After the Army, Carrie Found a Second Home with Venture Trailers.
After transitioning out of the Army in 2016, Carrie Vobian was ready for a new path. Through a friend, she connected with the Van Slyke family who hired her to help out around their home and farm with everything from organizing closets to picking up kids from football practice.
“I loved it,” she laughed. “One day I’d be feeding chickens, the next day programming their home lighting system.”
It wasn’t long before Stephanie and Matt Van Slyke, owners of Venture Trailers, started asking for her assistance with projects at the business, but it soon became clear that she had the attention to detail, discipline, and capabilities for a bigger role. In late 2017 they offered her a full-time position at Venture Trailers as Inventory and Purchasing Manager, overseeing nearly every product that goes into building Venture’s trailers.
Carrie grew up in Wisconsin and spent 11 years in the U.S. Army as a signals intelligence analyst and linguist. “I was a Thai linguist, and communicating across cultures and languages taught me how to adapt and work with people,” which, she noted, is an important skill in her role at Venture.
“I purchase about 90% of what goes on a Venture trailer, and every day is different,” she said. “One week I’m negotiating with a lighting vendor, the next it’s winches or aluminum. It keeps me sharp, and it’s fulfilling to know I play a key role in building something, even though I’ve never physically built a trailer myself.”
She and her team handle everything from receiving inventory, to planning how supplies are stored and accessed on the production floor, to optimizing workflows and reducing steps. Carrie has become deeply involved in big-picture projects, like reconfiguring warehouse space to accommodate a massive new aluminum saw that’s revolutionized production.
“It felt great to be part of something that moved Venture into the future of manufacturing and increased efficiency and safety for the team,” she said.
She describes Venture as her “second home”, a place where coworkers feel like family, where support flows both ways, and where leadership recognizes effort in ways both big and small.
“Some days you walk in with a heavy mood,” she says. “But then you’re greeted with lighthearted jokes, you feel appreciated, and it’s like the weight lifts right off your shoulders.”
The fact that Venture was founded by a fellow veteran, Terry Vandgrifft, who passed away in 2022, means a lot to Carrie.
“He called me ‘Sarge,’” she recalled fondly. “I’m glad I got a chance to know him, and to now work for his daughter, Stephanie. Being part of a veteran-founded, family-owned company feels right.”
When asked what she values most about Venture, Carrie points to culture. “Loyalty means everything here,” she says. “It’s how I was raised, how I served, and how I’ve built my career. At Venture, you work hard, you show your loyalty and you get that loyalty back in return. That’s rare.”
As her responsibilities and role at Venture continue to expand, Carrie is looking forward to the next stage of growth for herself and the company.
“I hope this is my forever home,” she said.
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