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Bernie Rotundo, left, and John Webb, co-owners of Webb Transportation Services in Danvers, stand near one of their limousines at their new location on Newbury Street. Ken Yuszkus

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February 15, 2012

Danvers limousine service expands to new location

By Ethan Forman Staff writer The Salem News Wed Feb 15, 2012, 05:00 AM EST

DANVERS — John Webb, a Danvers selectman from 1978 to 1987, came before his former board last month seeking permission to transfer his private limo service from Prince Street to a new space on Route 1.

It's a sign that Webb Transportation Services is on the move. It now occupies a large space to one side and in back of Detour Cars at 241 Newbury St., in a building that once housed a Hyundai dealership. The old space was good, Webb said, but it was too low to accommodate the company's minibuses and lacked an automobile lift.

While there are plenty of similar businesses on the North Shore, Webb said he and his partner, Bernie Rotundo, have seen a healthy 20 to 30 percent growth rate since Webb started with a couple of old Mercury limos in 2005. Webb now has 10 vehicles. The company provides services from Providence, R.I., to Manchester, N.H., with the bulk of the business here on the North Shore, Webb said.

Webb spoke shortly after the company had moved into its new headquarters in mid-January. The company is a family one, as it also includes Webb's three brothers, Steve, Jim and Tommy. Webb is the second-oldest of 15 siblings.

How many people work for the business?

Three in the shop — myself, Bernie, Kristin Cicieroni (office manager and special events coordinator) — and 18 drivers.

People know you from the time when you were on the Board of Selectmen?

I was born and brought up in Danvers, on Purchase Street. My grandfather, my dad and my uncle were all small-business people in Danvers, mostly in auto repairs.

What have you done businesswise?

When I got out of Boston University, I worked for my dad for a few years. ... But I went out on my own, and I went to work for the auto retail dealership world. ... Then in '86, I got the opportunity to freelance. I had made a lot of contacts with manufacturers over the years, and I guess it's in my blood. I'm entrepreneurial and independent, so I went out on my own as a consultant and worked until '05 as a consultant with Ford and General Motors, primarily, traveling around the nation and working with their major dealer chains. ... After Sept. 11, things got really tough travelwise.

How did you come to start a livery business?

I was sick of traveling; my kids were getting more and more involved (in school and sports). I reflected a lot on the types of things that I did in my life that made me happy. I was 55; I was going the speed limit here. There are not a lot of opportunities for people once their hair turns gray. ... Rather than continue traveling and give up more and more of my family orientation, I decided to start something on my own. ... I realized that in all my years of traveling, there weren't any car services that I liked. They all seemed to be a hassle to deal with.

So car services were something you had experienced while you were consulting?

I managed fleets; I managed service departments. All the toughest aspects of the business, I had quite a bit of experience with, so I had no qualms at all. I ended up with a couple of old, beat-up Mercuries and started driving and gained customers one by one.

You employ a lot of people now.

We think we have a nice model. We work hard; we keep our prices really fair. We haven't varied our pricing more than 5 percent in four years. We continue to expand the corporate base, which is the heart of any business like this, but at the same time we have managed to get our minibuses and go after the shuttle service for weddings and special events and things like that.

Who are your biggest competitors?

As goofy as it sounds, I don't worry about the competition. I don't know who they are. ... If I worry about my competition, I can't worry about my customer.

Staff writer Ethan Forman can be reached at 978-338-2673, by email at eforman@salemnews.com or on Twitter @DanverSalemNews.

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