Senior trip

Debbie Erbelding, granddaughter in charge of customer service After Paul Lawer”™s father died, he convinced his mother to move to Westchester from Long Island to be closer to the rest of the family.

Although reluctant to give up her independence and her friends, she finally agreed to make the move.

But, Florence Lawer didn”™t quite adjust to life in the Golden Apple.

“Unfortunately, even with the family around her, she began to feel isolated,” Lawer, a Larchmont resident, said.Â “She just could not seem to find a good way to make friends in the area, or really integrate in the community. Of course, all of us felt enormous responsibility for making sure she was enjoying her new home, and we all jumped in to see how we could help.”

For weeks after the 2003 move, Florence had been describing all the things she missed from home, where she was active and always had something on the calendar.

She spoke of how she would go to glamorous restaurants, Broadway shows, trips to the country and be together with friends on a regular basis.

To Paul Lawer, it sounded like something that would be easy to find in Westchester, so he, his wife and their children began researching to find similar activities.

But after a fairly exhaustive search, they could find nothing of the kind. Talking to friends about their parents in the area, it started toÂ becomeÂ clear that this was a service desperately needed in the community.

So, one night the family sat around the kitchen table at Florence”™s new place in Mamaroneck and began to talk about starting a company.

From the start, the family was looking to offer a service for Florence and others like her: active adults looking for the opportunity to visit exciting places, enjoy excellent service and meet new people.

“That informal gathering in her kitchen was our first board meeting, and really where The Upper Class was born,” Paul Lawer, president and founder of The Upper Class L.L.C., said.

Florence was adamant that the first thing they did was pick a good name, and after some initial brainstorming, she fell in love with the idea of The Upper Class.

The name combines two ideas: it describes the guests both in age and at heart, as well as describing the type of experience the company offers.

The very next week, the family started by planning a trip to visit West Point.Â They made up fliers and Florence”™s grandchildren got together with their friends and canvassed the neighborhood.

“By just going out and talking to neighbors, meeting people in the diner, putting fliers around town, we filled an entire bus for our very first trip,” Paul Lawer said. “And my mother sat in the first seat leading the way, with my son-in-law leading the trip.”

In its first year, 2003, the company hosted two trips; in its second year, it hosted 30 trips.

This year, the company will host 150 trips, with a total of almost 300 days on the road for more than 20,000 guests from around the county.

The costs range depending on the trip, butÂ start in the $40 range up to a few hundred dollars for a seven-day trip to Savannah, Charleston and Hilton Head.Â There are prices everywhere in between for overnights to Vermont, dinner inÂ the home of aÂ real Amish family, orchestra seating to Broadway shows, a behind-the-scenes look at QVC studios, fall foliage and horse-drawn carriage tour at Mohonk Mountain House and many more trips, which leave from Mamaroneck and Yonkers.

“Part of my mother’s inspiration was to offer a broad variety of activities that would appeal to many people, but in a way that was special and different,” Paul Lawer said.Â “Every trip we build, every place we go is checked out in advance to ensure it meets my mother’s high standards, and that the destinations work for our guests. Things that others might not think about like how many steps are necessary to enter the restaurant, how far a walk is it to this flower exhibition,Â or a place that isÂ too loud or too crowded might not make for an Upper Class experience. We look at every detail, measuring it against one question: Would grandma like this trip?”

There are everyday difficulties such as the cost of fuel, scheduling and policies. The family had to figure this all out as they went, and they”™ve built a great team both in the office and on their trips that handle these things beautifullyÂ for their guests. Said Paul Lawer: “We have two people in the office and three guides who are eachÂ an important member of The Upper Class family.

“Our biggest challenge is also my favorite: as The Upper ClassÂ was inspired by my mother, we have a very high standard to live up to,” he said. “We have set the bar, and our guests have come to expect an exclusive experience.Â Our challenge is constantly looking for a way to deliver an even better experience while really making sure every guest feels like they are a part of The Upper Class family.”

Florence passed away in 2005 at the age of 84.

“I learned so much from my grandmother, who was really a force,” said Brooke Lawer, Paul Lawer”™s daughter.Â “She would never take no for an answer, and taught me to be the same way by beingÂ informed, having an opinion and making things happen rather than expecting others to do it for me.”