<B> Trip Davis Tackles WTT</B>
When your name is Trip, it seems inevitable that you end up in this industry. Still, it seems that Norwood "Trip" Davis, who this month became president and CEO of WorldTravel Technologies, is going to be remembered for more than a recognizable name.
Davis heads the burgeoning technology company that includes the Travel Technologies Group. "There were five things on our checklist: experience in travel, technology, e-commerce, leadership and in taking a company public, and with Trip we were able to fill in every box," said WTT chairman Jack Alexander, who also is CEO of global travel agency WorldTravel Partners-BTI Americas. "That's what we're real excited about."
Meanwhile, WTT, soon to get a new name, already has attracted its first investor, U.K. travel agency giant Hogg Robinson, which bought 20 percent. In the short term, "You'll see other top-tier strategic investors, including a good mix of travel and technology companies," Davis said, but the ultimate goal is to spin WTT off into an independent, publicly held travel technology provider, much as AMR Corp. is doing with Sabre. Going public is "not necessarily an explicit goal, but certainly an option near the top of the list," he added.
Davis already has ridden through one Wall Street run. He served as travel industry practice group general manager for Internet commerce specialist IXL Inc. as it went public in June, and has seen its stock price rise from the teens to the 40s. "IXL helps companies to achieve their goals for Internet transformation," said Davis, noting that its travel industry customer list includes Delta Air Lines, to which it provides Internet services under a $50 million contract, plus OAG, Virgin Atlantic "and a host of others."
WTT, meanwhile, provides three core services to the travel industry: Online Fulfillment Services, which handles ticketing and customer service for online travel agencies like Microsoft's Expedia and the Continental Airlines and US Airways Web sites; technology services, including middleware and software, like its popular CoRRe automated quality control system; and data management services, through recently acquired data warehouser International Software Products.
Alexander said that in addition to hiring Davis, he invited IXL president and CEO and Altanta neighbor Bill Nussey to join the WTT board, cementing a new strategic relationship between the companies.
"The outsourcing opportunity for WTT will change the economics and the customer service model of the travel industry," Davis said, "In five years, we'll be one of the five companies that has transformed it from a labor-intensive experience to a more efficient human-supported but digitally driven model.