RVWA Spotlight: Meet Mary Heneen of Roamly/Outdoorsy

EDITOR’S NOTE: Several times a month RVBusiness will post an “RVWA Spotlight,” which will highlight a member of the RV Women’s Alliance (RVWA) in each instance. Provided by RVWA, the member spotlight series interviews many of the women who make up the RV industry, highlighting how they got into the industry, what they currently do, and advice for other women. The series also dives deeper to better understand these women and what drives them.

Mary Heneen

Mary Heneen – RVing brings families together.

When Roamly came calling, Mary Heneen knew she had the skills and the knowledge of the RV industry needed to help her succeed in the position.

Not so long ago, that wasn’t necessarily the case. A little over six years ago, she was starting out at Camping World after a career in the world of pay TV.

As it turned out, Camping World was looking for just the subscription-based skills she had built up for its Good Sam safety and travel-assist products.

By the time Roamly came along offering insurance products for people involved in peer-to-peer renting of their RVs, Heneen also was well-versed in the rest of the RV world.

She has found it is a family atmosphere and that appeals to the mother of two daughters who has been married almost 20 years.

“More and more families are caught up in electronics, screens, not going into the outdoors,” she said. “I’m not someone who likes to camp outside because I’m afraid of the animals that lurk behind the trees and the mountains. A great alternative is having an RV where you can still enjoy the outdoors, but yet you have some sort of protection from the elements.”

Since the outbreak of COVID, more families have become involved in the lifestyle.

Still, RVing can be a lot of work, and that is where Heneen believes a company like Roamly/Outdoorsy can help people experience the lifestyle first-hand before buying to make sure it is really for them.

“You don’t have to have a huge RV. There are alternatives to that – especially if you are wanting to not own an RV,” she said. “Outdoorsy is a great alternative where you can go and try the whole RV experience without having to make any investment. You can show up at the campground and Outdoorsy can set you up. You don’t have to drive the RV; you don’t have to learn the functionality of the RV; you don’t have to know what can go wrong with an RV. You drive to the campsite and an RV is completely set up for you by Outdoorsy. That gives people the experience of RVing without the responsibility.”

Much like owning an RV, Heneen recommends that anyone interested in working in the RV industry understand what they are getting into.

She is living proof that a person doesn’t need to be an RV expert to get a start in the industry, but she believes it is important for potential employees to do their research before jumping into a new job.

And women entering the industry face the challenge of a male-dominated culture, but can earn their stripes by proving they are building upon their job skills.

“Be true to yourself. It’s important that you understand RVs and how mechanically they work,” she said. “Understand the different types of RVs. If you’re going to be in this industry you’re going to have to learn the lingo and talk the talk. That’s really how you become respected is understanding RVs in greater detail than you can imagine.”

Source: https://rvbusiness.com/rvwa-spotlight-meet-mary-heneen-of-roamly-outdoorsy/