FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Certified Vacations president J.
Raymond Lewis resigned to join the Washington-based travel company
of his former boss at Certified, Roger Ballou.
Michael Egan, chairman and principal owner of Certified
Vacations, takes over as president. Certified operates Delta
Vacations, Continental Airlines Vacations, American Express
Vacations and AAA Vacations.
Lewis, the latest on a growing list of senior executives who
have left Certified during the past two years, will become chief
operating officer and take an equity position in Ballou's
yet-unnamed travel company.
Ballou formed the entity last August after he resigned as
Certified's chief executive; he also had been president of Alamo.
Ballou told Travel Weekly he intends to take his new company public
this spring, which would allow the firm to raise more funds to add
to the $75 million already committed by Thayer Capital, an
investment firm headed by former Marriott Hotels president
Frederick Malek. Ballou has said he plans to build the new company
into a major leisure travel-oriented conglomerate through
acquisitions of existing tour operators, but no transactions have
been confirmed to date.
A spokeswoman for Ballou said that a chief financial officer
would be appointed in the coming weeks, but that no acquisition
announcement is expected anytime soon.
The departure of Lewis is the latest in a series of upper
management changes at Certified Vacations. In addition to Ballou's
departure, long-time president Mike Stone left in 1996, while Delta
Vacations' senior vice president Robert Blumberg left the company
in December.
Former American Airlines executive Christopher Dane joined
Certified Jan. 5 as general manager for Delta Vacations, a new
position.
Stephanie Kang contributed to this report.