Michael O'Connell: Southwest Partnerships Manager in Los Angeles

As director of operations and sales for FlashpackerConnect, I was responsible for all aspects of business development, including but not limited to partnership development, trip/adventure curation and development, customer service, sales, and marketing. As a small adventure travel company, part of the challenge is wearing many hats, and being able to prioritize appropriately to complete tasks in a timely and efficient way.

began as Adventure Coordinator for the whole of Latin America. The Adventure Coordinator works in a team of three, alongside the Program Director and Regional Specialist. As a team we plan, sell, and coordinate every trip that operates monthly from Mexico to Ushuaia. In addition to travelers booked through Mountain Travel Sobek, I was also responsible for Latin America trips for National Geographic Adventures, New York Times Journeys, and Smithsonian Journeys. With all four companies combined, the AC is responsible for the coordination of about 1,500 travelers a year. As the North America/Alaska/Galapagos/Asia Regional Expert, responsibilities include obtaining a monthly/yearly sales quota for MTS, National Geographic New York Times Journeys and Smithsonian Journeys.

Foodie Fleet is a sustainable catering, and food truck company I founded with a partner. As a brand new company starting from the ground up, my responsibilities involved everything from writing the business plan, to eventually obtaining funds and starting and running the business itself. MOUNTAIN TRAVEL SOBEK/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ADVENTURES Adventure Coordinator Latin America Regional Expert North America/Alaska (Sales) Regional Expert Galapagos Islands