Early Years on the Farm
Born on November 17, 1968, Josef grew up as the fourth of six children on a 30-acre farm in Akron, Ohio. Both of his parents were immigrants to the United States, his father from Poland and his mother from Germany. Farm life instilled a strong work ethic early, but Josef found himself drawn toward opportunities beyond its fences.
After graduating high school in 1988, his eye fell on Bailey Banks & Biddle, a fine high-end jewelry house. Turned down at first for his lack of experience, Josef returned again and again. After three months of persistence he was hired into sales, and steadily worked his way up to assistant manager. It was his first lesson in a world where presentation, trust, and attention to detail were everything.
Continental Classics and the Private Driver World
A friend, a stockbroker with a collection of high-end cars from Rolls-Royce to Ferrari, drew Josef toward luxury automobiles and private driving. The film Arthur, starring Dudley Moore, further sparked his fascination with the craft of service.
In 1990, at just 21, Josef founded Continental Classics Limousine Service in Akron. He grew the company from five vehicles to thirty, all managed by fifty private drivers. During this chapter the company with affiliates provided 150 vehicles and orchestrated the transportation for the World Series of Golf at Firestone Country Club, an education in logistics and coordination at scale. He led Continental Classics until July 1996.
Jewelry, Franchising, and the Road West
In September 1997, Josef moved to Key West, Florida, returning to the jewelry trade he knew well with Little Switzerland, a Caribbean-based fine jewelry company. The instinct for service never left him, only the setting changed.
In March 2003 he moved to Orange County, California, and joined Subway Development to help franchise the sandwich company, applying the same systems-building and business development skills he had sharpened across every chapter before it. California, it turned out, was where the next and most enduring chapter would begin.
Founding Your Car Our Driver
In September 2006, Josef was hired to work with The Private Chauffeur, a Los Angeles-based private driver service originally founded in 1985 and one of the earliest companies of its kind in Southern California. The experience introduced him to the Orange County market and reawakened the calling he had first answered in Akron.
In April 2007, he founded Your Car Our Driver, built to serve Orange County clients with a model all his own. It was a difficult moment to begin a business, in the teeth of a recession, but Josef’s determination held. He advertised in society magazines and worked through every obstacle. Today, with the same owner since the very first day, the company serves a discerning clientele across Southern California.
A Legacy Acquired, a Standard Continued
On November 17, 2021, his birthday, Josef acquired The Private Chauffeur, the very company that had introduced him to the Orange County market fifteen years earlier and one of the founding companies of the private driver industry, established in 1985. The company that first opened this door to him became part of the legacy he now stewards.
Under his ownership that legacy continues alongside Your Car Our Driver, giving the two companies a combined presence in Southern California private driving that reaches back more than four decades, to 1985. Josef is not claiming he founded that history. He is carrying it forward as its current owner, a steward of one of the earliest names in the craft.
A Different Kind of Private Driver Service
Your Car Our Driver attracts a social clientele who seek private driver service for events, dinners, shows, galas, and sporting events. What sets the company apart is simple and distinctive: the same quality of private driver service, enjoyed from the comfort of your own vehicle.
As Chairman and CEO, Josef remains personally involved in selecting and vetting every driver. Applicants must have private driver experience, a clean driving record, and must clear a national background screening. Only then do they meet with Josef himself, to ensure their character reflects the values of the company. It is a standard he has never delegated and never lowered.
“Even if you are having just one drink, prearrange your transportation. With all the options available today, it is simply the responsible thing to do.”
