Carlson Wagonlit Travel completes acquisition of Maritz Corporate Travel

Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) today announced the completion of its acquisition of Maritz Corporate Travel (MCT), the U.S. corporate travel subsidiary of Maritz Travel Company. The agreement to purchase MCT was previously announced on March 18, 2003, and received regulatory approval at the end of April.

Since the original announcement, integration teams have met regularly to lay the framework for a seamless merger of the two companies' leadership, employees, operations and technology. Now, with the acquisition complete, the teams are free to step up their integration efforts, unrestricted by any legal or regulatory limitations regarding the exchange of proprietary information.

CWT clients that were formerly with MCT will slowly begin to see their day-to-day interactions take on the face of CWT through both one-on-one attention and corporate-level communication. At the same time, Robin Schleien, president, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, North America, advised: "This process will not be unnecessarily rushed, but rather it will be a strategic transition for clients, employees and suppliers."

He continued, "Our ultimate goal is to leverage our collective talent and resources to the benefit of our clients; we will get this right."