San Francisco based El Camino Trailways Named INC 100 Fastest Growing Transportation Services Company in America
Released on: February 8, 2008, 4:13 am
Press Release Author: El Camino Trailways
Industry: Transportation & Logistics
Press Release Summary: El Camino Trailways, the San Francisco based Charter Bus Operator announced today that it has been named by the INC magazine to the INC 100 Fastest Growing Transportation Services Companies List for its 114% growth in its business in 2006 in an industry growing at a modest rate of 5%-6% over the past few years.
Press Release Body: . Company's 114% growth in 2006 led by its new management and leadership outstrips the single-digit industry growth rate.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - August 31, 2007 - El Camino Trailways, the San Francisco based Charter Bus Operator announced today that it has been named by the INC magazine to the INC 100 Fastest Growing Transportation Services Companies List for its 114% growth in its business in 2006 in an industry growing at a modest rate of 5%-6% over the past few years. The explosive growth in its business also placed the Company on the list of INC 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America.
Founded in 1962, El Camino Charter Lines is one of the oldest Charter Bus Operators in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Company was acquired by a Silicon Valley based Investor Group in August 2005 and then joined Trailways to re-brand the company El Camino Trailways.
"We are proud of our achievements in 2006 and delighted with the recognition bestowed upon us by the INC magazine and pleased that we have made the INC 100 List of Fastest Growing Transportation Companies in all of America," said Mike Watson, Managing Director of El Camino Trailways. "This recognition is a testament to the strength of our Operations Team, which has enabled us to continue to deliver our superior customer service even during this period of hyper-growth."
Tour/Travel, Conventions and Corporate Events - Hyper-growth Segments
Led by its new management, the Company has identified Tour & Travel Services, Conventions, and Corporate Events as its new target segments and in less than a year has established a significant presence in these segments in the San Francisco Bay Area.
"The key to our success in 2006 and major contributor to our growth during the year was our plan to attack these new high-growth, higher-margin market segments, a plan that included modernization of our fleet with the addition of new high-end motor-coaches, investment in a direct sales organization, and an Interactive, Consumer-facing web-site," added Watson.
"Click-and-Mortar" Strategy
With its two bases of operations - San Francisco, the #1 destination site for Tourism, and Silicon Valley, the high-tech capital of the world - the Company has uniquely leveraged Internet/Web technologies to catapult itself into a leadership position in the Tour and Travel services, Conventions, and Corporate Event Services market in the San Francisco Bay Area, while continuing to serve Schools and Universities, pre-formed travel groups, and local City and County Agencies. The company launched its Internet/Web 2.0 based Interactive Travel Planning website on Christmas Eve in 2005 and since then has captured a significant share of the On-line Charter Reservations market in the San Francisco Bay Area.
"Our spectacular growth in 2006 is a direct result of our 'Click-and-Mortar' strategy, which leverages the power of the Web 'Clicks' to drive more business a lot more efficiently to our 'Brick-and-Mortar' company," said Kumar Shah, Chairman of El Camino Trailways. "Consumers are turning increasingly to the Internet for their travel services needs and as they do more of their bookings on-line, we will continue to benefit from these trends. We intend to continue to maintain our leadership by investing in and leveraging new emerging technologies, such as social networking, geo-spatial marketing, etc."
Leveraging the Trailways Brand
As part of its marketing effort to build and leverage a reliable brand for Charter Services that consumers would trust, the company also joined Trailways, a nation-wide organization of more than 70 Charter Bus companies, in 2006. The company has maintained its local brand - El Camino Charter Lines - for its association with and historical significance of El Camino Real - while blending with and leveraging Trailways, the national brand, by branding the company El Camino Trailways.
"We are delighted that El Camino Trailways, one of the newest members of our organization, has been given such a prestigious award," said Gale Ellsworth, President & CEO of Trailways. "The recognition is well deserved for the leadership that El Camino Trailways has provided not only to the Trailways organization, but also to the industry at large in leveraging the power of the Internet to transform a brick-and-mortar industry and using the new emerging technologies to continue to promote the Trailways brand."
About El Camino Trailways Headquartered in South San Francisco, California and with bases of operations in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, El Camino Trailways provides charters for corporate and cultural events, airport transfers, Amtrak Thruway service, school field trips, adventure/sports outings, religious retreats and group tours to destinations throughout the San Francisco Bay area, including San Jose and Oakland. It also runs day and overnight trips to Oregon, Washington State and British Columbia as well as to national parks in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Utah. The company\'s interactive Website at www.elcaminotrailways.com serves as a convenient portal for travelers and travel planners. Established in 1962, El Camino Trailways is one of the oldest and one of the largest Charter Bus operators in Northern California, and a member of the Trailways organization since March 2006. For more information, please contact: Michael Watson, Managing Director El Camino Trailways 214 Shaw Road, Suite T, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA Tel: (650) 989-2607,Toll Free:(866) 588-0256 Mobile: (415) 272-8730 E-mail: mike@elcaminotrailways.com
Web Site: http://www.elcaminotrailways.com
Contact Details: For more information, please contact:
Michael Watson, Managing Director El Camino Trailways 214 Shaw Road, Suite T, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA Tel: (650) 989-2607,Toll Free:(866) 588-0256 Mobile: (415) 272-8730 E-mail: mike@elcaminotrailways.com