Good times roll

Though he's selling Unified Party Bus, Ivan Moore is keeping the 1950 GMC mini bus that he bought in Eugene, Ore., and took almost a year to rebuild. By Matt Heilman Last Updated: November 01, 2012 The ride isn't over. But the keys are changing hands. Ivan Moore created a party on wheels eight years ago and he turned it into a successful business. But now oore is selling the rights to his company and ending a chapter to one of the most interesting and entertaining young entrepreneurial careers in Valley Center. But there's little chance that the 32-year-old is closing the book. “I just got kind of burned out," Moore explained. Unified Party Bus started humbly when Moore bought an old bus at an auction for $850 in 2003. He described the first bus as “plain Jane." “There was nothing fancy about it," Moore said. Moore started the business because he liked to have a good time and go out with his friends, but he didn't drink. Since he ended up being the designated driver anyway, he saw an opportunity to mix business with pleasure. It didn't take long for word to get out about Unified Party Bus and reservations for a ride to come rolling in. “It just ran," Moore said. “We were really successful." A friend encouraged him to expand with competition on the horizon. Unified Party Bus grew at a minimum of one bus per year over eight years. The business continued to do well, even when the competition started to show up about three years ago. The key to the success has been to give customers what they want, Moore said. “We're successful because we take care of our customers first every single time," he said. Moore also took care of his employees as the business grew. But with the departure of his office manager and word that his top driver was ready to move on, the business hasn't been as fun for Moore in the last 18 months as it was when the operation started. When Moore's office manager left Unified Party Bus a couple of years ago, the business owner didn't have as much time to drive his buses and spend time with his customers. He had to spend more time doing paperwork, booking trips across the state and staying on top of maintenance, cleaning and legal issues. And with his most dependable driver ready to leave in December, Moore knew the time was right to take a break. The entrepreneur wants to spend more time with his family. Moore and his wife, Ashley, are expecting the birth of their second daughter this month. Moore hired a broker to find a potential buyer for his company. He turned down several initial offers before he found the right fit. Mike Miller, owner of Mill Tell Inc. in Park City, also owns Spot's Party Bus, which was poised to become Unified Party Bus' top competitor. The small company started shortly after Moore began looking for a buyer and proved to be what he was looking for. Moore said the transaction took about nine days, starting from Miller's first contact with his broker until he handed him the keys to Unified Party Bus. In the transition, Miller will keep the Unified Party Bus name. He purchased the rights to everything, including the Unified Party Bus website and phone number, Moore said.  Moore's drivers will work for the new owner and most of the fleet will find its home in a new garage. Spot's Party Bus already shared a similar color scheme as Unified Party Bus. “It just seemed like a great fit right out of the shoot," Moore said of selling his business to Miller. While he's giving up the “brains" to his business, Moore is hanging on the “heartbeat," a 1950 GMC mini bus that he bought in Eugene, Oregon, and took almost a year to rebuild. The bus that was once suitable for a junkyard now has a new interior, fresh coat of yellow paint and a brand new fuel-injected engine. Moore is keeping the bus to continue driving on trips with his family and friends. Looking back, Moore said there was a fair mix of failures and triumphs with Unified Party Bus that has ultimately led to the business's success. “Fortunately we've been diversified enough that our failures have been masked by our successes," he said. Today, Unified Party Buses take about 1,200 trips per year. Moore voiced confidence that Miller can take the company even further. In the meantime, the entrepreneur said he'd be available in a consulting role for the company's new owner. While spending time with his family, Moore said he hoped to be given opportunities to drive on some of the trips for his former company. Moore said he's not sure what his next business venture will be, but the former worm farmer knows he made the right choice to sell Unified Party Bus while the business is still doing well. “Hopefully when I truly retire, I will be able to say there were more successes than failures and I always did what was right," Moore said. “That's so important to me." The News
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