The Transportation Alliance announced that Dave Gauer, owner of VIP Taxi in Phoenix, Arizona, has been named Executive of the Year.

Gauer entered the taxicab business in 1977 in the north suburbs of Chicago when he traded a custom motorcycle in exchange for his first taxicab with American Taxi . He grew a single cab into a 30-car operation, beginning his legacy as an innovator in the industry.

In 1993, Gauer was offered a business partnership at 303 Taxi which, at the time, had less than 150 cabs. He knew that by implementing newer technologies the company could be taken to the next level. He was correct: By 1998, the company had grown to over 600 cabs and provided tens of thousands of rides each month to children with special needs. He was correct: By 1998, the company had grown to over 600 cabs and provided tens of thousands of rides each month to children with special needs.  

Dave Gauer previously owned an automobile and light truck repair facility in a north suburb of Chicago. In 1977, he traded a custom motorcycle for his first taxicab. Dave grew his fleet to 30 taxicabs, and in 1993, was offered an opportunity to buy a partnership of a small suburban taxi company.  By 2005, they grew the company to over 1,500 cars, had the busiest taxi call center in North America, piloted Chicago’s most successful taxi accessible program, provided tens of thousands of rides monthly to special needs school children, all while developing some of the latest and greatest dispatch technology. Dave later gave up his interests in Chicago to focus on VIP Taxi here in Arizona with his family. Dave often says “I’m the luckiest guy in the world; I get to work alongside my children doing a job I really enjoy in one of the most beautiful parts of America.”