With revenue growth of almost tripling since last year, Blacksford RV Rentals is witnessing a bright horizon under the leadership of its CEO, Rebecca “Becky” Goodell. The company currently has rental hubs in Bozeman/Yellowstone, Las Vegas, and soon in Phoenix.
Becky’s journey to the helm of Blacksford is rooted in her lifelong passion for travel and her innovative approach to business. Her entry into the RV business was a natural progression from her childhood spent on family cross-country RV trips, which ultimately led her and her husband to help co-found AdventureGenie and make a majority investment in Blacksford RV Rentals.
Roots in Family Road Trips: Becky’s Early Inspirations
Becky’s love for travel began during her childhood with her family going on cross-country road trips. In an interview with Modern Campground, she said she had already visited 45 of the 50 states in the country by the time she was 25 years old.
“We took three RV trips during my childhood. On the first, we did a trip around Lake Superior, which was a lot of fun,” she recalls. These formative experiences cultivated her appreciation for America’s diverse landscapes and communities.
Her father, a local doctor, would take a month off every summer for these adventures. Becky said they would often drive to notable and scenic locations like the Rocky Mountains, national parks, and cultural sites.
Becky’s cultivated love for traveling eventually led to her working for the Travel Industry Association of America, where she took on the responsibility of going to various destinations and writing about them. This role allowed her to hone her skills in communication and marketing.
“They would send me to wherever they were holding major events and ask me to write about the area and all the things you can see and do,” she said. “I did that for a few years before going to law school at the University of Virginia.”
After several years in the travel industry, Becky pursued law and business consulting with companies like KPMG, Altria Group, Kraft Foods, Simmons Mattress, Lockheed Martin, and other large corporate clients. She was also a frequent speaker at business conferences focusing on business ethics and compliance.
Embracing Entrepreneurship: Founding Adventure Genie
During the pandemic, Becky and her husband, David Greenberg, decided to travel in an RV to visit their kids in California and to check on Acqua Recovery, an addiction treatment center they co-own in Utah.
They rented an RV on RVshare for two months, which allowed them to go across the country, rekindling their love for RV travel. Eventually, Becky said they decided to get a nicer one. They purchased a large Class A diesel pusher and began exploring the country once again.
This decision became the root of two RV business ideas that led them to where they are today. Their RV trips were fun but the trip planning was a nightmare. They encountered dozens of websites and planning apps that couldn’t talk to one another, leading to the founding of AdventureGenie with her husband and six other co-founders.
“We ended up [co-founding] another company in the RV business called AdventureGenie which uses AI to help people plan trips and find campgrounds,” she said.
The use of A.I. in this business give RVers have an innovative platform that simplified RV trip-planning, which is also tailors travel experiences to their personal preferences.
“It’ll recommend campgrounds based on your [preferences] like [if you want] luxury campgrounds or remote campgrounds or anything else. It does it all,” she explains.
Leading Blacksford RV Rental
Currently, Becky has taken a step back from AdventureGenie, while her husband stays as a board member of the company. However, their frequent RV trips did not only lead to the creation of the RV trip-planning company but also allowed them to find Blacksford RV Rentals.
Her journey with Blacksford began when she and David became investors in the company. When they decided to help friends find an RV rental to accompany them on a vacation, they saw Blacksford RV Rentals in a low spot of a Google search page for RV rentals in Bozeman/Yellowstone.
Impressed by its model and service, they both decided to make a majority investment in the company along with some partners to help this small rental company grow. Eventually, this investment led to her becoming the CEO.
“They made me CEO because I had the most travel industry experience… and I naturally think about how to strategically and operationally grow Blacksford to where it needs to be,” she said. Her extensive background in travel and business made her a natural fit for the role.
Navigating Challenges as a Female CEO
Navigating a male-dominated industry has not been without its challenges. Becky said that sexism is still in the industry, pushing her to “earn it and work a little harder.” Despite these obstacles, she has remained steadfast in her pursuit of excellence.
“I got quite the comments from people who’ve never seen a woman drive a big Class A motorhome… My husband can’t maneuver it, and I’m the only one that parks it,” she recalls. “Our customers who make the decision to rent our RVs are majority female.”
Having not only witnessed sexism from men but also from fellow women, she said she is aware of being the only woman in senior leadership in the company and that she has to set an example for them.
Becky said she started to learn things like SEO, influencer marketing, social media marketing, and other components of digital marketing after assuming the role of CEO. She believed it was crucial for her to gain knowledge about current practices to help Blacksford RV Rental grow.
“[W]e got this young marketing firm in Bozeman. These kids are like two years out of college and they are hungry and they are eager and they are learning, but they’re also teaching. And I’ve had to learn why social media, blogs, SEO, and influencers matter,” she said.
Her hands-on approach and strategic thinking were also supported by a collaborative culture that has fostered a positive and productive work environment.
“It is the most collaborative company I have ever worked in. We complement each other. We question in a very nice polite way but we always come to agreement,” she said.
Strategic Vision and Future Plans
Becky’s strategic vision for Blacksford emphasizes exceptional customer service, innovative marketing, and thoughtful expansion. She said their goal is to create an extraordinary level of customer, especially since most RVers right now are either new or inexperienced. They want to be that RV rental company, which will go to great heights to help their customers.
“We had one four-star review last year, and it was practically a company crisis. Why would someone give us a four-star review? This is, unheard of. You read our reviews, people cry because our customers are so happy and we exceeded their expectations. We share and celebrate every review,” she said.
“Our goal is to have, you know, 15 to 40 RVs in a market. They’re new, they’re nice, they’re professionally maintained, and we are going to hold everyone’s hand all along the way.”
Becky also said the company has been investing in creating partnerships with organizations that plan RV trips like Tracks and Trails, a big RV trip-planning company in the country. They also offer discounts for RV renters who plan on using Adventure Genie in their RV trip planning.
Other than partnerships, they are looking to expand their rental hubs to other towns in different states. She said they have their Vegas hub open and operating, generating profitable numbers, and the next step for them is to open in Phoenix.
Inspiring Leadership and Commitment to Excellence
Becky Goodell’s journey from family RV trips to becoming a pioneering CEO in the RV industry allows her to have the passion, perseverance, and drive to set a new standard for customer service and innovation in Blacksford RV Rentals.
“I think it helps me better understand our customers since I was a new RVer. I was a grown woman when we got into RVing a few years ago and I had to learn how to do the black tank and the gray tank,” she said.
Setting an example as a female CEO to others in the industry, she continues to steer Blacksford towards growth and success, Goodell remains committed to delivering exceptional experiences for her customers and breaking new ground in the RV world.
Featured image by Blacksford RV Rentals
