Brown & Keene TravelPlano, TX
Even after a 25-year career at Brown & Keene Travel, Susan Walsh continues to impress with her boundless energy and dedication, and her $4 million in annual sales.
“Susan is an ‘energizer bunny,’” says agency co-owner Ngaire Keene. “She is married with four children and has a two-hour commute from her home to the office. She is the first in the office each day and often the last to leave. She answers e-mails at the speed of light and [even] on weekends.”
Even when Walsh’s husband was suffering major health issues in 2013, she was able to juggle his multiple doctors’ appointments and care while still providing service to her clients and increasing her billing by over a million dollars, said Keene.
Walsh’s energy came in handy during one particular challenge: A very busy executive who wanted to travel for seven days to Machu Picchu with less than 30 days’ notice. “The executive’s only directive was that he wanted to hike the Inca Trail, Walsh says. She was able to get an Inca Trail hike booked, despite the fact that “they are usually sold-out a year in advance,” as well as a private guide and porter. Walsh then added top hotels, air arrangements and delivered final documents along with electronic adapters to the executive’s home within five days.
Walsh, who has been to all seven continents and specializes in luxury travel, is also active in numerous charitable and humanitarian causes. She is a volunteer for the North Texas Food Bank, participates in the annual fund-raiser for MD Anderson Cancer Center’s “A Conversation With a Living Legend” and donates to MD Anderson, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and the Battered Women’s Shelter.