Hi! My name is John Verfurth, and I’m excited to be entering the Professional Travel Industry! I’m new to this field, as a Professional, and am actively seeking opportunities to gain formal experience and demonstrate my dedication to excellence. I am currently enrolled with ITMI to develop my skills as a tour director and am interested in gaining experience leading student tours, as well as adult tours and adventure tours, both nationally and internationally.

Professionally, I currently own and operate a residential construction, remodeling, and handyman business. I would like to start transitioning to part time with this work, while ultimately prioritizing my impact on the Travel Industry. Over the last 25 years, I’ve built solid relationships with loyal clientele who continue to rely on me year after year, and we share a mutual feeling of “like family.” This work has equipped me with a flexible schedule and a wide range of skills, including customer service, and many of these skills translate directly to tour directing. (Want to know how? Strike up a conversation with me, I’d love to chat about it!)

Also, I’m a family man, a natural protector, always keeping the needs and safety of others in mind. I’m married to a strong, independent, supportive woman, and together we have three wonderful kids. They’ve all encouraged me as I take this exciting new step, even if it means I may be away for extended periods. I may be new to the Professional Travel Industry, but I’m no stranger to leading my special little group of adventurers.

Some of my own adventures include exploring Switzerland, snow skiing Steamboat Springs, snow sledding Hidden Valley outside Estes Park, snowmobiling in Winter Park, spotting moose while cold plunging in Mills Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, float camping many rivers in the Ozarks including the Current and the Buffalo, chasing waterfalls in the Buffalo National River Basin, hiking areas of The Smoky Mountains, and sky diving in the Ozarks. Also, leading my family on explorations of many downtown areas. Our Chicago favorites include Navy Pier, the Field Museum, Museum of Science of Industry, Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, Chicago Zoo, Architecture River Cruises, Lucky Strike, walking the Riverwalk during “Bridge Lift,” and even exploring on the Lime scooters! Whew! Our next adventure is already planned for the DR!

I also have Swiss/German heritage. If you know much of the Swiss, they value dedication, strong values, and a strong work ethic focusing on attention to details and accuracy. I am very proud of this heritage!

I have quite the background in leadership and creating connections. I trained and performed comedy improv for awhile (fun stories you should ask me about!) I was also a male lead at a dance studio for a couple years (also fun stories you should ask me about!) As a parent, I’ve built many connections with teachers, coaches, drama teachers, counselors, and other parents. We’ve hosted full house social events at our home for my clients, my wife’s co-workers, our own friends, and our kiddos’ friends including their parents. We’ve managed sleepovers with (4) teenage girls for our daughter while simultaneously managing a sleepover with (5) eight year olds for our son. We quite often thrive on carnage!!! In my construction business, I lead and interact with co-workers, sub-contractors, engineers, architects, designers, vendors, neighborhood associations, city officials, and of course my beloved customers, all to deliver a superior finished product.

I have further leadership experience as a Taekwondo instructor in a highly esteemed Taekwondo academy with over 300 students of all ages. This role as an instructor was part of my own training for further advancement and required weekly leadership training hosted by our leadership professional. I continued my practice as an adult and was an instructor for 7 years. (More great stories here!)

I have a personality that’s hard to describe with words, but is better represented with a big smile and a friendly handshake. I love meeting people and building rapport. I often make notes about new people I meet and what we last talked about, then follow up when I see them again. It’s a small gesture that often lights up someone’s day. That’s what real connection is all about. Thanks for reading my profile! I look forward to meeting you in person! While I’m a pretty big guy and might seem intimidating at first, don’t hesitate to say hi. I promise I’m a real softy with a very kind heart. 😊