Hail sale | A conversation with John Surran, general manager of A1 Cab Service LLC in Old Orchard Beach
Photo/Heidi Kirn
John Surran
Founded: January 2009
Employees: 6
Startup costs: Upwards of $50,000
Projected revenue, year one: $100,000-plus
Projected revenue, year two: $300,000
Contact: 423-5111
33 Cherryfield Ave., Saco
Website under construction
What is A1 Cab Service?
A1 is a high-end cab company serving Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach and now, the Portland Jetport. We provide clean, comfortable transportation. We have friendly and courteous drivers, who are committed to reliable service, and who must also pass police and insurance background checks before they ever drive for A1.
Why did you start the company?
There was no question in our minds that the area needed a type of cab service that we’re providing. As lifelong residents of the area, president and owner Debra, my wife, and I have seen the need. Numbers continue to grow weekly. Winter this year is better than winter last year.
I got out of the Navy in ’69 and then I was a newspaper reporter for a few years for the Biddeford-Saco Journal. I also spent 10 years at Prudential Insurance. I sort of got burnt out from that. I needed a change. So I got into the car business where I spent another 10 years at Chevrolet selling cars. When that changed, I decided it was time to make a move … I had a million dollars worth of business. This is where I am, 62 years old and starting a cab service.
How do you market your business?
I come from 40 years of sales and marketing. We do promoting through a lot of news advertising. We had to get the word out somehow, so anywhere I could get our name out, I did it.
How did you finance this business?
I took my retirement money and plowed it into the company.
What has been the biggest challenge running this business?
It’s making the public understand that we are not expensive just because we have high-end cars, like the Lincoln Town Car and Dodge Caravan. People expect we would charge more because we have nicer vehicles, but we don’t. We started with one car and now have five. We think we are the lowest-priced cab service in the geographic area. The pricing is there, and it doesn’t change. You ride from point A to point B today and it’s the same price tomorrow.
What has been successful about your business strategy?
I don’t know many women who own a cab service (laughs). But we attribute the success of our business strategy to treating our customers and their loved ones with respect and courtesy. Courtesy and respect to all, door-to-door assistance insuring safe and secure arrivals, clean comfortable vehicles and monthly vehicle safety inspections conducted by certified personnel.
I don’t mean to bash our competitors, but our company has been well-received. We’ve seen business grow phenomenally since we opened for business just over a year ago.
Our motto is: “A cab that you put your mother in.” By this I mean that, if you put your mom in my cab, you have faith in us that they will get where they need to go. If you trust us with your mom, you will like our company.”
When people get in the vehicle, we remember them by name. It sends a message that we care about them. I picked up a girl in Old Orchard and as we were driving up Main Street she asked me, “Do you realize no one has ever opened the door for me?” We open the doors for our customers.
What are your goals for the future of this business?
To have the best cab service in the state of Maine, develop a fleet of hybrid vehicles, a high-tech dispatch center, be able to offer health and retirement plans and expand into other services, such as a limo tour company. We’d also like to be able to transport the handicapped and to make people realize that when we say this is a cab you would put your mother in, they know it’s true.
Interview by Kayla Collins
New Ventures profiles young businesses, 6-18 months old. Send your suggestions and contact information to editorial@mainebiz.biz.
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