A WOODBRIDGE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY DELIVERS WHITE-GLOVE SERVICE FROM NEWARK TO NAPLES

BY ERIK SCHONING PHOTOS BY ALEX BARETTO

Gem Limousine was born in 1976, when Barbara Chirico bought a pair of stretch limos and launched the business out of her own home. She found a niche in the local wedding scene, growing her boutique company organically until one day, while having dinner at a local diner, Chirico met a representative from a Fortune 100 company in need of transportation services. Gem Limousine took off, and today, almost 50 years after its inception, it’s still a family-run operation.

Sadly, Chirico passed in January of this year. The company, certified woman-owned through WBENC, is now steered by her daughter, Deanna Gulino, and her husband, Joe Gulino Sr. Their son, Joe Gulino Jr., serves as the Executive VP.

“Growing up with a family business, every day was like an executive meeting around the family dinner table,” Gulino Jr. said. “My grandmother built the company on a family environment. She considered everybody a part of the Gem family. We do offer a scope of services that range throughout the world, but we have a very personal touch with our clients and a really close, tight-knit employee group.”

In a direction set by that fateful diner meeting, Gem Limo today specializes in corporate travel and logistics. With a team of roughly 200 drivers and a fleet of 125 vehicles operating out of its Woodbridge headquarters, the company has the resources to coordinate large-scale events. For one New Jersey client, Gem’s events team coordinates the arrival and departure of 15,000 people in four cities at once, over a two-week event every year.

The passenger transportation business is, at its core, quite simple: getting people to the right place at the right time. But with private, white-glove transpor tation, the stakes are higher. In order to meet growing client demands, Gem’s executive team puts a heavy focus on investing in their company’s technology, including fleetwide GPS vehicle tracking technology that allows the company to automate its maintenance based on actual driving miles and engine idling time, so the team can stay ahead of fleet maintenance and keep reliability and safety at the forefront.

Letting technology work in favor of safety, Gem Limo invested in iDrive, an AI-driven dash cam and telematics software that allows the company to monitor its chauffeurs’ driving habits based on vehicle g-forces and attentiveness with facial recognition.

“Our executive team can’t be in the vehicle with our clients, so the technology gives us the opportunity to have a bird’s-eye view to make sure the client is taken care of,” Gulino Jr. said. “Especially when we’re monitoring G forces, acceleration, turning, and braking habits, we want every trip to feel smooth for our clients. And we can measure it based on these technologies.”

But as helpful as technology can be in standardizing service, it’s no substitute for a well-trained staff. Accordingly, the Gulino family has invested heavily in its drivers. Through their Going the Extra Mile (GEM) Initiative, they provide ongoing training for their chauffeurs in order to ensure the highest level of professionalism and safety.

Today, Gem’s in-house fleet operates in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, but their reach extends far beyond the tri-state borders through the Gem Worldwide program, a global network of transportation services vetted by the company. Thirty years ago, Joe Gulino Sr. had the idea to expand Gem through a nationwide network of affiliates, a network that today spans hundreds of locations worldwide. As such, clients can travel to the Newark airport in a Gem fleet vehicle, and upon landing in Rome, get picked up by a Gem-coordinated vehicle. The global network has played a key role in the local family-run business’ ascension to a top-10 player in its industry.

“Our partner network integrates seamlessly with our system,” Gulino Jr. said. “The service levels and safety are mirrored as if Gem was servicing you personally. We service every major city in the world under one roof as a one-stop shop.”

Despite its global reach, Gem Limo remains true to its roots as a New Jersey business. The company is involved in the Woodbridge Chamber of Commerce, and Gulino Sr. serves on the board of the New Jersey Limousine Association, both of which provide educational opportunities and allow the Gulinos to keep up with changing legislation. In both cases, they see these positions as opportunities to reinvest in their community and industry, investments that are as important as upgrading their fleet with the latest vehicles.

Today, the two-car business launched by Barbara Chirico is still as much a family enterprise as it was in the early days. Gulino Jr.’s wife, Lauren Gulino, is the VP of Global Business Development. His sister, Nicole Stankewicz, is the VP of Finance, while her husband, Kevin Stankewicz, serves as VP of Client Relations and Sales.

“Our family is beyond passionate about the industry and our company, and that goes back to my grandmother,” Gulino Jr. said. “We are making sure that her legacy continues and is held at the highest standard. We’re always focused on maintaining our client base. This isn’t a 9-to-5 job for us. We live, eat, and breathe this business, and we’re really dedicated to making sure our clients are satisfied.”

Gem Worldwide Ground Transportation Service

70 Amboy Avenue, Woodbridge Township

732.596.0900 / gemlimo.com