About this episode
Cho Ndiforchu, owner of Skyline Transport in Florida and the NEMTAC 2025 Provider of the Year, won his first facility contract without asking, after a resident told the administrator they would not ride with anyone else. The rest of the 15 to 20 facilities he serves came from referrals between sister facilities and from opening with their transportation problems instead of a contract request. Volume climbed after the NEMTAC conference, with the sharpest growth in November and early December, and Ndiforchu wants to nearly double the fleet next year.
Key takeaways
- Ndiforchu never opens with a contract ask. He asks administrators what their transportation challenges are, listens for the pattern, then differentiates on that exact pain point, usually showing up on time.
- Owner operators who never stop driving never grow, he argues. Handing the wheel to someone else so he could market the business is what moved Skyline past a one man show.
- The NEMTAC conference produced a partnership with a local provider of more than 50 years and a vehicle supplier, Adaboy, that delivers pre-converted vans in a week instead of two to three months.
- Skyline takes no insurance directly. In Florida that work runs through brokers such as Allegiant and Modivcare, so staff spend part of every day redirecting callers who found them on Google.
- A facility group Skyline serves at six locations asked him to open in Texas. He agreed in principle, but is expanding into Polk County first and turned down a large Pinellas contract.
Chapters
- 0:30 Growing the private pay side after the broker
- 1:50 Ask about challenges, never for a contract
- 3:22 Calling ahead when you will be five minutes late
- 4:08 A resident demands Skyline and the first contract lands
- 6:03 Sister facilities talk, so contract two calls you
- 6:50 Networking events, the website and marketing that compounds
- 9:52 NEMTAC as the turning point and a 50 year partner
- 11:15 Turning down Pinellas and growing slowly on purpose
- 18:09 The Texas ask and Polk County next year
- 21:02 Why Skyline takes no insurance directly in Florida
- 22:42 Pre-converted vans in a week instead of a conversion shop
- 28:01 CTAA wheelchair securement training through My Elite Courses
