Direct Travel Names John Townes Vice President of Business Development

GREENVILLE, SC – Direct Travel, a leading provider of travel management services in the U.S., announces the appointment of industry veteran John Townes as Vice President of Business Development. With over 34 years of travel industry experience, Townes is one of the most multifaceted travel management company executives in the industry today.

In his new role, Townes will spearhead the business development initiatives for Direct Travel, and is responsible for developing and supporting the plans for future revenue generation, primarily for the Southern region.

These initiatives include a focus on market growth, strategic planning and customized client solutions.  Holding numerous key leadership roles with experience that ranges from building strong customer relationships and partner channels to executing sales strategies, Townes also has extensive knowledge in human resources, account management and the luxury leisure travel market.

“John’s strengths in sales, account management and operations are critical to the continued evolution of our business development organization,” said Ed Adams, Direct Travel CEO.  “Direct Travel will benefit from his strategic direction as we look to further expand our presence in the Southern region and continue to intensify our growth in the small and medium enterprise market.”

Highly tenured, Townes was the Co-CEO and owner of Piedmont Travel, Inc., a top 100 travel management company, located inGreenville, South Carolina, and later held the position of Global Sourcing Director for MasterCard Travel Services at Carlson Wagonlit Travel, where he successfully led the supplier sourcing across all categories for their global cardholder program in conjunction with CWT client MasterCard.

John Townes commented, “The collective vision of the dynamic leadership team at Direct Travel was a compelling reason to join this emergent company.  I look forward to being a part of this highly successful team and leading initiatives to drive sales and market share across the Southern region,” added Townes.

About Direct Travel, Inc.

Direct Travel, Inc. is a privately held corporation established in 2011 with the goal to create a best-in-class TMC through acquisition and organic growth.  We have been providing travel management services for over 40 years; by working with clients to develop customized travel programs.  The company prides itself on providing high-quality business travel management services, internet-based technology solutions, and significant cost savings.

Direct Travel has locations in Paramus, NJ; New York City, NY; Portland, ME; Baltimore, MD; Scranton, PA; Naples, FL; Nashville, TN;Milwaukee, WI; Chicago, IL; Minneapolis, MN; Denver, CO; San Francisco and San Jose, CA. Direct Travel is ranked among the top US corporate travel management companies.