In Face of Staffing Crisis, T&T Crafts a Solution

In his final months as CEO of Omaha-based Travel and Transport, Bill Tech is a satisfied man.

The past four years have brought record growth, he said, and sales are up 14% in the first quarter of 2014 – thanks to the fortuitous convergence of a strong economy, a winning sales team and increased global travel by customers, especially to Asia.

Bill Tech

More meetings business
Corporate meetings and events are growing too, with existing clients spending more, and new clients coming on board.

At the same time, some large customers for whom Travel and Transport traditionally handled meetings of 500 attendees are now calling on the TMC for meetings of only 25 or 30 attendees, pulling smaller meetings into their managed travel programs.

Tech’s biggest concern, in fact, is not winning new business. It’s handling the business he already has.

Staffing crisis
Staffing is a huge issue for the firm. “Hiring is dismal,” Tech said. Top-quality agents are just impossible to find.

So Travel and Transport like some other TMCs, is taking matters into its own hands. It has teamed with nearby Metropolitan Community College to create its own training program for travel agents.

Students in the program must take designated courses in the regular college curriculum, including geography, English and basic math, plus specialized courses taught by Travel and Transport instructors in dedicated classrooms at the TMC’s headquarters.

A guaranteed job
Students are paid a stipend while attending the program and are guaranteed jobs when they graduate. In addition to regular salary and benefits, those who join the agency receive refunds for a third of their tuition.

The first class, a dozen new agents, graduated in April; a second class is finishing its first year and a third class just started.

While everyone in the program is a college student, not all are typical teenagers, Tech said. Many are more mature and experienced in corporate environments, survivors of staff downsizings in other industries who are looking to start new careers.

In an economy where “it’s harder and harder to find experienced agents,” Travel and Transport plans to expand its training program to major cities including New York, Boston, Seattle and Denver, Tech said.

Leadership changes
For Tech, training new talent resonates at a personal level.

He’ll be retiring as CEO of Travel and Transport at the end of the year, handing the reins to current president Kevin O’Malley.

Tech will stay on as chairman, following a carefully mapped succession plan drawn up when the company acquired Ultramar Travel three years ago, Tech said.

Ultramar president and CEO Peter Klebanow announced in April that he will be retiring on Dec. 31 and going to law school.

Said Tech, “I wanted to set the table properly before I left, and I believe we have done that. My advice now is just to continue to adapt to change, and to treat our employees, customers and shareholders fairly.”