Adelman Travel Group agreed to buy Great Southern Travel,

a 35 year-old agency founded as part of Great Southern Financial Corporation. Describing Springfield, Mo.-based Great Southern as "one of the top 100 travel agencies in the United States," Adelman said the deal "caps a series of business moves that will increase the company's revenue by a projected 25 percent this year." With 90 employees in 13 locations, Great Southern would represent Adelman's largest-ever acquisition. "We knew we had to round out our line of services," according to Adelman COO Steve Cline. "Bringing in Great Southern Travel opens up a new market for us within corporate travel and greatly expands our vacation travel business." Great Southern would take on Adelman's branding, but Cline added that there would be no layoffs. "In fact, we're looking to hire about a dozen new employees for our corporate headquarters in Milwaukee as a result of the acquisition and other growth," he noted. Terms of the acquisition, which the companies said would take effect Nov. 30, were not disclosed.