Transporters: Vets find work in NYC, London, with specialty chauffeur business
(FOX)- After driving an armored vehicle along dusty, IED-rigged roads of Iraq and Afghanistan, navigating luxury vehicles through the streets of New York and London is a breeze for a growing team of chauffeurs whose transition to civilian life is being eased by an international startup.
The company is Capstar, and while the main service it provides clients is transportation, it also offers aviation, security and other personal services. But what it offers its highly disciplined employees may be even more important: a chance to use their habits and skills to build a successful civilian career.
“Our mission at Capstar [is] to provide employment opportunities to veterans who struggle in their transition and, having struggled in my transition, it means a lot to be able to be in a position currently to provide opportunity to veterans,” said U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Capstar chauffeur Bolivar Flores. “Capstar is not just a job and a driver position, it’s a career opportunity because we’re building an empire, essentially.”
The company, founded in 2014 by decorated former British Army infantry officer Robert Bassett Cross, employs former servicemen and women from the United States and the United Kingdom, actively recruits those who suffered injuries during their military service.
An investment banker who now runs his own private equity firm, Cross admits what began as mostly a charitable venture has morphed into a lucrative business poised for major growth.
The London office has 35 employees, 30 vehicles and access to private jets to serve its 600 clients, according to Cross. While the operation across the pond has been a success, he sees a chance for major growth in the U.S.
“It was never going to be a business,” Cross said. “It was, ‘We give the guys the tools and the money and maybe have two cars at a time.’
“But when we began approaching businesses, saying, ‘If we offer a chauffeur service, and the price is the same, the service is better and the cars are driven by service members, many of whom are injured, would you use us?’ the response was positive, 100 percent of the time.”
Flores, who served three total tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and suffered a traumatic brain injury, said the New York office employs eight drivers from every branch of the service, and has 10 Jaguars ready to move clients.