Our Team

Jim Davis, President

Jim Davis graduated from The American University in Washington, DC with a degree in International Affairs. During college he interned for Senator Pell of Rhode Island and did research relating to the senator's membership on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In addition, he interned at the U.S. Embassy in London and worked at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Gallery of Art.

After working in operations for Washington Group Tours in 1976 and managing New York Group Tours Jim moved to California in 1980 to oversee San Francisco Group Tours. In 1984 he branched out on his own and established California Tour Consultants, Inc. In 2011 he formed U.S. Group Planners, Inc., an offshoot of California Tour Consultants, to promote national as well as regional tour packages.

In addition to his travel industry career Jim is a professional digital photographer and loves to combine his passion for travel and photography. Jim is an avid kayaker and does volunteer work for Search for Common Ground which fosters peace at troubled areas throughout the world and is a member of the International Relations Forum for the Commonwealth Club. He and his wife Jennifer spend weekends at the beach with their three dogs and they enjoy hiking on Marin trailsides.

  Owner, Lewis Sommer Photography, Inc.

 
Kathy von Hurst, Event Planner

Kathy von Hurst has been an event planner for twenty years as it related to her Executive Assistant position in large Northern and Southern California corporations. The wide variety of corporate functions she's arranged include industry-related tradeshows, on-site and off-site meetings, company picnics, training seminars, sporting events, and in the support of Corporate Initiatives partnered with non-profit organizations in the preparation of upcoming campaigns. Her attitude, attention to detail and ability to organize all aspects of a function has resulted in many successful events.

Kathy's warm personality and willingness to tackle any challenge have been assets in past positions and in her current role at U. S. Group Planners. In her spare time, Kathy enjoys cooking for family and friends, reading and listening to classical music.

David Olivier, Senior Tour Director

David Olivier is a native of San Francisco and has lived in the Bay Area nearly all his life. From his family's frequent vacations and outings in California and elsewhere, David caught the travel bug early on. A great curiosity to explore the world continues to be a major theme in his life. This once resulted in a five-year adventure during which he lived and taught English in both Japan and Italy, while backpacking around much of the globe.

Education and service have always been the principle components of David's professional life. Following his years of undergraduate and graduate study at San Jose and San Francisco State Universities, David moved into San Francisco's tourism and hospitality industry. He spent several years as a concierge at the St. Francis Hotel, then shifted into hotel management before opting to become a tour director. For over 20 years he has been our senior tour director and has been instrumental in our companies success.

 
Mort Kantor, Chief Technology Officer

                                                      Mort Kantor has over 30 years of experience in the computer technology field specializing in website design &  development, IT work and user support. He developed courseware for the United States Coast Guard, taught classes to Coast Guard personnel for 11 years and has been solving clients' website issues for over a decade. He is passionate about the need for businesses to build a successful online presence.

Mort loves to travel and enjoys adventuring to new countries. His talented team is uniquely qualified to help make your online tour planning experience easy and rewarding..