Trustees Honor Roll

Kollander World Travel

Polka Tour Operators (est. 1923)
Inducted on November 28, 1998

Kollander World Travel, Inc., under family guidance for over seventy-five years, occupies a unique place in Cleveland-Style Polka history. Founded by August Kollander in 1923, Kollander Travel was a resource to immigrant families booking passage and shipments to and from Europe. With son August II, and his wife, Maia, Kollander tapped the huge potential for group travel among Cleveland's ethnic communities with charters and custom designed heritage tours. Adding broadcaster Tony Petkovsek to the team in 1967, Kollander became "Polka Tour Headquarters," capitalizing on Petkovsek's innovations. Launching a major trend in travel, Cleveland- Style orchestras led polka tours across Europe, the U.S.A., and to destinations all over the world. A full service travel agency for groups, individuals, and business, Kollander is the travel coordinator for major polka festivals across the United States.