Samer Abulughod
NUMBER OF YEARS IN THE GATEWAY?
I launched my business in 2000.
WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE GATEWAY AREA?
Because I provide transportation services, and a portion of my business is geared to airport travel, it made a lot of sense to locate close to General Mitchell International Airport. Plus, The Gateway’s central location and ready freeway access mean that whether we’re driving a wedding party, providing services to a corporate account or taking someone on a sightseeing tour, we’re just a short trip away.
WHAT IS YOUR PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT IN THE GATEWAY?
One is the fact that I’ve been able to create a successful business in a new country. I came to Milwaukee from Kuwait 18 years ago and I’ve found the city to be a very welcoming and supportive place to do business.
I appreciate the success I’ve had in this country and I try to find ways to give back to the community. For instance, during Hurricane Katrina the Islamic Society of Milwaukee raised $50,000 in cash and also donated $250,000 in medical supplies and equipment. I used one of my limos to
get everything down to Louisiana, traveling with an engineer and a doctor from our community. As someone who came through the Gulf War, I know what it’s like to be without the basic necessities of life.
I’m also excited about the work that I’ve done with The Gateway to Milwaukee. I was one of The Gateway’s founding members and my initial motivation was to find ways to beautify the area. When you’re picking visitors up from the airport, you’re very conscious of their first impressions.
Today, when I drive out of the airport with a client, I’m excited by the landscaping and the sense of design continuity that’s now in place because of The Gateway’s efforts. People are impressed by Milwaukee and I think The Gateway has had a part in that.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
I can’t deny that the economy has been hard on us. Where we used to have people hiring us for three hours for a wedding, we now have them asking for one hour. And most people can’t afford to have us take them to a sporting event or an evening out like they might have in the past. Because of that, we’ve tried to focus a bit more on our airport transportation business. Luckily, the airport is booming! I’ve also gone through Visit Milwaukee’s training course and am now a CTA—a certified tourist ambassador. If one of my passengers wants to know more about Milwaukee, or what to do when the workday is done, I’ve got a lot of great information to share! And, if they’d like to celebrate a special event, they can invite all of their friends because we’ve got the area’s biggest limo bus—it can hold 30 people!
WHAT DO YOU ENVISION FOR THE FUTURE WITH YOUR BUSINESS?
WITH GTM?
For the foreseeable future, we’ll probably focus on developing our airport business. Given the growing number of airlines, flights and passengers at General Mitchell, I expect that will continue to be a good opportunity for us.
