David seelinger empire cls biography
Road to Success
A Rocky Start
David Seelinger was born to a middle-class family in Erie, PA, though spent much of his childhood moving around—from Pennsylvania, to South Carolina, and eventually to Chicago. He dropped out of school halfway through the ninth grade and went right to work at a service station that repaired cars and served gasoline. “Within six months, I was running the place,” Seelinger says. Quite an accomplishment for a young teenager. By the age of 19, he was also successfully running his own towing business and working with the fire department and as an EMT on a volunteer basis. “I think I had an entrepreneurial spirit at a young age,” he explains. But despite his motivation and early achievements, Seelinger unfortunately also developed an addiction to drugs, alcohol, and food. “In 1985, I hit rock bottom. I weighed 350 pounds, had lost everything, and ended up in rehab,” he admits. “After I got out, I moved in with my family and started my recovery process. It has been a life long journey ever since.”
A Second Chance
A setback like this may have left anyone else in a state of hopelessness and despair, but Seelinger was instead even more determined to get back on track. He began working as a chauffeur for Executive Transport Service, a small three-car limousine company in Northern New Jersey. “I only lasted about four months as a chauffeur,” he confesses. “I had a very bad sense of direction. The customers loved me, but I just had trouble finding my way around!” Without the luxuries of Mapquest or GPS navigation systems, Seelinger was close to being let go. “I was desperate to turn my life around, and I said to the owner of the company, ‘I’ll do anything else you want me to do, I really just need a job’.” His boss, Alan Lehrer, had taken a liking to him and offered him a position inside the office as a dispatcher for the drivers. “I thought, that’s kind of odd…I don’t have a sense of direction, but I’ll do it.” Lehrer and Seelinger Friday, February 21, 2025 EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services Chairman & CEO David Seelinger still remembers the sage, if not fortuitous advice his father offered to him as a younger man: Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you, be open to their advice, and you’ll be successful. With over 30 years of experience in the livery transportation industry, David is the driving force behind EmpireCLS’ success as the premiere transportation service company in the world. Regarded for his trendsetting ideas, entrepreneurial vision and passionate hospitality, he is regarded as a pioneer for committing to delivering consistent service and innovations in an unregulated industry. His standards and drive have attracted innumerable affiliate partners allow EmpireCLS' reach to expand worldwide. Nat joined EmpireCLS in January of 2011, and is responsible for corporate finance and accounting, treasury, insurance, and banking relations, and also serves as liaison with outside legal counsel. A seasoned operations executive with over 20 years of sales and operations experience in the transportation industry, Ed is responsible for managing key corporate, hotel and airline accounts and overseeing business operations and strategies for EmpireCLS. .
“I believe I have done that, and that’s why we are where we are,” says Seelinger about his team, many of whom have been with the company for more than a decade—some upwards of 25 years.
That includes company President Ed Martinez, COO Joey Phelps, CFO Nat Buonfiglio, Executive Vice President of Sales Marissa Criaris, National Director of Fleet Operations Rich Doherty, and Director of IT Services Jaime Major, all of whom have been with EmpireCLS for a dozen years or more.
“The success of the company is largely due to the people who work here, not me. The tenure among all departments is amazing—the chauffeurs, the call center team, management, everyone—and my team is the most important thing to me. I love my customers, and I’m very service-focused, but at the end of the day I’m not the one delivering the service, they are. As simple as it sounds, if I don’t treat staff like I want to be treated, then it won’t work,” he adds.
At the N.J. headquarters (L to R): SVP/GM Steve Horowitz, Director of IT Jaime Major, EVP of Sales Marissa Criaris, N.J. Operations Manager John Criaris, Chairman & CEO David Seelinger, Director of National Fleet Services Rich Doherty, VP of Sales Dina Perazzo, and VP of Human Resources Sherryann Permaul Steering one of the largest chauffeured transportation operations, with many hundreds of employees and vehicles, certainly requires a common goal throughout the organization, and Seelinger and his team have faced many hea David Seelinger
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Nat Buonfiglio
Chief Financial Officer
Prior to joining EmpireCLS, he served as Chief Financial Officer for private equity portfolio companies and mezzanine lenders in varying market sectors. Nat has more than 25 years of experience in financial and operational management for both public and private companies, with revenues ranging from $40 million to $650 million. He serves on the Board of Directors of industry associations, and is currently the Chairman of a charity established to provide financial aid to families of children battling cancer.
Nat holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Long Island University’s C.W. Post School of Professional Accountancy.Edward Martinez
Chief Operations Officer
Ed joined the EmpireCLS leadership team in 2005 and has played an integral role at several transportation companies, including Manhattan International Limousine and Carey International, where he previously served