Employee Spotlight: Maegan Covelli
Maegan Covelli was one of the most experienced sales consultants in PetRelocation's history. In her eight years here, she has helped hundreds of pets complete their journeys to locations all over the world. Maegan's journey with PetRelocation led her to grow and she now manages a team of caring sales consultants.
Read on to find out more about Maegan as we shine our employee spotlight on her!
What led you to apply to work at PetRelocation?
Coming from the fundraising world, I was very much purpose-driven. Who can’t get behind the idea of keeping families together when relocating across the world?! After interviewing with the team in our downtown location, I knew it would be such a unique and fun opportunity for my personal growth, and I had a lot of ideas to grow the company as well. Seeing office pets on the daily was also a perk!
Tell us about your own pets! What are their personalities and how did they come to join your family?
I have two of the biggest Labs you’ve ever seen. Tobi is our chocolate labrador and Benni is our “vanilla” lab (as my son would say). My sister gave us Benni after his owners surrendered him when he was about 8 months old. For years it was just me, my husband, and our “son” Benni. We like to call him our firstborn and every decision we made revolved around him. Benni has always been the boss and will literally eat anything. One year we took him to one of those cute farms where we chopped down our own Christmas tree. The next day when we returned from work, we found the tree had been devoured by him —decorations and all!
I met Tobi after PetRelocation moved him, so he was actually a past client! The owner lived in Austin and was unable to care for him, so we inherited him when he was about 2 years old. Tobi has a pure heart and loves ribbon dancing. He has no idea just how big he really is and can maneuver himself into just about any space, which is quite impressive!
What has been your favorite story to tell about working at PetRelocation?
When I first started at PetRelocation, I helped two kitties, Pumpkin and Muffin, relocate to Japan from the US. It was a challenging first move because requirements for importing into Japan are super strict. It takes about 6 months of prep work so I got to know the family pretty well. About 5 years later, the owners reached back out to us to facilitate a life-saving mission for Muffin. Muffin needed radiation treatment that was only available in Australia so we facilitated an intense relocation from Japan to Australia for 6 weeks then back to Japan. Because of this trip, she is now cured and will be able to live a long kitty life.
You started your journey with PetRelocation as a sales consultant, and now you manage the sales team. What is the most gratifying part of leading the team?
The best part of my job is being able to work with such a creative, kind, intelligent, resourceful, and innovative group of sales consultants. I love getting to know each of them personally, finding out what makes them happy, and coaching them through any issues. I have only trust and respect for everyone on the team and appreciate the obstacles they must overcome every day. This job isn't easy and it takes a unique person to fill the role! It is super rewarding to see them use their resources and put together a very complex move, then be able to articulate our value to families needing our assistance. Sales at PetRelocation is heavy in logistics and things are changing all the time with the travel industry. A lot of families come to us when no one else can help them with their pet’s move. It makes me very proud knowing that my team is making a difference in our clients’ lives, and I hope I am making a difference in theirs.
What do you think will be different in the pet shipping industry in the next 5 years?
Being in the middle of pandemic really makes you reevaluate what the world will look like in the next 5 years. I think COVID-19 has put a lot of things into perspective for a lot of people, one being that in order to be successful at their job, it is not required for them to sit in an office building from 9-5. I see an increase in relocations of families all over the world because of more flexible work conditions. Life is short, go live wherever your heart desires!
We’re all about travel here at PetRelocation! Tell us about an amazing trip you've gone on.
One of my favorite trips was for our honeymoon in Placencia which is a tiny little peninsula that we had trouble finding on any map of Belize. We stayed in a small bungalow on the beach for 8 days and lived on island time. I’m not a big fan of camping so we were roughing it a little more than I had originally imagined. The email confirmation did ask that we bring a flashlight and bug spray… so maybe it was my own fault because we had no air conditioning and no hot water. But alas, it was super relaxing, and we really enjoyed immersing ourselves in the Belizean culture. We swam in the ocean all day every day, walked everywhere, and ate the freshest fish. There is nothing better than a remote beach town!
When you’re not helping your team move pets all over the world, what do you like to do for fun?
My current hobbies include hanging with my family, watching movies, going on walks, cooking, and eating all day. But when not quarantining from a pandemic... well, my hobbies are the exact same.
Do you have any hidden talents?
Bust out that karaoke machine and let us find out!
Thanks, Maegan! Find out more about the PetRelocation team here! And make sure to follow us on Instagram to see everything going on in the world of #PetReloLife.