When Jason Kaplan decided to change the business model of his successful transportation company, he made a real personal investment. In fact, you could have called it a sacrifice.
When he founded The Driver Provider in 1997, the company offered its customers drivers who would drive them home in their vehicles after a night of drinking or other experiences that affected their ability to drive home safely.
However, after landing a number of high-profile assignments for elite hotels and resorts, Kaplan wanted to expand his services to include luxury vehicles and chauffeurs. He was so enthusiastic about this plan that he sold his personal vehicle – a Toyota Celica sports car – to lease a prestigious and spacious Cadillac DeVille.
“That’s when we more officially entered the chauffeur business and it overtook the original business concept,” Kapalan said of the 1999 transition. “We really set a new standard for the level of service and that enabled rapid and qualitative growth.”
This car was the first in a fleet of what is now 200 vehicles, including limousines, town cars, SUVs, minibuses and coaches. In keeping with the haute couture service, the chauffeurs wear black suits over a white shirt and red ties.
Kaplan still offers the original driver service that made it a pioneer, but with modern ride-sharing apps, that service isn’t necessary as often.
Driver Provider quickly gained a lot of customers and its revenue has doubled every year, Kaplan said. In its early years, the company served hundreds of customers and today it supports thousands on almost every continent. Through its partner relationships, Kaplan can offer its customers a one-stop transportation service worldwide.
Over the years, offices in Tucson, Salt Lake City, Park City and Jackson Hole (Wyoming) were added to the original headquarters in Phoenix.
The most requested services are weddings, airport pickups and drops off, nights out on the town, and corporate events and activities.
Nicole Lessard, CEO and co-president of The Destination Manager, has engaged Driver Provider for a range of services over the past eight years.
From airport transfers to full excursions with dinners, resort activities and destination parties, Lessard’s Scottsdale event planning company has rented Kaplan’s entire fleet for transportation ranging from one person to nearly 900 people. During the busier months, Lessard relies on Driver Providers for 150-200 transfers per week, as well as other services.
The size of the Kaplan fleet, the maintenance of the vehicles, the high level of service, the consistency in terms of punctuality and the time taken to understand the specific requirements of individual transfers are reasons why Lessard is a long-term customer.
“They really understand what a chauffeur service is supposed to be in a way that most people don’t,” Lessard said. “That’s the true definition of a true partnership, and that’s why they’re our first stop.”
Born in Brooklyn and raised in Arizona, Kaplan earned a degree in marketing from Arizona State University. After graduating, he moved to San Francisco and worked in the staffing and recruiting industry, but longed to return home.
He did this and developed the original model for driver providers, which put clients in teams of two. They would pick up the client, and one would drive the client’s vehicle home while the other would follow in a second and bring the driver back. This was before the days of ride-sharing apps.
“We drove people home from parties after they had been drinking. That became popular,” Kaplan said.
Then Kaplan got on the radar of major companies like Budget Car Rental, who recommended his services to customers, and when Fortune magazine hired Kaplan to provide drivers for an event at the Scottsdale Fairmont Princess, the resort took notice and hired his services as well.
It was here that Kaplan recognized the entrepreneurial side of the business and used that knowledge, along with his wife Kendra, co-owner and Vice President of Sales for Driver Provider, to build Driver Provider into the company it is today.
Through their professional success, the Kaplans have been able to give back to the community by donating services and resources to schools and charitable events.
Many customers come to Kaplan after having negative experiences with other transportation companies. Their reservations are often canceled when the company receives a better booking. However, the key to Driver Provider’s success and longevity is avoiding such situations and adapting to customers’ needs.
“Coordinating the efforts behind the scenes to exceed customer expectations and seeing the achievement in the eyes of my team when we succeed is very rewarding,” said Kaplan.
What: The driver provider
Where: 1243 pp. Seventh St., Phoenix
Employees: 210
Interesting statistics: The global luxury car rental market is expected to reach $70.4 billion by 2032, according to a report by market research firm Allied Market Research.
Details: 800-700-2687, driversprovider.com
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