Phil Strong, President of TappCONNECT Inc., has always been an entrepreneur.
“I’ve had an eye for business ever since the age of 17 when I came to Canada,” he smiles. “I was born in Italy. Dad was a Canadian civil servant so that meant we got to move around Europe and Africa. When I became of age for university, we moved to Canada. My first job was delivering newspapers. That was self employment at its best!”
He continues, “I always had a small side business, even when I had a salaried job. To be honest, I never kept a salaried job for very long. I always preferred having my own business.”
His own business turned into businesses.
“At one point,” Strong explains, “one of my past mentors took me out of accounting and put me into a management role at Laidlaw, which was part of Yellow Cab. That was serendipitous because I had driven cabs when I was in university. Later, I bought Yellow Cab. Then we started buying other companies and things took off. It was great!”
Today, the businesses under the TappCONNECT umbrella include Edmonton Greater Taxi Service, of which the two main brands are Yellow Cab and Barrel Taxi; J&P Auto; Prestige Limousine; Prestige Contracted Transportation and Cliffs Towing. Cliffs Towing has been in operation for more than 70 years and Yellow Cab has operated since 1945. Strong has continued to expand and improve on two essential legacy businesses in Edmonton while using his entrepreneurial drive to change lives in and outside of his brands.
“We have 134 direct employees, but I like to say that we provide a living for over 965 families,” smiles Strong. “Most of our 831 drivers are owners/operators. The executive team, management team and the drivers are why TappCONNECT stands out from the competition. I can’t do all this work, obviously! I must have great people around me. My philosophy is, you must empower people to let them grow and become what they are. Then, we will produce some excellent ideas. We need those ideas. If you don’t innovate, you get left behind.”
Innovation was absolutely key during several points of TappCONNECT’s growth, but especially so when Uber took North America by proverbial storm.
Strong recounts, “Uber? That scared us like crazy. Scared us for six months. I’m not easily scared but I got scared when Uber came to town.”
Out of all the places in Canada to test drive Uber, Edmonton was the city of choice. Strong watched several of his friends who also owned taxi and chauffeur businesses shut down. After watching the carnage unfold, Strong took a step back and asked himself, “Okay. What are we going to do about this?”
What he and his team did was outmanoeuver the juggernaut at their own game. Uber was based on an app, so Strong’s supplier developed the Yellow Cab and Barrel Taxi app that was better than Uber’s. Although it is still gaining traction, more and more likeminded companies across Canada are engaging with their own apps.
The app is designed for seamless, efficient taxi booking within the city. With this app, users can book a taxi in under 10 seconds, ensuring exclusive priority service from one of the most reputable cab services in Edmonton. The app features a passwordless registration flow, meaning you can get started quickly and effortlessly. For business users, it allows you to log in with your business account, automating expenses for ease of tracking and reimbursement. One of the standout features of the app is its price estimator, which provides users with an average cost for their planned trip. Payment is also a breeze with the in-app credit card payment option, although traditional “in taxi” payment is still available. Users have access to their driver’s and vehicle details and can track the taxi’s arrival on a real-time map. Additionally, it allows users to schedule future trips, making it a reliable tool for planning your transportation in advance.
As with many businesses in the city right now, Strong is struggling with the tight labour market.
“We have a good crew now, but we need more staff,” he admits. “We have tried to be proactive; we applied for, and got permission to hire foreign workers as mechanics and Cliffs’ drivers. We supply them with the tools they need to get started.”
Hiring with diversity and inclusion has always been a big part of Strong’s philosophy. He is very well known for hiring new Canadians and providing them with training and resources to get ahead.
“I have always said, and I continue to say, the joy of seeing people use TappCONNECT as a stepping stone to move ahead in life is my biggest joy. We have people who started as cab drivers and now are lawyers, own butcher shops, run hotels and more. Even one of Edmonton’s mayors first drove cab when he came to Canada. It’s a beautiful thing to see people move ahead. One of my drivers put three kids through university by driving cab – two doctors and a dentist! And he is still driving! He says he’s too young to retire. That is the personal joy I get out of the business.”
He also loves that the business never stands still.
There is always something to do. Sometimes you have issues. Other times you have ‘aha!’ moments. The joy is you come to work knowing no two days are the same.”
How could they be the same when the breath and depth of TappCONNECT stretches so broadly?
“People don’t understand just how many services we provide,” Strong says with pride. “We can transport any person, package, part or even equipment within Western Canada, 24/7. Our iconic brands are always on the road. If there is one thing I could tell everyone, it is about the depth of our service. We are always striving to give world-class customer service. That is one of the strategic pillars of our brands and our corporate culture.”
Strong couldn’t be happier to have built this transportation empire in Edmonton and with the help of Edmontonians.
“There is such tremendous resilience here,” he says of the capital city. “All the business owners have the same challenges but we all help each other. It’s really great to see how we rely on each other to move forward.”
TappCONNECT, and Strong, personally, also believe in helping non-profit and charitable organizations. In addition to wrapping tow trucks to help raise awareness for local causes, TappCONNECT enjoys supporting Dreams Take Flight.
The Edmonton Dreams Take Flight Association, a provincially registered non-profit society, has been dedicated since 1993 to providing unforgettable experiences for deserving children with special needs from Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Their mission involves organizing trips to Disneyland or Universal Studios, creating magical memories for children. This wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of donors and sponsors.
“We believe in helping at the local, ground level,” says Strong. “We have also supported the Terry Fox Run, Mustard Seed, Edmonton Humane Society, the Fork it Over Gala and more. Our staff get involved in collecting non-perishable products for the food bank and the company supports their efforts.”
Strong thanks the many mentors and organizations that have helped him, including TEC Canada and the Edmonton Executive Association.
As for the future? TappCONNECT was transporting people and goods before GPS technology. Before apps. Before Uber. The world changed and Strong’s brands changed with it. Now his plan is to lead the change, ensuring that passengers and products arrive at their destinations on time, affordably and in the safest way possible.
“We want to aggressively keep on growing. I’m proud that I have the right staff along with innovative technologies. We have also developed long lasting relationships with existing and new customers. AI is the next big frontier. How will we make that work in our business? Watch and find out!”
TappCONNECT drives change now and into the future. Learn more by connecting with the individual brands on social media as the story of Edmonton’s biggest taxi, limousine and towing fleets continue to unfold.
