BeMyDD allows adults to responsibly enjoy their social time with family and friends
Date Posted:
Fri, Apr 26 2013,
The Plain Dealer
Three very talented young entrepreneurs took an age-old question and devised a creative solution. They created BeMyDD, which stands for Be My Designated Driver.
The company’s beginning
When company president and chief executive officer Arthur Simanovsky and chief marketing officer Alexa Milkovich graduated from college, they came back to their hometown of Solon.
“Like most young adults, we wanted to go out and enjoy the ‘bar scene.’ But to do that responsibly, we would have to take a taxi, which was very expensive. So the best option was to designate a driver. Unfortunately, no one usually wanted to take that role for the evening. So we thought it would be a good idea to hire someone to provide that service for the evening,” said Arthur.
“We put our heads together and came up with a unique business model,” said Alexa.
“Our goal was to provide a very safe service for the community, as well as provide a comfortable, reliable, and safe option for clients,” said Arthur.
The BeMyDD team tested the model in Cleveland for about a year or so and then expanded into other Ohio cities and then other states.
In just three years, BeMyDD has a presence in 25 states and has partnered with two leading organizations, Anheuser-Busch and Brown-Forman. According to chief operation officer Patrick Kucharson, they hope to cover the entire Continental United States by the end of 2013.
Services
BeMyDD offers three driving services.
With the Personal Driver Service, clients can reserve a driver for the day or evening. The driver comes to the client’s home, leaves his vehicle at the home, and then drives the client in his own car anywhere he wants to go for an hourly rate.
With the Pickup Service, two drivers will meet the client at a destination point, and one driver will drive the client home in his own car. It’s ideal for those who may be out with family and friends and realize that they really shouldn’t be driving.
There’s also the Peace of Mind service for special events and parties. “You can reserve drivers for the last few hours of an event to get guests home safely,” Alexa said.
According to Alexa, the average age of their clients is 40.
One of its fastest growing markets is business professionals. “It allows them to get work done while they are in the car instead of having to drive themselves,” said Patrick.
During the daytime, BeMyDD offers driver services for medical appointments, running errands, airport transports, and more.
The company currently contracts with nearly 1,000 drivers across the country. It has 30 to 40 drivers in Northeast Ohio alone. All drivers undergo an extensive background screening and are insured.
Pricing
Arthur wanted to make the service affordable for young professionals. The cost is $12.50 to $16 per hour for a personal driver. For pickup service, there’s a $25 pickup fee plus $2.95 per mile for the first 10 miles and $1.95 for each additional mile.
The partners’ backgrounds
Arthur and Patrick have a degree in finance and entrepreneurship from Miami University. Alexa has an economics degree from Kent State University.
“It was always my dream to take something from basically nothing and to build it up to a prosperous company. I really like the fact that we can utilize our creativity and what we learned in college and actually apply it to a business situation,” said Patrick.
To make a reservation:
Call (877) UBeMyDD (823-6933)
Visit www.BeMyDD.com
Download the BeMyDD app.
It’s available on all four platforms.
Win a free game-day ride with “Home Game, Home Safe Ride”
In an effort to help eliminate drunk driving accidents, Plevin & Gallucci Company, L.P.A., has partnered with BeMyDD to provide a free designated driver for one lucky fan to and from each home game of the Cleveland Indians, Cavaliers
and Browns.
On each game day, the first fan to call (877) UBeMyDD after 9 a.m. and request The Plevin & Gallucci Home Game, Home Safe Ride will win a free designated driver to and from that day’s game.
Fans must be 21 years or older to participate. A day of game ticket is required and must be presented to the driver. Rides are subject to driver availability.
By Linda Chojnacki
on April 26, 2013 at 5:00 AM, updated April 26, 2013 at 4:13 PM
The company’s beginning
When company president and chief executive officer Arthur Simanovsky and chief marketing officer Alexa Milkovich graduated from college, they came back to their hometown of Solon.
“Like most young adults, we wanted to go out and enjoy the ‘bar scene.’ But to do that responsibly, we would have to take a taxi, which was very expensive. So the best option was to designate a driver. Unfortunately, no one usually wanted to take that role for the evening. So we thought it would be a good idea to hire someone to provide that service for the evening,” said Arthur.
“We put our heads together and came up with a unique business model,” said Alexa.
“Our goal was to provide a very safe service for the community, as well as provide a comfortable, reliable, and safe option for clients,” said Arthur.
The BeMyDD team tested the model in Cleveland for about a year or so and then expanded into other Ohio cities and then other states.
In just three years, BeMyDD has a presence in 25 states and has partnered with two leading organizations, Anheuser-Busch and Brown-Forman. According to chief operation officer Patrick Kucharson, they hope to cover the entire Continental United States by the end of 2013.
Services
BeMyDD offers three driving services.
With the Personal Driver Service, clients can reserve a driver for the day or evening. The driver comes to the client’s home, leaves his vehicle at the home, and then drives the client in his own car anywhere he wants to go for an hourly rate.
With the Pickup Service, two drivers will meet the client at a destination point, and one driver will drive the client home in his own car. It’s ideal for those who may be out with family and friends and realize that they really shouldn’t be driving.
There’s also the Peace of Mind service for special events and parties. “You can reserve drivers for the last few hours of an event to get guests home safely,” Alexa said.
According to Alexa, the average age of their clients is 40.
One of its fastest growing markets is business professionals. “It allows them to get work done while they are in the car instead of having to drive themselves,” said Patrick.
During the daytime, BeMyDD offers driver services for medical appointments, running errands, airport transports, and more.
The company currently contracts with nearly 1,000 drivers across the country. It has 30 to 40 drivers in Northeast Ohio alone. All drivers undergo an extensive background screening and are insured.
Pricing
Arthur wanted to make the service affordable for young professionals. The cost is $12.50 to $16 per hour for a personal driver. For pickup service, there’s a $25 pickup fee plus $2.95 per mile for the first 10 miles and $1.95 for each additional mile.
The partners’ backgrounds
Arthur and Patrick have a degree in finance and entrepreneurship from Miami University. Alexa has an economics degree from Kent State University.
“It was always my dream to take something from basically nothing and to build it up to a prosperous company. I really like the fact that we can utilize our creativity and what we learned in college and actually apply it to a business situation,” said Patrick.
To make a reservation:
Call (877) UBeMyDD (823-6933)
Visit www.BeMyDD.com
Download the BeMyDD app.
It’s available on all four platforms.
Win a free game-day ride with “Home Game, Home Safe Ride”
In an effort to help eliminate drunk driving accidents, Plevin & Gallucci Company, L.P.A., has partnered with BeMyDD to provide a free designated driver for one lucky fan to and from each home game of the Cleveland Indians, Cavaliers
and Browns.
On each game day, the first fan to call (877) UBeMyDD after 9 a.m. and request The Plevin & Gallucci Home Game, Home Safe Ride will win a free designated driver to and from that day’s game.
Fans must be 21 years or older to participate. A day of game ticket is required and must be presented to the driver. Rides are subject to driver availability.
By Linda Chojnacki
on April 26, 2013 at 5:00 AM, updated April 26, 2013 at 4:13 PM