ABA's Women in Buses: 50 Stories from 50 States | Page 47

Ana M . Sarmiento … OK TOURS !!! CEO service @ oktours . com
• Fleet Size – 19 Motorcoaches
• $ 150,000 / month operating cost ( which includes bus payments , insurance , plates / permits , utilities , and payroll for over 40 employees / motorcoach operators )
OK TOURS Charter Bus Service and Tours is located in San Antonio , Texas – home of the Alamo and Riverwalk – located right in the heart of South Texas ! OK TOURS just celebrated its 27th year in business in October 2020 . Although this year ’ s celebration looked a lot different than years past , being able to celebrate with our essential employees ( many of whom are family as well – a perk of being a family owned and operated company ) was still very special .
OK TOURS has served not only the communities in Central and South Texas but others across the country for many years . We specialize in providing high quality motor coach transportation as well a group tours to destinations across the U . S . We accommodate transportation for our country ’ s military , non-profits , church groups , corporate groups , youth organizations , as well as schools and universities of all sizes .
Ana is the mother , matriarch , and current CEO of OK Tours . She and her husband , Manuel , founded the business in 1993 in San Antonio , Texas . Starting from humble beginnings meant working hard , fast , and completely focused on serving their customers . Ana is a fierce , confident leader who inspires passionate action from her employees . She may seem tough on the outside , but she ’ s known for her heart of gold . As the story goes , one day a beautiful , young San Antonio family decided to start a business . Manuel brought up the idea to his wife , Ana . She agreed and the rest was history . Even though they had a young son named Marcos , a mortgage to pay , and knowing business was risky , they decided to chase
their dreams anyway . Manuel and Ana were young and enthusiastic about starting their dream business in their hometown . OK Tours has always been a San Antonio , homegrown business at heart . We travel with the same student-athletes we cheer on every Friday night . We adventure with our neighbors , business colleagues , and friends . San Antonio ’ s kindness and culture are at the heart of everything we stand for .
Part of the mission for Ana and Manuel , like many parents , was to leave a legacy for their son . Little did they know , nearly twenty years later , the small boy who used to play underneath her desk would play an essential role in leading OK Tours into the future as their current Chief Operating Officer . When you ’ re building a family business the most important thing you can do is instill family values into your business . “ We tried everything we could to be welcoming , kind , and loyal to our customers , hoping our children would see our example and follow suit .”
Due to COVID-19 , our company has faced many obstacles and challenges to continue to provide the safe and reliable transportation that our community deserves . It has been a tough year for the entire motorcoach industry – but we will continue to fight for our industry as well as for the many small business like our own !

TEXAS busride . com | BUSRIDE 47