Entrepreneur University graduate Sonja Galyon-Kamonika’s love of transit blossomed when she rode the trains as a girl growing up in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Now, after having logged years in the transportation industry, Kamonika has started a limousine company in New Jersey, her adoptive home. Through 4A Transportation Services, the Somerville resident offers rides to seniors living in assisted-living and 55-plus communities in Somerset County.
Kamonika said her company strives to offer passengers a memorable experience, replete with pleasant music, light refreshments and a professional staff. She anticipates driving clients to one-day outings museums or to and from the region’s airports.
By focusing on seniors, Kamonika said, 4A transportation will cater to a market its counterparts ignore. “The limousine industry has been so focused on corporate travel that they forget about other opportunities,” Kamonika said. She added that serving her chosen target market takes some extra work: “They need extra care when they are entering or exiting a vehicle,” Kamonika said, “they need to be treated with respect.”
At 4A’s disposal are vans that seat between seven and 15 people as well as old standbys like the Lincoln Town Car. Kamonika said she’d like to add a Maybach – the German luxury car whose models’ list prices hover in the mid six-figures – in 2012.
Kamonika said spreading the word about her business has been the toughest part of working for herself so far. The most rewarding part, she said, has been spending time with seniors. “I love every minute I spend with them,” Kamonika said, “they really appreciate life.”
Before striking out on her own, Kamonika worked as a district manager for a newspaper company, as a scheduler for a bus company, and as a manager at a rental car company. When the latter firm laid her off, she soured on working for others. “Never again would I work that hard to make money for someone else when I can make it for myself,” she said.
