Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny Koppenhaver.
Hi Jenny, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My father told me I could do anything, and so I did. I have worked hard my whole life to take ideas and bring them to life. I am an independent contractor and own Jenny Koppenhaver Travel. I am partnered with Magical Vacation Planner which is a company I feel very passionate about. I am a team leader and travel consultant specializing in designing events and group travel for leadership consultants and entrepreneurs. I work remotely but am constantly traveling to learn new brands. I commute to Florida from Baltimore every month, and I network and help groups create their next fantastic event to support growth mindset, team building, and leadership skills. I currently am apartment hunting.
I started as a travel specialist in 2010 after Jamie Eubanks, CEO of Magical Vacation Planner, invited me on an Agent Education Program at Walt Disney World. I have been going to WDW my whole life, and my husband and I raised our five kids with Disney as our second home. We lived in Davenport, and Walt Disney World was our backyard. While on the first of many
AEPs in Disney the founder of Kayak was giving us a class on owning your own business and marketing, and it compelled me to own this journey. In late 2015, I became a team leader and developed a team of 60 travel specialists. This is one of my favorite jobs- helping my team learn and grow. Our team values include collaboration and team effort as the two main keys of success and every team member is important. I am not their boss; I am their teammate, and we work together as they grow their own businesses. I specialize in helping them learn to navigate the brands we are partnered with and how to take ownership of the relationships they are building with their clients. Magical Vacation Planner is a very special part of my life and my family’s life. The culture is similar to the culture of the Walt Disney Company or Southwest Airlines in that we work hard, and we love every minute of it. As Walt Disney said, “If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life.”
I am busy with all travel as I work with MVP Parks, MVP Cruising, and MVP Getaways. One of the joys of my life is seeing my daughters value this company as well. My daughter Julia joined my team this year, and my daughter Audrey is interested in joining in the future. Audrey is my Disney Genie+ guru and literally instructs my clients on how to benefit from this feature in the Disney parks in Florida. I thank Jamie Eubanks and the women on my team for being such great influences on my daughters and showing them there is no ceiling on your dreams.
I also own a business called Farmhouse Design District, 30 minutes north of Baltimore with my business partner, Sandy Schmitt. We operate a design show once a month at our historic building in Fallston, MD. Having two businesses, including two of my passions- design and travel is amazing. This Maryland-Florida girl is very blessed. I have actually contemplated bringing Farmhouse Design District pop-up shows to the Orlando area. This would be very exciting to share what we do in Maryland with Florida. Whether I am designing spaces or designing trips- my heart is in the completion of the event. It must sparkle with joy.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The struggles are where all the good stuff comes from. Universally, of course, 2020 and the pandemic was a huge struggle for everyone. During this time, I had to watch my team break down all of their hard work with a smile on their faces for their clients. They are back and flying high now, and they never let the dust settle during 2020 when all travel stopped. We had daily educational opportunity webinars from our travel partners offered to us by Magical Vacation Planner, and as a team, we attended and stayed connected.
In July of 2020, when Walt Disney World reopened, I was there and began two years of traveling with my team to learn new protocol and support our travel partners. I was so impressed at how Disney and Universal handled guests back on property as well as the behind-the-scenes operations to resume business. Today we are stronger than ever because we as a team never gave up, and travel is back. My love for specializing in group travel came out of this time. People want to be together more now than ever before. Entrepreneurs were made out of this time, and as they grow, they want to form events for their growth. I have connected with leaders who are keynote speakers and are helping companies reconnect with their employees and to champion their growth.
Personal obstacles would be losing my dad in 2016. He was an entrepreneur himself, and as I hear the leadership consultants teach people, I can hear all the principles that my dad taught me. He is greatly missed, but the first thing I did after he passed was layout a new business plan for myself, and I can still hear him cheering me on. Losing him helped me grow as a mom and a leader. I was able see what it is important and to be helper to those who are going through loss. Joy does return after loss.
As you know, we’re big fans of Jenny Koppenhaver Travel. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
I am a travel specialist, team leader as an independent contractor with Magical Vacation Planner. I am proud that we have been resilient through the pandemic. We continued to stay in touch with our clients even when they could not travel. We have helped them return to travel by learning everything we needed to help our clients navigate new protocols. We are easing back into a more consistent pattern of travel with restrictions being lifted. Our travel partners have been amazing with keeping Magical Vacation Planners up to date on latest updates.
I am constantly adding blogs to my new website to help keep my followers updated.
https://jennykoppenhavertravel.com/
We are getting ready to add the Group Travel page here shortly.
I can be reached at my Magical Vacation Planner page as well:
https://www.magicalvacationplanner.com/staff/jenny-koppenhaver/
I give concierge level service to all my clients for parks, cruising, and getaways. I also organize events and group travel for families, communities, and companies.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success to me for design is when a person walks into a space I designed and says- “I want to live here.”
Success in travel is when I have made a positive impact for a client on their trip that makes them want to share me with others.
Success in life is my kids being productive contributors to society, my husband happy, my border collie finally worn out from playing, and me contributing to the travel industry being stronger than ever.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jennykoppenhavertravel.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mvpjennyk/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennykoppenhavermvp
- Other: https://www.magicalvacationplanner.com/staff/jenny-koppenhaver/
