PL ANNER PROFILE By Sarah Suydam
TERRY FISCHER:
A Mindset for Growth and Possibility
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Raised in Western Canada, Terr y Fischer was i nt roduc e d to t he t r avel a nd t r a n spor t at ion industr y early, as his fat her ow ned a school bus company. Hav ing earned his CDL license at 18, Fischer qu ick ly recog nized t hat what bega n as something practical soon became his calling. At 20, he took a summer job driv ing a tour bus in the Canadian Rock ies for Brewster in Banff. “That’s where the love affair started right then a nd t here,” he sa id, reca l l i ng how t hose ea rly years truly shaped his career. He learned routes, commentar y, and nuances of hosting travelers from around the world. After college, Fischer returned to work in his fat her’s busi ness, helpi ng ex pa nd it f rom school buses to motorcoaches. A f ter spending 21 years t here
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steadily building ex perience in char ter and tour operat ions, Fischer’s fat her event ua lly sold t he company in 2004, where Fi scher rema i ned for fou r more yea r s before work i ng a s Director of Sales at another motorcoach company on the West Coast. Come 2011, Fischer and his w ife Kathr yn took a leap of faith, acquiring Transportation Charter Ser v ices (TCS)—he as President and she as V P of Sales. “I’d spent my whole career work ing for other people, and the fact that it was going to be us this time was a little scar y,” he remembered. Wit h only 18 motorcoaches and no tour and t ravel focus, t he company was far f rom what it is today in ter ms of sca le and client base. But where ot hers may have seen an unconquerable cha l lenge, Fischer saw oppor t u n it y. T he couple lea ned i nto t heir indust r y relat ionships a nd agg ressively pu rsued g roup tou r w ork i n t he S out hwe s t—a n ac t ion t h at helpe d spu r incredible g row t h and cemented st rateg ic ex pansion as a t r ue hallmark of Fischer’s leadership. W hen a major competitor ex ited the Canadian Rock ies market, TCS stepped in to f i l l t he void. A nd in 2017, a n unex pected oppor t u n it y a rose to acqu i re Poly nesia n Advent u re Tou rs, a Hawaiian operator prev iously ow ned by Nor weg ian Cr uise Line. The acquisition expanded TCS’ footprint to four islands and added a popular Kauai luau attraction—one Fischer now calls one of the most rewarding parts of the business. “Never d id I have i n ou r New Yea r’s resolut ions t hat yea r t h at we were goi ng to bu y a c ompa ny i n Haw a i i—a nd it just happened so qu ick ly,” Fischer sa id. “We’ve now seen a different side of t he business w it h manag ing an att ract ion as well. It’s fantast ic.” Today, TCS and its family of brands operate across multiple reg ions w it h hundreds of vehicles a nd sta f f. T hroug h it a l l,