2016
BUSINESS LEADERS OF THE YEAR
Large
Business Leader: Elaine Osgood
TARYN
PLUMB
As
the saying goes, the third time's a charm. That's particularly true
in Elaine Osgood's case.
Thirty
years ago, after a short career as a teacher in Worcester schools and
another as an investigator with the Massachusetts Department of
Department of Children & Families, Osgood was armed with a
master's degree in psychology, casting around for a new, fulfilling
livelihood.
Intrigued
by franchise Uniglobe Travel, she soon opened a Milford office.
"Ok,
sell the world?" she recalled of her piqued interest. "What's
a better product than the world?"
And
sold it she has.
Over
the last three decades, Osgood has grown that initial franchise into
the global, increasingly-expanding enterprise, Atlas Travel and
Technology Group, Inc. – she dropped the franchise 20 years ago to
branch out on her own. With hundreds of virtual offices and thousands
of clients, that umbrella corporation comprises of Atlas Travel and
Prime Numbers Technology, which together emphasize not only on the
logistics and details of travel for corporate and private customers,
but the analytics and metrics behind it.
"It's
a very exciting, evolving industry," Osgood said. "No two
days are the same. We don't know from one year to the next what we
will be doing."
Atlas
Travel, which is headquartered in Milford, has an office in London,
hubs in New York and Washington, D.C., as well as roughly 200 virtual
offices across the United States and the United Kingdom. Agents offer
private vacation planning services, as well as management for
corporate clients that includes meeting planning, and incentive,
reward and recognition programs.
The
company will soon roll out a division focused on consulting and
fulfillment, Osgood said, that will involve back-end work on various
travel apps.
Meanwhile,
Prime Numbers Technology, which was launched eight years ago, offers
data analytics, performance metrics and benchmarking tools that
enable corporate customers to track and report travel spending,
supplier usage and policy compliance.
The
travel management industry is ever-developing along with technology,
Osgood said. The information-gathering and reporting shifts based on
what travelers want and how they want to receive it; today's
travelers have a myriad of apps and devices on which to keep
up-to-date on every aspect of their trip.
"Technology
is critical," she said. "We have to make sure that as the
world evolves, we have the technology so that, from start to finish,
we're supporting our travelers, helping them travel the way they want
to travel."
Part
of Osgood's goal going forward is to re-attract younger people to the
field. She stressed perceptions the Internet would eliminate the need
for travel agencies have simply not come true.
"We're
on a crusade to tell the world that the travel industry is alive and
well," she said, "and can provide a very wonderful,
fulfilling career."
Atlas
partnered with Milford Public Schools in 2014 to create a hospitality
management program. The two-year program is the first of its kind at
a non-vocational high school, said coordinator Katie Maloney.
Students come in as juniors, learning both in the classroom and
onsite at partner companies including Atlas, and organize pertinent
events.
Maloney
said interest has greatly expanded in two years; the first class was
nine students, the second of 13, and the incoming 2016 class will
have to be whittled down from 50 applicants to 20.
Atlas
is an "all-encompassing, great company to be partnered with,"
she said. "They are helping these students make connections
outside of Milford."
As
it helps to infuse the next generation, Atlas' evolution will be
determined by the needs of tomorrow's travelers.
"Our
growth is really very strategic," said Osgood. "It's not
ego-driven. It's not about reaching a certain number on the top line
so we can say 'We're X millions of dollars.' It's about growing and
expanding based on our customer needs."
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