March 31, 2014
Shop Talk
Q&A with Maureen Raillo, Worcester Airport Limousine
Maureen Raillo, CEO, Worcester Airport Limousine, Worcester
By Rick Saia
Ken Hogan launched a business that was unique to Central Massachusetts in the late 1970s: providing ground transportation for air travelers. Last year, he handed the reins to his daughter, Maureen Raillo. The announcement of that promotion indicated there was no preferential treatment, despite the family tie. “She started working in the office in customer service (in 1985) and continued to prove herself in each subsequent position,” her father said. Raillo also serves on several local boards and committees, including that of the Central Massachusetts Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Your dad said you don’t get special treatment. But wasn’t your appointment as CEO special in and of itself?
It's a special honor. I put the work in. (laughs)
How has business been since JetBlue started flying out of Worcester?
Pretty much the same as it has been. It's just reversed a few people. Instead of taking them into Logan, they're going into Worcester. We don't get a lot of traffic from the immediate Worcester area, which we wouldn't expect to get. But the people in further-out towns — especially down the Route 9 corridor and out into the Marlborough area along Route 20 — that's where we seem to get people that come into Worcester.
Compared with 28 years ago, when you started working for the company, what issues have become more “top of mind” for the industry?
I'd say the regulations have definitely played a role on licensing. You always want a good driver, you know: well respected, neat, somebody who you would want to drive your mother. We still have that same mentality. The government is more involved in stuff, where they come in and do safety audit checks. And whether it be with the garage and the books and the vehicles or within the office, that's just gotten stricter.
When we talked with your dad two years ago, he said he never anticipated that he would run a family business. What’s the most rewarding part of being a family-run business?
I'm proud of my parents. He set out to do something that didn't exist in this area, and there were a lot of naysayers that this service wasn't going to happen. And here we are, 35 years later, with many competitors. Just to see their dream; they pulled it off and I want to carry it on.
And what’s the biggest challenge to running a family business?
I think part it is just the industry. We're good about keeping family issues out of the office. I work with my brother and my sister-in-law (and) my father here. Mom has an office out of their house; she does the bookkeeping. And it just seems to flow very well.
What’s the most important characteristic that’s necessary for a company like yours to grow and thrive?
Customer service. I believe in this business with all my heart, and I take it very personally. That's sometimes good, sometimes bad. If I tell you something, that's from the heart. That's how the business is run. We use a lot of integrity and we try to treat everybody as we want to be treated. And even the employees, you take them as family.
I noticed that Worcester Airport Limousine has a presence on Twitter and Facebook. Has that helped business? Does it help strengthen your connection with your market?
Currently I don't see a huge impact with it. I'm not big into the search engine optimization, the understandings of that. Do we have a large following? I'd say no. Do we have a presence? Yes, and I think it definitely has a place in the market world and as time goes on and the younger generations are coming up … times have changed.
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