Jena Gardner Launches Global Group by JG

NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Esteemed entrepreneur and travel industry veteran Jena Gardner has turned a lifelong passion for travel into a thriving enterprise. Today, Ms. Gardner announces the launch of her latest venture, Global Group by JG, a strategic holding company that will integrate and expand Gardner's existing travel and lifestyle businesses and provide a platform for the brands' continued innovation and leadership. Global Group by JG magnifies the company's overarching ideology of the power of travel, enabling the growth of the world's finest travel providers, supporting economic sustainability for global artisans and sharing the world's top travel experiences with others.

Global Group by JG's portfolio of three distinctive brands is active across three different sectors: sales and marketing, public relations and retail:

• JG Black Book of Travel is a leading consulting firm that provides trade relations, distribution services and brand strategy to travel and travel lifestyle companies around the globe. The firm's individualized service, strategic thinking and industry relationships assist companies in their efforts to increase sales, gain exposure and build new markets. The firm's most extraordinary clients are invited to join the Black Book Collection by JG, a carefully curated compilation of top travel destinations from around the world. This Collection showcases the most unique and best in class, ranging from a beautiful ranch in the U.S. Rockies, to a wilderness lodge perched on the edge of the Serengeti, to customized excursions in the heart of Mongolia.
• JG Group PR brings a passionate and focused approach to the travel public relations arena. The JG Group PR approach involves an artful and evolving mix of strategy, credibility, creativity and connections. The team works collaboratively with each client, developing customized programs to reach the right media mix, distinguishing the brand in a crowded marketplace, securing results, and creating maximum and positive impact for their business.
• The Traveler's Collection is an online boutique offering artisan handcrafted jewelry, stylish apparel and accessories and one-of-a-kind home decor from around the world. The principals behind The Traveler's Collection bring a comprehensive knowledge of travel, retail and manufacturing to this exciting venture, combining their synergistic talents to create an online experience that is unique, collaborative and socially responsible. The collection's beauty extends to the people it benefits.  Each purchase has an immediate impact on the local craftspeople involved, offering much needed work and financial support.  

Global Group by JG believes in the power of travel.  Whether sharing stories of the most exceptional experiences, industry knowledge and connections or uncommon treasures found along the way, Global Group by JG has committed itself to supporting travel and the travel lifestyle at its most inspired.  

"What inspires me most is travel's unique ability to change lives," said Jena Gardner, president, CEO and founder of Global Group by JG.  "Not only does it offer a lifelong opportunity for learning and discovery, but as the world's third largest global industry, travel has the power to make a meaningful and lasting contribution to many people and places.  The creation of the Global Group by JG will accelerate our efforts to promote travel and tourism. Through expanded reach and enhanced services, this new company will continue the successful growth of our businesses and solidify our role as a leader in the travel and lifestyle industries."

Ms. Gardner founded JG Black Book of Travel in 2002 and has since built it into a highly successful consulting firm that provides trade relations, marketing expertise, distribution services and brand strategy to the world's finest travel experiences.  The firm has been named by Inc. magazine as one of the country's fastest growing privately held companies for the past three years.  Ms. Gardner is a sought-after industry consultant and speaker and has been invited to speak at such prestigious events as the Global Women's Forum, the Global Eco Conference, the Fortune Luxury Summit, the Luxury Marketing Council, the Luxury Portfolio SUMMIT to name a few.  Named one of the Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing by HSMAI , Ms. Gardner has often been asked to share her own personal business and travel experiences with other entrepreneurs. Ms. Gardner is also a contributing writer for Enterprising Women magazine.

Knowing the depth and scale of the travel industry's influence, Ms. Gardner continues to work to promote  community and economic development, environmental sustainability and protection of cultural heritage through tourism. She is co-founder and president of The Bodhi Tree Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to mobilizing travelers and the tourism industry to promote environmental and humanitarian efforts across the globe. Ms. Gardner also serves on the Judging Committee for the World Travel and Tourism Council's Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, the leading industry recognition program that promotes and acknowledges best practices in sustainable tourism.

About Global Group by JG

Global Group by JG is a strategic holding company in the travel and lifestyle industries. A leader and innovator, Global Group by JG's specialty firms provide world-class strategic consulting in sales, marketing and brand strategy, media and public relations, and distribution services to tourism clients worldwide and support hundreds of global artisans through its retail efforts.

Global Group by JG is comprised of two integrated services companies – JG Black Book of Travel and JG Group PR – and one retail outlet – The Traveler's Collection. Headquartered in New York City, Global Group by JG and its subsidiaries have offices in London, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Charlotte.  

P.R. Contacts
Lisa Caruso, VP of Public Relations
JG Group PR
212.967.5895
[email protected]

SOURCE Global Group by JG