NASHVILLE, TN — Grand Avenue, a chauffeured transportation company based in Nashville and a finalist for the 2012 LCT Operator of the Year Awards, has opened the doors of its new downtown headquarters, a LEED-designed facility on a 4.5-acre tract at 186 N. First St.
Grand Avenue’s new downtown hub provides a central location for its growing corporate client base, and is close to several of Nashville’s premiere event spaces the company regularly serves, including the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, the Bridgestone Arena, LP Field, and soon, the Music City Center.
President and CEO Carl Haley said the new 65,000 square-foot facility not only increases Grand Avenue’s ability to meet customers’ needs, but also helps stimulate business and entertainment activities downtown by meeting the growing demand in Nashville for comprehensive and competitively-priced ground transportation services.
“The choice of our new location was driven by our two core business values — superior customer service and community involvement,” Haley said. “Being centrally-located means we’re better able to serve our clients and respond quickly to their needs. We also feel that by choosing this downtown location, in an area that was submerged by the historic flood, we are demonstrating our commitment to the community and our confidence in this district. We could not have found a better home.”
The new headquarters’ close proximity to the new Music City Center is particularly significant, as the new state-of-the-art convention center will draw thousands of visitors to Nashville with an array of ground transportation needs, Haley said.
Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau president Butch Spyridon points to Grand Avenue as an example of a local business poised to take advantage of the economic stimulus the Music City Center will provide.
“What Grand Avenue is demonstrating with its new downtown location is that the Music City Center is already having an impact on the city,” Spyridon said. “The company saw a tremendous opportunity and is now positioned to meet on-demand transportation needs when called upon by visitors to Nashville.”
Since its founding in 2009, Grand Avenue has quickly grown into the one of the largest, most comprehensive chauffeured transportation services in the region. Its fleet of more than 50 diverse vehicles — ranging from hybrid sedans, to stretch limousines, to mid-sized and full-sized buses, and vintage automobiles — are housed in the new building. Grand Avenue’s staff of customer relations specialists and professional chauffeurs also operates out of the new facility.
The new headquarters, designed and built by Hawkins Development Company, is a full-service operation that will include on-site fuel tanks, vehicle cleaning technology and general maintenance capabilities. The building also has a state-of-the-art drivers’ lounge where chauffeurs can rest, respond to clients’ needs or coordinate routes while waiting to be called upon.
Grand Avenue expects a 26% reduction in energy use at the new facility thanks to its environmentally-sound attributes. The facility’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) features include a light-reflective roof, motion-sensor lights, skylights and high-efficiency air conditioning. The building’s convenient location near five Metro bus stops and an on-site bike rack for employees also will contribute to the site’s LEED status. Grand Avenue expects to receive an official LEED Silver certification in the coming weeks.
Grand Avenue also recently joined Green Ride Global, a transportation industry consortium that advises member companies on adopting and maintaining best practice environmental strategies. This affiliation advances Grand Avenue’s programs to reduce its emissions and environmental footprint through fuel-use tracking and GPS-informed efficient route design. Grand Avenue also recycles its vehicles’ used motor oil to heat its on-site maintenance building.
Grand Avenue’s three distinct divisions tailor services for specific needs: Grand Corporate for business travel, Grand Occasion for special events, and Grand Select for members-only, on-demand transportation. More than 3,000 businesses and individuals nationwide rely on Grand Avenue to transport their employees, customers and special guests to and from more than 450 destinations worldwide. The company is also the official transportation partner of several of Nashville’s most notable organizations such as the Tennessee Titans, the Nashville Predators, Vanderbilt University, the Nashville Symphony and Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
Source: Grand Avenue Chauffeured Transportation
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