At a time when brands are debating the future of loyalty, Balboa Travel considers itself in the loyalty business.
When Jose and Mary Alice Da Rosa, of Portuguese heritage, started their agency 45 years ago, their first client was the entire Portuguese fishing fleet in San Diego, which was part of the American Tuna Boat Association. And while much of that fleet has since moved to the other parts of the Pacific, the agency retains a number of the remaining boat owners and operators as clients.
The fishermen are representative of a loyal base that includes what Thomas Cates, executive vice president of strategic business development, calls "boomerang clients": companies that move elsewhere for their travel needs and then return to Balboa.
Andrea Da Rosa, director of marketing communications, said that a number of those boomerang clients who had been lured away with promises of additional cost savings returned when the savings, efficiencies and service went unrealized. In the past year, she said, two clients returned.
"This is in large part due to the partnerships and relationships that are developed at multiple levels on both sides in an effort to help clients meet their objectives," she said.
Balboa also prides itself on loyalty to employees. The Da Rosa family maintains a controlling interest in the company, Cates said, although stakes are also held by Denise Jackson, its president and CEO, and John Cruse, its COO, both of whom started with the firm as staff members.
Cates said the Da Rosas have had several offers over the years to sell the agency. "However," he added, "they see themselves as business leaders in the community, with a great reputation as employers with strong cultural values who treat clients the same way they treat their employees.
In fact, Jose Da Rosa remains chairman and is still active in the business.
"It's still fun for him, and there is a very dynamic legacy of people serving people that he wants to ensure," said Cates.
Despite the stability as far as family and clients, the company has had to evolve with the industry.
At one point, there were 27 retail offices, but after 9/11 the decision was made to eliminate most of those locations.
"We were one of the first in North America to adopt the virtual office model, with employees working from home," Cates said. "That enabled us to extend our national footprint. We have employees all over California as well as 40 in Florida.
"This works better from a client servicing perspective because we can operate in three time zones."