Though there are many limousine and luxury transportation services, none can provide passengers with quality and care comparable to Virgin Limousines.
Premonitions of heavy traffic, delayed flights, and the general mayhem that is oft associated with travel keep those already weary-and sometime even those most eager-from embarking on journeys. Thankfully, Virgin, a leading branded venture capital organization, has offered a simple solution to answer nearly every traveler’s woes: Virgin Limousines.
Conceived in 1970 by Richard Branson, the Virgin brand is now active in a wide array of industries, with a hand in telecommunications, aircraft, and virtually everything in between, including chauffeur services, provided by Virgin Limousines. The initial concept for the limousine branch can be traced back to 1994 when Branson expanded Virgin Atlantic Airway’s services from London to San Francisco. Upper class passengers were offered complimentary limousine transportation not only to and from the airport, but also for any quick jaunts between connecting flights. In the wake of the program’s success, Branson met David Lipschultz, who is now his trusted friend and founding president of Virgin Limousines. The two exchanged stories of their previous business endeavors, and instantly developed a strong rapport that is still present today. “I was very inspired by Richard’s ethics, integrity, honor, and morality,” Lipschultz reflects. “These are traits seldom found in business, and I instantly respected him.”
The two shared the philosophy that premium service and strong ethics will take anyone far, both in business and in life. Only two years after their initial meeting in San Francisco, Lipschultz and Branson joined their business-savvy brains together to create Virgin Limousines, and the success that followed was more than the two could have ever imagined. Their conjoined triumph can be attributed to having a clear and simple business plan: Not to be the biggest, but to be the best.
Being the best seems to come naturally for Lipschultz, and his explanation for the immense success that Virgin Limousines has experienced is surprisingly uncomplicated. He believes that if you are positive in everything you do, success will invariably follow. Evidently, this mantra has paid off, as the company was initially intended to only serve patrons en route to Virgin Atlantic Air flights, but with the tremendously positive responses, expansion was inevitable. Due to the fact that Virgin Atlantic journeys take up only a small portion of the day, Virgin Limousines ground services are integral to making the entire Virgin adventure a memorable one. To offer optimum flexibility and reliability, the company has its own cars in California and affiliates across the rest of the United States.
Though there are many limousine and luxury transportation services, none can provide passengers with quality and care comparable to Virgin Limousines. Every vehicle in the impressive fleet has full access to concierge knowledge, allowing the chauffeur to present his or her passengers with any information they seek-from finding the vineyard that produces a favorite bottle of wine to discovering the private entrance to a hotel or VIP passes to a show. Every detail is taken care of, ensuring clients a genuinely hassle free trip. This high level of quality rarely found in the travel industry results in the company’s large base of A-list clients, which includes prominent global leaders in finance and politics as well as business and local travelers. With a flawless reputation, the future looks bright, for the company-and green.
“Not too far down the road we would like to expand internationally,” explains Lipschultz. “However, our main focus right now is going green.” All Virgin travel vessels, including trains, automobiles, and planes, have been engineered to be as eco friendly as possible, evidence of the company’s attempt to lead by example. Virgin Limousines is constantly pressuring Detroit automakers to work towards greener vehicles, and recently added a hybrid Lexus SUV to its fleet. Lipschultz and Branson agree that finding ways to run an eco friendly businesses is undoubtedly the key to success in the future, and enlightening both clients and employees is part of this process. As such, the Virgin group continually funds environmental research and is searching for the next big breakthrough, namely through charities Virgin Unite and Virgin Aware, which raise funding and awareness for social and climate-based issues.
Since 1996 in San Francisco, and now with offices in San Jose and Los Angeles, Virgin Limousines has been presenting customers both new and old with unparalleled luxury travel services, and will continue to grow, evolve, and succeed no matter what the future may bring.
