Atlas Through the Years

1986

• Elaine chooses travel as her career change and pulls together the capital from family and friends to launch Uniglobe Atlas Travel, a member of a national franchise. It was either this or a Jiffy Lube…we're really happy she chose travel!

• Office opens in the first office building in Granite Park in Milford, MA. The road, now Fortune Boulevard and home to several hotels, many successful companies and a shopping center with Target, Staples and TGI Fridays, was only cut through half-way in October 1986.

• Atlas makes its very first sale.

1987

• Elaine signs her first business travel management client, Clark Cutler & McDermott in Franklin, MA.

• Atlas wins Uniglobe Star Award, which starts a year streak.

1988

• Atlas wins Uniglobe Star Award.

1989

• Atlas wins Uniglobe Star Award.

1990

• Heather McKibben joins Atlas Travel.

• Atlas wins Uniglobe Star Award.

1991

• Osgood distinguished as Uniglobe Chairman's Circle member, which continues for the next five years.

• Atlas wins Uniglobe Star Award.

1992

• Pam Leal joins Atlas Travel.

• Eileen Novack joins Atlas as receptionist and becomes a favorite until her death from cancer in 1996, a huge loss for the organization.

• Atlas wins Uniglobe Star Award.

• Osgood distinguished as Uniglobe Chairman's Circle member.

1993

• Atlas wins Uniglobe Star Award.

• Osgood distinguished as Uniglobe Chairman's Circle member.

1994

• Frank Pratas joins Atlas Travel.

• Atlas moves to East Main Street office above Speedy Muffler in Milford.

• Launches first Ticket Bank system in June to help clients track and utilize unused airline tickets.

• Pioneers “Reservations by Fax” service to streamline operations.

• Launches first Vacation Club for corporate travelers and offers “Pack & Dash” newsletter.

• Starts a Free Travel Video loaning library.

• Atlas wins Uniglobe Star Award.

• Osgood distinguished as Uniglobe Chairman's Circle member.

1995

• Lori Schlosser joins Atlas Travel.

• Named #1 Uniglobe office in the U.S. & #2 in the world!

• Announces agents who can converse with customers in German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and French!

• Advertises consultation on travel policy creation for companies.

• Launches Communiqué faxes to corporate customers.

• Celebrates first anniversary of Atlas Travel Ticket Bank with more than $500K in savings for customers.

• Announces Compass Club, a new enhanced vacation club for corporate travelers.

• Atlas wins Uniglobe Star Award.

• Osgood distinguished as Uniglobe Chairman's Circle member.

1996

• Worcester Business Journal names Atlas to the top of the list of “Top Women-Owned Businesses in Central Massachusetts” for the first time.

• Osgood leaves Uniglobe after being a three-time Franchise Owner of the Year winner and becomes an independent global agency as Atlas Travel International.

• On Monday, Dec. 16 th , Atlas Travel International doubles its space in a new two-story headquarters on Route 85 in Milford.

• New offices provide space for Atlas' first incentive planning and meeting department.

• Atlas wins Uniglobe Star Award.

• Osgood distinguished as Uniglobe Chairman's Circle member.

1997

• Sally Hathaway joins Atlas Travel International.

• Atlas opens Chelmsford, MA office through acquisition of a local agency.

1998

• Linda Demelo and Johanna Panich join Atlas Travel International.

• Atlas is chosen by Susan Johansen of Discover Travel Inc. to acquire her agency and “care for” her very special clientele. Susan is still with Atlas as an outside vacation agent.

1999

• Atlas entertains a standing room only crowd at “The Magic of Italy,” a live cooking and travel event at headquarters of client Clarke Distribution Corporation in Hopkinton, MA.

2000

• Michael Champagne, Kim Fernandez, Sandra Mahoney, Karen McCrink and Lynn McPheeters join Atlas Travel International.

2001

• Despite 911 and the resulting decrease in travel, Atlas doesn't have a layoff.

• Anita Singer joins Atlas Travel International.

• Rock Blanco joins as chief technology officer.

• Atlas Travel fully automates unused ticket tracking system.

• Atlas develops industry's first interactive electronic invoice.

• Institutes industry's first automated customer survey connected to a specific trip.

• Adds “Push-to-Talk” to invoices and website for immediate connection to travel professional.

• Atlas purchases Global Odysseys to continue to grow its meetings and incentives business.

• Atlas moves Lexington office to downtown location and launches travel boutique for customer convenience.

2002

• Joanne Amaral and Maureen Oneil-Santorol join Atlas Travel International.

• Named #14 on the top 100 women-led businesses in Massachusetts.

2003

• Atlas CEO Elaine Osgood named by Travel Agent magazine as “One of the Most Powerful Women in Travel” and becomes the only New England agency on the prestigious list.

• Atlas moves to #10 in Babson College and The Commonwealth's list of Top Woman-Led Businesses in Massachusetts.

2004

• Suzette Arruda, Doug Leenhouts, Tiziana Minchillo, Bruce Powell, Tracy Snelling and Thecla Vis join Atlas Travel International.

• Kerin McKinnon is hired as Executive Vice President of New Business Development and earns a reputation for not only driving new corporate business, but also becoming a legislative voice for Atlas clients through New England Business Travel Association.

2005

• Margo Ameen, Cynthia Batherwich, Colleen Brescia, Claudine Curtis, Wendy Donnellan, Moira Dunn-Bianco, Cheryl Lapierre, Kathy LePelley, Justine Pillarella, GeNae Stultz, Steven Tamasy and Jo-Ann Zebniak join Atlas Travel International.

• Fast Company magazine names Osgood one of the “Top 25 Women Business Builders in North America.”

2006

• Laurie Andrews, Julikay Decarvalho, Joy Gerber, Dawn Girard, Denise Golden, Karen Goveia, Pamela Jones, Carol Roblin, Robin Ryan, Goreti Silva and Patricia Silva join Atlas Travel International.

• Atlas headquarters expands with a move to top floor of new Milford, MA location.

• Atlas Travel's Lexington branch moves to new downtown location and expands to open Savvy Travel Shop.

• Osgood wins Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award.

• Worcester Business Journal honors Osgood with “Business Leader of the Year.”

• Working Mother names Atlas to the “Top 25 Best Small Businesses to Work in the U.S.”

• Atlas turns 20 and celebrates with Wicked author Gregory Maguire at the Boston opening of the Broadway show that was inspired by Maguire's book—strong women is a familiar theme to this company.

• Atlas celebrates in Lexington by hosting a global cultural event at the previous town train depot featuring steel drums, mariachi band and Irish step dancers.

• Created Advisory Board consisting of clients, vendors and nonclients.

2007

• Shannon Bacon, Tasha Belason, Karin Blair, Peter Blanshan, Edward Bulkeley, Emily Creel, Kevin Crouse, Ana d'Almeida, Jane Davis, Louisa Deirmendjian, Anita DeMarco, Jennifer Freels, Deanna Gardiner, Tom Gurganus, Jennifer Hunnerman, Patricia Kelly, Elizabeth Kharrat, Roslyn Lock, Stacey Marois, Kim Oberfeld, Kathy Ogle, Ellen Orkin, Lynn Ouellet, Deborah Palma, Beverly Patterson, Beth Ann Ray, Dan Reagan, Christine Routh, Cindy Sauter, Gary Stewart, Sharon Sweetland, Jennifer Vecchi, Terri Williams and Carla Yadisernia join Atlas Travel International.

• Entrepreneur magazine names Atlas one of the “Top 50 Fastest-Growing Companies in the U.S.”

• Atlas tapped to make “Strategies for Winning Business” workshop at BCD Travel Affiliates annual meeting.

• Atlas supports its growing staff with a new training initiative, appointing Guida Ferreira new training manager.

• Atlas makes the Inc. 5000 list.

• Atlas gives away a 1953 Corvette “pedal kiddie car” at the NBTA convention in Boston to showcase its race team agility as a technologically innovative agency.

• As a result of Atlas Advisory Board discussion, Atlas becomes first agency in the world to adopt Travel GPA for benchmarking travel spend.

2008

• Maureen Brinkman, Susan Butz, Felicia Carroll, LeAnn Harding, Julia Mazzola, Takesia Morgan, Roberta Raggi, Sandra Valdes and Dianne Whelan join Atlas Travel International.

• Mimi Cleary joins Atlas as Vice President of Corporate Services.

• Atlas makes the Inc. 5000 list for the second time.

2009

• Barbara Arbelaez, Kim Castro, Rebecca Cole, Joann Fesmire, Eileen Hosford, Cheryl Livingston, Robyne Ryley and Donna Steele join Atlas Travel International.

• Business Travel News ranks Atlas #22 in list of the Top Travel Management Companies in the U.S . Travel Weekly puts Atlas on its “Power List” for the first time.

• Lisa Schreckinger comes aboard as new buyer for Savvy Travel Shop.

• Atlas makes the Inc. 5000 list for the third year.

2010

• Maureen Carney, Ken Castro, Richard Haft, Cynthia Marini, Maria Michaud, Keri Wells, Dixie Wilkins and Timothy Williams join Atlas Travel International.

• Upgraded entire mid-office system including state-of-the-art quality control system.

• Women Presidents' Organization names Atlas #10 in “Top 50 Fastest Growing Women-Led Companies in the U.S.”

• Atlas moves up 7 slots on the Travel Weekly “Power List.”

• Atlas makes the Inc. 5000 list for fourth year. 

2011
Atlas Celebrates 25th Anniversary!

• Future year group bookings up by 60% over same time period last year.

• Placed first meeting planner, Sandi Trapasso, in-house at corporate account.

• Maureen Santoro elected to Fairmont Raffles Incentive Client Advisory Board for a 3-year term.

• Hired Marguerite DuBosque to promote Club Getaway to corporate accounts.

• Ensemble Hotel program offered to corporate agents to extend great customer value and amenities.

• Savvy Travel Shop spearheads a Suitcases4Kids.org drive.

• Invited to answer an unprecedented number (42) of corporate RFPs.

• Added scratch ticket promotions to the list of incentives orchestrated by Atlas Meetings + Incentives.

• Corporate Travel increased number of accounts serviced globally.

• Atlas makes the Inc. 5000 list for the fifth year in a row.

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