Travel Professional Speakers

General Session Panelists: How I earn $100,000 (or more) as a home based agent

Jason Beukema
Owner
Whet Travel

Jason Beukema, owner of Whet Travel, a cruise and travel company for young professionals. The agency specializes in destination weddings, honeymoons, corporate incentive travel, cruises and large groups. Jason has a BAA Entrepreneurship, Certified by International Tour Management Institute, CLIA Master Cruise Counselor and certified specialist for numerous destination.

Kim Caudill
Founder & President
K & S Travel - Ft. Wayne, IN, A Nexion Agency
Kim Caudill is Northeast Indiana's premier honeymoon specialist, Certified Sandals Gold agent, and Preferred Sandals Specialist. Caudill has a BS in Business Administration and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Tri-State University. Kim was voted by consumers as, the BEST TRAVEL AGENT in Ft. Wayne in 2008 and 2009. A 17-year veteran travel consultant, Kim joined the Nexion host agency in 2001 to accelerate her success. Caudill has achieved the Nexion Circle of Excellence Award for the last 3 years and currently serves on the Nexion Member Advisory Board.

Mara Hargarther
Co-Founder
Hargarther
Thaler and Associates, LLC, A CruiseOne Franchise
Mara Hargarther joined Cruises Inc. in 1994 and was the first agent to reach one million dollars in sales in her first year as a full time agent. She was appointed to the founding Advisory Board and served as a member for eight years. She was also a member of the founding Cruises Inc-CruiseOne Advisory Board. In 2006 she joined CruiseOne as franchisee Mara Hargarther & Associates, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. Each year her sales have exceeded $1 Million annually.
This year she merged franchises with her sister and formed Hargarther, Thaler & Associates, LLC.

David Locke
Co-Owner
Cindave Inc., an Independent Affiliate of America's Vacation Center/Avoya Travel.
David Locke is co-owner (along with his wife Cindy) of Cindave Inc., an Independent Affiliate of America's Vacation Center / Avoya Travel. He left his position as a Business Manager at an online law school to help escalate his wife's travel agency business. The two have mastered the art of closing the Live Leads? they receive from America's Vacation Center / Avoya Travel. Both expert travel professionals, David and Cindy specialize in luxury cruises, have a fondness for The Yachts of Seabourn and Oceania Cruises, and are both Crystal Cruises certified. David and Cindy reside in Parkland, Florida.

Geoff Millar
Co-Owner
Ultimate All-Inclusive Travel Inc
.
Geoff Millar joined his wife in her travel agency business after 25 years at a software company. He makes all inclusive sales his specialty! Since joining his wife in 2003
they have grown the company to $3,000,000.00 in sales a year using the Internet, referrals, and repeat clients to generate their business.

Panelists: To Take Over a Ship, Super Successful Group Cruise Sellers

Angela DeDomenico, MCC, CSEP
Cruise Planners
Angela DeDomenico, a top performing franchise owner for Cruise Planners, is a certified event planner and CLIA MCC. Among her achievements she is the number one American Express franchise representative, the number one Entrepreneur company in her category for 7 years, the only home-based travel partner of the year with Royal Caribbean for three years. Her current passion, Music in M'Ocean, is a company that specializes in "theme" based cruises and vacations - focused on your passion or desire. Whether personally small or professionally large, we are a proven and certified professional that will cover everything from beginning to end.

"Captain Lou" Edwards
Founder / Owner
Little Shop Of Cruises and SpecialEventsAtSea.com
"Captain Lou" Edwards founder / owner of Little Shop Of Cruises and SpecialEventsAtSea.com, produces seminars, workshops and training cruises for companies, organizations and other affinity groups, as well as fun "theme" cruises for multi-generation family reunions, collectors, murder mysteries, etc. Mostly home-based and mostly online, and relying heavily on automation, social media, CRM and leveraging other people's lists, Captain Lou's proprietary system of "Cruise Marketing Magic" has sold millions of dollars in group business without ever playing the rebate game. He is coming out from behind the curtain to make a rare appearance at CruiseWorld2010.

Rich Ferrucci
Founder
Unforgettable Vacations, A Nexion Agency
Rich Ferrucci founded Unforgettable Vacations in 2005 specializing in planning vacations for families and travel for young professionals. Graduating summa cum laude with a B.S. in Business Administration, Ferrucci considers himself to be an entrepreneur at heart. Rich, along with his wife (and partner) Maureen, have cultivated a niche cruise business model with focus on the music and entertainment industry. Ferrucci's "Events on a Cruise" model, consisting of "Battle of the Bands Cruise," "Sing on a Cruise" and "Perform on a Cruise" have provided a surge of business growth, culminating in large cruise groups. Unforgettable Vacations is a member of NACTA and belongs to industry leading host agency NEXION.

Nancie Nichols Svensen, M. Ed.
President
Nichols Cruise Consultants, Inc.
an Independent Affiliate of America's Vacation Center / Avoya Travel.
Nichols Cruise Consultants, Inc. specializes in group cruises, particularly in holding Continuing Medical Educational programs on cruises and providing highly personalized and professional assistance to universities and organizations worldwide in developing and implementing medical programs at sea. Svensen has over 25 years experience in the cruise and conference planning industry and has been awarded Cruise Line International Association's ?Master Cruise Counselor' certification. Svensen holds a Masters of Education in Higher Education Administration from the College of William and Mary and resides in Miami, Florida.

Concurrent Session Leaders & Participants:

Laura Frazier
Founder
Bliss Honeymoons & Destination Weddings.
Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio Bliss Honeymoons has dealerships across the country including Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, California and Florida. A widely respected travel consultant, Frazier is an oft-quoted source to media outlets including Wedding Aces, Travel Research Online, Lifetime's Getting Married, local television stations. Frazier started Bliss Honeymoons in 2004. Unlike typical travel agencies, Bliss' only business is honeymoons & destination weddings. Its romance travel experts have traveled all over the world including six continents and take great pride in offering first-hand destination experience to their clients.

Charlie Funk
Co-Owner/President
Just Cruisin' Plus
A Vacation.com Agency
Charlie Funk is the co-owner and President of Just Cruisin' Plus, a full-service travel agency, in Nashville, TN, that focuses on leisure travel and specializes in cruises. From 1987 to present he has been co-owner Pacesetter Tours, Inc., dba Just Cruisin' Plus, coming into the company full time in 1993. A graduate of North Carolina State University, Funk is married since 1981 to Sherrie Funk, co-owner of Just Cruisin' Plus. He has four children, nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Margie Jordan
CEO
ASAP Travel
Margie Jordan is an experienced travel consultant and CEO of the unique and personalized travel agency ASAP Travel. In her six plus years as a travel agent, Margie has attained several designations including her Certified Travel Associate title from the Travel Institute, her designation as a Destination Specialist for Africa, France, Hawaii, the Caribbean and luxury travel, as well as graduating from Air New Zealand University. One of her greatest achievements is her title as a South African Tourism Expert through the FUNDI program, making Margie one of the few travel agents in the state of Florida to be classified as such.

Jennifer Kruse, ACC, LCS
Journeys Travel, Yorktown Heights, New York
.
Jennifer Kruse founded Journeys Travel in 2005, where she specializes in planning family, and multi-generational travel. Hosted from inception by Sabre Holdings owned, and Travel Weekly Power List winner NEXION, Inc., Jennifer recently received a 2009 Ambassador Award for exemplifying outstanding member citizenship and support. She also is serving a second term on the Nexion Agent Advisory Board. Additionally, Kruse serves on the ARC VTC (Verified Travel Consultant) Advisory Board comprised of both travel industry leaders, and pioneering VTC participants. Kruse also serves as NACTA Chapter Director for the Hudson Valley Region.

Sherry Laskin, ACC
Owner
Vacation Shoppe
CLIA Travel Agent Advisory Board
Sherry Laskin began her love of cruising as a very young child when she traveled from Los Angeles to Honolulu aboard the 13,000 ton SS Matsonia. Taking this passion to the next level, Sherry started a cruise-oriented home-based travel agency nearly two decades ago. In addition, as an avid cruiser, social media addict and travel writer, she combines those interests as a published journalist, social media consultant and travel photographer. Sherry is a member of the CLIA Travel Agent Advisory Board, a NACTA Chapter Director and a past member of the NCL Travel Agent Advisory Board.

Richard Turen
Founder and Owner
Churchill and Turen Ltd.
Richard Turen founded his agency 23 years ago. This upscale vacation planning firm, Churchill and Turen Ltd., has won more "World's Best Travel Specialists" awards from Conde Nast Traveler than any other travel firm in the nation. His agency has a waiting list, unlisted phone numbers and only accepts new clients through personal referral of existing clients. Turen personally manages the vacation arrangements for a wide-ranging list of CEO's and members of the Arts and Entertainment industries. In addition to his agency responsibilities, Turen is a contributing editor and columnist Travel Weekly. He is also the author of three books.

General Session Moderators

Priscilla Alexander
President
Protravel International
Priscilla founded PROTRAVEL INTERNATIONAL Inc. in 1984. A simple plan to sell travel with skill and integrity became a business that thrived into a company that ranks among the top 20 agencies nationwide. Besides being actively engaged on a daily basis, Priscilla is a high profile leader in the industry and today sits on many prestigious travel advisory boards. Travel & Leisure magazine dubbed her an "UBER AGENT" and Modern Bride named Priscilla as one of the country's 25 TREND SETTERS. She was most recently honoredwith the Travel Weekly Readers' Choice Lifetime Achievement Award.

Kathryn W. Sudeikis, CTC
Vice President of Corporate Relations
All About Travel
Kathryn Sudeikis, Vice President of All About Travel, in Mission, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, was the 2008 TRAVEL AGENT OF THE YEAR and served as ASTA's National President and Chief Executive Office from 2004-2006. A 35 Year Industry veteran , Sudeikis appeared in the 2002 - 2009 editions of Travel and Leisure magazine as one of their "Super Travel Agent" recommendations to their readers. She was featured with her specialty of intergenerational family travel.