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by Don Wall t‘s a marriage made in travel Iheaven: Heather Kerby, the warm, kindly owner of Heather‘s Travel at 635 Fourth Line in Oakville, is the perfect complement Kerbys form dynamic duo in Oakville travel industry â€"( HIGH SCHOOL AT SEA )â€" > [ RAVEL Includes: Air, tranfers, accommodations, free day trips to Loughlin, Sunguest, Jackpot Coupon Bonus Book. Study, sailâ€"train, explore 30 countries on 5 continents across 3 oceans in our 10th anniversary global circumnavigation. Prestigious Canadian private school offers fully accredited high school grades 11, 12 and OAC equivalent on a magnificent 188 ft. modern tall ship. Educational land programs in each port of call. Registration now in progress for 94/95 term. Semester: $13,000 US Full year: $22,000 US. Inquire about our summer programmes too! ADVERTISING FEATURE 1812 Maritime Mews, Granville Island, Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6H 3X2 Tel: (604) 682â€"4353 Fax: (604) 682â€"5399 Toll Free: 1â€"800â€"663â€"5868 AROUND THE WORLD IN 300 DAYS from MANY OTHER HOTEL CASINO RESORTS AVAILABLE FROM $299 + TAX Class Afloat * Established 1985 > HEATHER‘S HIK| TRAVEL HOUSE 40909 w99 635 Fourth Line 8$42â€"8650 3 OR 4 NIGHTS p.p. Cdn. $, dbl. occup. plus $120 tax service charges to Bob Kerby, the redâ€"headed idea man who serves as sales manager for the Cruise Holidays franchise two doors down. With their diverse talents, Oakville and area travellers get the deluxe treatment when they enter p.p. Cdn. $, dbl. occup. plus $160 tax service charges The arrangement has worked out just great. "The two businesses are compleâ€" mentary in many ways," Bob Kerby explained this week. "With some cruise specialists you have to take the package they offer. We can book a cruise and refer the customer to either of the two offices. Heather‘s Travel has been in business 10 years now and has developed an unusually devoted customer base thanks to Heather‘s gift for personal service. Heather‘s is a fullâ€"service operation offering everything from rail tickets, insurance, motor coach reservations and holiday packages to hotel and airline reservations and car rentals. Until a year and a half ago, the Heather‘s office also handled cruises, but the procedure changed when she landed the Cruise Holidays franchise. She recruited her husband Bob to handle that part of the business and he opened up his own office in the same plaza on Fourth Line just south of Speers Road. Bob had been involved in a variety of business venâ€" tures over 25 years, and it happened he was looking for a fresh challenge. (f Kodak\ C C _ McCutcheon‘s Has Just The Right Film Deal For You 3 Rolls Kodak Gold Plus 100 35mm 24 Exposure Films _ _ olorwaf"'h Beat The Cold Includes Developing Printing @Photo Album To Hold 100 Prints Proof Film Container 226 Lakeshore Rd. E. (Downtown Oakville) _ 844 And Heather‘s Travel doesn‘t sufâ€" fer by referring customers looking for a cruise over to Bob‘s office. For one, Cruise Holidays is owned by Heather Kerby. And with all of the group cruises that the Cruise Holidays office is booking these Heather‘s for an additional landâ€"stay package or flights or anything else. Between the two of us we can put together a better package than an individual cruise consultant can." Bob and Heather run Cruise Holidays and Heather‘s Travel, respectively. Bring back warm memories to share with your friends Total Package FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1994 Page 18 Marketing and service, promotio® and warmth, Bob and Heather. As, Bob says, "It has turned out to be an excellent marriage." 3 A couple of units over, Bob Kerby‘s office is usually humming with activity. Bob crackles with ideas and has pulled together a Group Sales department that is really taking off after a year in existence. His face is familiar to thousands from his weekly Cruise Tips column in this newspaper. "I‘m very aggressive in promotion," he said. "My role is to bring people through the door. Bob Kerby notes that Heather‘s attitude is contagious. "The biggest thing my wife has taught me is the importance of service," he said. "In the long run, customers will be loyal to you because of service more than price." Heather‘s office is decorated with mementoes from those loyal cusâ€" tomers â€" pictures of babies, carâ€" toons, newspaper clippings that menâ€" tion her clients and more. It gives a homey feel that perfectly matches Heather‘s approach. Heather‘s does the little things that impress her customers. It‘s a company policy that everyone who books a trip receives a followâ€"up call. The office takes its own passport photos and offers passport applicaâ€" tions and advice on processing the documents. "We have been referred to as a momâ€"andâ€"pop business and I guess we are, in the sense that we pay attention to people," Heather Kerby explained. "No matter who comes in, a senior heading to Florida or anyâ€" body, we take the time to listen. We try to provide the same service to someone who books a $299 flight to Vancouver as to someone who books a vacation to London." Personally, the two Kerbys offer a contrast in styles. Heather Kerby, currently a viceâ€"president with the Oakville Chamber of Commerce, opened her business in 1984 after their fourth child entered school. Heather‘s Travel quickly become known for the proprietor‘s personâ€" able approach and her ability to lisâ€" ten. Even as business grows in the 1990s, Heather still finds time to look her customers in the eye and hear them out. days, there is a tremendous amount of incidental travel business that is sent to Heather‘s.