View WFAA Channel 8 News Report on Dan Dipert Coaches Download Now! (It's worth the wait!) Click here to see the organizations Dan Dipert Companies have been supporting with Charitable Contributions.
Rewards of the RoadStarting pay typically is in the range
of $11 to $13 an hour, plus tips—which vary. Some drivers say
gratuities may add 25% or more to their pay. The rewards of charter-bus driving are more than money to many
retirees. For one thing, part-timers can usually limit their schedules
to hours that are relatively convenient, allowing for leisure and
volunteer activities. And some retirees find bus jobs that fit the
snowbird life: working for companies based in states like Florida in
the winter and New York during summer. A
lack of experience driving big vehicles isn't usually a roadblock for
people who want to try motor coaches. "We find the most successful
candidates are retirees," says Autumn Dipert Brown, co-owner and chief
operating officer of Dan Dipert Coaches. "I have had former phone
technicians, IRS agents and marketing executives."
Autumn Dipert Brown in Women in Transportation
Autumn Dipert Brown just finished an MBA in accounting and finance at Rice University in Houston and was preparing to return to the banking industry when a chance meeting at her fathers office changed the course of her career.
Her father, Dan Dipert, is the founder and CEO of Dan Dipert Coaches and Tours. Dipert Brown had accepted a position at one of Texas' major regional banks and was home visiting her family before starting the job. Dan Dipert happened to be meeting with his CPA when Dipert Brown stopped by. "Apparently, the CPA said, "you need some help" and he offered me a job," she says.
Read the full Women in Transportation story
Dan Dipert Challenges Community Leaders to Support Arlington Schools The Arlington ISD Education Foundation held its annual StarMaker fundraising breakfast Tuesday, and attendees received a challenge along with their eggs and hash browns. Dan Dipert, CEO of Dan Dipert Coaches & Tours, has agreed to match up to $100,000 in donations and pledges the foundation receives for its endowment fund over the next year. The fund stands at about $180,000, and Dipert said increasing it should be a priority.
Read the full Star-Telegram story.
Dan Dipert Family Fund Benefits Ellis Elementary Jane Ellis was on hand as the North Arlington elementart school that bears her name received $8,905 in grants from the Dan Dipert Family Fund. The Fund has given over $100,000 to the Arlington School Foundation, and the gifts will fund grants to teachers with ideas to improve learning for their students that cannot be funded by the school budget.
COO Autumn Dipert Brown Elected to UMA Board of Directors
The members of the United Motorcoach Association elected Autumn Dipert Brown, Chief Operating Officer for Dan Dipert Coaches and Tours, to its Board of Directors on November 15, 2008.
Autumn joins five other members in Region 1, which spans from the west coast to the Midwest, encompassing 24 states.
"It was her colleagues that elected her," said Victor S. Parra, Chief Executive Officer of UMA. "It says, of all the people in the 300 companies in her region, they've selected her to represent them."
Dipert Brown officially begins her three-year term in January 2009. Additionally, the organization named Ms. Dipert Brown its Safety Leader of the Year in 2006. The award is the only National Safety Award given in the motorcoach industry.
"I'm honored that the members of UMA in our region, both large and small, have chosen me to represent their interest on the Board," said Dipert Brown.
"We look forward to what we know will be very important contributions she'll make to the association and the motorcoach industry," Parra sad.
With more than 1,000 members across North America, the UMA protects and promotes the interests an welfare of privately owned motorcoach operators such as Dan Dipert Coaches and Tours.
Dan Dipert Companies Sponsor New Orleans Clean-Up Continuing his comittment to the tourism interests of New Orleans, Dan Dipert recently spent some time helping give back to this city that has provided so much enjoyment to tourists for decades. In addition, the company, made up of Dan Dipert Tours, Travel and Coaches, sponsored 350 pair of work gloves for the volunteers, who took a giant step for the Cityof New Orleans and inspired the local community to take pride in its rich history and one of its glorious attractions, Armstrong Park.
Dan Dipert Inducted into the Arlington Business Hall of Fame Arlington Chamber of Commerce will induct Dan Dipert into the "Arlington Business Hall of Fame" during the Chamber’s 62nd Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner on Thursday, September 27 at the Arlington Convention Center. The Business Hall of Fame showcases business leaders who are instrumental both in the growth of our community and in the success of their business accomplishments, inductees represent and epitomize the entrepreneurial spirit of free enterprise, and the heritage of corporate citizenship and philanthropy to our community.
Customer Service Reigns Supreme Dan Dipert Tours was founded by Dan Dipert in 1974 as a tour company. In 1980, Dan Bought his first bus and slowly started adding to the fleet. Today, the fleet numbers 19 buses, and the company offers charter and tour services. Dan has since retired and has turned the reigns over to his son and daughter, Dan W. Dipert and Autumn Dipert-Brown. Both agree that recruiting and training the right people has helped give the company an edge in offering its customers outstanding customer service. Because drivers play a crucial role in this strategy, the company created a profile of what a successful Dan Dipert driver should be--early retired, 52-57 years old, male or female professional. "We are hiring people based on their personality, not their proficiency. I prefer that [applicants] don't already have CDLs or any prior experience, says Dipert-Brown. Customer service training is also imperative for other staff members. The company recently completed a four-day training program on complaint resolution. The new process entails that the initial contact person who takes the call "owns" the call. Complaints are then investigated and resolved. "They are not allowed to transfer the call to someone else," Dipert-Brown says. Complaint resolutions are now completed in one day instead of a week. In addition to the new customer service strategy, the company instituted a new sales policy at the start of 2005 to help boost business after it lost four of its top clients in a school district bid situation. "We were going to start the year with a nearly 10% loss of business--and that's alot for us," says Dipert. A sign with the letters CUT hangs in the sales office to remind sales staff of the new policy--callbacks, utilization, and tiered pricing. Dipert calls back any potential client who has been quoted $2000 or more. "I personally call the contact the day after we give them the quote to make sure everything went well, thank them for calling us and ask if they are ready to book with us," he says. Utilization of buses makes up the next part of the philosophy. Dipert will double, triple and even quadruple book buses on Fridays and Saturdays--their busiest days--to get the most work from the vehicle. "That's a real tribute to our dispatch and our drivers because they are the ones that have to service that," Dipert says. Tiered pricing composes the last part of the new sales plan. "We price ourselves exactly like a hotel. When it's busy, we're expensive; when it's not, we are not expensive," Dipert says. The sales staff has met very little resistance to this new pricing strategy. Since the CUT program was installed, the company has seen a 24% increase in sales compared to the same time in 2004. For the full article in PDF format, click here. Reprinted from Metro Magazine.
Dan Dipert helps in the Gulf Coast Clean-Up
Our founder, Dan Dipert, Sr., joined 330 volunteers at the 2006 Tourism Caring for America Gulf Coast Clean-Up in mid-March. The group of tourism professionals gathered to assist in the clean up of 9 tourism-related sites in and around Biloxi, Mississippi. “The wealth of history and culture along the Mississippi Gulf Coast could not be destroyed by Hurricane Katrina," said Tourism Cares for Tomorrow Executive Director Bruce Beckham. He added, “For two days, our volunteers sifted through rubble to save and preserve historic artifacts exposed to the elements and feared lost. We were honored to be able to lend a hand to our friends along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.” During the 2006 Tourism Caring for America Gulf Coast Clean up, historic sites including Beauvoir - The Jefferson Davis Home, the Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum, the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum and other sites were tended to the volunteers representing the travel, tourism and hospitality community. In total, 5,000 hours of hard labor were provided over the two days. Dan Dipert spent most of his time at the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum noting, "it was hard and dirty work, but we were all so pleased to be in a position to help." Tourism Cares for Tomorrow is a non-profit 501(c)(3) public charity that benefits society by preserving, conserving and promoting the responsible use of the world’s natural, cultural and historic treasures and supporting education and research to help secure the positive future of travel and tourism worldwide. For additional information about Tourism Cares for Tomorrow, please visit www.tourismcares.org.
COO Recognized as National Safety Leader!
Autumn Dipert Brown was recently awarded the United Motorcoach Association’s Safety Leader of the Year Award, which recognizes leadership through safety management that produces positive and significant results. It is the only national safety award in the motorcoach industry. The Award is given to a person who not only has been active in the motorcoach industry but who also displays leadership through involvement with community and civic activities. Autumn Dipert Brown has proven to be a leader in safety in the motorcoach industry.
“Autumn Dipert Brown has shown the leadership skills that result in getting things done. Her leadership in the development of the most comprehensive Motorcoach Driver Curriculum available in the industry and the implementation of its use among a diverse group of motorcoach operators is an outstanding accomplishment that will benefit the industry forever,” according to Carmen Daecher of the Daecher Consulting Group, Inc., the sponsor of the award.
Dan Dipert Family Fund Benefits Arlington Schools
The Dan Dipert Family Fund has given $100,000 to the Arlington School Foundation. The gift will fund grants to teachers with ideas to improve learning for their students that cannot be funded by the school budget. The gift was covered in the October 2, 2005 issue of the Fort Worth Star Telegram. Click here to read the article.
Dan Dipert Leads Sales Session at the United Motorcoach Association's Annual Convention
Dan Dipert, our company founder, was requested to present his tried and true sales process, "Sales. One Step at a Time." to over 200 participants at UMA's recent annual convention in Las Vegas. The presentation was covered by Bus & Motorcoach News in its April 15, 2005 issue. Click here to read the article. Autumn Dipert Brown, Chief Operating Officer for Dan Dipert Coaches, presented to the group as well on the topic of driver recruitment and participated in a panel discussion on group tourism. Dan Dipert Tours and Coaches is proud to have been asked to participate so prominently at such a prestigious event.
Autumn Dipert Brown Unveils the International Motorcoach Group's Nationwide Driver Training Program, the first of it's kind in the USA.
Autumn Dipert Brown, Chairman of IMG's Driver Training Committee, unveiled and conducted a "Train the Trainer" session for over 50 operator members of IMG. Also attending were Rick and J.B., both of Dan Dipert Coaches' driver trainers.
The program is the first of it's kind in the USA and is very similar to the program used by Dan Dipert Coaches since 2002. Be assured, Dan Dipert's drivers are among the best trained drivers in the country.
|
