The Women Behind RVRoof.com, Inc. and FlexArmor, Inc.
I have had lots of blog ideas bouncing around in my head but decided to go a different route this time. I am not going to address another RV roof issue, I want to address the unsung heroes that make the process and company flow. In the last few months a couple of things occurred, and these similar thoughts kept bouncing around in my head.
A few months ago, an industry magazine did an article titled, Women in the RV Industry, or something similar and it highlighted women through-out the industry who were techs, or managers or salespeople. These types of articles always annoy me, or bring up similar feelings I can’t quite describe. I don’t think we should highlight people doing a job just because they aren’t the sex society expects them to be. Or an industry is perceived to be male or female dominated. The reality is, we don’t live in a perfect world, so there are people who don’t usually get the recognition they deserve. It is usually the women who are overlooked. I prefer to think of us as the unsung heroes.
There’s more going on in the shop than you can see (aka The Women Behind the Scenes)
So enough reflection, this brings me to my topic. Every RVRoof.com or FlexArmor location has unsung heroes in the background. We get compliments all the time from customers about the techs in the shops, what a good job they did, how great the roof is, how great the roof works. Let’s face it, our end result is awesome and works. Everyone knows David Adair came up with the idea, everyone knows he personally trains every shop and deals with technical issues for each applicator. David is a great nuts and bolts guy, as he calls himself. So how did his idea become a growing nationwide business with customers from across the country?
He met me.
Seriously.
How many jobs can you do at once?
David had a brilliant idea to address an issue in the RV industry. To this day, he will say, what does a nut and bolt guy know about the internet? Marketing? So began my job at RVRoof.com, Inc. and later as we expanded, FlexArmor, Inc. When we started, I wore several hats. My job responsibilities were:
- Web developer
- Ad creator
- Brochure maker
- Show coordinator
- Supply researcher and coordinator
- New product development
- Bill payer
- Accountant
- Customer service
- Appointment scheduler
- and shop worker
Eventually as we grew, that list kept getting longer and longer. I became:
- Videographer
- Blogger
- Coordinating billing and supply lines for locations
- Human Resources Department
- and all the different jobs, besides spraying roofs, that are involved in running a business.
To this day, the only thing I haven’t had to do for this company is put together a machine and spray a roof. I can prep a roof, but I don’t spray. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. It is a well known fact around our shop you do not want me near any kind of liquid that has to be sprayed, whether it’s paint or FlexArmor.
Priceless support from people that weren’t getting paid
During those early years, 2 other unsung heroes made expansion and growth possible. My parents, David and Alicia McWhorter. David and I did all the work on the RVs ourselves and did all the shows for years. I have three children who were young when we started. I would never have been able to work on roofs, and get home late, if there hadn’t been grandparents to be home when the bus got there, or take them to practices, or even just take them on fun adventures. They watched the kids when we went out of town for shows, and eventually, as the kids got older, worked the shows for us when there was a schedule conflict. My mom was around our business so much that she learned a lot about RV roofs and FlexArmor. She has even been a contributor to some of our blogs on our site!
Hey, I can’t do everything myself, all the time!
In order to do things well, sometimes we need to expand our support network. The next unsung hero of FlexArmor and RVRoof.com is Wendy Westbrook of Damsel Branding. I knew I was at the top of my abilities in web design and maintenance. The company has more responsibilities and other locations to market for, it was time to revamp all marketing and increase the support network. Wendy has taken all the things we needed done and made them a reality. Damsel Branding turned our ordering process into a more automated system that didn’t rely on me remembering to email suppliers and make invoices. SEO and other fun web jobs for rankings are now handled daily, weekly and monthly, not just when I get a minute to take a look and tackle as much as possible before the next task. We had tried another outside web company for about a year. They weren’t very good, and ruined our search engine rankings. Besides undoing years of work that I’d put into building and improving our search engine presense, they never were able to do the things we needed done, so bringing Wendy and her company into play got us back on track. Our rankings and leads are beyond what they were. She also creates our marketing materials, ads and all the web and social media work.
Investing in their future
The next need to come along was needing someone to handle customer emails. In our expansion journey, we found an amazing shop supervisor who plans on owning the Green Cove Springs location one day, and he brings with him a partner in that endeavor. His wife, Brooke Padgett is your first stop on getting more information on your FlexArmor roof. Brooke is in charge of all email leads and scheduling those leads. This allows her to learn more about the business while raising their two little girls. Brooke is vital in making sure customers don’t get overlooked and keeps our email program running smoothly. Currently she is helping at local RV shows to learn more about the process so her and Rodney can keep on growing with the business. Since most of our leads are internet based, Brooke is an important cog in the wheel for the corporate location. She also makes sure we get our customers entered into the warranty database.
How do we keep track of all the shops’ needs??
FlexArmor, Inc. is a separate company and has it’s own headaches. With 11 locations and more in the works, it is critical to have a person keeping an eye on orders, invoicing and other supply flow issues. We have recently added Linda Whitehead to the support network. Linda has years of administrative experience and is detail oriented. Making sure orders go through and product is shipped on time means our locations don’t get in a bind and everything moves smoothly. The company philosophy is amazing customer service and Linda helps us make sure we keep our customers on schedule and that their roof experience, no matter what location, is a good one.
Even those at home have a part
Our last unsung hero is the wife of Jason Plato, our FlexArmor technician. All the wives or partners of employees are unsung heroes. They are the ones we never see but are giving the support so their other half can work and provide you with a quality job. Things don’t always go smoothly. When you pick up your roof job, those guys were able to work late because there was someone behind them cooking dinner, or bringing by lunch. There are so many types of support in a company.
We are more than meets the eye.
Every FlexArmor location has a similar list of unsung heroes. The men and women you never see who make sure that missing TV antenna is found so your job is done on time or pick up the slack at home when their partner has to work and finish a job. When you get a FlexArmor roof, you are getting more than just a nice looking roof. You are getting the backing of a company that is bigger than the service bay. All of us behind the scenes take pride in FlexArmor, and are just as proud of your roof as the guys working directly on it.
Do you have a story about our staff to share? Or do you have a question about our service?
If you have a FlexArmor roof and would like to let other’s know what your experience was with our shops, please consider leaving a review for those that are considering investing in a new RV roof. If you have a question, feel free to leave it below in the comments or email us here.
