Mission Statement: Destination Canada New England and Destination Florida are dedicated to the success of your Meeting and Incentive Program, Tour Program, or Cruise Ship Turnaround Operation, through partnership, organization, loyalty and commitment. Both management and staff will always be a step ahead of your guests, to ensure the group operation's achievement of excellence! We are committed to provide you with outstanding quality and innovative services at the best possible price available.

 

Owners/Partners

Paul Matte, Sales and Marketing
Founder, partner and owner of DCNE/DFL, Paul has over 30 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. Born and raised in Quebec City, Canada, Paul achieved an outstanding reputation operating the largest and most successful Tour Transportation Company in Québec. A former owner and manager of six hotel properties in the heart of Old Québec, he also served as the director and vice-president of the Hotel Association of Québec and served on the board of directors for the Québec Tourist and Convention Bureau. As the cruise line industry expanded their itineraries in the 1990's to New England and the East Coast, Paul began to concentrate his efforts on providing receptive services to the cruise lines including tour and ground handling operations. Joining forces with partners Tina Spencer in 1999 and Tom Anderson in 2002, Paul concentrates his efforts on sales and marketing as well as the operation and execution of all of our programs. With the expansion into destination management services in South Florida and continuing our Cruise Line Operations in Canada New England as well as Florida, Paul remains committed to the success of DCNE/DFL and our clients through partnership, loyalty and a commitment to excellence.
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Tina Spencer, Administration and Operations
As a partner and owner of DCNE-DFL Tina is responsible for all administrative and operational aspects of our company. Tina received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from Michigan State University in 1986. After three years of teaching, she made a career move to the tourism industry and spent the next 10 years working both shipboard and shore-side in the Shore Excursion/Ground Service Department of Royal Caribbean International, specializing in international destinations, computer ticketing systems and special projects. In 1999 she married partner/owner Paul Matte and together with Tom Anderson expanded the company to the successful operation it is today. In working with over 150 tour operators and DMC's worldwide, Tina was able to bring her experiences to DCNE/DFL enabling the company to be one of the best tour operators/ground handlers in the industry.
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Tom Anderson, Product Development and Operations
As a partner and owner of DCNE/DFL Tom focuses his attention on product development, public relations, and the execution and operation of all programs. Tom received a Bachelor of Science in Business and a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Colorado in 1982. Upon graduation Tom entered Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island and served in the US Navy for six years as a Supply Corps Officer. In 1988 he made a career move to the cruise line industry as a manager for Costa Cruise Lines and then to Princess Cruises in 1995. During his tenure at Princess, he was solely responsible for the tour programs in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, Bermuda and Canada/New England, as well as the turnaround operations in New York, Boston, Montreal, San Juan, Costa Rica and Ft. Lauderdale. Joining DCNE/DFL in 2002, Tom was pivotal in the expansion from Canada New England to South Florida and remains committed to the success of our company and serving cruise line and destination management clients through partnership, loyalty and a commitment to excellence.
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Management Team

Stash Springer, Director of Operations and Destination Management Services
As Director of Operations, Stash oversees all daily operational details for the Florida Division. She is responsible for managing all aspects of Tour and Turnaround Programs for cruise line clients calling in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa, as well as all Group/Incentive Programs. Stash oversees the Florida Operations Team and is also heavily involved in New Business and Product Development. Prior to joining Destination Florida, Stash made her home in the Hawaiian islands where she worked in Retail Management and Public Relations and then went on to become a key player in the start-up operation of the Cruise Ship Shore Excursions Department at Atlantis Adventures Hawaii. She has a strong background in tour design and development, pier operations, new business initiatives, event planning, staffing, and overall operations management. Stash's unique blend of experience, excellent logistical and organizational knowledge, along with her communication and public relation skills makes her an invaluable asset to the Destination Florida team.
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Johanne Albert, Director of Operations Canada
As Director of Operations for Canada Johanne is responsible for managing all aspects of the Tour and Turnaround programs for Cruise Lines calling in Quebec, Montreal, Saguenay, Baie Comeau and Havre Pierre. Johanne comes to us with a unique background of travel experience, teaching, and management skills. For 15 years she worked throughout Canada, as well as overseas as a language teacher and supervisor/guide. As a trilingual specialist, with teaching experience and tour management skills, Johanne specialized in creating and administering training programs for guides, coordinators and escorts in English, French, and Japanese. Johanne joined DCNE in 1997. With her excellent organizational qualities and meticulous attention to detail, Johanne is a tremendous asset to the team.
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Greg Gordon, Manager of Operations New England
Greg is responsible for managing all operational details for the New England Division including all organizational and logistical aspects of tour programs, developing vendor and supplier relationships, researching new product offerings and overseeing an extensive tour guide training program. Greg has over 10 years of experience in Cruise Line Tour and Ground Service Operations. Before joining DCNE, Greg worked at Grand Circle Travel, one of the industry's largest international tour operators as Operations Program Manager for cruise line accounts. Greg has also worked with other major travel companies, including Globus, Trafalgar and Saga Holidays.
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Madelene Objio-Brown, Manager of Turnaround Operations
Prior to joining Destination Florida in 2003, Madelene was the primary client contact and Project Manager for a major apparel company working exclusively with hotel/resort clients. She applies her extensive experience with the hospitality industry to our turnaround programs in Miami where she is Manager of Turnaround Operations. Madelene is involved in all operational aspects of Tour and Turnaround Programs for cruise line clients calling in Miami . She is heavily involved in all administrative aspects of the business, and has been instrumental in creating staff training programs.
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Carlos Cueto, Manager of Turnaround Operations & Groups
Carlos joined DFL in 2003 and is an integral member of our operations team as Pier Supervisor for cruise ship turnaround operations and formerly our Manager of Airport Operations. He currently focuses his attention on Destination Management Services for groups and incentives as well as maintaining a high quality standard for all of our cruise ship tour and turnaround operations. His business acumen, technical expertise, and leadership capabilities contribute to a number of successful projects within our organization.  Prior to joining DFL, Carlos was a Project Manager for ABN AMRO Bank Regional Processing Center in Miami, with over 10 years of experience in the Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery areas. As a highly motivated Project Manager, Carlos created and implemented high-performance strategies that directly impacted growth and profitability in different areas of companies including Liz Claiborne Inc., Blockbuster Entertainment Group, The Sports Authority, Santander Group and ABN AMRO Bank.
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Stratos Vranas, Manager of Airport Operations
Stratos comes to Destination Florida with over 20 years of experience in the cruise industry, including several managerial positions, both onboard and shore-side. His career with the cruise lines started in 1984 where he served as an Assistant Hotel Manager onboard the cruise ships of Home Lines, which later was sold to Celebrity Cruises where he held managerial positions in Hotel Purchasing, Hotel Operations, Safety and Environmental Protection, and Planned Maintenance Systems. Stratos has a Bachelor Degree in Economics, and prior to joining the cruise industry, he worked for 10 years in the tourism industry in his home country, Greece. Stratos is also a very experienced Tour Guide and assists with our guide training in the South Florida area. One of his most notable and rewarding experiences was his employment as a Transportation Manager for Jet Set during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
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Paul Robinson, Accountant
As Accountant for Destination Florida-New England and Destination Canada-New England, Paul is responsible for all accounting operations. Paul has worked for over 20 years in the hospitality accounting field, using the latest information technology to support the overall operation and management team, as well as all accounting functions. He continually meets ongoing operational challenges with a focus on implementing procedural improvements. His background in hospitality also gives him an appreciation for service which enhances accounting functions for both internal and external "customers".
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Sharon Graham, Pier Manager/Turnaround Operations
Sharon has been involved with the cruise line industry since 2000 serving as a Pier Supervisor, Port Agent and coordinator of logistics for Princess Cruises, P&O, Cunard, and Seabourn. Joining DFL in 2004, Sharon is responsible for all pier operations in Ft Lauderdale and is also part of our start up team and ongoing quality control for New England and Canada Turnaround Operations. Her extensive knowledge in pier logistics, staff management and cruise ship turnaround operations is a tremendous asset to our company. Before entering the industry, Sharon was Executive Director of Personnel Recruiting for Robert Half International, specializing in executive accounting, finance, banking and computer specialist career placement. Sharon graduated top in her class from Florida State University, with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Management Information Systems.
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Barbara Connolly, Pier Supervisor, Boston
Joining DCNE in 2001, Barbara has been integral to the continuity and stability of the Boston team as the Pier Supervisor for cruise ship turnaround operations.  She is a native of Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA with an associate degree in business and extensive background in the travel industry.  She started as group sales manager for Killington Corp, continued as resident manager at the Hamilton Hotel and Island Club in Bermuda and finally as a sales rep for Eastern Airlines.  Barbara's responsibilities include all operational and logistical aspects of our Boston Turnaround Operation as well as staffing for large group movements and incentive meetings for DCNE's Destination Management Service Programs.  The DCNE Boston Turnaround Team consistently receives outstanding ratings from the cruise ship guests.
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Cindi Schuman, Pier Supervisor, Baltimore
Cindi has been involved with the cruise line industry at the Port of Baltimore for five years. Her position as Pier Supervisor includes staff recruiting and management, pier logistics and cruise ship turnaround operations. Her experience spans from Royal Caribbean International to Norwegian Cruise Lines, Holland America, Celebrity Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line. Cindi's expertise in the check-in systems for each of the cruise lines calling into Baltimore has made her a valuable asset to the DCNE team as a system training supervisor for our turnaround operation start-up team in New England, Canada and Florida. Prior to joining DCNE, Cindi worked in the travel industry for over 14 years as a travel agent/agency owner and earned CTC and MCC certifications.
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