Latest news with #independentcontractors
Travel Weekly
a day ago
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Travel Experts
2024 sales: $750 million Previous ranking: 27 Employees: 27 full-time 212 Sawmill Road Raleigh, NC 27615 Phone: (919) 846-2544 Website $750 million2727 full-time212 Sawmill RoadRaleigh, NC 27615Phone: (919) 846-2544 Executives EXECUTIVES OWNER/PRESIDENT: Susan Ferrell EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Sharon Fake DIRECTOR, NORTH CAROLINA OPERATIONS: Claire Canady DIRECTOR, TECHNOLOGY & FINANCE: Heather McIntyre EXECUTIVE SUPPORT MANAGER: Michelle Holmes COMPANY FACTS * Privately held. * Works with 759 independent contractors. * 100% of sales completed by hosted advisors. * Sales: 85% leisure, 15% business/government. * A member of Virtuoso. DEVELOPMENTS * Celebrated its 35th year in business. * Implemented its Tech Evolution 35 project, which included migrating to Sion for commission tracking; Quick Books, an accounting platform for the back office; Tres, a CRM for advisors; and Travel Wits, an online booking tool for advisors. Sion and Tres are available to all advisors as part of its core program; Travel Wits is available to all but carries an additional cost. * A new seven-member independent contractor advisory board started meeting in January. It aims to foster collaboration, innovation and excellence for advisors.
Travel Weekly
a day ago
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Avenue Two Travel
2024 sales: $194.7 million Previous ranking: 62 Employees: 31 full-time, 3 part-time 828 W. Lancaster Ave. Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 Phone: (610) 243-1100 Website $194.7 million6231 full-time, 3 part-time828 W. Lancaster Mawr, PA 19010Phone: (610) 243-1100 Executives CEO: Joshua Bush PRESIDENT/FOUNDER: Debbie Bush CHAIRMAN: Craig Bush CFO: Becky Eby COMPANY FACTS * Privately held, luxury host agency. * Joshua, Craig and Debbie Bush are majority shareholders. * Works with 68 independent contractors. * 70% of sales completed by hosted advisors. * Sales: 70% leisure, 20% business, 10% meetings/events. * A member of Virtuoso and Tzell. DEVELOPMENTS * Migrated to TripSuite as its CRM and back-office solution. * Implemented Atlas advisor and consumer booking engines. * Enhanced services and offerings to independent contractors. LOOKING AHEAD * Driving value to its independent contractors through culture, tools and service. * Enhancing education and business development programs for independent contractors. * Promoting group growth by offering experiences and destinations not otherwise possible in an FIT trip. * Anticipating continued increased demand by end consumers with double-digit growth.
Travel Weekly
a day ago
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Outside Agents
2024 sales: $948 million Previous ranking: 26 Employees: 29 full-time, 4 part-time 9125 Philips Highway Jacksonville, FL 32256 Phone: (866) 208-5604 Website $948 million2629 full-time, 4 part-time9125 Philips HighwayJacksonville, FL 32256Phone: (866) 208-5604 Executives CO-OWNER/PRESIDENT/CEO: Steve Muraca CO-OWNER, VP: Chad E. Burt EVP, DIRECTOR OF AGENT DEVELOPMENT, AGENT EDUCATION, SALES AND LIVE EVENTS: Dan Crutchfield CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER: Dave Whitlock VP, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Jared Braunstein DIRECTOR OPULENCE LUXURY DIVISION: Andrea Wright COMPANY FACTS * Privately held host agency. * Works with 12,000 independent contractors. * Sales: 95% leisure, 2% business, 3% other. * 100% of sales completed by hosted advisors. * A member of CLIA, IATA, ASTA and Travel Leaders Network. DEVELOPMENTS * Launched luxury division, Opulence, piloted by Steve Muraca and Andrea Wright, the division's vice president.
Travel Weekly
a day ago
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Montecito Village Travel
2024 sales: $441 million Previous ranking: 40 Employees: 49 full-time 3329 State St. Santa Barbara, CA 93105 Phone: (805) 969-5096 Website $441 million4049 full-time3329 State Barbara, CA 93105Phone: (805) 969-5096 Executives CEO: Colin Weatherhead PRESIDENT: Robin Sanchez CHIEF ACCOUNTING OFFICER: Geana Bielenda CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER: Chris Weatherhead COO: Shane LeFeber CHIEF RELATIONSHIP OFFICER: Connie Miller COMPANY FACTS * Privately held, primarily a host agency. * Colin Weatherhead is the owner. * Works with 800 independent contractors. * 93% of sales completed by hosted advisors. * Sales: 65% leisure, 35% business. * A member of Virtuoso. DEVELOPMENTS * Grew both the number and sales of independent contractors. * Improved internal advisor website's technology. LOOKING AHEAD * Hiring a chief technology officer. * Anticipating continued modest growth.
Travel Weekly
11-06-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Complying with the FTC's Business Opportunity Rule
Mark Pestronk Q: An industry colleague told me that our new host agency program needs to comply with the Business Opportunity Rule of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Is that correct? If so, what does the rule require us to do? Would we have to comply if we just have a small number of independent contractors? Do you think it is likely that the Trump-controlled FTC is going to repeal the rule as part of its business deregulation policies? A: If, like most agencies, you are looking to retain travel advisors who are already in the business and already have at least some clients of their own, you do not have to worry about the FTC rule. On the other hand, if you are trying to attract people new to the business, and you're planning to charge a fee of any kind or amount, train them and refer potential clients to them, you will have to comply with the FTC rule. The rule requires you to provide to a one-page, written disclosure document and certain attachments containing five items of information at least seven calendar days before a prospect may sign any documents or pay any money to you. There is no filing or approval process with the FTC or other federal agency. The five items of information are details about your agency's identity, substantiation of any earnings claims, details of legal actions against the you and affiliates, your cancellation or refund policies and a list of names and phone numbers of "buyers." The list must include at least 10 buyers in the past three years. If fewer than 10 have signed up, you have to list all of them. You can find FTC's sample form by going to and clicking on "FTC Business Opportunity Form." You can be exempt from the business opportunity rule if you don't charge any fees at all and simply rely on the commission split. You could also be exempt if you don't ever provide ICs with leads or referrals. A common misunderstanding is that the rule only applies if you were planning to charge at least $500 during the first six months of the relationship. Actually, there is no minimum threshold; if you charge a fee of any kind, the rule applies if you meet the other requirements. The $500 amount is relevant to the much more complex Franchise Rule of the FTC. If your host-IC relationship qualifies as a franchise because you are licensing your name and providing significant marketing or operational assistance, and if you charge at least $500 during the first six months, you have to have a franchise prospectus that typically runs more than 50 pages and is full of more detailed disclosures. Twenty-five states have their own business opportunity rules, and you have to comply with them if a prospective IC resides in one of them. Nineteen of these states require some form of registration or notice to the state before offering business opportunities to residents of these states. Project 2025 proposes to abolish the FTC altogether, so the Business Opportunity Rule may go away in the coming years.
