LandJet takes scenic route in its growth journey

Todd Kitzmann loves getting people to their destinations. For the past five years, he has been driving thousands of people to those destinations for business trips, shopping adventures, sporting events and even to medical facilities. In mid-September, Mr. Kitzmann drove several members of a Quad Cities family to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The […]

Todd Kitzmann loves getting people to their destinations. For the past five years, he has been driving thousands of people to those destinations for business trips, shopping adventures, sporting events and even to medical facilities. In mid-September, Mr. Kitzmann drove several members of a Quad Cities family to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The family made the trip to visit and offer support to a family member who was having a medical procedure. “Helping families in need is really what this is all about. … This is my favorite trip,” he said on the day of the drive to the Mayo Clinic. Mr. Kitzmann works for LandJet LLC – a Bettendorf-based transportation company geared for the modern business traveler and just about any other traveler. The company operates mobile offices built on a 159-inch-long utility van chassis. It provides a rolling workspace  – or offices on wheels –  that can be booked by groups of up to eight on an hourly basis with a professional driver provided. Business at LandJet has been booming. In fact, it is so good that LandJet took top honors at the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal’s third annual Fastest Growing Companies awards event. LandJet had a whopping 272% growth in the past two years. The QCBJ honored a total of 25 area businesses at the Thursday, Oct. 10, celebration. The honorees were ranked based on their revenue growth over the past two years. Through the annual awards program, the QCBJ recognizes the region’s most dynamic companies that have made significant contributions to the strength of the Quad Cities economy.

The other 2024 Fastest Growing honorees, listed alphabetically, are: ALM Positioners, Inc.; American Industrial Door Company; Barrel House; Barron Equipment Company; C&W Transport Solutions; CBI Bank & Trust; Centennial Tax & Accounting; Crawford Company; Mallard Pointe Kennels; Mbrico LLC; MoboTrex; The Group Obstetrics & Gynecology Specialists, P.C.; Oertel Metal Works; Paramount Millwright Services; Point Builders; Revive at The Group Med Spa; River Cities Engineering; Rock Valley Physical Therapy; Russell; Smoothie Company - Royale; The Advisory Group; Tri-City Electric Company; Tri-City Fire Protection; and Tri-City Ironworks. The QCBJ Fastest Growing Companies is sponsored by Platinum Sponsor TBK Bank and Gold Sponsor Honkamp, which conducts the rankings. Each year, honorees are ranked according to revenue growth over a two-year period with both dollar and percentage increases taken into account. Honorees are self-nominated and must provide financial information regarding their revenue growth. The information was gathered confidentially by Honkamp, which calculated the growth percentages of each to determine the company rankings.  LandJet took the top growth honors because it provides a service customers love – it’s not just about getting people to their destinations. It’s also about giving them a mobile office that is ideal for working, collaborating and entertaining, said Mark Ross, co-founder of LandJet, who took over as the company CEO this fall. “People love the product. They love being on a LandJet. … and they love being productive the whole time they are on the trips,” added Mr. Ross, who also is the CFO of ALM Positioners Inc. in Rock Island, which manufactures machines that position equipment for dozens of industries.  That love for LandJet can be seen in the many comments from customers. One of those customers is Amy Simler, vice president of Bush Construction in Davenport. She said Bush has used the transportation service for many business trips the past several years. Many of those trips are within four hours of the Quad Cities. LandJet provides a great service that takes the stress out of travel, she said. “It’s nice to have all of us in one vehicle so we can have conversations on these trips,” Ms. Simler told the QCBJ.

LandJet offers ‘productive time’

Another big part of LandJet’s appeal to the traveler is the great service provided by the drivers. The Bush executive called the drivers “very friendly, very professional,” adding they also are able to change the schedule to meet the needs of the traveler. “On one trip, we needed dinner. So, after our meeting, the driver drove us to Chick-fil-A,” she added. In addition to getting a chicken sandwich after a long day on the road, some of the other perks LandJet customers and the company itself have pointed out include: LandJet offers views travelers wouldn’t see from an airliner. The service lets people take the scenic route or it can also be a faster route. Mr. Ross said that a trip from the Quad Cities to Kansas City can take eight hours or more by airline once you factor in the trips to the airport and layover time. A LandJet trip will take about five hours. “And those five hours can be productive time,” he added. “LandJet gave me time to focus and calm my nerves, so I could be fully present and enjoy the evening with all my people,” one of its satisfied customers said on the company website. The service helps keep the business in business travel by taking customers’ work on the road. The mobile office amenities allow travelers to work efficiently, and comfortably, according to LandJet.  But LandJet isn’t all business all the time. Mr. Ross said that when he became involved with the transportation service a few years ago, he assumed LandJet would almost exclusively be for the business traveler. The times and the travelers are changing. These days, business trips account for about 60% of the LandJet treks. The other 40% of the trips are those non-business journeys to hospitals and recreation treks. On one recent weekend, local LandJet vehicles were kept busy taking people to Iowa City for a University of Iowa football game, and north to Minnesota for a Vikings’ game. Mr. Ross said some of his customers use the service on weekdays for business, and  return to use the service again on weekends for recreation. “We have a lot of customers on the weekends. … It’s not just the 8-to-5 business traveler any more,” he added. No matter what kind of traveler is hitting the road, LandJet wants to be their transportation company. In order to keep customers – and attract a lot of new ones – the company has big plans and improvements in the works. One of those plans centers on working with the vehicles’ manufacturer to build better vehicles and more comfortable rides. Mr. Ross said one of his main goals is to eliminate the “road turbulence” that comes with potholes and rough roads. He wants his LandJet vehicles to have better suspension systems to give riders a better ride. In the future, at least some LandJet vehicles could be electric. The company co-founder wants to see at least one e-vehicle in the local LandJet fleet that could make some of the shorter trips.

Goal: Get 50 franchisees

All those changes will lead to more customers and more LandJet markets around the country. In fact, in the near future Mr. Ross said he plans to hire a business advisor to help with achieving another major company goal: Getting 50 franchisees within the next five years.  That goal will happen, Mr. Ross added, with the help of drivers such as Mr. Kitzmann. Actually, LandJet’s drivers are referred to as “pilots.” And Mr. Kitzmann is called the chief pilot because he has been with the company longer than most of its employees. He has about five years on the job. Before this new career, the Quad Cities man worked for UPS for 37 years; most of that time dealing with customers in sales and marketing. He said that experience has helped him become a good chief pilot for the company. That’s because a LandJet pilot needs to be devoted to the customers’ needs. They need to be flexible, make that non-scheduled trip to Chick-Fil-A when needed, and hit the road earlier or later than scheduled to meet the needs of clients. Mr. Kitzmann said there really isn’t a “typical day” as a LandJet pilot. But his usual trips are often three to four hours out of the Quad Cities – typically to Chicago, Des Moines and St. Louis. He will often drive between three to six clients, and be on the road seven to 13 hours during those day trips. Even though the trips can vary in length and location, one thing always seems to be the same: a great pilot will be professional, but will also make a connection with the customers. “I like meeting new people. … I like the interaction. I like the conversations,” Mr. Kitzmann added.      

AT A GLANCE: LANDJET LLC

Address: 3269 Moencks Court, Bettendorf, is the operational center;  4620 E. 53rd St., Davenport, is the administrative center. Website: landjet.com Phone: (866) LANDJET and (563) 650-2142 Email: [email protected] Vehicle features: LandJet vehicles can fit up to eight passengers and include a center conference table; individual jet desks in rear seats; a refrigerator; leather soft-touch seats; two 40” LCD overhead TVs; audio system; WiFi; Roku service; and luggage space. Vehicle styles and models: Mercedes 144-inch Sprinter; Mercedes 170-inch Sprinter; Ford Transit; and Dodge ProMaster. There are about five LandJet vehicles located in the Quad Cities. Company history: LandJet was founded in 2005 in Elkhart, Indiana, to design, build and sell mobile offices to an emerging mobile productivity market. The company was purchased in 2018 by Quad Cities businessmen Mark Ross and Jim Thomson, out of a need for an alternative to regional business travel. Employees: Four full-time and 10 part-time employees in its branches in the Quad Cities; Austin, Texas; and Kansas City, Missouri. Future goal: LandJet hopes to expand with 50 franchisees within the next five years. This growth will be spurred by “increasing customer satisfaction,” according to Mark Ross, LandJet co-founder.