For those of you who may not know, I was fortunate this year to be a regional winner in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards for the Gulf Coast of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. What an honor to be nominated and an even greater honor to be a winner and have the opportunity to go to the national competition in Palm Springs last week. This was a wonderful opportunity and an amazing trip. Five of my team members and I spent five wonderful days listening to stories from some of the greatest entrepreneurs in the world and being amazed by their successes, trials and tribulations.
As I sat listening to Joe Montana and Jerry Rice tell of their career highs and lows, I found that I was asking myself what I had done to deserve to be in the presence of this group. Everywhere I turned, there were CEOs telling their stories, but I found there was something really different about this group, this forum….these people were all amazingly open and friendly. They all put their pants on one leg at a time like the rest of us. Competition and ego was left behind and I have never experienced a more friendly and genuinely supportive group.
Here I was, the President of a successful RV consignment dealership, but I was in the finals with people like JW “Bill” Marriott, and other wonderfully successful entrepreneurs. We all have one thing in common. We all had a dream, worked hard to share and grow that dream and we all have teams who made it happen. I stared in 1980 at a small RV rental company. Now, 36+ years later I am blessed to be surrounded by a team of over 130 individuals who truly care about the RV life style and have realized and shared in our dream.
Without this team, I would be nothing. I have been blessed to have met so many creative and brilliant individuals during my career, many of which have become lifelong friends. They have all helped shape and mold me and have helped me lead the greatest them in the RV industry. Although, I was not a winner on the national level, I am a winner to have been nominated and to have been able to share this moment. In the words of my late husband who was 100% Cajun, this experience was the “lagniappe” in my career. For those of you who have not been fortunate enough to have Cajun friends or family, “lagniappe” is the “something extra”… the “icing on the cake”.
Thanks to my family, friends, customers RVS, business associates and, of course, my PPL family, I have been fortunate to experience the “lagniappe”of my career. Thanks to each and very one of you.
This is for you.
-RV NANA