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Tuesday 07 Feb 2012

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Sundance Vacations Lands on the Inc.500/5000 list with a 72% Growth Rate

Written by Sundance Admin
Friday, 30 September 2011 18:27
Wilkes-Barre, PA (September 30, 2011) – Inc. magazine Sundance Vacations, a Pennsylvania based wholesale travel company, ranked 2,917 on the Inc. 500/5000 list. Sundance Vacations has appeared on the list for the past three years. This year’s national ranking is a large jump over the 2009 slot of 4,718 on the list. The company ranked as the “fastest growing travel company in Pennsylvania” for all three of the years in which they submitted revenue information. “This is a bittersweet honor,” says Sundance Vacations’ President John Dowd. “We’re not satisfied with our business performance this past year. We made the list of fastest growing companies with a three year average growth rate of 72%. Unfortunately, our jump in the ranking is like a health check-up for the business climate. Very few companies were able to grow at all so what we would call a very mediocre performance was still able to propel us up the ranking,” concludes Dowd. published its list of the fastest growing private companies in America. The Inc. 500/5000 companies are the engines of the economy. According to the Inc.com website “the list” companies created 370,592 jobs in the last three years. “We want to create jobs,” explains Dowd. “We’ve got plans. We’ve got ideas. We’ve got our eyes on some new markets but we need consumers with job security and access to credit to execute on our plans.” Sundance Vacations employees are optimistic about the future. “A rising tide lifts all boats,” explains Customer Service Manager Ed Coppinger. “We’re perfectly positioned to grow the company.” Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including the Sundance Vacations company profile and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found on Inc.com. About Inc. 500/5000 The Inc. 5000 companies are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2007 through 2010. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by the first week of 2007, and therefore able to show four full calendar years of sales. Additionally, they have to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent -- not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies. The top 10 percent of companies on the list comprise the Inc. 500.

Sundance Vacations Honored As Corporate Good Citizen

Written by Sundance Admin
Monday, 01 August 2011 20:47
Sundance Vacations was honored by Wyoming Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross during their annual Heroes Breakfast held at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs on June 1, 2011. Sundance Vacations and Guard Insurance both received a Corporate Good Citizens Award for their support of the American Red Cross. Staying true to their core value of responding to charity, Sundance Vacations employees were moved to raise money for the victims of the Haitian earthquake. Employees were lead in generosity by the Assistant VP of Sales, Shane Lewis. Shane raised awareness of the problems in Haiti by going shoeless on January 29^th. Employees were able to utilize an easy payroll deduction in order to make contributions which would be matched dollar for dollar by the company. Several community organizations agree on Sundance Vacations reputation as a corporate good citizen. Earlier in May, Sundance Vacations founders were also honored by the Volunteers of America organization for their generosity in supporting the important work of VOA in the community. Sundance Vacations also responds to charity by supporting the Wyoming Valley Children’s Association annual 5Kwalk/run.

It Pays to Know Sundance Vacations

Written by Sundance Admin
Friday, 29 July 2011 18:48
Sundance Vacations is proud to announce the names of several of our contest winners. An important core value at Sundance Vacations is to “Opt to have Fun.” What’s more fun than exciting giveaways and prizes for our employees, our Facebook friends and our customers? All summer long we’ve been having fun and meeting new customers during the “Party on the Patio” at the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. Diane Protchko is our most recent winner. Diane was randomly selected to win a $100 Free Play certificate from Sundance Vacations. Diane joins a long list of other Party on the Patio winners. They were Kathleen Bugno from Pittston, Frank Homschek from Wilkes-Barre, Carol Musial from Ashley, and James Fovalli of Scranton, Pa! These folks will agree that it really does pay to know Sundance Vacations. “It pays to know Sundance Vacations” has been our theme for giveaways this summer. Trip planning becomes infinitely easier when you can read a review highlighting what other travelers liked or disliked about their vacation destination. Customers who told us where to find their review were eligible to win a refund from the company of $99. One random review was chosen each week. “The valuable feedback was definitely worth refunding a processing fee to the lucky customer,” said John Dowd. “We included all reviews including Jason S; who told us that our beds in Myrtle Beach Resort are not comfortable but the on-site pools are great. That’s great feedback that we can act upon.” The contest ends July 31^st. We’ve also set out to engage our friends and fans on FACEBOOK this summer. Fans signed up to received a free Sundance Vacations UV bracelet earlier this summer. “It pays to know Sundance Vacations” continues with a FACEBOOK contest that ends July 29^th, 2011. One of our friends will be randomly chosen to win $100 from the company. Like Sundance Vacations today. You can be our next winner!

Sundance Vacations Founders Receive ‘Spirit of Youth’ Award from the Volunteers of America, Pennsylvania

Written by Scott Carey
Thursday, 05 May 2011 18:14
Wilkes-Barre, Pa (May 5, 2011) – John and Tina Dowd, founders of Sundance Vacations, were presented with the ‘Spirit of Youth’ Award by the Volunteers of America at the 8th Annual Volunteers of America Celebrity Dinner on Wednesday, May 4^th at Genetti Hotel and Conference Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. In front of over 100 supporters of Volunteers of America, Bill Jones, VP of Volunteers of America Pennsylvania, said that the mission statement of Sundance Vacations, minus a few words specific to the vacation industry, sounds very similar to a social services organization. The mission statement Bill was referencing reads, “We share the common goal of enriching the lives of our customers and each other by helping people experience quality vacations through caring, professional service.” John and Tina created a company culture at Sundance Vacations that encourages living out the mission statement not only in providing quality vacations but also in philanthropic activities. The Dowd’s truly understand the importance of supporting and donating to many different organizations through charity, volunteer work and various sponsorships. In her speech, Tina Dowd spoke about receiving a unique award from her seven year old daughter, Bridget, for helping the homeless. Tina closed by saying, “Writing a check to support Volunteers of America has a certain dollar value, but I believe the real and even greater value is the example we are setting for the next generation.” Patricia Stella, a Volunteers of America board member and a McDonald’s franchisee, was also honored at the dinner. Stella said her proudest moments are when she watches teenagers grow from being new hires at 16 years old to climbing the ladder in her restaurants or seeing them graduate college. Education comes first in Stella’s restaurants. The guest speaker of the evening was former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown, who previously played for Notre Dame and the Oakland Raiders. Tim spoke about his upbringing – a sentiment that echoed the entire night. Tim Brown currently helps non-profit organizations with fundraising activities. Along with the awards dinner, there was a VIP meet and greet with Tim Brown and a silent auction of autographed sports memorabilia, in which all proceeds will be used to support Volunteers of America’s services for at-risk youth, low income families, individuals with disabilities, the elderly and homeless young adults. About Sundance Vacations: Sundance Vacations is a national travel company that specializes in wholesale vacation accommodations. The company is headquartered in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and maintains offices in other locations including: Rockaway, NJ; Dublin, OH; King of Prussia, PA; Harrisburg, PA; Downers Grove, IL; and Brookfield, WI. Sundance Vacations was named to the “Best Place to Work” list in Pennsylvania by Best Companies Group four years in a row and ranked 17^th in Illinois. In 2009 the company was honored as Sales Department of the Year in the 3^rd annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Sundance Vacations was named to the Inc 500/5000 list of fastest growing companies two years in a row. About Volunteers of America: Volunteers of America (VOA) is a national, nonprofit, spiritually based organization providing local human service programs and opportunities for individual and community involvement. In Pennsylvania, their focus is providing affordable low-income housing for seniors and a variety of services for youth, adults and families. Sundance Vacations Blog Sundance Vacations Facebook Sundance Vacations Travel
Last Updated on Thursday, 05 May 2011 18:23

Sundance Vacations Announces Winner of $50,000 Annual Sweepstakes

Written by Sundance Admin
Wednesday, 23 February 2011 15:18
Wilkes-Barre, Pa (February 23, 2011) – One very lucky resident from New Jersey was randomly selected from over one million national entries to win an Ultimate Giveaway, a luxury vehicle or fifty thousand dollars from Sundance Vacations. Kandi Mell of Westhampton, New Jersey was selected as the winner of the 2010 Sundance Vacations sweepstakes promotion. The official drawing was done at the Sundance Vacations Corporate Headquarters in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Numerous members of the marketing staff and several management representatives were present for the drawing on February 2, 2011. This was the seventh year that Sundance Vacations has held the national sweepstakes drawing. Sundance Vacations called Kandi Mell while she was at home right after the drawing to tell her the big news. Her initial reaction to the news was total disbelief. In fact, Kandi’s first words after being told she won were “Oh shut up!” However, once the initial shock settled she decided on the fifty thousand dollars instead of the luxury vehicle. An official presentation ceremony was held during a Philadelphia Flyers hockey game on February 22nd. Scott Brunnenmeyer, Director of Operations and Joe Molitoris, Vice President of Marketing, presented Kandi Mell and her husband with a $50,000 check after the first period of the game right off the ice for the entire arena to see. When asked what they will do with the money, Kandi’s husband said, “We’re going to Disney World!” About Sundance Vacations: Sundance Vacations is a national travel company that specializes in wholesale vacation accommodations. The company is headquartered in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and maintains offices in six other locations including: Rockaway, NJ; Princeton, NJ; King of Prussia, PA; Harrisburg, PA; Downers Grove, IL; and Brookfield, WI. Sundance Vacations was named “27th Best Place to Work” in Pennsylvania by Best Companies Group, and 17th Best Place to Work in Best Places to Work in Illinois. In 2009 the company was honored as Sales Department of the Year in the 3rd annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Sundance Vacations was also just named one of the Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America by Inc. 500/5000.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 23 February 2011 15:32