Empire, Luxury Chauffeured Car Co. Merge Into GTS

Chauffeured car service provider Empire International today merged with Los Angeles-based CLS Worldwide Services LLC. The two companies will operate under the umbrella of GTS Holdings Inc., yet they will continue to market their brands and sell to clients independently.

GTS holdings, which will based in Norwood, N.J., said it "will utilize and share the operational efficiencies of both companies," namely through synergies in the joint company's back office accounting systems.

President and CEO of Empire International Ltd. David Seelinger, who will serve as CEO and Chairman of GTS, said both companies would maintain their niches in the chauffeured services market.

"Empire has been very successful in the corporate marketplace," he said. "CLS on the other hand has been extremely successful servicing five-star hotels and private aviation. It services more high net worth people than any other standalone company."

GTS claims the merger creates the second largest chauffeured transportation company in the United States. "When you look at it by revenue, then most certainly Empire and CLS are the second largest privately held chauffeured transportation company in the country," Seelinger said. "If you look at it by the number of vehicles-strictly owned locations-there again it would stand to be the second largest."

Empire International ranked as the fourth largest chauffeured car service company in last year's Business Travel Survey by revenue with $60,000,000. Empire ranked third by system-wide fleet at 13,000 vehicles. CLS did not disclose numbers.

Seelinger said he could not disclose the number of vehicles in CLS's fleet. Although its number of vehicles falls slightly below Empire's, CLS revenues match Empire revenues, Seelinger added.