Magazine for the professional car and truck rental industry.
LaPlaca and his wife Bonnie enjoy one of their favorite San Fran- cisco restaurants.
contentious subject matter, legislative issues or taxation — and still come up with a reasonable solution for everyone to move forward with." T e offi ce atmosphere balanced hard work for clients with philosophical legal discussions and just plain fun.
"We could spend hours discussing loss of use, the Graves Amendment and fi nancial per- formance representations, and at the same time commiserate with each other on the seasons of his Redskins and my Cornhuskers," says Les- lie Pujo, who LaPlaca hired to his fi rm in 2008. "We knew and cared about each other's fam- ilies, and I think that is the bottom line," Pujo says. "We were more than colleagues or even friends — we were family." In a 2005 ARN article celebrating his ca-
reer milestones, LaPlaca summed up his pro- fessional relationships, "I've learned a lot about life from the rental business," he said. "I've met truly great people — good, honest people who like doing business with the public and having happy customers."
Work Forever?
LaPlaca not only attended every Car Rent- al Show since its inception, he spoke at al- most all of them. Many attendees considered his annual legal and legislative seminars as the most important and informative func- tion of the show.
At the 2011 Car Rental Show, LaPlaca was awarded the Russell Bruno trophy for outstand- ing service to the car rental industry. LaPlaca was introduced by Pujo.
"Michael became a tireless advocate for the industry as a whole, as well as for his indi- vidual clients," she says. "On a personal note, I would like to say that Michael has been the best attorney and best mentor with whom I've ever worked." T ough the timeframe is uncer- emoniously abrupt, LaPlaca had planned for Pujo to succeed him.
During the awards presentation, LaPlaca chose to recognize the contributions of Rus-
sell Bruno, a colleague and friend. T is mod- esty doesn't surprise Bonnie, who says she has come to understand Michael's place in the industry from others, not from Mi- chael himself.
Frank Olson weighs in from another angle: "Michael was always certain of his position. If he thought he was right, he told you that he was right. T at was one of his greatest assets. He wasn't looking to get recognition; he was looking to get the right thing done." T e Russell Bruno Award might have been
a fi tting cap to an illustrious career — had he any thoughts of hanging it up. "Michael was as well-spoken and well-versed as anyone at any age," Lehmann-Haupt says. "T e one thing that gives me and every other young person hope about growing older is that Michael did not slow down one bit."
Bonnie concurs. "Michael loved to work and he wanted to work until his last day. He never wanted to retire. He would tell me 'work is good.' But it wasn't about work for money. It was about helping people, doing for them, helping them. You get back from them their friendship and success stories. And that's what made him happy."
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