Rick Nashawaty remembers looking for a limousine for his parent's 40^th wedding anniversary, and being unable to find the "extras," he wanted for the special day.

He wanted their limo to be stocked with fresh flowers, champagne, and crystal glassware. What he found instead was limousine companies using plastic champagne goblets.

"It was not what I thought it would've been," Nashawaty said.

Twenty-five years later, the Nashawaty family is celebrating its own anniversary. Accent Limousine Services Inc., which Nashawaty, 59, opened in 1985 with his wife, Susan, has grown to a fleet of roughly 20 vehicles – with white linen napkins, fresh flowers, and crystal champagne goblets, of course. 

When Nashawaty pursued opening the business, he was a truck driver for Stop & Shop and Bradlees, and his wife ran the Three Bears Daycare out of their home. 

A long-time car lover (he still has the 1966 Pontiac GTO he bought as a high school junior), Nashawaty thought it might be a great time to start a limousine service. Drunken-driving laws had become stricter. He flew to Detroit and bought a used limousine.

Today, the company has nine office employees and about 25 drivers. The fleet includes 6- and 10-passenger limos, a 25-passenger executive motor coach and several Lincoln Town Car sedans.

The Nashawatys ran the business out of their Milford home for nearly eight years, then relocated to Sumner Street before moving to their current location 10 years ago. Mr. Nashawaty is the president and his wife is the vice president.

The couple's sons, 32-year-old Rick "Harry" Nashawaty II and 31-year-old Bob Nashawaty, also of Milford, manage the day-to-day operations. Their sister, 30-year-old Julie Ryan, also worked for the company and now is at a financial services company in Boston. 

"I can't even tell you how thrilled I am that my two boys are at the company," Nashawaty said. Though he is still at the office every morning, "I just leave everything in their hands now. I trust that they know what they're doing."

Bob Nashawaty has worked as a licensed massage therapist, server/bartender, and nightclub promoter.

"That, I feel, has helped cultivate my personality for service," he said, adding that he now serves as the company's wedding and transportation specialist and attends expos and bridal shows to promote the business.

One of the secrets to the company's longevity, according to the elder Nashawaty, is the chauffeurs.

"We really want to hire nice people," he said. "It doesn't work not to have that."

 Another secret to Accent's success, according to Bob Nashawaty, is its ability to adjust to the times.

Accent used to have roughly 130 jobs per day before the transportation industry slowed after Sept. 11, he said.

Today, the company averages about 60 jobs per day.

"The company shrunk in turn," Bob Nashawaty said. "We had to sell a couple of limos and let go of some staff, unfortunately."

Just as companies go through tough economic times, so do their customers, he noted.

"Knowing that our clients are in a tough position, we give away more discounts and promotions during those times," he said. "We needed to be creative to get us out of the recession."

One such brainstorm was the Historic Limo Tours, led by Scott Trainor, 39, of Mendon, a self-taught history buff who has driven for Accent for seven years.

Trainor is a member of various colonial reenacting groups. His ancestors came here in 1650, he said, and his great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, Thomas Brightman, was in the first Rhode Island company in the Revolutionary War.

Dressed in 1775 Minuteman garb, Trainor chauffeurs guests through an historic tour of Boston, sharing his knowledge of history from King Philip's War in 1675 to the American Revolution.

This isn't the first time costumes have found their way into Accent's fleet. Their limousines were used in two films, both of which had scenes shot at the 48 Pond St. location. "Tricks of a Woman" (later renamed "Tricks of Love"), a romantic comedy including actors Scott Elrod, Carlos Leon and Vincent Pastore of "The Sopranos," was shot in 2008; and "Defiant Skies," a short film by Dream Vessel Films, was shot last year.

The business also attributes its success to flexibility and good relationships, both with its clients and other limousine companies.

If all of Accent's limos are out on a Friday night and a VIP client calls, for example, another company has let Accent use one of its cars – a favor Accent happily returns.

"There are some great companies," Bob Nashawaty said. "My father says there's enough business for everyone that we don't need to be undercutting and stealing clients."

Clients range from corporate accounts, which comprise about 50 percent of the business, to private use for weddings, proms, transportation to sporting events and concerts, trips out of state, and even package delivery.

As sort of an anniversary present for itself, the company recently launched its new Web site and is working with a marketing company. The ongoing, "Win a Night Out on Us," promotion on the site is one of various online promotions that will be featured throughout the year.

One of the biggest changes the elder Nashawaty has seen in 25 years is that more people are viewing limousine travel as not only an exciting luxury, but also a necessity. People who rent a limousine don't have to think about drinking and then driving home, he said.

"It's just really worth it," he said, adding that the more people share a limo, the lower the per-person price is. "It's nice to get picked up at your home and dropped off at your home."