#ThrowbackThursday with Howard Ekstein, MPH Travel

So often people ask me: "What does MPH Travel stand for?" Our doors opened on April 1, 1986. Yes, April Fools Day.

Prior to opening, I was trying to come up with a name for the company and as my mother and sister were big supporters of my venture, I was trying to incorporate their names. I was getting close, but it was not until I met with my mom, Phyllis, that she said “How about 'Marsha (my sister) Phyllis & Howard?'”

I replied that it was a bit long and she laughed. “Not ‘Marsha Phyllis Howard Travel’, ‘MPH Travel!’" And just like that, my new business had a name.

A short time afterwards I placed a call to an agent from Northwest Airline, introducing myself as Howard from MPH Travel. The agent said, “MPH? That’s what I call my boyfriend.”

Knowing she couldn’t mean Marsha Phyllis Howard, and having fielded a few guesses on the name’s abbreviation since day one,  I replied “You call him Miles Per Hour?” There was a pause on the other line, then she burst out laughing.

“I never thought of that,” she said. “I call him Mister Potato Head!”

This time it was my turn to laugh, and after sorting out the reason for the phone call (a time change conflict with connecting flights) we went our merry ways.

Since then, whenever I have to clarify the business name, I sometimes say “MPH - like “Mister Potato Head.” It usually gets a laugh, although a hotel once tried sending a confirmation to me using 'info@misterpotatohead.com' and was perplexed to find that the email kept bouncing back.

Sadly, Phyllis and Marsha have both passed away, but their memory & strength lives on in the M & P of MPH.