We champion our customers. We lead the industry and we impress along the way.

What it means to me to be an employee-owner: It means we have an extremely vested interest in taking care of our customers and, ultimately, in taking care of each other.

My tenure: I joined Travel and Transport in 1994 as Assistant Controller. I was named Controller in 1997, Vice President in 1998, Senior Vice President and CFO in 2000, Executive Vice President and CFO in 2003 and President in 2014. In 2015, I was named CEO.

Additional interests: I serve on several boards, including the Board of Directors for Employee Travel Specials, the Board of Directors for Skutt Catholic High School in Omaha, Nebraska, and the Board of Directors for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Nebraska. I am also an advisory board member for several companies in the travel industry.

My most amazing travel experience: Being in the Sistine Chapel with only my wife, our guide and a security guard as the sun went down.

My tenure: I joined Travel and Transport in 1982 as a travel counselor and managed branch locations prior to being promoted to Vice President, Business Travel Management Services in 1995. I was promoted to Vice President, Operations and Client Services in 1998, to Senior Vice President, Operations and Client Services in 1999, and to Executive Vice President in 2003, was named Chief Operating Officer in 2014 and President in 2017.

Additional interests: I serve on the Board of Directors for Radius Travel and also sit on the Advisory Board for Delta Airlines. I am very passionate about finding a cure for type 1 diabetes and serve on the Board of Directors for JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).

Your flight is delayed. What famous/inspirational person would you like to strike up a meaningful conversation with while you wait? Bill Gates.

My tenure: Since joining Travel and Transport, I have held numerous management positions, including Vice President – e-Commerce, Vice President – Information Technology and Senior Vice President and CIO before taking on my current role as Executive Vice President and CIO. I oversee all facets of our technology including proprietary applications, third-party relationships, technology startups and overall technology solutions.

What led you to Travel and Transport? Travel and Transport was a longtime client of mine as their CPA. There was always a strong culture and the company was always growing. When the opportunity to join the team arose, I jumped.

My tenure: I joined Travel and Transport in 2014. Previously, I spent over 11 years serving as a CPA for Lutz & Company in Omaha and also worked for one year as a CPA at Ernst & Young in Denver.

What it means to me to be an employee-owner: A higher level of personal investment – all employees working towards a common goal; not because they have to but because they want to.

My tenure: I have been with Travel and Transport for over 15 years. I was named General Manager, Information Technology in 2003 and named Vice President, Information Technology and Security in 2014.

Additional interests: I serve as a board member for the Omaha Chapter of the American Heart Association as well as on the Advisory Committee for the Nebraska IT Symposium. I hold a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) designation.

How did you get interested in travel? I’ve been a studio musician for 12 years and my subsequent interest in music composition software led me into the technology field. This interest, paired with over eight years as a travel counselor at Liberty Travel, gave me the skills and vision to improve the traveler experience through better technology.

My tenure: During my twenty years here, I have worked hard to surround every client with ‘smartest’ technology, intelligently employed to create an unparalleled travel experience.

What moved you to participate in your philanthropic activities? EWI is a networking group who provides scholarships to women who are furthering their careers through advancement into higher level positions in their company. I am fortunate to work for a company that promotes based on ability and not gender, and have been able to work my way to an SVP role within the organization through the mentorship of both men and women, along with networking and learning more about leadership outside of the organization.

My tenure: In my thirty years here, I have overseen various areas of the organization such as corporate reservation centers, meetings and events, training and development, implementations, and operations analysis. I was promoted to Vice President in 2005, and to Senior Vice President, Operations in 2014. In 2018, I assumed my current role over strategy, organization development, and internal communications.

Philanthropic organizations I am involved in: One of the organizations I support is the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). CAF provides opportunities for people with physical disabilities to participate in athletic events with the goal of building self-esteem and encouraging independence.

My tenure: I am responsible for Customer Solutions, which includes our entire North America Travel Advisor and Operations team. Customer Solutions is focused on the entire customer experience including reservations, fulfillment, trip support, and disruption management. My team collaborates with sales, account management, and technology to improve efficiency while also enhancing customer service and satisfaction.

Our company values. What moves you the most about them? They are true to who we are and how we live each day. We are authentic, and if we make a mistake, we own it and fix it. We are consultative, and my team proves this every day while working with our Travel Managers to create best in class travel programs. We are caring, we have deep respect for each other and our customers. We are empowered, being employee owners allows us to be able to solve problems, be creative and ‘own’ it.

My tenure: I joined Travel and Transport as General Manager of Operations in 2005 and was promoted to Vice President of Account Management in 2007 and to Senior Vice President, Account Management in 2014. My team of account managers work to achieve 100% client satisfaction, offering innovative, strategic, traveler-centric, cost-savings and best-in-class travel management program. We work with our customers to maximize their travel programs and improve the traveler experience, making travelers free to focus on what matters.

Your flight is delayed. What famous/inspirational person would you like to strike up a meaningful conversation with while you wait? I’ve always enjoyed reading about U.S. history, so it would be fascinating to strike up a conversation with someone like a James Madison or one of the other individuals involved in the creation/drafting of the U.S. Constitution to better understand what their mindset was at the time as to various provisions of the document and more importantly to get their thoughts as to how the document has evolved over the years and specifically how it’s being interpreted today.

My tenure: I joined Travel and Transport in 2006. My responsibilities include helping to manage mergers and acquisitions, along with engaging in other corporate and transactional work for several of our largest corporate clients.

My tenure: I served as an officer at Travel and Transport from 1999-2004 where I held various roles including Vice President of Corporate Sales and oversight of the call center operations for our loyalty division. In early 2016, I took on the role of Senior Vice President, Specialty Divisions where I am responsible for overseeing our leisure and loyalty divisions.

What moved you to participate in your philanthropic activities? I have been very fortunate in life in many ways. Good education, loving wife, healthy children, good career, etc. I feel an obligation to give back to those who have not received some of those same benefits. If each of us can make the difference in just one other person’s life, I truly believe we can change the world.

My tenure: I joined Travel and Transport in 2000 as Assistant Controller and was promoted to Controller in 2003. I assumed the position as Vice President, Finance, in 2011. In 2014, I was named Vice President, Human Resources and promoted to Senior Vice President, Human Resources in 2018. In my current role, I oversee Human Resources, our Employee Stock Ownership Plan, and employee benefits.

How did you find your way into the travel industry? I remember exactly where I was and who I was with when I looked up at the sky and saw a plane, and it occurred to me, WOW, I could be on that plane experiencing the world. That triggered the idea of a career in the travel industry. It was a great a-ha moment! I was fortunate to identify this career opportunity as a teenager and I’ve never had any regrets about jumping into this crazy but exciting industry.

My tenure: I have been with Travel and Transport for 23 years. I was involved in various operational positions before being promoted to Account Manager in 2000 serving in the dual role of operations and account management. I was promoted to Director, Operations of the Omaha Reservation Center in 2005, was named General Manager, Operations in 2008 and in 2014 was named Vice President, Operations.

How did you find your way into the travel industry? Growing up, my family hosted a foreign exchange student in our home. My mom insourced the culture for her children by having students from Italy, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Thailand, Panama, Sweden, Denmark, England, Morocco, Argentina, and Switzerland. We immediately became a global family and I was SO inspired to know and understand all of these cultures. When exploring secondary education options, I discovered travel and hospitality and was immediately intrigued as it spoke to my love of movement, change, and culture. I’ve never regretted my career choice.

My tenure: Since I first joined the executive team at Travel and Transport almost fifteen years ago, my team and I have consistently contributed to our impressive track-record of providing superior experience to our clients.

What it means to me to be an employee-owner: Being an employee-owner to me instills a sense of commitment and passion. As employee-owners we have a vested interest to go above and beyond, and that truly makes a difference at every level of our organization. It creates a family atmosphere where we work hard and play hard.

My tenure: I have over 25 years of travel industry experience. During my career, I have served in many facets of the agency environment beginning as a corporate travel advisor and moving into leadership roles within operations, account management and corporate sales. I enjoy utilizing comprehensive understanding of change management and a collaborative approach to offer solutions that differentiate us in the industry.

Your flight is delayed. What famous/inspirational person would you like to strike up a meaningful conversation with while you wait? It actually happened! Kevin ‘Mr. Wonderful’ O’Leary from the Shark Tank. Enjoyed learning from him what he looks for from a sales executive when they are pitching him. So glad that flight was delayed!

My tenure: Since I joined Travel and Transport 18 years ago, my business development team has worked to secure new business, thereby growing our portfolio of clients, making extensive penetration in the legal/professional services, fashion, financial services and manufacturing industries. I have also focused on effecting positive change in the travel industry as a member of a number of leading associations.

Your flight is delayed. What famous/inspirational person would you like to strike up a meaningful conversation with while you wait? When I am traveling, I often look at those around me and think these are people just like me, moving through their day and their lives and they are a gift to the world in their own respective ways. I try to smile at everyone I make eye contact with and think about what they might be doing that will change the world that day. So, I often see opportunities to strike up a conversation with anyone who reacts and responds to that smile and eye contact. I have heard so many people’s stories. Stories, that in their own right, are so inspirational.

My tenure: I joined Travel and Transport in 2000 as an Account Manager, and in 2006, was promoted to Director of Account Management. In January 2010, I accepted the position of General Manager, Account Management, and in 2014 was promoted to Vice President, Account Management where I oversaw and maintained relationships with high profile accounts.

Our company values. What moves you the most about them? Our company values define who we are as employee owners. Our purpose is to allow everyone to shine in their own right. Empowerment is the most significant attribute that we can offer an individual. Having a voice raises confidence and confident employee owners get the job done and go above and beyond for our customers. Our number one virtue would be that we are truly a family that supports one another.

My tenure: Ever since joining Travel and Transport over fifteen years ago, I have helped develop an amazing Account Management team. We use relationship-based negotiation skills on a daily basis to consistently maximize client satisfaction and contribute to the success of their travel programs and, ultimately, their bottom line.

My tenure: I joined Travel and Transport in 2011 to head Strategic Solutions. I became Senior Vice President, Finance & Strategic Solutions, where I oversaw Strategic Solutions and Finance and Accounting. Now. I serve as Vice President of our Partner Solutions Group. My teams are responsible for preferred supplier programs, consulting services and data consolidation for our global client portfolio.

Your flight is delayed. What famous/inspirational person would you like to strike up a meaningful conversation with while you wait? It would have to be Boris Johnson – it would be fascinating to get inside his mind and see what really makes him tick! However, if I just wanted a laugh Jeremy Clarkson would be on the list.

My tenure: I joined the travel management industry in 1991. In 2007 with my business partner, we acquired Statesman Travel. The success of such was recognized in 2013 when Statesman was listed as one of the fastest growing companies in the Sunday Times Fastrack Top 100 having more than tripled in size. Since the sale of Statesman to Travel and Transport in 2017, my focus has been on driving our growth and strategic direction.