Steve Smith
Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Stephen R. Smith is a successful entrepreneur known to many as one of the true Texas mavericks. Raised in El Paso, Mr. Smith attended the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Texas at El Paso. In the mid-1980's, Mr. Smith developed an interest in the network marketing business model. He recognized the marketing and compensation strategy was ideally suited for the marketing and distribution of services, rather than physical products. Relying on his intuition, he designed and deployed his network-marketing strategy at a telecommunication startup company; this concept quickly grew to become Excel Communications -- a billion dollar publicly traded long-distance company. More recently, Mr. Smith returned to his passion for the network marketing industry when he launched Ultimate Choice Travel to capitalize on the multi-billion dollar travel industry.

"What I'm most excited about with Ultimate Choice Travel is that the travel industry holds more opportunity for representatives than the long distance industry did for several reasons. The first is that travel is fun. Everyone wants to do it, and it is a natural for any conversation. Talking about ones long distance bill and changing carriers isn't. Secondly, certain industries can often change drastically and rapidly within seconds (i.e. in the telephone industry, VOIP and cellular changed the way the world communicated), which is scary when you think about how many were involved in a business that disappeared almost overnight. In the travel business we may one of these days be traveling by flying saucer, but that trip will still have to be booked and paid for; so while the way we are transported may change and the way we book travel may change, huge transformations are not on the horizon. You can build a business in the travel industry, which will safely be around for a long time. And finally, the travel business is many thousands of times the size of the long distance business, so the opportunity is virtually endless!"

Travel Fact: Mr. Smith has traveled extensively for business in the past, primarily throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, and has been just about everywhere in North and Central America. His all time favorite vacation so far was an African Safari, and he loves visiting the Caribbean. "I have always wanted to see Russia and the Eastern Bloc countries as well as Australia, New Zealand, and especially South America. I love to travel and will definitely be a regular on the Escapes trips."

Tom Brown
Chief Financial Officer

Born in Tucson, AZ (where his grandfather was a major landholder and mayor) and now residing in California, Tom Brown is our Chief Financial Officer who brings priceless experience to our team. Educated at the University of Southern California, Mr. Brown earned a Bachelor of Science, Finance and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with memberships in multiple institutions including CFA Institute and Associate of Corporate Growth. He began his career as Research Analyst training under the President of Paine Webber Group Inc. and went on to become CFO, co-founder, and President of several highly successful companies.

His most recent venture is as President and founder of Wyndham Capital Corporation (WCC), an investment banking firm that provides advisory and financing services primarily to middle market businesses and owners as well as equity sponsor groups. During his tenure with WCC, Mr. Brown was Chairman of a company formed to complete the roll-up of eight motor coach companies with revenues in excess of $80 million, which were eventually sold to Coach USA. Mr. Brown continues to be actively involved in the sourcing, structuring and acquisition of private companies with enterprise values exceeding $20 million.

Other accomplishments include co-founder and managing director of Ablum, Brown & Company (ABC), a private investment banking firm, where he was retained by a number of private equity firms to conduct the due diligence of potential transactions. He played a significant role in structuring, negotiating and raising the senior and subordinated debt to fund these acquisitions as well as sitting on the board and coordinating the sale of these companies. During this period, the average IRR realized from the sale of these investments exceeded 40%, and the total amount of completed transactions exceeded $700 million. He was also the President of Brown Capital Management, Inc. (BCM), where he played several roles including an SEC registered investment advisor and served on the board of directors for five years; co-founder and managing director of Diehl, Speyer & Brown, a regional investment banking firm that offered retail brokerage, underwriting, private placement financings, mergers and acquisitions and investment advising services; and partner of Guild Management Company, an international investment management firm with over $30 million of assets under management. Mr. Brown has and currently serves on the boards of numerous public and private companies and has served as the chairman of the audit committee for several public companies.

"The Ultimate Choice Travel business model offers the opportunity of generating significant free cash flow based on the positioning and execution strategies that have been clearly identified. Combining network marketing and an innovative compensation plan created by Steve Smith with a travel business model that offers unique travel products, services as well as Internet Technology features and functionality presents a compelling business model."

Travel Fact: Tom and his wife, Rosita, have traveled extensively! Tom used to have a business in London, which allowed them to travel to Europe 6 times a year. They also lived in Hawaii as part of his role on the board of a Hawaii-based public company, and in the 90s they cruised twice a year on Seaborne (Europe in the summer and the Caribbean in the winter). Over the past 20 years, the Browns have spent every summer at their Canadian farm, about 90 miles southwest of Ottawa.

Rayner Smith
Chief Operating Officer

Rayner Smith, the son of our Founder and CEO Steve Smith, holds the position of Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Smith is not what you imagine of when you think of "the boss' son." Old enough to recall the experiences and financial hardships his family endured through their struggles while his father worked to find success in network marketing, he learned at an early age that nothing good comes easy. "While all the other kids had heroes that were sports figures or movie stars, I was looking up to top earners like Paul Oberson and Barbara & Mike Lammons," said Rayner. Raised in Austin, Texas and educated at Texas Christian University, he graduated from the Neeley Business School with a degree in Business Management. Mr. Smith has since been involved in managing his families' interests and building a variety of his own companies, most recently which have been web based. When approached by Steve to work shoulder to shoulder with him in creating Ultimate Choice Travel, he jumped at the opportunity. Bringing a unique perspective of a formal business education and a first hand understanding of how network marketing works and the effect it has on families coupled with a passion for travel positions him perfectly for his role at Ultimate Choice Travel. Together, Steve and Rayner have proved to be a powerful force in the Network Marketing and Travel industries alike.

Travel Fact: Rayner and his wife, Tanya usually vacation for a month each year to explore new destinations around the globe. Having seen much of Eastern Europe, they have turned their focus to South & Central America, their favorite destination currently being Costa Rica.

Amy Sierra
Director of Travel

Although born and raised in Austin, Texas, (and of course went to the University of Texas) our Director of Travel Amy Sierra has truly seen the world. She speaks some Spanish, Italian, and German, and has over seventeen years of experience in the travel industry, ranging from a travel agent to an agency manager to an agency owner. Mrs. Sierra is also very familiar with planning group vacations, including corporate meetings, cruise fundraisers, and destination weddings. Her background brings valuable operational, sales, and management experience to Ultimate Choice Travel, and her professional associations include ASTA, CLIA, IATAN, and Jurni network. "Our business is a powerhouse and I am thrilled to be a part of it. Experiencing 700% growth in less than a year is simply amazing and we should all be proud to be a part of such an incredible organization." When she is not planning travel-packages or visiting exciting destinations herself, Mrs. Sierra spends most of her free time with her family and precious daughter, Sydney. She is also an avid volunteer in the community, and is a board member for two non-profit organizations and volunteers with five other organizations. We can all learn from Mrs. Sierra's philosophy on life: "Work Hard. Explore. Learn. Create Joy. Never Give Up."

Travel Fact: Amy has been to 38 states, 57 countries, and cruised 68 times. Her favorite Caribbean get-away is St. Lucia and her favorite all-time escape is Italy. "I love the Tuscan Wine Country, hilltop villages, the local folks, the outdoor food markets—just enjoying a baguette topped with fresh basil, hand made mozzarella, and a bottle of Chardonnay," says Amy.

Danny Jacobs
Director of Field Services

Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee and educated at Texas Christian University, Danny Jacobs holds the position of Director of Field Services. Danny’s career has been spent in various corporations managing client relationships and sales departments with annual business revenues often exceeding $50 million. Much of his expertise comes from overseeing the departments responsible for thousands of independent contractors, ensuring operational excellence on topics ranging from daily support inquiries to individual business consultations. His remarkable skills and knowledge as an executive working with and catering to such large numbers without compromising the level of quality that is demanded in an organization positions him perfectly for his role in our rapidly growing company. “The one trait I find common with all business owners…passion. The relationship between the entrepreneur and the Ultimate Choice Travel corporate office is vital to our mutual success.” While he had already achieved success in corporate America, Danny had been seeking an opportunity to put his talents to use in growing a company. His responsibilities at Ultimate Choice Travel have been vital in getting us where we are today. “Our Field Services Department strives daily to ensure the field has all necessary tools on hand to build a successful business,” says Danny.

Travel Fact: Danny’s favorite vacation spot is French Polynesia. “My favorite memory of Tahiti? The culture, scenery, language, serenity, the art were all memorable, but I will never forget the stars on a clear night.”

Tanya Smith
Director of Communications

Tanya Smith manages the marketing and communications department. Raised in Dallas, Texas, Mrs. Smith graduated Cum Laude from the Neeley Business School at Texas Christian University with a Business Marketing major and Spanish minor. She was extremely active in college with various social organizations, associations, and business clubs, and has continued so in her career and community. She began her marketing career at one of the nation's leading advertising agencies, GSD&M in Austin, Texas. From there she held various marketing positions with a variety of brick & mortar as well as online businesses, where she quickly developed skills in branding, positioning and marketing, particularly in the online marketplace. Mrs. Smith has always had a passion for travel, "I began traveling with my family at a very young age and that is by far my favorite hobby. From climbing Ayers Rock in Australia to watching the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona to playing tennis at Curtain Bluff Resort in Antigua, I feel fortunate to be able to combine my marketing background with my knowledge of and love for travel."

Travel Fact: Tanya has maintained a wish list for the past few years of places she wants to explore, ranging from a ski trip to Japan (where they also have natural 'onsen' hot springs and her favorite food, sushi) to a relaxing vacation on Turtle Island, Fiji.

Colin Murray
Director of Information Technology

Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Colin Murray grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. "From a very early age I was expected to roll up my sleeves and work hard. I was not given much room for error," said Mr. Murray. Technology and the birth of the Internet quickly caught the attention of Colin as a young man and he found an insatiable desire to learn more. Educated at Southwest Texas State University, previous employers include Austin based Dell, where he utilized his proficient skills in computer systems and internet technology. Following trends in technology, Mr. Murray quickly became an expert in both. His contribution can not only be seen in the new Ultimate Choice Travel website, of which he played a vital roll in creating, but also in strategic planning as Ultimate Choice Travel looks to the future of travel and to the technologies that this industry is evolving towards and ensuring that Ultimate Choice Travel is always on the leading edge of upcoming trends.

Travel Fact: One of Colin's most memorable vacations was visiting the mountains of Whistler in British Columbia. He spends most of his free time partaking in water sports on Lake Austin and skiing in the Colorado Mountains.

Hilary Amacker
Director of Finance & Accounting

Hilary hails from Texas where she graduated with Honors from The University of Texas with a Bachelor of Business Administration. Having majored in accounting, she began her career in Houston with an international firm and rose to Senior Manager before entering the private sector. Ms. Amacker is a Certified Public Accountant, whose experience ranges from tax work for wealthy individuals to large corporations registered with the SEC to consulting for oil and gas companies to serving as Director of Finance and Accounting with Ultimate Choice Travel. She is a hard worker who helps ensure the company's financial and tax reporting requirements are met while providing assistance with meeting the company's needs in a wide range of additional areas as well. Ms. Amacker and her family delight in meeting new people and visiting new places. They have travelled throughout the mainland United States and several foreign countries including Ireland, Scotland, England, France, and Mexico. Regarding her travels, Hilary said, "I have enjoyed our trips throughout the United States more than any others. There is so much to see and do and people to meet and the variety is fantastic. New York City is like a different country when compared to San Diego."

Travel Fact: Ms. Amacker's dream vacation is one filled with sightseeing and exploration; visiting museums, watching shows, seeing the architecture, meeting people (especially the locals), and taking in the beauty of the country with her husband and "almost grown" children.