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More than 45 years of helping some of Fairfield County's most influential personalities get to their destinations has left Rudy's Limousine Service CEO Roy Spezzano with more than just a few stories. It's been a life built on family and treating his employees right.
"We're one of the few companies left that still give year-end incentives and bonuses," Spezzano said in his Stamford office.
"The last two years I did not receive a bonus so that we could give employees theirs. I think I've seen eight different versions of Ebenezer Scrooge in the last week, maybe it's a message."
Unlike the Dickens character, Spezzano prides himself on treating his employees fairly and rewarding them for outstanding service. Many car services use independent contract drivers, but his are employees with benefits and bonuses. It's as much of an investment as it is compensation. Spezzano believes that he gets what he pays for and prides himself on keeping the standards that have made Rudy's a success for more than 55 years.
The trials and tribulations of the drivers aren't unknown to their boss. Spezzano began driving in 1964, when his father upgraded the business from two cars to eight cars. Though Spezzano hasn't driven a customer since 1976, he has worked every position in the company over the years. Through sales and marketing strategies, he grew the company to a 103-car fleet at its peak.
The success has filled Spezzano's life and office with memorabilia. A plaque for "Entrepreneur of the Year 2010" sits casually on his desk. Jack Nicklaus' golf clubs are mounted on his wall. A picture with boxer Marvin Haggler at Spezzano's home rests above the clubs. All are mementos made possible by a life spent in the beginning stages of waking up to ringing phones at 4 a.m., requesting drivers.
On the windowsill is a picture of the 1994 Rudy's Limousine Service softball team. Spezzano walked over and picked it up, smiling. "I told them if you go undefeated, I'll take the whole team to St. Maarten. And wouldn't you know it, they did it."
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