Simon Garber
| Simon Garber | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1966 Odessa, Ukraine |
| Residence | Colts Neck, New Jersey |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Other names | Symon Garber |
| Occupation | President and CEO, Yellow Cab SLS Jet Management Corp. and Chicago Carriage Cab Co.; Founding Partner, Triglobal Financial Services Inc.; Founder, Moscow Taxi |
| Spouse(s) | Lina |
| Children | Shaun Francis (b. 1993); Jeffrey Lawrence (b. 1995); Enette; Tyler (b. 1989); Shane |
Simon Garber is President and CEO of several taxi cab companies including Yellow Cab SLS Jet Management Corp in New York City and Chicago Carriage Cab Company in Chicago. Garber's companies are estimated to have the highest number of medallions in both Long Island City and Chicago, earning Garber the nickname of "Taxi King". Garber's cab companies have been involved in several scandals including the illegal use of salvaged police cars in the Chicago fleet and overcharging cab drivers in New York for leasing a medallion. In 2009, Garber founded the International Polo Club of Colts Neck near his residence in Colts Neck, New Jersey.
Simon Garber was born in 1966 in Odessa, Ukraine. In 1978, Garber immigrated with his parents to New Jersey where his father was a sheet-metal worker and his mother was a nurse. Garber reports that he initially had difficulty with bullying in school, until he joined a group of Lubavitchers who paid for him to attend a Jewish day school and helped him get a summer job at a Jewish camp.
Garber started driving taxi cabs in New York City at the age of 18 to help pay for college, eventually owning two cabs. Soon he was buying and selling New York medallions (city-regulated individual permits to operate a cab) for a profit. Garber has claimed to be the holder of the most New York medallions, with over 400 to his name, though the state's Attorney General office has stated that he only controls 275. In 1992, Garber became friends with Russian politician Vladimir Slutsker while on vacation in Monaco. Through Slutsker, Garber was introduced to several Russian high-ranking officials. Three years later, Slutsker convinced Garber to start the company Moscow Taxi with Garber's brother-in-law Eduard Sheinen. Using his political ties, Garber's business eventually grew to over 2,500 vehicles before a weak Russian economy forced the company to downsize the fleet. While in Russia in 2001, Garber became friends with Patrick Daley, the son of long-time Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley. City officials tightly regulate all aspects of medallions ownership, granting permission to purchase medallions on an individual basis. Within a year of meeting Patrick, Garber quickly acquired over 300 Chicago taxi medallions. Garber also hired Mayor Daley's former chief of staff Gery Chico as a City Hall lobbyist. In 2003, Garber used this political capital to start the Chicago Carriage Cab Company and was granted permission to operate the taxi business in Chicago. Within six years, the Chicago Carriage Cab Company had amassed over 800 medallions, making it the largest taxi company in the city.
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