A former UPS executive has shifted his focus from transporting packages to transporting people after taking over the head sales position at BostonCoach.
Jerry Burke has joined the ground transportation supplier as its senior vice president of sales, the company announced in late June. He came to BostonCoach following a 16-year career at UPS, at which his titles included director of strategic accounts and director of U.S. sales operations.
"There are many parallels between my experience at UPS and my responsibilities at BostonCoach," Burke said. "That's why joining BostonCoach was such an easy decision for me. There's a shared pattern of innovation and execution between the two."
At UPS, Burke helped engineer the evolution of its sales team away from a focus merely on products toward solutions for clients. At the same time, the company was making numerous acquisitions, bringing in sales groups from a variety of backgrounds for integration.
That experience, said Burke, will prove useful as BostonCoach expands its global footprint and continues to move more into providing meeting and event services. Meetings have been a focus for BostonCoach for the past several years, including the acquisition of destination management company The Best of Boston
(BTN, Dec. 5, 2005). BostonCoach CEO Jonathan Danforth also has a meetings background as the former president of the Navigant Performance Group.
Burke joins BostonCoach as the company is moving toward more international expansion
(BTN, July 17, 2006). In the latest numbers provided to Business Travel News, the company had a total of 463 locations, including 155 international affiliate locations
(BTN, June 25).Burke said evolving the sales force is one of his goals. "I want corporate travel professionals to view their BostonCoach sales team as valued business partners with whom they share and develop best practices that encompass, for example, new technologies, unique operating plans or global expansion," he said.