OTHER EXPERIENCES

AMBASSADAIR TRAVEL CLUB

HISTORY:  In 1973, George Mikelson launched his dream of owning a travel club. Together with 100 charter members and one Boeing 720 aircraft, he formed Ambassadair Travel Club. Over the course of the next 32 years he created the largest private travel club in the nation. When its parent company, ATA (formerly American Trans Air) found it necessary to sell Ambassdair’s assets in 2005, Grueninger Travel Group jumped at the chance. The legacy lives on. Blending 60 years of Grueninger experience with Ambassadair’s group travel foundation has created a family-owned travel business that offers expert knowledge, committed service and exciting destinations. 

After college, I did not know what I wanted to do from a career standpoint.  I knew I had a passion for travel, and new experiences.   I hired on as a Tour Director, where I took passengers on trips around the world.   I spent these years opening my mind to new cultures, people, experiences, and also helping others develop passions and make their vacations something more rewarding.   This is where I developed a passion for beverages, as I would always try local products, which many times became wine, beer, coffee, tea, and spirits.  This experience allowed me to both see the world, understand my place in it, and it began to fuel my passion for the beverage industry.   It also fueled my love of soccer, as I would play pick up games everywhere I went with resort staff. The ability to re-experience the beautiful game from a different perspective, which helped fuel my love of the game and what lead to help build and lead the Brickyard Battalion and eventually come to work at Indy Eleven.

Had it not been for an incentive trip with Miller Brewing Company, I would not have know about the three-tier or supplier system, which turned into my first career with Monarch Beverage & eventually Miller Brewing Company.

CYNOSURE

I left the beer business to pursue a different kind of selling, one that was not a commodity.   I sold medical lasers from Cynosure Inc., a start up company at the time.   What I gained from this experience were two items:

1.  I really realize how much more personal fulfillment I received from working in something I both loved & appreciated versus the pursuit of wealth.

2.  I understood how important training and development should be within any company.

This experienced shaped what I wanted from a company, my development, and the company culture that most motivated me. The lure of Starbucks and my passion for beverages lured me back to my love of drinks.