Meet Rhonda Carges

Executive Vice President of Operations

The backstory

Career paths are funny things. Right out of college, Rhonda got a job as a secretary with a large law firm. But she wasn't destined to make the legal field her career -- only the first half of it. Fortunately, the firm invested in their staff with generous training in communications, human resources, and sales. Rhonda took advantage of all of it and worked her way up to management, overseeing 100 secretaries. But law firms are demanding of time, and ultimately Rhonda left in search of flexibility. She found it with friend and business partner, Nicole Mahoney.

Professional path

Today Rhonda brings more than 20 years of sales and new business development to the table. She's a master at creating relationships and has a deep understanding of sales strategies, creating win-win opportunities for BTI's tourism clients. She serves on ABA's Marketplace Education Committee, I Love NY's China-Ready Committee and Canadian Roadshow Committee, the New York State Tourism Industry Association's Empire State Tourism Conference Scholarship Committee and is a co-chair of the Professional Women of the Finger Lakes' Women of Distinction Awards Committee. Rhonda is 2005 past chairperson of the Visitor Industry Council for Visit Rochester. Rhonda and her staff are able to act as a much-needed sales arm for Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs), providing management, tracking and reporting, and of course-- closing those sales successfully.

With her easy-going personality and high attention to detail, Rhonda is able to put her management skills to work as BTI's HR person, and Office and Operations manager.

Inside the office she loves:

Her team. Working with clients and prospects. Developing relationships. Mentoring. Team building. Closing sales.

Outside the office she loves:

Her three children, Jesse, Leah & Nina. Taking walks with their dog, Daisy. Her wonderful network of friends. Her woman’s euchre group. The Finger Lakes of New York State. Reading. Volunteering her time with various community organizations including: Camp Good Days & Special Times, Professional Women of the Finger Lakes and CMAC.

Rhonda Carges

"Communication and sales go hand-in-hand. It's about listening."

Posts from Rhonda

Travel and Tourism Terms, Acronyms & Abbreviations

Travel and Tourism Terms, Acronyms & Abbreviations

By Rhonda | June 15, 2021

Every industry has its language; can you talk tourism? We abbreviate words or phrases to save time, effort or space.…

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What Lies Ahead for the Group Travel Industry

What Lies Ahead for the Group Travel Industry

By Rhonda | February 17, 2021

Group travel is one of the most significantly impacted travel segments in the travel and tourism industry as a result…

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Diversity in Tourism: Diversity = Everybody

By Rhonda | October 13, 2020

Everybody is a tourist at some point in their lives. Everybody likes to take a vacation. Everybody dreams of getting…

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The Importance of Core Values

By Rhonda | October 7, 2020

Living in today’s world has been an experience unlike any we have been through before. So much of what we…

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Health & Travel: Accommodations

Health & Travel: Accommodations

By Rhonda | August 5, 2020

As we are thinking and dreaming about travelling, a big part of those dreams are about where we will stay.…

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Frugality is the Mother of Creativity

By Rhonda | June 17, 2020

Having money isn’t the only tool needed to promote a destination… Where are your marketing dollars coming from right now?…

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