Meet Shelly Trombley
It is with great pleasure that we introduce Shelly Trombley who works with our company called VanRove which is part of The Vantage Plastics Family of Companies. VanRove provides consumer products manufactured by Vantage Plastics directly to retailers. The current line of products consists of three different deer blinds and other outdoor recreational items under the brand name of “Terrain Products.”
Shelly grew up in Muskegon and continues to live there with her husband Jonathan Harris and fourteen-month-old son Hayes. During our interview when asked if there were any unique things people may not know about her, she mentioned she had heard her grandfather immigrated from Poland because of pressures from World War II but said she didn’t know many of the details. On the next day this was received from Shelly, “My curiosity was piqued last night after we spoke about my family immigrating from Poland. A simple search of the Holocaust Memorial Museum database led me to discover that my grandfather and his family are all considered survivors of the Holocaust as they were all brought to Germany (for forced labor or who knows what else!). It even provides several documents including their application for assistance to the International Refugee Organization (so cool)! I believe only his brother, Bronislaw, was imprisoned in a Camp. Thank you so much for the inspiration to research this!!”
Shelly, Jonathan, and Hayes
Muskegon once had a large papermill at which both of her grandfathers worked. Shelly has many extended family members in the Muskegon area because of these long-standing ties. She and her husband have been working on remodeling their second house. She says, “We bought the worst house in the best neighborhood, and I think we have touched every square inch during our makeover.” While they had initially planned to fix and sell, they are rethinking this because they have really learned to love the area, and several relatives live within walking distance.
Shelly will have been with VanRove and Vantage for five years this coming May. Shelly had been with KL Outdoor representing the deer blinds for twelve years prior to the line being acquired by Vantage Plastics. Holding the title of Sales, Product/Brand Manager Shelly says, “I find the people and relationships I have built to be so important. At one point I tried to transition from sales to project management but found that people and relationships meant so much it became very hard to be away from that. So, it made me very happy to get back into the role I enjoy most.” Shelly also says, “I love working with The Vantage Plastics Family of Companies as family-oriented companies are the best. Interpersonal relationships can thrive, and I value that aspect of being a part of the team.”
When asked if there is anything she doesn’t like about her work she says, “When an existing buyer retires or has a shift in their role, it’s tough to lose that connection after working with them for many years in some cases. I do, however, always enjoy meeting new buyers and developing those relationships.” She further says, “While the retail space has its share of challenges “that can also be the fun of it.” While Shelly admits that retail can present frustrating issues in the moment, she finds it very fulfilling to address these issues and develop solutions to overcome the issues.
Shelly is an avid outdoor enthusiast. Prior to having their son Hayes Shelly and her husband spent the first ten years of their marriage traveling as much as possible. They are both inspired by nature and did a lot of hiking, mountain biking, white water rafting, and camping. Shelly describes Jonathan’s family as, “an RV family while he was growing up.” So, we have visited a lot of national parks that he saw during his youth. I hope to take our son Hayes to many of these parks in the future. She describes the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as being her favorite because it, “has the beautiful mountain vistas, has the best variety of wildlife, flora, and fauna.” It may be the most visited national park in the United States. She also comments that, “There is nothing like Yellowstone in the world. The wildlife is incredible, and it is almost otherworldly.” Shelly says she has one “non-negotiable” and that is to take a hike with her dog Drake daily, or at the very least take walk outside. She says, “I just find that these daily walks have so many benefits for my well-being I refuse to do without them.” Shelly adds, “My main focus these days is my baby Hayes. I have found motherhood to be one of the greatest privileges of my life thus far.”
Given Shelly’s avid enthusiasm for the outdoors “Terrain” is a perfect product line for her to represent. She says, “I truly enjoy working with consumer products that are focused on the outdoor world. I love that we build products here in The United States that let people experience the outdoors and get to do what they love while often spending time with their friends and family. Our products even help individuals with disabilities have a safe shelter in which they can get out and spend time in the great outdoors.” “In time I hope we can expand our product line to let people have more of these experiences.” Shelly notes we are currently developing a variation of our blinds for ice fishing.
It is an absolute pleasure to share this brief story about our teammate Shelly Trombley. She is definitely helping to fulfill our teams’ mission of Forming Better Lives, Forming Superior Solutions, and Forming Sustainable Futures. We encourage you to check out the new Terrain website terrainhunting.com
