Navy League Hampton Roads

Background: We have a long-standing partnership with The Navy League of Hampton Roads. They have called on us to manage all transportation needs for six military ship commissionings since 2009. Most notable are the two large carriers named for President George HW Bush in 2009 and Gerald R. Ford in 2017. Opportunity: Given the caliber of attendees, including sitting United States presidents, their families and staff, past presidents, their families and staff, White House officials, decorated military officers, international dignitaries and countless others public and civilian leaders, a DMC with the utmost attention to detail, protocol and security measures was needed to manage the mass movement portion of the transportation program. The Navy League has partnered with us for over a decade to manage every aspect of these high-level movements. The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) was officially commissioned on July 22, 2017. In addition to the formal ceremony that took place on the shipdeck Saturday morning, there was a ship tour and an evening Chairman’s Reception at Naval Station Norfolk on Friday, July 21 for the Ford family and invited dignitaries. We were tasked with managing all the transportation details and logistics for three high-profile, high-detail events over two days.

Result: Over the course of the weekend, our company led three movements of high-level guests attending the commissioning events. We managed permitting and traffic flow with the City of Virginia Beach and the City of Norfolk. We ensured all movements followed strict security measures and met official protocol, including active military duty “agent” and K9 sweeps of each coach at a secure location prior to guests boarding.

Total Number of vehicles over the weekend: 38 motorcoaches, plus several private sedans Total Number of passenger moved: 2,500 attendees, including active duty military trusted agents aboard each coach, (over 10,000 guests attended the commissioning including President Donald J. Trump, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Acting Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley, Chief Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson and USS Gerald R. Ford Commanding Capt. Rick McCormack) Total Number of staff on-site: 16

“Your entire team has completed another successful commissioning weekend. We could not have done this without you and I want you to know that I sincerely appreciate all of your tireless effort. It is because of professionals like you, who understand what needs to take place behind the scenes, that make it all come together. It most certainly is a team effort. I did not want any time to pass in letting you know how much I value our partnership.”
– Maryellen Baldwin, President & CEO, Navy League Hampton Roads