USTravel: growth is hallmark of this Alaskan-owned company.

• Author: Ellis-Knapp, Jody
• Position: 2007 Alaska's Top 49ers: Economic Pipelines to the Future

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It seems hard to believe that a highly successful business like USTravel started with an off-hand comment at a cocktail party. But according to President and CEO Mark Eliason, that is exactly how it all began.

Eliason worked as a real estate developer back in the early '80s and one of his clients was the company Executive Travel. Newly married, Eliason and his wife had just returned from a trip around the world and realized that they wanted to make travel and tourism a regular part of their lives. While at a party, Eliason remarked to the owners of Executive Travel that he might be interested in buying the company. The next thing he knew, he owned a travel agency.

During the economic crash in the late 1980s, the company was purchased by USTravel Systems Inc. Eliason claims he wanted out of the business, but agreed to stay 90 days to help with the reorganization. Those 90 days expanded into years, culminating with Eliason repurchasing the original agency and the USTravel name in 1997 and building on his own vision of a contemporary travel management company.

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CLEAR VISION

This vision and obvious love of the industry has skyrocketed USTravel into one of the most prestigious and well-known travel agencies in Alaska. With service its No. 1 priority, its focus is on working with customers through every step of the travel process and ensuring their satisfaction. Lilly Shelden, director of marketing for its Alaska office, says: "Our staff is composed of true travel professionals who average more than 15 years experience and have lengthy tenures with us. Their knowledge and commitment to provide unbiased travel advice helps us foster and maintain long-term relationships with our customers."

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The main client base for USTravel is business and corporate travelers, making up roughly 65 percent of its customers. Leisure and group travel fulfill the remaining 35 percent. USTravel also fills a needed niche with their tour company, Explore Tours, which handles inbound tour groups amounting to roughly 5,000 people each season, and its event-planning company, Visions. These two companies help USTravel continue to grow and expand in the services they offer. A recent move from their old offices to a larger headquarters at 999 E. Tudor Road allowed the two side companies to be housed in the same building as the main agency, which has only added to customer convenience.

The company provides the...