Wheels of Fortune: Diana Clemente (’81) and Big Apple Car
It seemed inevitable that Diana Clemente would join a major accounting firm when she graduated from Baruch at the head of her class in 1981. But after just two years at KPMG, she was drawn back to the “black car” limousine industry, where she had first worked as a telephone operator and then as a dispatcher since the age of 16.
Clemente was still in high school when she was hired by a family friend who was a vice president of Dial Car, another black car radio group and a present-day competitor of Big Apple Car. “I was fascinated enough by the business to stay with it throughout college,” she says. After her KPMG stint, Clemente returned to her roots in the transportation industry to start up Big Apple Car, providing ground transportation to corporate clients. In time, she became president and principal, later acquiring a second company, Cloverdale Car, and increasing annual billings to nearly $30 million.
Being a woman in what is admittedly a male-dominated industry can sometimes be a challenge, Clemente says, “especially since many of our drivers come from cultures that view women as subservient to men.” But she’s made it a priority to cultivate good working relationships with her drivers and has been treated with respect by employees, clients, and competitors alike.
Clemente’s standing among her competitors is evidenced by her having served as president of the Black Car Assistance Corporation, the industry trade association, and by her position on the board of the New York Black Car Operators’ Injury Compensation Fund, which oversees the administration of workers’ compensation benefits for drivers. Her past honors include the 2002 National Association of Women Business Owners’ (NAWBO) Signature Award, the 2000 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and the 1994 Crain’s New York Small Business Award.
As in any other service business, success comes to those who focus their energy and talents on identifying and meeting client needs, Clemente says. “That covers everything from making sure cars get where they’re supposed to on time to sending out a well-written letter of apology when something goes wrong.” A self-confessed perfectionist—she maintained a 4.0 average at Baruch—she has permitted herself to entrust more of the day-to-day operations to her managers in recent years.
“I try to get away to the Hamptons every weekend, but I’m available to my staff 24/7,” she says. “I think I’ve learned to be relaxed about the business. But I’m always looking for ways to make it better. And I never take it for granted that it will be here tomorrow.”
—Bruce Felton
