C.A.R.E. installs officers at Wisconsin conference

Presents Richard Gallardo and Pinnacle Awards

Published May 13, 2009

The Cooperative Association of Resort Exchangers (C.A.R.E.) has announced the results of elections held at its 48^th semi-annual conference in Wisconsin in early May.

Installed as President of the 160-member organization was Alain Carr, of American Resorts International of Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois.

For the positions of Vice President, Jim Wehrle of VIP Travel Club of Cancun, Mexico, was re-elected for a three-year term; David Dawson of Global Connections of Overland Park, Kansas was elected for a three-year term; Tina Hill of Hawaii Vacation Club of Kauai, Hawaii, was elected for a two-year term and Linda Mayhugh of Accommodations Unlimited, of Lakeland, Florida was elected for a one-year term. 

Serving once again as Treasurer is Vicki DiFabio, of Tartan Management of N. Myrtle Beach, S.C. and as Secretary, Debbie Sansom, of ICS Management of Houston, Texas.

 Held at the Chula Vista Resort in the Wisconsin Dells, the spring conference was attended by over 70 member representatives and featured exhibits and a display of C.A.R.E. members’ businesses, products and services.

Commented Alain Carr, “I am very happy to announce that Debbie Sansom, of ICS Management, was chosen to receive C.A.R.E.’s most prestigious honor, the Pinnacle Award, considered a lifetime achievement award. Debbie is currently in her 15^th year of service to C.A.R.E. She also serves on C.A.R.E’s Awards and BTB Committees.”

Linda Mayhugh was awarded the  Richard Gallardo Award. This award is presented annually in recognition of service to C.A.R.E. and was created in honor of Richard Gallardo, who faithfully served the organization for many years. Recipients are nominated and selected by the C.A.R.E. Board of Directors.

Also discussed at the Wisconsin conference was C.A.R.E.’s new Inventory Matching System (IMS) project, headed by Carr and currently being implemented by Merlin Software. Explained Carr, “Since last fall, we have conducted BETA test sessions with customers selected from our membership base of nearly 200 companies. The system is now live and the preferred method of completing transactions between C.A.R.E. members.”

“Our member companies exchange hundreds of emails and communications on a daily basis,” adds Carr.  “The new system reduces these emails and simplifies communications. Participating companies can post travel requests or inventory offered for exchange or wholesale and will automatically match requests, with each company having the ability to accept or decline the match. The system triggers only those companies that could potentially fulfill the order. The system is now being linked to the C.A.R.E. website, enabling member companies to request and deposit vacation time and to help them work more efficiently with each other.”

Carr invites C.A.R.E. members to enroll in online training sessions and to contact him to set up a training session online. Members can also go to the organization’s website to obtain information about the next semi-annual gathering, to be held in San Diego, California from September 26-29 at the Catamaran Resort Hotel & Spa.

C.A.R.E. is a non-profit international trade association founded over 24 years ago with members in the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Australia. The association offers over 2,500 vacation properties and services to over a million vacation owners and members. The C.A.R.E. member base of approximately 160 companies is comprised of resort developers and service companies, property management firms, homeowners associations, rental and exchange organizations, and travel clubs engaged within the vacation industry whose goal is to offer members the tools to provide outstanding vacation services while remaining committed to the highest standards and ethics.

C.A.R.E. programs assist diverse entities to increase revenue, fully utilize inventory and enhance owner/member vacation experiences. www.care-online.org