Business View Magazine l January 2023

183 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 12 was established as a response to the growing demand for group incentive travel. The founder, Mary Charles, was a visionary who was instrumental in supporting group travel logistics, special events, and more. As the company grew, it diversified into leisure and luxury travel, including cruises. Over that time MC&A has built a reputation for designing unforgettable experiences and providing exceptional customer service, allowing it to grow into one of the world’s leading destination and event management companies. Perhaps the most obvious example of the company’s growth is the fact that it markets to and provides services to customers in North America, and Asia Pacific. It is quickly building a reliable book of business in Europe although its main area of revenue comes from the U.S. mainland. In support of its group business MC&A leases a 30,000-square-foot warehouse on Maui to house and produce event decor which also includes a customized carpentry unit for custom requests from clients. In recent years, the company has added some operational and financial muscle. It was acquired by JTB Americas, Ltd. in 2017, becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of the company which owns a large network of more than 30 companies in different industries throughout the U.S. and Canada. A merger then commenced in 2019 with Kuoni Destination Management USA, which further increased the company’s footprint in the U.S. That made MC&A a prominent national brand in the industry. As MC&A’s website says, “aloha” means “greetings,” “welcome,” and “friendship” in Hawaiian. That attitude is the spirit that flows throughout the entire company – both in Hawai’i and throughout the U.S. mainland. It’s no secret that the hospitality industry was heavily impacted financially by the COVID pandemic. The effect on MC&A was just as drastic. When travel ceased in the spring of 2020, it ground the company’s revenues to a near halt. MC&A That’s when it became clear just how fortunate the company was to have the support and backing of a larger and financially stable firm like JTB Americas. MC&A did not claim any funds from the Paycheck Protection Program; instead, continued to invest in the business throughout 2020 and 2021. No full-time staff member was laid off, as MC&A was able to manage scheduled furloughs. Team members remained very active in sales and operational work during that time, often rescheduling events clients had set up for months or years later. MC&A Executive Vice President and General Manager Johan Marzuki says 2020 was a critical year in proving the value of the company’s customer service and support. “We had to stay engaged with our customers,” Marzuki says. “There was a lot of optimism that once the pandemic’s