Travel Acquisitions Group Taps Wall Street’s O’Hara for Lead Mergers and Acquisitions Role

Today, Travel Acquisitions Group (TAG, formerly Carlson Leisure Group) announced that J. D. O’Hara will serve as TAG’s new senior vice president of corporate development. O’Hara comes directly to TAG from Lehman Brothers, an innovator in global finance, where he advised clients and financial sponsors on mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, asset purchase/divestitures, and capital market transactions. O’Hara begins his new role immediately in seeking mergers and acquisition opportunities for TAG.

“We make no secret of our ambition and growth plans. We intend to significantly grow our own and our franchisees’ businesses and play a major role in the further consolidation of our industry,” stated Michael Batt, Chairman and CEO of Travel Acquisitions Group. “Already today, our company-owned and Franchise sales total over $6 billion, which is more than enough to place TAG in the top eight travel companies in the United States. But as our name boldly asserts, we plan to achieve significant growth through acquisitions, and by adding J. D. O’Hara to our team, we are further demonstrating our commitment toward accomplishing our objectives.”

Batt explained that O’Hara will oversee the use of external capital to help TAG grow even faster. “In addition to the acquisitions J.D. will spearhead, we also plan to provide our growth oriented franchisees with expansion capital to turbo charge their individual growth plans. Ultimately, franchisees will have access to J.D.’s services to help them grow.”

Most recently based in New York City, O’Hara is leaving his advisory role in Lehman Brothers’ Investment Banking Division in the Global Healthcare Group. Prior to that, he also served in the same division as part of Lehman Brothers’ Global Financial Sponsors Group. Earlier, from 2000 through 2003, O’Hara served as vice president of corporate development for an affiliate of Rogers Communications Inc. in Toronto, Ontario. O’Hara is relocating to TAG’s headquarters in Minneapolis.

The former Carlson Leisure Group is now known as Travel Acquisitions Group (TAG) to reflect a forward-thinking growth-oriented core philosophy and culture. Travel Acquisitions Group was formed in January 2008 when travel and hospitality giant Carlson sold its Carlson Leisure Group to the management team led by Mike Batt.

ABOUT TRAVEL ACQUISITIONS GROUP:
With more than 1,700 travel agency locations, along with loyalty travel fulfillment and call centers, in the United States and Canada, Travel Acquisitions Group serves millions of individual corporate and leisure travelers, as well as select destinations.

Travel Acquisitions Group also manages numerous corporate, leisure and franchise travel operations throughout the United States under a variety of diversified brands, organized into three individual companies: Connexions Loyalty Travel Solutions (formerly Carlson Leisure Travel Services), which includes CruiseDeals.com, Fly4Less.com, Getaway Savings, Getaway Points, CRAVE Loyalty, Distinctive Departures and Employee/Member Vacation Center; ProQuest Travel Group, which includes All Aboard Travel, three wholly-owned Carlson Wagonlit Travel locations, Cruise Specialists, Luxury Travel Network, Partners In Travel and SinglesCruise.com; and The Travel franchise Group, comprised of franchised brands including Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates, Cruise Holidays, Results! Travel® and SeaMaster Cruises®, as well as six wholly-owned Carlson Wagonlit Travel locations and Carlson Destination Marketing Services.

Travel Acquisitions Group currently employs over 1,000 talented individuals and has travel sales through its company-owned locations approaching $1 billion, vaulting the company into the top 15 of all U.S.-based travel agency companies. Travel sales made within the various franchise groups involved are in excess of $5 billion, helping it maintain its edge as the leading travel franchisor in North America.