Kent-Meridian grad finds the road out of a disability

Just 19 years old, Rob Hansen had no idea what he would do for work after he broke his neck in a professional motocross racing accident in 1987 that left him paralyzed from the neck down.

Hansen, now president and chief executive officer of Bayview Limousine Service in Tukwila, anticipated a long career in motocross racing until he crashed going over a hill during a race in Richland.

With limited job skills besides racing, Hansen had doubts about what he would do next. But when he got out of the hospital he moved into a Kent apartment with a roommate who worked as a chauffeur. The two decided in 1990 they could start their own limousine service.

“I sold my motorcycles, borrowed money from my mom and bought my first car,” said Hansen, as he sat in his Bayview Limousine office just east of the West Valley Highway and north of the Embassy Suites Hotel.

Hansen, 43, who now oversees a fleet of 65 vehicles, ran the business out of the apartment while his roommate drove the 1984 Cadillac stretch limo Hansen had bought.

“Two months later, he wanted nothing to do with it,” Hansen said about his roommate. “We were not making any money.”

But Hansen didn’t give up. Despite being in a wheelchair, he worked as the chauffeur for several months and hired a woman to open the doors for customers. He managed to cover expenses the first year and eventually added two more vehicles, which didn’t go over too well at the apartment complex where he lived.

“I got evicted from the apartment for running a business out of there,” said Hansen, a 1985 graduate of Kent-Meridian High School. “I moved back home and ran it out of the basement of my parents house in Kent.”

With no office staff initially, Hansen and the drivers handled dispatch. Business continued to grow, and Hansen moved the 5-year-old company in 1995 into a Des Moines warehouse with 10 vehicles.

“I think it’s consistent quality service at a fair price and not overextending ourselves,” Hansen said on the key to growing the business. “But the biggest reason is a great staff. The chauffeurs, they are what bring back the repeat business. I’ve had a couple of the drivers for over 15 years. That’s a long time in this business.”

Bayview Limousine moved to its current site in 2003 with a fleet of 32 vehicles. Now the company has 65 vehicles and employs 68, including a full-time mechanic.

Hansen, who lives in Burien with his wife and daughter, looks for drivers who want to stay in the business.

“We now get more career types,” he said. “Most of the chauffeurs have been here over two years.”

The company is well-known across the nation. Limousine, Charter and Tour magazine named Hansen the 2007 Operator of the Year for large fleets of vehicles. He also received the award in 1999 for medium-sized fleets.

Bayview provides numerous rides to and from Sea-Tac Airport. The company also serves many corporations, celebrities and special occasions such as proms and birthdays.

Hansen said he preferred to keep the names of the companies and celebrities private, something most clients prefer.

The company’s fleet includes Lincoln Town Cars, a variety of stretch limousines and a mini-coach shuttle that seats 18 to 35 passengers. Basic rates range from $55 to $150 per hour with a two-hour minimum.

Employees staff the office 24 hours a day, seven days per week, to make sure someone is present to answer calls for service.

When Hansen started the business 20 years ago out of his Kent apartment, he never anticipated it would survive for so many years.

“Not this big and I didn’t think it would be long term,” he said.

Joe Matthys, who has known Hansen for 18 years and is now the business development director at Bayview Limousine, marvels at what Hansen has accomplished since the motocross accident.

“He woke up in the hospital wondering what he was going to do with his life,” Matthys said. “With how he’s built this company in 20 years, it’s pretty remarkable.”

For more information, go to www.bayviewlimo.com.