Patrick Carr, host of The Patrick Carr Show (Instagram | Website), posted a series of videos in late July alleging that Visit Orlando (Website) was misspending money through payments to Meeting Movers (Website), a Central Florida transportation management company.
Carr’s videos pointed to what he described as a stock photo of a vehicle, a bus photo he said traced back to a private Facebook group in another state, and a fairly minimal online presence for the company, among other concerns, to question the validity of the company’s operations. Carr went so far as to call Meeting Movers a “shell company” with no real business behind its invoices. The videos have since been removed from Carr’s channel; otherwise, we would embed them here for you to see for yourself.
Rather than relying on Carr’s characterization alone, Orlando Shine reached out directly to the owner of Meeting Movers, Susan Fatutta, who agreed to answer questions about her business, its 25-year history in Central Florida, and its relationship with Visit Orlando.
What follows is her response, in full.
- How long has Meeting Movers operated in Central Florida, and can you walk me through what services you provide to clients?
Meeting Movers was incorporated, licensed, and insured in the State of Florida in 2001.
We provide transportation and event management services for corporate and association meetings and conventions. This means that companies hire us to create the transportation plan and coordinate all logistics for getting groups to different locations. Think of us like an event planner, with the focus on transportation. Example: Event planners don’t own chairs for a wedding venue, but they coordinate to make sure they are there and set up for the event.
2. Do you have a physical office, and if so, where? Carr’s segment noted a P.O. box and a virtual office address in Winter Park — can you clarify your current business location?
Our mailing address is a P.O. Box and has been since 2001. Our physical address is in the Crealde Business Center. The Winter Park address was found because during COVID, we were working remotely as the physical office closed and my records did not get updated once we moved to the Crealde Business Center in 2020.The virtual office comment came from when he walked into the reception area filming and flustered the receptionist. She didn’t understand him, just heard movers and confused Meeting Movers with a moving company that does have a virtual office at Crealde.
3. Why doesn’t Meeting Movers have a public-facing website, active social media accounts, or online reviews, given it’s been operating for 25 years?
The growth of the business was small and specialized. This is a business-to-business model of doing business; we are not direct-to-consumer. By providing a consistent, high level of service, MMI has clients and vendors referred to Meeting Movers via word of mouth and through the referral system established by Visit Orlando that MMI’s membership in that organization affords us. At the start of MM, social media was not prevalent or used as a marketing tool as much as it is today – especially not in the business-to-business world. Since the focus was not to dominate the transportation market, just have consistent clients to provide a livable income, it was easy to grow organically. There was never a need for an online presence to drive business. The reputation of MM and myself is the foundation of our success. My integrity and ethical approach to the community, fellow colleagues, and clients is what sustains our success.
4. How did Visit Orlando find you to vet you as a vendor? What did that look like?
I learned about the organization and the membership and decided it would benefit my business by helping me gain more exposure to the convention and tourism market. I joined Visit Orlando for lead opportunities, networking, research data, and marketing support through the membership. As with all members, VO has a lead process where proposals for various needs, such as site visits, client requests for proposals, client convention needs, and other opportunities. I receive and respond to them with the option to support or not. For example, say a big convention is coming to town. Visit Orlando works with the event organizers to determine everything they need to coordinate a successful show or meeting. Transportation is often a significant component. They must figure out how to get attendees to and from the airport, or transport them to an evening event at a theme park, a sporting event, or a concert downtown. Visit Orlando sends out exactly what the group is looking for (the lead), and then all recipients of that lead (transportation management companies), respond with what they can offer the client. MMI did not win every bid, but the bids it did win created new avenues for business that continued to help us grow without needing a social media presence to be successful. I built relationships with VO and established relationships with other members so they knew they could count on MMI providing support and options. It is a business tool. I found that a VO membership allows me to reach clients I would not otherwise connect with, and that the various resources available support my strategic direction.
5. County check register data shows payments to Meeting Movers ranging from roughly $2,200 to $26,000 in different months, totaling over $100,000 in a six-month span. Can you explain what specific services generated those payments?
Based on the transportation needs sent by VO, there are various levels of support that made up those options. Some examples are meet & greet, airport transfers, and chartered vehicles to support client site visits. Some are to support larger initiatives over multiple days, including shuttles, staffing, and logistics to operate. I cannot speak to why my organization was awarded the business over other transportation companies also utilized by VO. I respond to requests and provide fair charges and excellent service.
6. He also identified a bus photo he says traces back to a private Facebook group in Chesterfield, Maryland. Does Meeting Movers own or lease its own vehicle fleet, and if not, whose vehicles are used for client transportation?
Meeting Movers is a Transportation Management Company. We do not own any vehicles. We design, manage, and execute transportation needs for our clients. We have a working relationship with over 15 owner/operators and small transportation companies, many of whom we have helped start their businesses. There are 23 companies that are members of Visit Orlando in the Transportation Management category.
And yes, instead of meeting up with one of my vendors to take a picture of a vehicle with my cell phone, I grabbed one off the Internet and used it to represent the types of vehicles my company has direct access to.
7. Carr has characterized Meeting Movers as a “shell company” with no real operations behind the invoices. How do you respond to that specific accusation?
Just because he says so does not make it true. That is an incorrect statement. You can see from my detailed answers above that MMI provides substantial services to its customers and involves many other vendors in doing so, which creates jobs not only inside MMI (we have 6 full-time employees), but also outside of it for many others. I personally have worked many 50 to 60-hour weeks to build and operate the business over the last 25 years and still do.
8. Do you have current or recent photos, testimonials, or documentation from actual events you’ve staffed that you’d be willing to share to demonstrate your work?
I have an extensive roster of clients and events that my company works with; however, I have a responsibility to maintain confidentiality for those companies. Some of the larger ones require MMI to execute NDA’s for the privilege of doing business with them, and I must be cautious in revealing certain information. I don’t seek testimonials to post on the Internet but look to whether we get repeat business from those customers we’ve worked with—and we do, lots of it. Many of our customers have very important people who value their privacy, and we want to honor that. I don’t think most of our customers would appreciate it if I were to refer you to them for comment because that would be an intrusion on their time. You might consider contacting VO about MMI because I think they would be amenable to such an inquiry.
9. Is there anything about your work with Visit Orlando or the broader tourism industry that you feel hasn’t been accurately represented in this controversy, and what would you want the public to understand?
I wish that more people would seek out understanding and take time to gather actual facts before publicly making accusations. To have someone you don’t know or have never heard of show up without warning or invitation at your home and your place of business to record you and family members without consent is really scary. False claims can be damaging, and if there is truly a concern for getting things right, I wish the time would be taken to do the research before sharing anything online.
The tourism and meetings/convention industry is more complex than it seems. Because something doesn’t make sense to someone does not mean it is wrong. It just means there may be an opportunity for that person to learn.
10. Do you plan to respond publicly, correct the record, or take any legal action regarding Carr’s characterization of your business?
I have referred the matter to legal counsel for handling the formal aspects of the matter, but I have participated in this Q & A with you to provide answers to those incorrect characterizations and very much appreciate the opportunity you have given me to do so. Thank you very much.
