Travel Firm’s Contract Proves Lucrative

Heavier-than-expected travel by federal employees will increase the worth of a government contract awarded to Bird Enterprises, a Port Hueneme-based travel firm, to well above the originally expected $5 million, the company said.

The award, received earlier this year from the General Services Administration, gives Bird the exclusive right to provide flight, hotel and car rental reservations for federal officials in a seven-county area stretching from Ventura to Monterey counties.

“We’re aggressively offering our services to U. S. agencies throughout the Central Coast area,” company President Maggie Bird said. “They’ve responded by giving us considerably more business than we’d hoped for.”

Bird, an experienced pilot, said she flies her own plane to visit agency executives up and down the coast.

“Right now, our biggest concern is finding additional employees,” Bird said. She is seeking several travel agents to add to her staff of 20 at her firm’s offices in Port Hueneme, Oxnard and Ventura, she said. Bird said she has just added 500 square feet to her corporate headquarters, bringing the total to 1,500 square feet.

In addition to increased government business, Bird said both leisure and business travel activity are on the rise at her three agencies--the Travel Mart in Port Hueneme, Esplanade World Travel in Oxnard and Travel World/Cruise Mart in Ventura.

Bird Enterprises will co-sponsor Travel Fair ’92 on Saturday at Buenaventura Mall in Ventura. More than 30 firms, including cruise lines, hotel chains and transportation companies, are expected to take part.