BCD Travel founder John Fentener van Vlissingen started the company in 1975 with $10,000 and two employees. During The Beat Live in Chicago in October, he talked with The Beat’s Jay Boehmer, editor of the industry news outlet, about how BCD grew from a small Atlanta-based travel agency to the multinational business travel agency it is today.
In an article excerpted from the wide-ranging on-stage interview, van Vlissingen also discusses his approach to buying, his outlook for BCD Travel and the future of agency consolidation.