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President & CEO, John Rizzo
San Francisco, Calif. — Deem, a mobile and cloud technology provider for the business travel industry, and Professional Travel Service International Express, a provider of travel services to the corporate travel industry, announced they have entered a multi-year strategic partnership. Under the agreement, Professional Travel Service will resell Deem Work Fource, a suite of solutions, including Intelligent Attach, designed for managing, servicing, and controlling travel and ground-related, bookings, and spend.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to help Professional Travel Service serve their customers on a global scale,” said John F. Rizzo, president and chief operating officer, Deem. “With advanced features like pre-trip approval, proactive check-in and linked calendar, travel managers and travelers can focus on their job and not on the time-consuming admin of planning and booking a trip.”
“For us to compete and grow in the current market, we need exceptional partners,” said Roger Lee, president, Professional Travel Service. “Our customers want a solution that is dynamic and seamless, with features and functionality that help them control their spend and help travelers get where they’re going with the least amount of fuss. Deem has that functionality.”
Professional Travel Service is a global full-service travel management company based in Minneapolis.
Under the agreement, Professional Travel Service will resell Deem’s Work Fource travel booking and management tools for business travelers and corporate travel managers, as well as Deem’s Ground Work car service booking tool and Intelligent Attach for hotel conversion.
“Deem Work Fource is the best technology in the market, and we are excited about applying Intelligent Attach to our itineraries,” said Diane Achterkirch, director of sales, Professional Travel Service. “When you pair that with Deem’s exceptional customer support, it’s the ideal solution for our customers and their travelers.”
“Deem’s Intelligent Attach makes life easier for travelers, and creates value for our TMC partners and the companies they serve,” said Tony D’Astolfo, chief commercial officer, Deem. “It increases hotel attach rates, ensures better duty of care and helps corporations control their overall costs.”
Fifty thousand customers use Deem-powered booking tools, such as Work Fource to book and manage end-to-end travel itineraries on desktop and mobile. With advanced Intelligent Attach technology, the software automatically recommends hotel and car service options matched to travelers’ preferences, behavior and corporate policies.
“Professional Travel Service has been a great partner,” said Mike Daly, Vice President, Travel and Car Service, Deem. “They understand that investing in new technologies, like Intelligent Attach takes effort, but ultimately pays off in the long run.”
Visit deem.com or professionaltravelservice.com for more information.
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CFLA President Wendy Kleefisch of Brevard Executive Limousine Indialantic, Fla. — Wendy Kleefisch, president of Brevard Executive Limousine, once again assumed the role of “North Pole Elf” to collect and distribute toys for local charity Brevard Toys for Kids. This marks her 11th consecutive year donating her time to the non-profit, which helped more than 2,400 families this holiday season.
For the first time, Kleefisch called on her colleagues from the Central Florida Limousine Association (CFLA) to assist with toy collection at their recent holiday party. In total, just over 3,000 toys were donated and stuffed into one of Brevard Executive’s limousines, which, in this instance, doubled as Santa’s sleigh.
Area families that signed up for the Toys for Kids program picked up their toys at Azan Shriners Center in Melbourne, Fla. Children, accompanied by an “elf,” were allowed to pick out toys for themselves and/or siblings, and then wrap the gift on site. Sweets and treats were also given out, courtesy of donors such as Publix Super Markets.
Limo packed with toys for Brevard Toys for Kids “Toys for Kids is very close to my heart and I’m very passionate about it,” says Kleefisch. “It’s been a really rough year for a lot of people in Florida with all the hurricanes and devastation. There are still displaced families who still aren’t in their homes. To be able to help make Christmas special for them is really a great thing.”
In a video posted online, Timmy Vee, the founder of Brevard Toys for Kids, personally thanked the CFLA for their involvement with the toy drive.
“I want the association to be known for giving back,” adds Kleefisch. “I live my life that way. I think we did an amazing job as an association to bring smiles and happiness to these children.”
Visit toysforkidsbrevard.org or brevardexecutivelimos.com for more information.
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AAMA Chief Administrative Officer Godfrey LeBron Alexandria, Va. — On December 21, the Asian American Motorcoach Association (AAMA) announced the appointment of Godfrey LeBron as Chief Administrative Officer to head up the newly established organization.
“We are pleased to announce the AAMA Board of Directors’ most recent decision to appoint Mr. LeBron,” said AAMA President David Wang of Eastern Coach. “Asian-American operators have worked closely with Mr. LeBron in recent years, assisting operators with driver training and regulatory compliance.
The objectives of AAMA are:
• To promote the protection for and advancement of its members;
• To assist members in understanding and complying with federal, state, and local laws and regulations in a format that can be understood;
• To advocate and promote equality and uniformity among members relative to legislative and regulatory action;
• To advocate and promote cooperation among members and other motorcoach-related organizations; and,
• To provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and best practices among its members through conferences, educational programs, and social activities.
“The AAMA Board is certain that Mr. LeBron’s extensive knowledge and dedication to the industry will assist AAMA Board of Directors to create a vibrant and exciting organization,” said Wang.
LeBron is the former longtime co-owner of Paradise Travel. He has previously served as the president of the Bus Association of New York, Chairman of the United Motorcoach Association, having served on their Board of Directors for nearly two decades. He is nationally recognized for his expertise in driver training, regulatory compliance and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.
“This is an exciting opportunity for me,” said LeBron.
The AAMA recently held its inaugural meeting December 15 near Washington, D.C., where it is also planning to host its first full-membership meeting in April.
LeBron can be reached at godfrey@asianamericanma.org.
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