Smart50 rank: 21
Revenue: $63 million
Growth: 60.00%
Founders: Helen Logas, 45
Based: New South Wales
Employees: 46
Industry: Other
Website: www.travelcorp.com.au
When founder Helen Logas started corporate Travelcorp in 1994 she wasn't exactly sure which area of the travel sector she was going to concentrate on. But she quickly found her niche in corporate travel, and after more than a decade has built Travelcorp into one of Australia's fastest growing corporate travel management companies, with revenue soaring by an average of 60% in the past three years to hit $63 million in 2007-08 (up from $35 million in 2006-07).
After starting out managing the travel of small companies, Travelcorp has graduated to the big leagues and does work for such giants as Coca-Cola, Wattyl, Bayer. In 2003, the company was named best corporate travel agent-metropolitan, at the National Travel Industry Awards for Excellence.
But that year was not without its challenges. The outbreak of SARS, the start of war in Iraq and the threat of international terrorism stopped the travel industry in its tracks and forced many agents to shed staff. But Logas held firm, retaining her team and focusing on getting even closer to existing clients. When the sector picked up again, Travelcorp was ready.
"Experiencing peaks and troughs in business is something you really do not know how to handle until you experience it. I don't get as anxious as I used to - business always comes back as long as you manage all areas effectively."
Logas's five year plan? To turn Travelcorp into a $500 million global power with overseas offices in strategic locations.
