|
|
 |
|
Checker
World
News
|
Checker Cab Celebrates A Successful Affiliation with Midtown
Music!
|
|
 |
|
The three-day music
extravaganza posed no problem for Checker’s illustrious
fleet. Checker Cab Company’s participation in the event
afforded patrons a viable means of transportation, other
than Marta, that helped eased traffic congestion and
parking dilemmas. Drivers provided fast, courteous
services for individuals wishing to attend the
festivities. The successful alliance proved once again
that Checker Cab Company maintains its high standards in
public transportation, and remains one of the most
dependable fleet of taxicabs in the City of
Atlanta. Checker Cab, with its continued commitment to
service, provides citizens an equitable alternative to
mass transportation or use of private vehicles when
attending public venues.
|
|
|
|
PRESS RELEASE |
|
|
|
For
further information, please contact: |
|
Rick
Hewatt, Checker Cab Company of Atlanta, (404) 351-8255 |
|
Irene
Kiebuzinski, TLPA Director of Communications, (301)
946-5701 |
|
|
|
Richard
C. Hewatt, President, Checker Cab Company, Atlanta, Ga. Is
Named TLPA 2003 Taxicab Large Fleet Operator of the Year |
|
|
|
Atlanta,
Ga. — Richard C.
“Rick” Hewatt, president of Checker Cab Company,
Atlanta, Ga., was named the Taxicab, Limousine &
Paratransit Association’s 2003 Taxicab Large Fleet
Operator of the Year on Thursday, October 23, 2003. TLPA
President Gene Hauck at TLPA’s 85th Annual Convention
& Trade Show in Reno, Nevada presented Mr. Hewatt with
this honor. |
|
|
|
“I
could not be any happier with this honor. To be recognized
by your peers is truly a pleasure and a compliment,”
Rick said upon learning of the award. |
|
|
|
There
are many aspects of the way Rick Hewatt operates his
company that make him stand out among his peers. He has
long advocated the use of alternative fuels, and in 2000
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presented Checker
Cab with an environmental merit award. Checker Cab also
has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy and
the organization Clean Cities for its use of
alternative-fueled vehicles. |
|
|
|
|
Rick was on the Board of Directors of Clean Cities Atlanta. an
alternative fuel coalition. He has been involved for 18 years in a
free ride program that provides free rides home to patrons of
Atlanta bars and restaurants who have had too much to drink. Rick
also regularly attends meetings of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors
Bureau, the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Atlanta City Council
and the Atlanta Taxicab Technology Committee.Rick Hewatt says service is the thing that differentiates his
companies from others. “The Hewatt family has always put the
service to our customers as top priority,” he says. “Checker Cab
Company of Atlanta provides the very best taxi service in Georgia.”
His goal for Checker Cab Company is to “continue to grow with
Atlanta and to maintain the Hewatt family-owned and operated status
through a couple more generations. |
|
|
There is further evidence of the
type of quality Rick advocates: Checker Cab Company taxicab driver
Waymon Dabney won TLPA’s Taxicab Driver of the Year Award in 2002
for years of quality service and safe driving, and was later honored
by the City of Atlanta when they proclaimed January 21, 2003, as “Waymon
Dabney Day.” |
|
| Rick
Hewatt was born into the taxicab business. His grandfather, Richard
F. Hewatt, Sr., started Checker Cab in 1947 with one car, and Rick’s
father, Richard F. Hewatt, Jr., took over management of the company
and ran it for over 40 years. Rick started working for the company
in 1973 when he was 14 years old pumping gas and cleaning cars
during summers when he was out of school. He continued working for
the company part time as a mechanic and driver through 1981. He
earned his degree in business administration from Middle Georgia
College, and then came to work full time for Checker Cab Company in
1982. Over the years he has worked in every facet of the business:
dispatcher, driver, mechanic, public relations, business promotions
and administration. |
|
| For
the Hewatts, the taxicab business is truly a family affair. Rick’s
dad is still very much involved in Checker Cab even though he is
semi-retired in Florida. Rick’s sister Paula runs the company’s
self-insurance group. His brother Dennis takes care of some of the
company’s legal issues, while another brother, Tim, runs one of
the family’s suburban taxicab companies. Rick’s sister, Kathy,
runs another suburban company along with her husband Scott. |
|
| Rick
Hewatt spends much of his spare time with his wife Kathy, daughter
Lauren, and his two sons Calvin and Tristan. He is a musician and
has played in a band called “The Downtown Executives” for the
past 20 years. He also enjoys playing golf and boating when he has
the opportunity to do so. |
|
| In
honor of his dedication to his community, family and this
association, the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association is
very proud to honor Rick Hewatt as the TLPA 2003 Taxicab Large Fleet
Operator of the Year. |
|
|
Read
more...
|
|
