Cruise Planners named Top Franchise forWomen
Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, has been recognized as a Top Franchise forWomen on a newly debuted report by Franchise Business Review. The franchise rankings are based on first-hand experiences around franchisee satisfaction and performance.
“Cruise Planners is more than just a franchise, it is a nation-wide family of home-based travel agents,” said Michelle Fee, CEOandco-ownerof Cruise Planners, headquartered in Coral Springs. “Our franchise owners have our support in marketing, technology, business development and training, which all contributed to Cruise Planners’ recognition as a top franchise for women in the travel industry.”
In 2016, Cruise Planners franchise owner Jennifer Klingsmith was recognized for her work as a travel agent and over time has fostered more than 100 children in her home. She says the Cruise Plannerswork-from-home business model allows her the flexibility to care for her family and sell travel.
Cruise Planners also is ranked as a top women-owned business in South Florida. Co-owners Fee andVicky Garcia, COO, are leaders in the travel industryandhave been recognized for their accomplishments with awards such as EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year (Fee) and Top 25 Influential BusinessWomen Award (Garcia). to achieve substantial cost and time savings and improve employee access to HRinformation.
Based in Rochester, N.Y., Lewis Tree Service provides vegetation management services to utilities. The company’s nearly 3,500 employees are distributed across 26 states. Prior to UltiPro, Lewis Tree Service used a paper-intensive solution that lacked the functionality and storage space to support the company’s growing business. Lewis Tree Servicewent live on UltiPro in October 2011, and shifted to a paperless operation that enhanced the employee experience.
“The elimination of paper from our weekly payroll alone-stamps, stuffing envelopes, printing paychecks-has saved us close to $70,000 per year,” said JoAnn Zaccardo, director of human resources for Lewis Tree Service.
“UltiPro’s ability to streamlineHCMoperations delivers significant value to enterprise organizations with many employees who don’t work behind a desk,” said Greg Swick, global chief sales officer at Ultimate. “We are pleased that Lewis Tree Service is experiencing such a significant return on their UltiPro investment and that the solution is creating a better experience for the company’s employees.”