July 28, 2000
New business stops traffic
By Michelle Reiter
Staff Writer
When Jeff Heyman decided to start a business, he had no idea it would stop traffic.
But with a long, sleek white limousine parked outside of his home, the owner of Advanced Limo &emdash; Tiffin's only limousine service &emdash; has been slowing traffic on his street for weeks now.
"Traffic stops out here all the time, and I'm just washing the car," Heyman said.
The 36-year-old Laminate Technologies Inc. employee recently bought a 10-passenger limousine after toying with the idea of starting his own business.
"I've admired limos for years," he said. "I just think they're really neat vehicles."
He also bought a Lincoln Town Car for more routine service, such as airport runs, he said.
Heyman said he had been thinking about starting the limousine business for at least three years, but had been hesitant to take the plunge. After asking around, however, he found a positive response from people to whom he proposed the idea.
Then, after adding up all the pros and cons, Heyman said the pros won.
One of the biggest pros was there are no limousine services in the area closer than Findlay. Also, there is a high demand for them.
"People have been getting them from Cleveland, Lima and Michigan," he said. When the Findlay services are booked, he said, many of the people he talked to will travel far to find a limousine.
Finally, with the support of wife, Theresa, a coordinator of the Ohio Early Start Parents as Teachers Program, he started looking for limousines to purchase.
Now, Heyman said, Advanced Limo can be anywhere in Tiffin in five or 10 minutes. He also said he would not only travel to outlying areas to pick up people, but he will take them about as far as they want to go.
"I'd consider a weekend trip up to the casinos in Windsor," he said.
In the early stages of owning the business, Heyman said, he is relying on the customers to tell him what they want.
Starting with a $75-an-hour rate, Heyman said that he plans to arrange special rates for groups and will remain flexible to customer request.
"We'll do funerals, weddings or even new baby home from the hospital, special events in town" he said.
Heyman said he plans to expand the business as needed, purchasing more vehicles as customers increase. He hopes to move the business out of his home and find a storage area for the cars.
Right now, he said, he has to make sure the car is clean before he goes on a run &emdash; and cleanliness is one of the aspects of his business Heyman insists upon.
"We offer clean cars and dependability," he said.
Another thing Advanced Limo offers is the experience.
"We want everyone to have a good time," he said. "We want them to know that this is pretty much their car for as long as they rent it."
He also said that a prerequisite of his drivers is friendliness. They will all eventually go through training, and while suits are already mandatory, Heyman said, tuxedos may become the official uniform.
"It depends on what the people want," he said.
Above all, Heyman said, he wants people to know that Advanced Limo is a family business. Not only does he hope to offer his limos for family use, he also hopes his own family will continue to enjoy it.
Heyman, who operates a snow-removal business during the winter months, said he still will manage to keep the limo business running 24 hours a day.
Meanwhile, he said, he is making a long-time dream come true.
"This has been a dream, something I've idolized for a long time," he said.