Finance and Administration. His sister, Paula George, a CA and CPA, is VP and Controller. Paula’s husband, Jason, is the Fleet and Systems Manager. “We’re the third gener- ation crew, and we’re not just along for the ride. We all have real jobs, and given our complimentary skillsets, make a unique contribution to the success of our business. Well, everyone except me, I just sit here with my feet on the desk,” he laughed. “My mother, Karen Herman, my uncle, Lynn Spicer, and my aunt, Glenda D’Arcy were the second generation owners and managers starting in the late ‘70s. But Casino Taxi has been operating in Halifax since the late 1920s. It was originally owned by a family by the name of Benjamin, I believe. My grandfather, Warren Spicer, bought the company with a partner, Ivan Sprague, in 1958. It was a six vehicle fleet at this time.” “My grandfather was a fascinating guy,” Brian continued. “He was born in the ‘20s, joined the war effort underage and fought overseas for a number of years. That’s how he met my grandmother, who was also part of the war effort with the Women’s Land Army in Britain. After the war, they came back to Canada and married. My grandfather worked a number of jobs. He worked for CN, he drove for what is now Maritime Bus and, for a short period, drove cab. He decided he liked the cab thing. He figured, ‘Hey, if this is how the taxi industry works, I can do it better.’ He was one of the first to bring radio communication to taxis in Halifax. Before that, taxis would line up at a poll stand. The first car in the lineup would wait for a telephone to ring to get an assignment. And he really grew the fleet this way. He quickly bought several smaller cab outfits and within just a few years they had between 30 and 35 vehicles. In the 1960s, I believe ’66 or ’67, he decided it was time for even more change and bought out his partner and continued to grow the business. He retired in 1978. When he retired, the company was operating somewhere in the ballpark of 175 vehicles, all independently owned. He believed that when the drivers own the cars, they take pride in them.”
1980s and ‘90s knows the song. It’s really amazing what advertising can do, especially back in that era. There were two or three TV stations, a couple of radio stations, so if you could get on CTV, ATV at the time, and CJCH radio, you had the market covered. It really took hold. It’s become part of the Maritime identity somehow, that song. It’s just one of those things. You eat donairs at Pizza Corner, you go to The Dome, you sing the Casino Taxi song, not necessar- ily in that order.” Being one of those kids who grew up in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s singing the Casino Taxi song at school with friends and in front of the TV or in the car with my family, I had to press Brian for more. “Essentially what happened is this: Casino Taxi’s old offices were on Gottingen Street and the phone number was 454- 5828. The great thing was, it rhymed, ‘Don’t be late, call 4-5, 4-5, 8, 2, 8.’ When we moved to our second generation location, the phone company wasn’t able to easily transfer our old number, so we opted for a change. We went with 429-6666 and needed a marketing strategy quickly. My grandfather came up with the idea of a jingle contest where we’d pick the winning song from a group of contenders and give out a cash prize. It was all done through CTV.” “We have a lot of national reach because Halifax is and always has been a university town, a leader in innovation and commerce, and a home to the military, but the fact is, we’re very regional. We sell our entire product in the local Halifax market, within the confines of the peninsula, really. So when it comes to marketing, we usually stick to local radio. Radio is huge for us. We’ve done some stuff back on TV, but TV is becoming more challenging with PVRs, streaming, and On Demand. But I don’t think you can truly beat the impact of local radio with a service like ours. But I do know it’s import- ant to supplement so that all the markets are targeted. We’re starting to branch out into digital marketing and digital media like Facebook, Twitter, and Google Ads.” Whether you use the app or dial the number 429-6666, you’re calling on a Halifax institution that represents so many of the values that make Haligonians part of a community first and a city second: Family, diversity, ingenuity, and service. The ad even came in at number 15 on Huffingtonpost.ca’s 2012 Canadian Jingles: 25 Of The Catchiest Canadian Tunes.
Warren was also the brain behind the famous Casino Taxi ads.
“I remember as a kid, I never wanted anyone to know that my family owned Casino Taxi,” Brian laughed. “As soon as they found out, they sang the song at you. I still have vivid memories of being cornered on the Jungle Jim with five or six kids around me singing the song. Everyone who grew up in Halifax – or Nova Scotia, for that matter – during the
“It’s just one of those things. You eat donairs at Pizza Corner, you go to The Dome, you sing the Casino Taxi song, not necessarily in that order.”
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DECEMBER 2017 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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