Richard J. Marquette II.

Richard Marquette first started working in the timeshare industry in 1999, when he was tasked with creating a comprehensive resort database for the internet marketing company Vacations Only. This database is currently still used to power numerous timeshare resale websites.

After completing the database project, Mr. Marquette accepted a permanent position within the Vacations Only network of companies, contributing to commercial writing projects as well as consulting and training various departments on all aspects of the vacation ownership industry. He would later head the licensed real estate brokerages affiliated with the Vacations Only and Timeshares Only companies, supervising more than 45,000 resale transaction sides and producing millions of dollars in gross timeshare resales each year. He was also instrumental in helping to develop and promote the timeshare section of the eBay marketplace, an online classified venue that continues to be the leader in online timeshare transactions to this day.

In August of 2010, Mr. Marquette became a partner in an independent timeshare resale company, the Progressive Real Estate Agency, a licensed Florida real estate brokerage that offers timeshare resale and rental services with no upfront fees. He still serves as the General Manager of the timeshare resale and rental divisions, and routinely speaks as a consumer advocate at industry and timeshare owner groups across the country. He is also an administrator for the popular timeshare discussion boards at TimeshareForums.com, as well as being active on various other discussion boards and consumer websites relating to travel and vacation ownership issues.

Also in 2010, Mr. Marquette founded the online timeshare and travel magazine Vacation-Times.org. What began as a simple collection of free advice articles and resort profiles has now grown into a standalone periodical with multiple sponsors. These articles allow consumers to learn more about vacation ownership from a trusted source, and can help timeshare owners get more value and usage from their vacation ownership portfolios.

Richard Marquette is available for speaking engagements and for independent consulting sessions through the website http://vacation-times.org.