It’s the American dream to work your way to the top. For Frank Marini, the mail room of a tour operations company was the first rung on a ladder he has been climbing for 14 years.
During the summer of his junior year at Lincoln High School, Marini worked in the Collette Vacations mailroom, where he continued until he moved to the marketing department as an intern while studying at the University Of Rhode Island. During his internship, Marini took one of Collette’s customer vacations to the Midwest. While the experience was thrilling, he felt the trip’s itinerary could be improved in terms of the client experience. His suggestions caught the eye of Collette President and CEO Dan Sullivan Jr.
Hired by the company after leaving URI, Marini excelled at each of his roles. Marini was a district sales manager, a sales manager for Australia, Canada and England and finally a sales manager for the U.S. West Coast. The accolades he received at Collette are the highest distinctions the company offers.
Marini left Rhode Island in 2003 to work at Contiki Holidays, a vacation company in California. Over the next four years, Marini’s efforts grew Contiki’s revenue an average of 15 percent each year – the most profitable years of the company’s history.
Marini returned to Collette in 2007 as vice president of sales. Applying his considerable history with Collette and his knack for strengthening market positions, identifying procedural weaknesses and motivating sales teams – Marini has his foot in place to climb even higher in an industry that continues to inspire him. •
