Champion of Travel Agent Education: Sandals Resorts Executive Gordy Silverman Passes

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Gordy Silverman Passes

Gordy Silverman, Senior Director of Industry Education at Unique Vacations Inc. (UVI) and long-time advocate for travel agent education who helped develop Sandals Resorts’ signature Certified Sandals Specialist (CSS) program, died July 24 following a brief battle with cancer. She was 64.

  1. Silverman was an exuberate champion of travel agents, joining Unique Vacations Inc., a Snadals Resorts and Beaches Resorts affiliate, in 1987.
  2. She soon became the presence of UVI’s West Coast.
  3. Gordy’s dedication to the company and knowledge of the travel industry were instrumental to UVI’s success.

Silverman joined Unique Vacations Inc. (UVI), an affiliate of the worldwide representative of Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts in 1987, according to UVI Executive Vice President of Sales & Industry Relations Gary Sadler and quickly established herself as an exuberate champion of travel agents. She began in UVI’s Miami office but later launched UVI’s West Coast presence. “Gordy’s long-term dedication to the company and knowledge of the travel industry were instrumental to our success. She will be deeply missed,” said Sadler.

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He added, “Gordy can easily be described as ‘the mother of all trainers’ in the travel industry. She was directly involved in every single aspect of our company’s sales training from our newly hired BDMs to the wider travel industry.  Gordy successfully developed and launched our Certified Sandals Specialist program.  For over 25 years, she was a driving force in the CSS Workshops, keeping the sales messaging and training fresh and relevant for travel advisors year in and year out.  She also conceptualized our popular ‘conventions,’ the informative yet entertaining events which have quite literally trained tens of thousands of travel advisors and industry partners across North America and around the world on Sandals & Beaches Resorts… Quite simply, Gordy built the framework and the foundation for the Unique Vacations global sales training that the team and I proudly stand upon today.  For that, we are all eternally in her debt.”

Travel advisors and industry friends are invited to contribute thoughts and memories of Gordy to a Sandals Memory Jar being established by Gordy’s longtime friend and UVI colleague, Maura Cecere at [email protected] .

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz, eTN editor

Linda Hohnholz, eTN editor

Linda Hohnholz has been writing and editing articles since the start of her working career. She has applied this innate passion to such places as Hawaii Pacific University, Chaminade University, the Hawaii Children's Discovery Center, and now TravelNewsGroup.

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