June 25, 2018

Sioux Falls-based Travel Partners has been acquired by Acendas Travel, which is headquartered in Minneapolis and Kansas City.

Previous owner Mary Jo Nelson will continue as manager, and Travel Partners will keep its name, operating as a standalone agency at 5604 W. 41st St.

Nelson purchased Jack Rabbit Tour and Travel in 2000, after working there 12 years as an agent, and renamed it Travel Partners. She has been a part of the travel industry for 42 years.

“This is a positive move for our clients and Travel Partners,” Nelson said. “We looked at our future needs and determined that in order to continue to provide the best service to our customers and to stay competitive, we needed additional resources. Acendas Travel is the perfect partner because its philosophy matches ours and it is a recognized leader in the industry.”

Acendas was founded in Kansas City in 1982 and because a joint venture with BCD Travel, the third-largest U.S. purchaser of corporate travel, in 2001. In 2010, it grew with the acquisition of Vanguard Travel in Minneapolis and has added three other firms in addition to Sioux Falls since then.

“We are excited to have the Travel Partners team come under the Acendas Travel umbrella and look forward to continuing to serve the Sioux Falls market,” president Brent Blake said. “We have a focus on growth, but only if it is a good fit. Travel Partners is not only a good fit, it is a great fit.”