Heather Marr recalls the day that she came home to her husband, Jim, thrilled to show him an autographed picture of Carroll Shelby, Phil Hill and Dan Gurney.

“He was elated,” she says. “My husband is such a huge Carroll Shelby fan.”

Heather says that it was amusing to see how jealous Jim was that she had the opportunity of meeting these legendary race car drivers, while visiting the Barrett Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Ariz.  She says he was especially envious of her chance to meet them, because unlike him, Heather had never imagined herself standing amongst the hype of the Scottsdale auctions; she hadn’t had a life-long passion for race cars or collector vehicles.

She says it wasn’t until she found herself working for Grundy Worldwide that she became totally enthused by the hobby. It wasn't until she worked at Grundy that she had the chances of going to well-known car events, such as the auctions out in Scottsdale.

With a background in accounting, Heather imagined herself sitting behind a desk, crunching numbers for a living.  Following that ambition, she found a position in Grundy’s accounting department, in December 2003. But, as her interest in the business grew over the years, she was presented with more opportunities within the company. Heather began working with customer service inquiries and then began providing quotes to potential customers, through the new business department. She continued with her accounting endeavors, as well.

By the fall of 2004, Heather was asked to attend car shows for Grundy.  At these car shows, she would provide on-the-spot quotes for Grundy’s Agreed Value collector car insurance. She attended Fall Carlisle and the Hershey AACA Fall Meet that fall, and she has since attended around 50 car events—ranging from local car shows and collector car auctions to prestigious concours events.

With her growing involvement in the collector car scene, Heather’s interest in these cars blossomed into a hobby of her own.

She says that she enjoys going to shows, because she often runs into the same vendors time and time again; she also likes to see the familiar faces of Grundy customers, who make it a point to stop by the Grundy booth just to say “hello.”

“And, I also get to see places I wouldn’t normally get to see,” says Heather. “I’ve gone from shows in rural Maryland to lush venues, like Amelia Island and Pebble Beach… to the 105 degree weather in Reno, during Hot August Nights. I’ve seen a bit of everything, and it’s one extreme to the next. On one trip, I may be passing hay fields, and on the following trip, I’m at a world-renowned golf resort.”

Recently, Heather has had the opportunity to see the country behind the wheel of the Grundy truck and trailer, offering her a new type of traveling experience. She says that after a few times of asking Chuck Wasoski, VP Collector Car Insurance Program, if she could hop into the driver’s seat, he finally responded with “Okay, you can drive.”

Heather practiced on trips to and from a few Goodguys shows that were held in Indianapolis, Ind., Columbus, Ohio, and Charlotte, N.C. She adds that the Charlotte event is her all-time favorite show to attend, and she looks forward to going again, this fall.

This past summer, Heather and co-worker Krystyn Satko packed up and headed out to shows in Laconia, N.H. and Marlboro, Mass.--without Chuck Wasoski. Just the ladies.

“People saw us on the road and would wave,” says Heather. “Then, they’d see us at our booth and say ‘Hey. Weren’t you girls hauling this trailer out on the road?’”

Heather would get: “Weren’t you the blonde driving the dually?!”

Yes. That’s Heather out there, driving the company’s truck and 24ft. trailer.

In addition to attending shows regularly, Heather works closely with the company’s CFO, and she assists company president, Jim Grundy. She also handles IT work and helps with office management.

Just recently, Mr. Grundy placed a post-it note near Heather’s desk, reading “Hello! My name is… Office Hero.”

Story by: Becky McLaughlin