EmpireCLS

About EmpireCLS

The story of EmpireCLS begins not as one, but two separate companies on opposite coasts of the United States. In 1980, David Seelinger started Empire Transport Services in New Jersey. Around the same time in Beverly Hills, Charlie Horky launched CLS Transportation with a single limousine, quickly becoming the go-to service for Hollywood's elite, including clients like Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones. Seelinger's journey was one of perseverance. After overcoming personal adversity, he joined a small limo company as a chauffeur, and despite a self-admitted bad sense of direction, he moved into dispatch and eventually became a partner. He grew his company, Empire International, by expanding its affiliate network globally. Meanwhile, Horky's CLS was building a powerful brand associated with luxury and high-profile clientele. The paths of these two industry players were destined to cross. In a pivotal move for the chauffeured transportation industry, Empire International and CLS Transportation merged in 2005. This event, the largest of its kind in the sector, created EmpireCLS, combining Empire's operational network with the prestigious CLS brand. The merger established a dominant force in luxury ground transportation, with David Seelinger as the Chairman and CEO, a role he holds to this day.