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CruiseOne® Welcomes "Operation Vetrepreneur" Contest Winners to Fort Lauderdale Headquarters

By: Dream Vacations / CruiseOne |  11 Shares     113 Reads

Free Franchise Recipients Honored by Fort Lauderdale Mayor John P. “Jack” Seiler and Broward County Commissioner Stacy Ritter During Start-up Training Class

November 15, 2012 // Franchising.com // Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. – Perfectly timed to Veteran’s Day, CruiseOne® - a leading travel agency franchise as part of World Travel Holdings – this week welcomed the winners of its 2012 “Operation Vetrepreneur - Become Your Own General” contest to Fort Lauderdale for seven days of intensive training. The week included a special luncheon today, with recognition by Fort Lauderdale Mayor John P. “Jack” Seiler, Broward County Commissioner Stacy Ritter, and the CruiseOne® executive team.

“CruiseOne gets it,” said Mayor John Seiler. “This exciting initiative they’ve created is just one example of how company’s can give back to the community and honor those who have served.”

The “Operation Vetrepreneur” contest, launched Memorial Day 2012, targeting military veterans seeking assistance in beginning their civilian careers. More than 300 “Operation Vetrepreneur” submissions from 40 states were received before Thomas Lockett, Bill Smith, Shannon & Deana Lee and Isaac Ingram were named winners. All were on-site during this week’s festivities, which were coordinated in tandem with their start-up training class. One additional winner, Contrenia Fluker of Fort Monroe, Virginia, was also named a winner. Fluker will attend training next month.

“Hundreds of thousands of men and women are in the process of returning home from deployment, searching for the right next step for them, and many are looking for a unique and exciting opportunity,” said Dwain Wall, Senior Vice President and General Manager of CruiseOne®. “CruiseOne® is honored to support this group by helping them find ways to leverage the resources they have acquired during their military careers as they move toward their next mission as business owners.”

“Operation Vetrepreneur” entries – including resumes, business plans and other background materials – were judged by members of the CruiseOne® network development, marketing and executive teams. Semi-finalists were interviewed before the five winners were selected. The winners all have military backgrounds: Lockett and Smith served in the Army, Ingram and Fluker in the Navy and Shannon and Deana Lee served in the Air Force. Upon completion of this week’s training, each will return home to launch their own CruiseOne® business, beginning operations as a full-service travel professional.

A proud member of the International Franchise Association (IFA), MinorityFRAN, and VetFRAN, CruiseOne® is consistently ranked as a franchise leader, including being named to Entrepreneur magazine's "Top 500," Forbes magazine’s “Top 20 Franchises to Start,” the Franchise Market’s "Top 100 Companies,” and Franchise Business Review’s “Top Low-Cost Franchises.” The company was the only travel industry company named to G.I. Jobs magazine’s 2012 Military Friendly Franchises list, which represents the top 10 percent of the nation’s franchises that are doing the most to support military veterans. CruiseOne® is also a proud partner with ASTA in their Joining Forces Travel Industry Coalition.

For more information on the 2012 “Operation Vetrepreneur” contest, visit www.OperationVetrepreneur.com. To learn more about CruiseOne®, log onto www.CruiseOneFranchise.com.

About CruiseOne®

CruiseOne®, the nation's leading home-based travel agent franchise, is this year celebrating its 20th anniversary in business. The company is part of World Travel Holdings, one of the nation’s top travel retail networks, and has relationships with every major cruise line and many tour operators. As a result, CruiseOne® offers travel agents the highest commissions possible, while offering consumers the lowest possible pricing. CruiseOne® is consistently recognized for its efforts, including being named Norwegian Cruise Line’s “Elite Travel Partner of the Year,” Royal Caribbean’s “Partner of the Year,” Celebrity Cruises’ “National Account Partner of the Year” and Carnival Cruise Line’s “Travel Partner of the Year.”

Media Contact:

Samantha Jacobs | Lani Gerlak
M. Silver Associates
954-765-3636
samantha@msilver-pr.com | lani@msilver-pr.com

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