Hermiston Taxi has come a long way since its humble beginnings 10 years ago.
It began in 2014 out of the founder and owner’s garage with one vehicle and a whiteboard. Today it has more than a dozen employees, a fleet of vans and as of February, a home of its own on Highway 395.
“People didn’t know we existed because we didn’t have our own building,” said Stephanie Martin, operations manager. “We survived by word of mouth.”
Prior to moving into its new home at 945 S. Highway 395, the business essentially operated out of its vehicles.
“We dispatched from our vans,” Martin said.
Hermiston Taxi was founded by Sundi Marquez. Her late husband, John, and their three sons, Jacob, Joshua and Jared, pitched in to make it a family affair.
“John was bilingual and would drive and answer the phones,” Marquez said. “Our customers loved him.” The boys would make airport and medical runs, answer the phones and make flyers.
John, who worked at Marlette, died of cancer in October 2022, and Marquez realized she could use some help.
“It just got to be too much for me to handle on my own,” she said. Today, she co-owns the business with Dan Gianuzzi, who serves as chief executive officer and chief financial officer. Marquez serves as head of sales and marketing as well as the medical transport coordinator.
Hermiston Taxi now has 14 employees including Martin, nine drivers and four dispatchers who can also drive when needed.
“Dan has a vision and has taken the company further than I could have on my own,” Marquez said. The business currently has a fleet of eight vans, two of which are wheelchair accessible.
Hermiston Taxi does much more than just take people from one place to another. It offers medical transport, floral delivery from Safeway, and will pick up and deliver prescriptions.
It is also part of the city of Hermiston’s subsidized ticket program for seniors and disabled and participates in the city’s WORC program which allows people who are employed anywhere in western Umatilla County to purchase subsidized vouchers to use a taxi to get to and from work.
The business also offers private car service for dinners, parties and celebrations, serving as the designated driver for fun nights out.
To increase safety and security, Hermiston Taxi added interior/exterior cameras with GPS tracking to its vehicles in 2017.
Hermiston Taxi’s service territory extends well beyond Hermiston.
“We do a lot of travel to the Tri-Cities, Portland, Seattle and Spokane,” Martin said. “We’ll take you to wherever you want to go.”
Marquez said when she served as a driver, she would get to know her customers on an individual basis. If she hadn’t heard from a regular customer for a few days, she would stop by their home to check up on them. She said all her drivers do the same.
“We have close relationships with our customers,” she said. “For some, we’re the only contact they have.”
During the COVID pandemic, there was some discussion about shutting down until the pandemic was over. Marquez said her employees wouldn’t hear of it.
“Every single driver said keep going. They said, ‘If those wheels aren’t moving, people will panic without transportation.’ “Our loyalties are to the community. We ran every single day during COVID.”
Marquez said she owes a lot to those who work at Hermiston Taxi.
“We wouldn’t be anywhere without our drivers and dispatchers,” she said.
Marquez said she is excited to have a central building from which to work.
“For years I sat in my kitchen dispatching,” she said. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am to have a building for us to operate out of. Today, we have a new fleet, a new building and an amazing staff. I’m excited to see what the future holds.”
A grand opening is planned for May.
For more information, visit the Hermiston Taxi website.
