2026 Women in Business: Mariah Nelson
Owner | Gavins Point Recreational Center & Red 10 RV
Mariah Nelson started Gavins Point Recreational Center in 2021, building the business from the ground up.
“With no prior experience in RV sales or the RV industry, Mariah was driven by her passion for camping and a vision of providing a local RV dealership where none existed,” her nominator says. “This vision and determination led to a remarkable achievement in its first eight months of operations — selling more than 300 RVs as a startup.”
Building her business began with building her team. “Rather than focusing on the lack of RV experience, she hired individuals based on their character, strengths and potential for growth,” her nominator says. “Along with her husband, she hired each person personally and communicated the vision for the dealership, training them in all aspects of the RV industry. Mariah’s leadership style focuses on fostering a culture of continuous learning, hard work and ambition, which has played a key role in the success of her dealership.
“Her unwavering positivity and confidence in the success of the business have inspired her team, demonstrating her true leadership.”
In 2023, Mariah tackled the challenge of purchasing an existing RV dealership and transitioning the business while maintaining the existing staff and team throughout the process.
“The transition was incredibly fast — she entered into the purchase agreement and closed the deal within 30 days,” her nominator says. “This not only meant integrating with a new team and location, but also introducing a Grand Design lineup to the new Red 10 RV location, relocating to a new facility that required an extensive remodel and implementing a new dealer management system, website and processes. Despite these monumental challenges, Red 10 RV had its most successful year in its 10-year history, just a year and a half after taking over.”
Not only is Mariah the owner and driving force behind her business, she is also responsible for the financial health and strategic planning of the company, and key decisions related to payroll, hiring and business growth.
Mariah stays engaged in the day-to-day operations while also driving the business growth on a large scale. She has a hand in company expansion opportunities, overseeing marketing strategies, leading monthly meetings and organizing company events and philanthropic efforts.
Mariah had an extraordinary measurable impact on both of her dealerships, which saw remarkable growth in the past year — Gavins Point Recreational Center achieved a 151% increase in total sales and Red 10 RV saw a 179% increase, her nominator says.
This past year, Nelson faced her greatest challenge when her youngest daughter, a 3-year-old, needed a life-saving bone marrow transplant. Nelson had to live 26 hours away from home for six months to care for her daughter, which required her to shift from being hands-on to managing from afar.
Mariah’s advice for up-and-coming women in the RV industry:
This is an incredibly fun and ever-changing industry — you will never be bored because there is always something new to learn and explore! Embrace each day as an opportunity to grow and expand your knowledge. Always aspire to learn, take on new challenges and push beyond your comfort zone. Once you feel confident in one area, whether it’s service, sales or another department, step into the next and continue learning. Listen to your customers and ask how you can improve their experience — then pursue those ideas. Focus on improving yourself, your business and the industry every day through dedication, growth and a commitment to bettering yourself and everyone around you consistently. There are no limits — dream big, work hard and always keep moving forward.
What it means to Mariah to be a Women in Business honoree:
I am extremely honored and humbled to be a Women in Business honoree. There are so many incredible women in this industry accomplishing monumental things every day and serving others with excellence — being recognized among them is truly breathtaking. To me, this honor is not just recognition of past work, but also a responsibility and a commitment to continue paving the way for women in the RV industry. It means striving every day to lead with integrity, mentor and empower others, invest in people’s learning, and introduce additional talented individuals to this amazing industry. It is a call to continue elevating the industry through innovation, service and growth — not just for myself, but for everyone around me. Being a Women in Business honoree is a reminder that leadership is about lifting others as you climb and showing what is possible when passion, dedication and positivity come together.
