Travel Leader Sees Personalized Travel Experience as Key to Industry’s Future

The McClure family, owners of Montrose Travel, a $160-plus million full-service travel and host Travel Management Company, was recently awarded the prestigious 2012 Diamond Award by the American Society of Travel Agents, Southern California Chapter (SoCalASTA). The annual award honors professionals and other entities that have made “outstanding, unique, lasting and extraordinary contributions to the travel industry,” according to the organization. More than 120 guests attended the sold out black-tie gala held at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills in January.

SoCalASTA presented the McClure family with the Diamond Award for their leadership role in the travel industry in Southern California, “and for providing quality service with a high degree of professionalism while maintaining the personalized element with the traveler, embodied by their motto: ‘Helping people travel. One at a time.’”

In business since 1956, Montrose Travel was purchased by Joe Sr. and Leora McClure in 1971 with annual sales of $300,000. With sound business principles and ethical values, the business grew to $6 million in annual sales by 1990 when the couple sold the business to their son Joe III, daughter Andi, and Joe’s wife Julie (a CPA who serves as the company’s chief financial officer).  Today the business has grown to become a Top 50 Travel Management Company with over $160 million in sales, 150 employees, and more than 500 independent contractors.

Company president Joe McClure said, “It is truly an honor to be recognized by our peers in the travel industry, just as it is an honor to serve our customers and fulfill their travel needs – they have made us what we are today, and we will always strive to maintain and enhance the personal service we are being honored for by SoCalASTA.”