ITA Group Co-Founder Geraldine “Jerry” Berg Passes Away

Geraldine “Jerry” Berg, co-founder of West Des Moines-based ITA Group, Inc., passed away September 3, 2016.

Jerry and her husband Rudy founded the organization—initially a small Des Moines travel agency known as International Travel Associates—in 1963, and over the last 53 years, their dream has touched thousands of lives. The couple were married for 62 years when Rudy passed away in December 2013.

The passing of Jerry closes a chapter in ITA Group’s history book. Current ITA Group CEO Tom Mahoney commented on the impact of the Bergs’ commitment and vision, “To start a company, it takes belief, courage and grit. Rudy and Jerry worked hard to create a reputation and brand focused on customer service and quality. In fact, the foundational qualities that make up our Commitment to Excellence were traits Rudy and Jerry often spoke about (teamwork, personal accountability, do what’s right, quality and empowerment).”

Today, ITA Group is a leader in events, incentives and recognition. The company has been employee-owned since 1987 and currently has more than 600 team members. Headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa, ITA Group has sales offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Francisco and the greater New York City area. ITA Group services some of Iowa’s largest companies and Fortune 1000 organizations across the nation. In 2016, the company partnered with 300 clients and served over 575,000 participants, and celebrated 53 years of business in July.