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Tamara Ward
Former Chief Operating Officer

September 22, 2023

Start Date

April 24, 1989

Position(s) held at CWH

Chief Operating Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, SVP Sales and Marketing, VP Marketing, Director of Marketing and Analytics, Manager of Marketing Analytics, Marketing Research Analyst, Marketing Intern

What brand(s) do you work for? Camping World, Good Sam What other teams do you work with the most? I work with all teams in the enterprise for enhancement of communication and collaboration to efficiently and proactively accomplish the company goals. What is your favorite thing about your job and why? The best thing about my job is that we are constantly striving and changing to improve the customer experience and grow our business. I have been with the organization for over 32 years and have been blessed to have a job that allows me to personally grow and learn alongside many talented team members in an industry that is based on consumers enjoying themselves. The products that we sell and service for the RV and outdoor lifestyle help families and friends reconnect and enjoy the great outdoors! What made you interested in working in the outdoor recreation industry? When I was growing up, my family owned an RV and we traveled all over from Florida to the Grand Canyon. When I first started at Camping World as a college intern, I thought, hey I have done this before so this will be fun! How has Camping World Holdings helped you succeed as a woman in the workplace? How is this different than other companies you have worked at? When I first started at Camping World, there were very few female leaders in the RV Industry. Therefore, I had to work hard to listen and learn in order to progress my career. I was fortunate to have some great role models both male and female in different functional areas of the business to learn from. What advice would you offer other women who are interested in a career at a Camping World Holdings brand? Come on in! We work hard and continually change to meet the needs of the consumer and our business. It will be challenging and rewarding.

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Ellie Marsan

Human Resources Coordinator

What brand(s) do you work for? Check all that apply. Camping World What is your favorite thing about your job and why?My favorite thing about this job are the people! I love how supportive my team is, and how well I get along with everyone. I am lucky to have great relationships with my managers and coworkers.What made you interested in working in the outdoor recreation industry?I love to travel and spend time outside. My family and I have been camping every summer since I was little, so being a part of a company that values that lifestyle is so important to me.How has Camping World Holdings helped you succeed as a woman in the workplace? How is this different than other companies you have worked at?CWH has helped me as a woman in the workplace because we have successful women in leadership to look up to. Having good role models in this company is very special and is what sets us apart from other companies. What advice would you offer other women who are interested in a career at a Camping World Holdings brand?If you are interested in a company that allows you to be yourself, and try new things, Camping World is for you. There is always room to grow here!Tell me a fact most people don't know about youOne thing people don't know about me is that I am an adrenaline junkie and love to take risks. I even went skydiving on my 18th birthday!

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Toni Buchanan

Sales Manager

What brand(s) do you work for? Camping World What other teams do you work with the most? I work very closely with all departments, since I am the General Manager. The Service department and Sales department are the two that I work with the most. What is your favorite thing about your job and why? I love the challenge of helping our sales associates try to find the perfect camper or motor home for a customer. Once we do, then it is a challenge to see if we can finalize the sell. I am very competitive, so I to try outsell our other stores. What made you interested in working in the outdoor recreation industry? I have always loved sales, but had never worked in the recreation industry. I had been with Camping World for 2 weeks and I told my team that they would have me until I retired. I love this company and every position that I have had with them. How has Camping World Holdings helped you succeed as a woman in the workplace? How is this different than other companies you have worked at? I have always been treated me with the utmost respect and given everything that I needed to succeed. I feel like I have never been passed over for a promotion just because I was a woman. Many companies that I have worked with, don't promote women to General Managers. What advice would you offer other women who are interested in a career at a Camping World Holdings brand? To just do it. It is very intimidating in the beginning, because it is predominately men. The only reason I feel like it is, because most women are just afraid to give it a shot. What I have discovered is that a lot of people like working with female sales associates, because they feel like they get a better deal and they are more sincere.

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Timothy Shanahan

Sr. Inventory Analyst

What brand(s) do you work for? Camping World What other teams do you work with the most? The new inventory analyst team works most closely with the leadership group at the individual dealerships. We are frequently in contact with the general mangers, sales managers, and market managers of the areas we cover. We also work with the used, transport, and banking subsets of our larger inventory team. What is your favorite thing about your job and why? I find the most enjoyable aspect to be absorbing and dissecting the numbers. Trying to figure out what will happen, what will work, and adjusting on the fly when events don't transpire as predicted makes for a fun and challenging work environment. The constant communication with stores, manufacturers, and other team members helps grow knowledge, spark ideas, and foster relationships amongst those we depend on to keep the inventory and sales coming. What is the most rewarding project you have worked on here and why? My creation of the used inventory matrix was labor intensive but instrumental in the creation of our RV evaluator tool. With the forced input menu for used inventory entry standardized, we are able to assess our own values on trades and compare them to those provided by third parties. This, in turn, has led to our company being able to confidently buy and carry a much greater amount of used inventory than in previous years. Although it was a small step in this process, my efforts in creating the database were crucial for success early on. What charity/cause/activity is most important to you and why? An enjoyable way that I have found to give back is running races in the name of a charitable foundation. Typically, I have raised money for the American Cancer Society. It is rewarding to accomplish a goal and better oneself while helping a noble cause simultaneously. I look forward to resuming this practice as the pandemic wanes and life shifts back closer to normal. What advice would you give to someone applying to a job at Camping World? Never fear asking too many questions. It is a unique industry and many at corporate, the stores, and on the manufacturer side have been around a long time. There is a wealth of knowledge to be gleaned from those that we are interacting with on a daily basis. You can never check sales numbers and metrics too many times. The success of brands and individual floorplans can ebb and flow; some stores may be struggling with a brand that is a success nationally. Different stores excel at selling different subtypes of RVs. It is important to stay on top of these things so that you can speak with a store and address any potential issues.

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