St. Louis Business Travel Association
Tuesday, May 24 | Breakfast General Session | 8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Do the past 30 years forecast the future?
As the St. Louis Business Travel Association celebrates its 30 th anniversary, the organization looks back on three decades of world events and analyzes how yesterday’s happenings are driving today’s – and tomorrow’s – hospitality, meeting, and travel industries. Session features a panel of past STLBTA presidents and members including Sam Visintine, Norv Beffa and Jack O’Neill.
PANELISTS:
Jack O’Neill – Moderator
Jack O’Neill is a proud career veteran of the travel and transportation industry. As the former President, North America for Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Jack led CWT in the U.S. and Canada which included oversight of the company’s Military & Government business, Global Energy Services, Leisure Travel in North America, as well as Meetings & Events. Jack retired from CWT in 2011 and continues his association today with the company in a consulting capacity.
Jack’s start in the travel industry began at the age of 18 (1964). That’s when he went to work at TWA in St. Louis resulting in a 20 year relationship which helped to pay his way through college at the University of Missouri – St. Louis and his MBA studies at Saint Louis University. Jack held several positions at TWA including Director – Global Cargo Marketing.He then moved to Dallas as part of the team that brought Braniff Airlines out of bankruptcy, serving as its Vice President of Sales & Reservations.
In 1987, Jack returned to St. Louis to join Maritz Travel where he eventually became President of Maritz Corporate Travel. In 2004, when Carlson Wagonlit Travel acquired Maritz Corporate Travel, he was appointed as CWT’s President – North America. It was under Jack’s leadership, that the successful integration of TQ3 Navigant propelled Carlson Wagonlit Travel in North America to more than triple its revenues contributing to what would become one of the world’s largest travel management companies. Among his many industry accolades, Jack is the 2010 recipient of GBTA’s Allied Member of the Year award.
Jim McMullan
Mr. McMullan began his travel career with a brief stint at TWA. After TWA, Jim was a corporate travel and group travel counselor at Maritz Travel Company. He then moved to American Express Corporate Travel. His travel agent experience encompasses ten years’ experience. From there, he moved to Monsanto as a meeting planner but became the North American Travel Manager when the company split from Pfizer.
McMullan was with Monsanto for almost nine years. The highlight of his experience was globalizing the travel program with one TMC and one security tool in 58 countries in 18 months. In this effort, none of the travel team working on this project actually traveled.
In his spare time, McMullan was the Treasurer, Vice President and President of STLBTA. While STLBTA president he was elected to President of the Chapter’s President Council of NBTA (National Business Travel Association) giving him a seat on the NBTA Board. McMullan then became president of NBTA at the time it changed its name to GBTA (Global Business Travel Association). He then went on to become president of GBTA.
Norv Beffa
Vice President of Client Services
Norv Beffa is the Vice President of Client Services for TravelPlex. Norv has been in the travel industry for the past 25 years, and has served on various travel industry Advisory Boards. He has held senior management positions in Sales, Account Management, Business Development and Client Services with Maritz Travel, Carlson Wagonlit Travel and AAA Travel. Prior to that, Norv worked in the advertising field. He has served as President, and later Chairman, of the St. Louis Business Travel Association (STLBTA). In 2006, Norv was awarded the Presidential Award as one of the Top 10 Corporate Travel Executives by the National Business Travel Association.
Mr. Beffa is involved in a number of local charities. He sits on the Board of Directors of the Pujols Family Foundation, and has served in consulting and fund raising roles for various charities including Tony LaRussa’s Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF), the Marshall Faulk Foundation, and The Torry Holt Foundation. Mr. Beffa has a degree in Advertising and Public Relations, and attended Tulsa University and the University of Southern California.