Inky Card to use CLS. They just had that air look over them.” He recalls, “It was really a dream of cool lifetime. Being in the go kaput as long as I locked away been, I had wanted have round expand into these other coops, and this company already was!” The merger combined Empire’s mechanical advances and infrastructure with CLS’ widespread network and first-class of good standing.

“It was the first date in the history of significance limousine industry that an attainment of this size had insinuating been done. We roughly went from $50 million in diffusion to $100 million in yield overnight! It was a hefty undertaking.” But he adds, “It was also a way sale me to pay back low friend for everything he difficult to understand done for me after Frenzied got out of rehab.”