Jamie Biesiada
"All you have is your name." "You have two ears and one mouth." "Integrity is everything." "You can't burn bridges."
Those were some of the lessons from her father that Wendy Burk, CEO and founder of Cadence, has kept top of mind over the years, and they've served her well. The La Jolla, Calif.-based agency turns 30 this year and still has its eyes set on growth and developing the next generation of travel advisors.
Key to Cadence's success, Burk said, is the people behind the agency and its culture of integrity, kindness, graciousness and service.
"It's never been about us," she said. "It's been, 'How can we serve you?'"
Burk has been in the industry for more than 40 years. She got her start in Hawaii, where she was mentored by fellow agent Ruth Rittmeister (Rittmeister's apartment was across the hall from Burk's parents').
In 1989, Burk moved to California and managed other agencies. Then, she became an outside sales agent and started to cultivate a clientele of her own. By 1995, she was ready to establish her own agency.
See the need, fill the need
"I saw a need in the industry, and that's how this was born," Burk said. "It was born out of a need that I felt and I saw."
That need: An environment where independent agents could come together to collaborate and connect. Travel Dynamics Group -- which would later be rebranded as Cadence -- was born.
The agency started with three people, including Burk, and six phone lines. From the beginning, one of its tenets has been belief in the power of relationships in the travel industry.
"It was really a shark-infested environment back in the '90s, when, if you had a corporate account, people were trying to take it from you," Burk said. "There was this whole war going on. I was like, 'Nah, I think we're in the relationships business.'"
Cadence still has some of its original corporate clients today. Over the years, the agency grew from that base. If a client traveled for work, eventually they would organize a meeting, incentive trip or take a personal vacation, Burk said. Because of her relationships with the agency's clients, they came to Cadence for all those needs.
Challenges over three decades
The road to the 30th anniversary has had its bumps. One came only six weeks after Cadence opened its doors, in the form of a fax from Delta Air Lines announcing commission caps in March 1995. Covid was another. But for Burk, challenges mean a chance to rise to the occasion.
"When you're in that place of discomfort, when things are really ick, is when you get to make change or when you get to shine," she said.
Take Covid, for instance. Cadence was processing more refunds than new business, but Burk wanted to bring the agency together. She invited everyone to her home, where she set tables 6 feet apart in her backyard, gave everyone wine and food and enjoyed conversations and connections.
"We rise by lifting others," she said.
Looking ahead
Many of Cadence's advisors have been with the agency for 25-plus years. But Burk's eyes are also set on the future. The past 10 years, she's emphasized growth and a runway for new advisors who can come in when more seasoned advisors are ready to retire.
Cadence has invested in technology and education as well as an advisor support team to help with things like marketing, sales, accounting and social media. The agency also offers an air desk.
Today, the agency has 85 employees, and 120 to 130 independent contractors. Those ICs often have small teams under them.
Burk called Cadence's size a "sweet spot": "I need to know them all, because if we're in the relationships business, we need to be having one."
This year, Cadence Connects, the agency's annual event, will celebrate its 10th year, in May at the Hotel del Coronado.
While Burk continues to invest in technology and education, there's something she says she'll never put away: her Rolodex, because it represents relationships and trust.
"The reason [advisors] plug into Cadence is for one thing and one thing only -- that's reputation," she said. "That's connection. That's commitment."