Trisha Fridrich: An Industry Advocate Focused on Growth and Challenging the Status Quo

Post-college graduation, Trisha Fridrich fell into the travel and motorcoach industry through working for a sightseeing tour company.

"The plan was to work there for a year and I ended up there off and on for 16 years," said Fridrich, who started as the office manager and ended her time running the company's P&L and driving growth through improvement of operational efficiency and major marketing campaigns. "Over the years, I also had my hand in driver scheduling, insurance renewals and our FMCSA safety protocols."

Fridrich learned from experienced leaders along the way and made life-long friends before pursuing her MBA at Vanderbilt and starting her own consulting business. From 2016-2021, she worked with a variety of travel partners doing technology implementation and growth initiatives.

Today, as Vice President of Business Development and Marketing at All Aboard America Holdings (AAAHI), Fridrich boasts over 20 years of industry experience, and through her work, earns new and renewal business through RFPs, manages the company's digital footprint, engages in strategy throughout their various brands and more.

During 2020, Fridrich was an integral part of a small group of bus operators and vendors who came together to support industry lobbying efforts related to COVID-19 economic relief, eventually securing $2 billion in stimulus funding. She was later honored by ABA with the 2023 Women in Buses Operational Excellence Award.

"I was introduced to AAAHI in 2020 through the advocacy work I was doing and joined the team in 2021," shared Fridrich, who's particularly proud of the work she contributed to the motorcoach industry receiving CERTS funding. "I volunteered my time for 40 hours a week for six months to help connect motorcoach companies with their federal representatives. I sent more than 10,000 emails and, alongside a group, helped set up more than 300 meetings with Congress. In 2020, there was very little hope the motorcoach industry would see the recovery we've seen over the past three years. It was a meaningful amount of money for a lot of businesses."

Fridrich believes there should be a balance between technology and real-life experience in business.

"Yes, I want to book tickets online, but if I need help, I don't want to engage with a broken chat bot," Fridrich shared. "I'm a big believer in process automation and using technology to increase efficiency, but I want to be welcomed aboard by a person who smiles at me and says, 'Have a nice trip!' There's no replacement for great hospitality."

A believer in pushing boundaries, working hard and getting things done, Fridrich encourages industry newcomers to try things they've never thought possible.

"Projects that seem impossible will often have incredibly interesting results. You'll learn a lot about whatever you're working on and a ton about yourself," Fridrich said. "Also, follow-up and follow through. You'd be surprised what happens when you do this consistently."

The biggest lesson she's learned so far?

"Get outside your comfort zone. It's never as scary as you thought it would be."

MORE ABOUT TRISHA ...
Fridrich is a self-proclaimed "House Plant Lady" who once lived in an RV and traveled around the U.S. for six months. She also has degrees in business, chemistry and sociology, and can code Ruby on Rails and do data analysis with machine learning tools.

Written by Sarah Suydam, Managing Editor for Groups Today.

This article originally appeared in the Nov/Dec '24 issue of Groups Today.