Our Staff:

The thing that most distinguishes Gateway Express from our competition is the quality of our staff and the experience level of each team member. We get to know our clients personally. And more importantly, our clients get to know and trust us!

Few agencies can boast of such a highly experienced staff as we present. Our counselors average over 15 years experience! Each has his or her own areas of expertise. Our staff's adaptability to our customers' ever-changing requirements has made Gateway Express a premier full-service Travel Management Agency.

May we introduce ourselves?

Dee Bauer is our senior counselor with 24 years experience in trip consulting! Dee has been with Gateway Express since 1991. Aside from being a Business Travel Expert, she is particularly proficient when it comes to leisure travel to Italy, Aruba, Mexico, Hawaii and Las Vegas. She has been there numerous times and can give you the personal guidance that can make your adventure truly memorable. And, Dee is very experienced in managing Family Reunion Groups and Destination Wedding Groups.

Family Group projects have included cruises in the Caribbean, Alaska and New England & The Maritme Provinces as well as resort-based stays in Hawaii, Mexico and Aruba. She has planned Destination Weddings in Cabo San Lucas and Aruba. For individual vacations, Dee has a great deal of personal knowledge in the areas of Italy, Hawaii, Mexico, Las Vegas,

As an avid golfer herself, Dee has handled hundreds of Golf Groups as the principal agent for our sister company, Gateway Golf Vacations. She is relied upon year after year by groups of 4 to 28 golfers.

Fran Syvrud is our "junior" counselor with "only" 12 years experience in trip consulting! She has been a key component of our team since 1998. Aside from being a Business Travel Specialist, Fran brings a great deal of personal knowledge to Leisure Travel in many areas.

Most significant of these is Ski Vacations. As an avid skier, Fran has "been there" if you are looking at Colorado, Montana or Utah for your next ski vacation.

Another area of expertise is Family Spring Breaks. Gateway Express arranges Spring Break trips for dozens and dozens of families each year and Fran arranges a great deal of them. Although we send families to many destinations by land and by sea, Fran is particularly adept with the Riviera Maya and Puerto Vallarta.

Heather Howe joined our staff in 1999 with seven years of prior experience with Northwestern Business Travel and and Mainline Travel. With her 17 years in trip consulting, she considers Business Travel Management -including Meeting Planning- to be her #1 forte. But she is also an expert with the "Leisure Side" specialties of Family Vacations, Honeymoons & Destination Weddings.

Honeymoons & Destination Weddings: As with the whole Gateway Staff, Heather is experienced with these special events. The magnificent adults-only El Dorado Resorts on the Riviera Maya are her specialties along with other destinations including Jamaica, Barbados, the Virgin Islands, Aruba and Hawaii.

Ellie Noyes: In addition to the tasks of being an agency owner, Ellie is one of the most experienced travel counselors in the Twin Cities - if not the whole Midwest. For 30 years, she has handled Corporate Travel, Meetings & Incentive Groups and more complicated personal travel projects.

As a very well-travelled individual, she is a font of knowledge when it comes to Europe, Hawaii, Mexico, and the Caribbean - including cruising through those regions of the world as well as Alaska. Her travels have included numerous cruises with Silversea, Seabourn and Regent Seven Seas in Europe and several visits to 5-Star Spa Resorts on the Riviera Maya, Cabo San Lucas, and Hawaii.

Richard Noyes: With over 35 years in the travel business, Richard has a broad prospective on Corporate Travel Management and Incentive Travel Promotions. His experience with Groups & Incentives goes back to 1976 including incentive trips to places like Bavaria, the Scotish Highlands, the Costa del Sol (Spain), Hawaii, Tahiti and Casablanca, Morocco and - of course, numerous sun destinations. He has a deep knowledge of (and love for) Hawaii and for luxury cruising... and Golf Travel. As a Gateway Express owner, his principal role is behind the scenes - marketing, website management, product development, accounting, I.T. management and all those things that nobody else wants to do!

Our golf travel subsidiary, Gateway Golf Vacations, has arranged golf trips for hunderds of people. Although a high-handicapper, Richard has played scores of the world's top courses and is a "go to" resource for golf enthusiasts looking to experience the U.S. sunbelt, Cabo San Lucas (among other Mexican destinations), Ireland, Italy, Spain and his favorite, Hawaii.

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