Tom Atchison has no plans to ever retire. In fact, he wants to stay engaged in the travel management industry for at least another 20 years. It’s because he enjoys serving people, and those people include his employees.

 

“Leaders need their people more than the people need leaders,” said Atchison.

 

Atchison knows this firsthand since he has led a long career in leadership that has focused on developing companies and service lines into a successful global enterprise brand. He began his career in property and hotel management and in 1985, entered the apartment management industry. Over time, Atchison held positions of property manager, leasing manager and regional property manager. In 1995, he became the Senior Vice President at ExecuStay, assuming responsibility for the operations of 18 regional offices.

 

It wasn’t until 1999 that Atchison launched National Corporate Housing, a firm that offers customized housing solutions for temporary living. It didn’t take long for his start-up to grow.

 

“After some strategic partnerships and acquisitions, that one office in Herndon, Virginia, spread to over 30 offices globally, supporting 300+ employees with a corporate headquarters in Denver and our global headquarters in London,” said Atchison.

 

He has made it his quest to acquire companies within the same travel space, ultimately creating divisions for destination services, travel services, talent solutions, insurance housing and even sourcing platform software. As a result, Atchison has watched National Corporate Housing evolve from a small startup to the largest corporate housing provider in the United States.

 

“No other company signs more corporate leases in North America than National,” he said.

 

Atchison is described as a leader with the drive and ambition necessary to succeed. “Leading an industry was not my aim; instead, offering quality accommodations and services and also having a company with a strong and mindful company culture was the goal,” he said.

 

Industry leadership came as a by-product of catering to his clients’ most important needs through travel management. Because of his sought-after expertise, Atchison has presented at industry conferences for the last two decades showcasing how and why his firm has steady revenue growth and leadership committed to driving business in times of bounty and times of drought.

 

Atchison said he has the vision of growing National Corporate Housing to a half billion-dollar, global company by 2027 with offices in four continents.

 

For his drive, ambition and leadership in travel management, Atchison has earned a spot as a Titan of industry.