Garry Enyart, left, of Cummins and Mike Pearo of Hilltop Camper & RV

are key drivers of the Repair Event Cycle Time industry-wide initiative.

JULY/AUGUST 2022

VOL. 73 NO. 4

Departments

110 People on the Move

112 Ad Index

112 MarketPlace

Industry Gathers in D.C. As

‘Committee Week’ Returns

Startup OEMs Look to Grab

their Share of the RV Market

Hitches & Towing Products Satisfy

Demand for Smoother Driving

56

Cover Story!

Repair Event Cycle Time Gains New Traction

as Industry Eyes Backend System Support

40

113

A push to reduce Repair Event Cycle Tine – the time it takes for an RV to be repaired – is gaining traction in the industry.

Garry Enyart, left, recently retired from Cummins, and Mike Pearo, of Hilltop Camper and RV and the chairman of the

RV Dealers Association, are among leaders actively looking to gather industry-wide adoption of the Repair Event Cycle

Time initiative. – Photo by Brandon Latack of 651 Lab

Columns

4 State of the Art

24 Spader Report

26 Statistically Speaking

28 GuestView: Lyon

30 GuestView: Heseltine

101 Livingston Report

ON THE

COVER

32 48

RV Share’s Jon Gray Sees

an Industry in Transition

OEM, FMCA Rallies Attract

Crush of Coaches to Elkhart

83 106

TOP OF THE NEWS

6 RV Sector has $140B Economic Impact

6 Mary Puliot Named Exec VP at Thetford

8 Chris Hermon Retires from THOR Industries

10 April’s 57K Shipment Number Tops 2021

DEALER SPOTLIGHT

84 ArrKann Prioritizes Customer Service

OEM SHOWCASE

80Grech High-End B-Vans Making Waves

SUPPLY SIDE

91 Aftermarket Conference Takes Shape

94 Shyft Debuts ‘Red Diamond’ Program

96 Acuva, Lippert Announce Partnership

100 Spartan Introduces ‘Premier Drive’

JULY/AUGUST 2022 RVBusiness 3

Contents

4 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

Given the Volume of General and Industry-Specific

Information on the Street Right Now, It’s Difficult

At Times to See the Fiscal Forest Through the Trees

■ BY SHERMAN GOLDENBERG

STAFF

PUBLISHER Sherman Goldenberg

(574) 457-3370 • [email protected]

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(574) 266-7980, ext. 15 • [email protected]

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(734) 777-6830 • [email protected]

EDITOR Gary Gerard

(574) 528-1275 • [email protected]

ART DIRECTOR Trina Nissley

[email protected]

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(574) 306-7781 • [email protected]

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[email protected]

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(574) 266-7980 • [email protected]

NATIONAL AD SALES Wendy Thorne

(574) 266-7980 • [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORS

Ron Barger, Jeff Crider, Bruce Hampson, Bob

Livingston, Jim Mac, Peter Ringenberg, Travis Pryor,

Mike Schneider, Shawn Spence and BJ Thompson

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Recreational Vehicle

Aftermarket Association

The sheer volume of media coverage – good, bad and

ugly – that we’ve all been dealing with lately is unprecedented and, as a result, it’s often difficult to draw conclusions regarding the state of the U.S. economy and the

North American RV arena based on headlines regarding

inflation, interest rates, stocks, gas prices and talk of a

potential recession.

Add to that industry-specific reports we hear behind

the scenes regarding the RV arena’s current challenges with

softening retail sales, pricing, inventories, transportation,

production rates, labor and supply chain issues.

Lest we get caught up in some of the more sensational news we may see on

TV or hear at the lunch counters around Elkhart County, however, it might

be easy to lose track of the fact that the industry is coming off its best year

ever in terms of wholesale shipments and has generated plenty of positive news

recently involving new RV manufacturers, RV consumer market expansion and

an ongoing wave of growth-minded acquisitions in both the RV dealer and

campground sectors.

And along with the RV Industry Association’s (RVIA) latest wholesale shipment report in late June indicating that the RV sector just turned in its best

May ever with 50,529 units – up 2.6% over 49,241in May of 2021— there’s also

been some impressive recent financial reports from mainstream players like

THOR Industries Inc., Winnebago Industries Inc., LCI Industries and Patrick

Industries Inc.

Those positive overall consumer market trends were underscored in early June

by RVIA’s release of a new study indicating that the RV sector now has an overall

annual economic impact on the U.S. economy of $140 billion, supporting nearly

680,000 jobs and paying more than $48 billion in wages — a 23% increase in

economic output over the past three years (see page 32). “And it goes to show

that we're an industry that has a massive financial and economic impact on the

country and that our runway for continued growth is very, very strong,” said

RVIA Executive Vice President James Ashurst.

Given the general economic tumult right now and the inventories on the

ground around Elkhart County, on the other hand, some astute industry observers are frankly anticipating a general softening of the market this year to

perhaps 480,000 to 500,000 wholesale shipments vs. 600,240 in ‘21.

So, in all fairness, again, how do you cope with all of this informational crossfire when making strategic decisions for your company? It probably wouldn’t

hurt to keep in mind the 30,000-foot input of respected industry voices like Way

Interglobal President and CEO Wayne Kaylor who reminds us that the RV

arena has a history of outlasting short-term challenges for the long-term good.

“I mean, it changes day to day,” Kaylor said on RV Capitol Talk. “And our

industry has been one of survival ever since I've been in it 35-plus years. So, we

do a great job of leading the economy in and out of a downturn or an upturn.

We were pretty resilient coming out of '08 (the latest recession) and then

COVID. But even if the industry turns down close to 40% this year from last

year, it'll still be above 2019 volume, which, I think we all would agree, was

very good volume. So, the industry's in a good place. We just need the national

economy to kind of have an uptick and give people a good feeling. But I think

the industry as a whole and what people expect and want out of it are in a good

position.” RVB

STATE OF THE ART

& M E D I A G GROUP LLC

Sherman Goldenberg is publisher of RVBusiness magazine and RVBusiness.com, the

only RV trade journal and website located in the RV manufacturing center of Elkhart, Ind.

There is a fundamental change happening

in the way Americans travel, work and live.

More and more people are choosing RVs as

their preferred option for travel as they prioritize spending time in the great outdoors and

embracing the freedom that comes with

RVing, according to a study by the RV Industry Association (RVIA).

Just how much the RV industry has grown

is captured in the new RVs Move America

Economic Impact Study, produced by the

RVIA. The study revealed that the RV industry has an overall annual economic impact on

the U.S. economy of $140 billion, supporting

nearly 680,000 jobs and paying more than $48

billion in wages. This is a 23% increase in economic output in the past three years.

“More Americans than ever before have

discovered RVing and the incredible physical

and mental health benefits that come from

living an active outdoor lifestyle,” said RVIA

President & CEO Craig Kirby. “The American-made RV industry is an essential part of

the American economy that supports

$140 billion in economic output and

hundreds of thousands

of well-paying jobs.”

The $140 billion

total annual RV industry economic impact includes:

• $73.7 billion generated by RV manufacturers and suppliers

• $35.7 billion by RV campgrounds and related travel

• $30.5 billion by RV sales and service activities

In addition to the economic impact, the RV

industry pays $13.6 billion in federal, state and

local taxes.

“Every resident in America benefits from the

substantial tax revenue brought in by the RV

TOP

of the News

RVIA Forecasts 549K

Wholesale Shipments;

2nd Best of All Time

Mary Pouliot Named

Exec VP at Thetford

North America

THOR Reports Record Q3 $4.66B

in Net Sales, 17.3% Profitability

continued on page 20

Along with impressive quarterly financial

reports released by several of the RV industry’s other publicly held companies, THOR

Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO), Elkhart, Ind.,

on June 8 announced record financial results

for its third fiscal quarter ended April 3.

Among other highlights, net sales for the

third quarter were $4.66 billion, an increase

of 34.6% as compared to the third quarter of

fiscal 2021, and consolidated gross profit

margin for the third quarter was 17.3%, a

270-basis point improvement over the comparable prior-year period.

Also, net sales for THOR’s fiscal third

quarter increased 34.6%, net income attributable to THOR grew 89.9%, and its gross

margin improved by 270 basis points compared to the fiscal third quarter of 2021.

“I am pleased to report this quarter that

THOR once again managed through an uncertain business environment to achieve record

net sales and profitability across many of our

brands,” said Bob Martin, president and CEO

of THOR Industries. “Our teams have done

an exceptional job navigating continued supply chain and labor constraints while still fulfilling ongoing dealer and consumer demand

continued on page 22

6 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

RV wholesale shipments are

projected to top 549,000 units by

year-end 2022, according to the

Summer 2022 issue of RV RoadSigns, the quarterly forecast prepared by ITR Economics for the RV

Industry Association (RVIA).

The new forecast projects 2022

RV shipments to range between

537,800 and 561,900 units with a

most likely year-end total of

549,900 units, a (-8.4%) decline

from 600,240 shipped in 2021.

Despite the headwinds of high

inflation, rising interest rates, high

prices at the pump and waning

macroeconomic momentum, the

forecast shows income is trending

well above the long-term norm as

workers enjoy an advantage in the

exceptionally tight labor market,

which bodes well for shipments.

Income trends, prior savings,

and low debt-to-income ratios for

consumers are all positives as the

RV industry heads into the summer

months. RVB

Thetford

LLC, a leader

in RV and

marine toilets

and sanitation

solutions, together with

Norcold LLC,

a premier

brand in RV

refrigerators,

announced

June 14 that Mary Pouliot has been

appointed to the position of Executive Vice President, Americas

(EVP). She will report directly to

Chief Executive Officer Stephane

Cordeille.

As EVP, Pouliot will be responsible for Ann Arbor, Mich.-based

Thetford North America’s operational and strategic vision. The

Americas Management Team will

Craig Kirby

Mary Pouliot

continued on page 20

RVIA Study: RV Industry has

$140 Billion Economic Impact

TOPof theNews

8 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

Chris Hermon Retires

From THOR Industries

ELKHART, Ind. –

THOR Industries Inc.

announced May 31

the retirement of

Chris Hermon, one of

the company’s North

American RV Group

managers. He will

stay on with the company in an active

consultant role.

“Chris has been an important team

member throughout my tenure as CEO. I

personally recruited him to become CEO of

Heartland in 2012. He had a very successful time at Heartland where he managed

the company to significant growth on both

the top and bottom lines,” said THOR CEO

and President Bob Martin.

“In 2019, Chris became one of two North

American RV Group managers overseeing a

portion of our North American RV operations,” Martin continued. “In this role, he

helped enhance value and synergies across

several of our companies. It’s with a great

deal of mixed emotion that we make this announcement today. I am happy for Chris as

he enters a phase of retirement with a specific focus to spend more time with family.

We are sad to have him step back from an

active day-to-day role but appreciate that he

will be continuing in a consultant role and

take comfort in knowing that his strategic insight is only a phone call away.”

Hermon said, “My retirement comes at a

time that I feel incredibly confident in the future of THOR and its operating companies,”

Hermon said. “The THOR family has been incredibly good to me. ... I’m grateful for the

opportunity, the experience, and the dedicated people who work at THOR. After an incredibly rewarding and successful run, I am

ready for this new perspective and to have

more time to focus on family,” Hermon said.

Matt Zimmerman will assume all North

American RV Group manager responsibilities while continuing to report directly to

Bob Martin.

“Matt’s depth of knowledge and leadership has been and will continue to be an

enormous strategic asset across our North

American RV operations. We are excited

about the opportunity to have Matt lead the

whole group as we continue to leverage our

many assets, including our dedicated and

talented team members, industry leading

products, size and scale across the enterprise,” Martin said. RVB

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – In what

amounts to one of the more unique and

cerebral events to occur recently involving members of the North American

RV industry, LCI Industries and a firm

called PurposePoint co-hosted a gathering May 17-19 of more than 500 corporate executives from a wide variety of

commercial fields called “Purpose Summit 2022” at the University of Notre

Dame in South Bend, Ind.

The main focus of the event was to

help turn a business into a “force for

good,” explained LCI President and

CEO Jason Lippert, adding that May’s

session was actually the third annual

Purpose Summit but the first in which

LCI served as a co-sponsor. Also involved as a speaker was Jon Wenger,

president of Goshen, Ind.-based Genesis Products.

The Summit, featuring an array of

speakers, was held in several venues including an evening reception at ND’s

legendary football stadium and entailed multiple workshops, CEO sessions and panel discussions led by

PurposePoint, a 3-year-old Michiganbased firm specializing in motivational

speaking, executive coaching and

strategic planning.

“The Purpose Summit was a powerful event that brought business leaders

together to talk about the importance of

getting their culture right and truly caring for people inside their four walls,”

said Lippert. “Our world is in a rough

place right now, and if we truly want to

restore the family structure and pride in

local communities, then we believe that

it has to start with businesses taking seriously the opportunity they have to

make a positive impact in people’s lives

based on how they spend their 40 to 60

hours per week at work.”

The main impetus for LCI’s involvement was the Lippert Academy of

Leadership, a new “external-facing” consulting arm for leadership and culture

work, according to Amber Selking, vice

president of leadership and culture for

Elkhart, Ind.-based LCI. RVB

LCI Industries President and CEO Jason Lippert addresses the “Purpose Summit 2020.”

LCI Industries Co-Sponsors

‘Purpose Summit’ at N.D.,

Fosters a ‘Force for Good’

Chris Hermon

RVIA: April’s 57,043 Units

Shipped Up 11.5% Over ’21

Results for the RV Industry Association’s

(RVIA) April 2022 survey of manufacturers

determined that total RV shipments ended

the month with 57,043 units, an increase of

11.5% compared to the 51,813 units

shipped during April 2021. Through April, RV

shipments are up 14.1% compared to the

same point last year with 228,509 wholesale

shipments.

“RVing remains a great travel option for

people looking to experience the freedom of

travel while also providing them greater control over travel costs,” said RVIA President &

CEO Craig Kirby. “This latest shipment report

shows more RVs are headed to dealer lots to

provide consumers with a variety of options

as they look to enjoy the great outdoors and

go RVing this summer.” RVB

SSI: April Retail Sales

Down 31% Versus ’21

The April 2022 total of 44,564 retail registrations represents a 30.9% decrease compared to the 64,502 units recorded in April

2021, according to Statistical Surveys Inc.,

the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based provider of

retail and consumer data for the RV industry.

Year-to-date, there have been 152,883

retail registrations through April of this year,

a 21.7% drop versus the 195,283 for the

same period last year. Still, it should be

noted that the year-to-date total for 2022 is

the industry’s second best ever for that time

period. RVB

Roadtrippers Hits

Milestone: 35M Trips,

24B Miles Planned

Roadtrippers, part of Roadpass Digital

and a leading road-trip planning tool that

helps road-trippers turn their trips into adventures, announced two major growth milestones: 35 million trips and 24 billion miles

planned through its application, according to

a release.

The brand cites its continued focus on

introducing unique road-trip experiences

through innovative trip-planning technology

and the ongoing popularity of road-based

travel as the catalyst for this growth.

“We’re proud to announce these growth

milestones, as they are a testament to how

our passion for developing helpful and

practical trip-planning tools is connecting

with and inspiring road-trippers across the

country,” said Roadpass Digital CEO Danny

Hest. RVB

TOPof theNews

10 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

Acquisitions & Expansions

Richardson’s is Camping World’s largest to date

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. – Camping World Holdings Inc. on May 23

announced an agreement to acquire

California-based Richardson’s RV

Centers, owned and operated by

brothers Steve and Mark Richardson, according to a press release.

“The Richardson’s RV Centers

acquisition is the

largest acquisition

in company history and strengthens Camping

World’s position

as the No. 1 RV

dealer in California,” the release stated,

adding that the agreement includes

eight locations in California and Indiana: five current dealership locations,

one future dealership location, and two

parts and service centers.

“The Richardson’s top-notch management along with their solid team

members are the primary reason we

sought this deal,” said Marcus Lemonis,

CEO and chairman of Camping World

Holdings. “We know the Richardson’s

RV Centers add immediate value for

our customers, as an iconic family brand

that has been providing exceptional

service to RVers for over 30 years.”

The California locations – Colton,

Menifee, Riverside and Temecula – will

transition to the Camping World brand

and bring the company’s current count

to 12 RV dealerships and five parts and

service centers in the state, with a future

RV dealership coming soon.

The Indiana location – Indiana RV

Connection in Middlebury – will convert to CampingWorld’sRVs.com brand

and provide a digital and factory-direct

experience for customers nationwide.

The SuperCenters will offer a wide

range of new and used RVs from top

manufacturers in addition to a full assortment of RV and outdoor products

and accessories and the entire portfolio

of Good Sam products and services.

In related company news, Camping

World also announced an agreement to

acquire Anthem RV in New River,

Ariz., as well as a new site to be built in

Surprise, Ariz, both of which will serve

the greater Phoenix area.

In other acquisition and expansion

news during an era of consolidation:

• RV Retailer

LLC (RVR) on

June 20 expanded

into Michigan

with the acquisition of A&S RV

Centers, with fullservice locations

in Auburn Hills and Midland, representing the 101st and 102nd storefronts

for Jacksonville, Fla.-based RVR.

“Michigan is the 4th largest RV

market in terms of registrations with excellent RV demographics. I know very

well what a great state it is to enjoy the

outdoors. I grew up in Michigan and

my family went camping in our RV

most weekends in the spring, summer

and fall,” stated RVR CEO and President Jon Ferrando.

“We thank the Andree family for selecting us to acquire the A&S business.

We are excited to welcome A&S associates into RV Retailer. Both locations

have extensive service and parts centers

to serve the active RV community that

has over 150 RV parks less than 50

miles away,” added Ferrando.

Also, the company celebrated the

grand opening of RV One Superstores

Connecticut in Newtown, Conn., where

Ferrando noted there are over 13,000

RV registrations in a 150-mile radius of

the store.

• Campers Inn

RV has acquired

Arbogast RV

Depot in Troy,

Ohio. Arbogast

RV is one of the

largest RV retailers in the region

and has been honored with numerous

awards from each of its manufacturers,

establishing itself as an RV industry

leader. In a separate transaction,

Campers Inn RV also acquired Dylan’s

RV Center in Sewell, N.J., the second

location it has purchased in New Jersey

over the past year.

Also, Campers Inn RV, announced

IN BRIEF

continued on page 20

TOPof theNews

12 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

RV Tech. Institute Announces Several New Partnerships

WAKARUSA, Ind. – Anyone driving around Elkhart County, Ind., these

days couldn’t help but notice the number of RV’s on hand awaiting delivery

from Northern Indiana manufacturers

to dealerships throughout the U.S. and

Canada.

And while today’s RV industry

landscape certainly has its challenges –

with OEMs grappling with labor

shortages and supply chain disruptions

– transport sector spokesmen like

Andy Cripe, executive vice president of

Horizon Transport in Wakarusa, Ind.,

say they’re on their game during these

post-pandemic times.

“The obstacles are consistent, and

they’re not singular,” Cripe told

RVBusiness. “Obviously, always drivers

– having enough of them – is an obstacle, and recently driver engagement has

been a struggle because there is so

much volatility happening, especially

with regard to gas prices, which are

changing so rapidly and constantly.”

Among drivers headed west in particular, explained Cripe, gas prices have

shown a 30-cent increase over one

weekend, which makes drivers hesitant

to take loads because their incomes can

change dramatically in a very

short period of

time.

“Access to

drivers and growing the fleet has

always been a

problem,” he said.

“And it especially

is when manufacturers are building

in record numbers, just outpacing our

ability to get product out of our yards.

And you add to it the volatility of gas

prices and sometimes drivers just hold

off. They say, ‘Man, I’m not going right

now. I’m going to wait and see if this

thing stabilizes.’ So that’s been the

biggest challenge recently.”

Another issue experienced recently

by transport companies is yard space,

said Cripe. When the flow of product

outpaces the outflow from transport

yards, companies wind up with RVs

parked in random places around

northern Kosciusko and Elkhart

counties.

“You’ll find them at golf courses

that are no longer in business and used

car lots that are no longer in business,”

he said. “You know they’re just trying

to find places to park them, so that’s an

issue as well. That then becomes difficult because you’re parking RVs close

to each other and that’s stressful on

drivers who have to go into those yards

and run the risk of slight damage. It’s

just tough.”

Adding to the challenge is the fact

that the RV industry, through the first

quarter, focused on restocking dealer

lots with highly popular, small singleaxle travel trailers. “That’s awesome,”

Cripe said, “It’s a great product for our

industry because it gets the entry-level

buyer in there. It gets people who don’t

have big tow-vehicles into the market.

But we ship those in multiples.”

In fact, there simply wasn’t enough

equipment in the industry to pick up

the number of small travel trailers in the

pipeline at the OEMs over the past few

months, said Cripe. – Gary Gerard RVB

Transport Firms Striving to Keep RVs Flowing to Dealers

Andy Cripe

ELKHART, Ind. – The RV Technical Institute (RVTI), which provides an

industry-backed training curriculum

and RV technician certification and career path, has been working to introduce

as many interested individuals as possible to the service technician career path.

This ongoing effort by the RV Industry (RVIA) unit includes partnering with

various schools and other organizations,

the most recent of which are as follows:

• Fun Town RV, the largest towable

RV dealer in Texas, has partnered with

RVTI to provide its RV service technicians with access to RVTI’s gold-standard training and curriculum.

Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas,

Fun Town RV has 14 locations across

Texas, Oklahoma, Indiana and Illinois.

• As part of its Authorized Learning

Partner program, RVTI has partnered

with the Windham School District,

which provides academic, career and

technical education and life skills programs to eligible individuals within the

Texas Department of Criminal Justice

(TDCJ). With 86 campuses located in

TDCJ facilities across Texas, Windham

strives to prepare students with the necessary education and skills to successfully re-enter the workforce within their

communities. Last year, Windham piloted a first-of-its-kind RV technician

training program at the Linda Woodman Campus, an all-women’s facility in

Gatesville, Texas.

• As part of a new $15 million Career and Technical Education (CTE)

Complex, Dunseith Public Schools in

North Dakota has partnered with the

Hoefer Group, the N.D. Department

of Career & Technical Education, and

RVTI to establish Dunseith as the nation’s first traditional high school

Level II RV Technician RVTI Learning Partner.

• Coach-Net, a leading provider of

RV emergency roadside assistance,

joined forces for a week with the RVTI

to receive additional training for the

company’s technicians, who help the

Texas-based company provide 24/7 RV

technical assistance as well as 24/7

emergency RV roadside assistance.

• RV Women’s Alliance partnered

with RVTI to offer 12 aspiring female

RV technicians an opportunity to receive

RVTI training. The all-female Level 1

class will take place Aug. 1-5, and be offered free of charge to women from the

RV industry, according to a release. RVB

ELKHART, Ind. –

The RV/MV Hall of

Fame has announced its

2022 class of inductees.

This year’s induction ceremony will be Aug. 15.

RV inductees are:

Mick Ferkey

Ferkey, of Wisconsin

Rapids, Wis., purchased

Greeneway RV in 1987

and has continually focused on adding and improving products and

services to best serve customers. Greeneway

boasts an indoor showroom which allows customers to see the newest

models in a climate-controlled environment. A huge parts store

offers thousands of parts and accessories

for just about any RV need. Ferkey has

been a solid contributor for the good of

the industry and a champion for training, education and the recognition of

fixed operations dealership employees.

In 2021 Ferkey’s dealership won its

sixth consecutive RVBusiness Top 50

Dealer Award.

Don Gunden

Gunden, of Syracuse, Ind., started his

career at Starcraft RV as a sales representative in Goshen, Ind. Through hard

work and determination, he worked his

way up to general manager for Forest

River’s Rockwood, Flagstaff and

Palomino divisions. Gunden has committed his career to valuing his clients

and employees and has also helped to

build nearly a million RVs. He has spent

the last three years on RV Industry Association (RVIA) political action committee and has received several RVIA

excellence awards.

Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Hepp

Hepp, of Alexandria, Va., spent her

years before the RV industry as a

civilian administrator in the U.S.

Army. Since then, she has served as

administrator for four RV Dealers

Association (RVDA)-related boards

including the RVDA board of directors, RVDA board of delegates, Mike

Molino RV Learning Center board of

directors and RV Assistance Corp.

board of directors. Hepp has done

countless hours of volunteer work for

her community and has made a huge

impact in the RV industry with her

vast knowledge and experience.

William ‘Bill’ Redmond

Redmond, of Alberta, Canada, is the

former president of Bucars RV Centre

in Calgary, Alberta. He has been a

board member and president of a few

privately held companies involved in

the RV industry in Canada. After

spending nearly 25 years in the petroleum industry, Redmond and his family

purchased Bucars RV Centre in 1989.

Today, he and his two sons continue a

60-plus-year tradition of providing

southern Albertans with the highest

quality products. As a past board member and president of both the RVDA of

Alberta and the RVDA of Canada, he

has also been deeply involved in the RV

industry through countless hours of

volunteer time.

Lewis ‘Lewy’ Shaum

Shaum, has been in the RV industry

since his youth, after his parents established Elkhart Supply Corporation. He

became president of ESCO in 1970.

Shaum followed up with an education

in electrical engineering which he has

later used widely in the RV industry.

He also used his plumbing prowess to

develop “Flair-It” fittings which helped

revolutionize RV production. Shaum

involved himself in countless hours of

volunteer work, supporting youth

sports and education.

MH inductees are:

David Carter

Carter started his industry career as

president of Southeastern Mobile Home

Supply/Riblet Products and established

Goshen, Ind.-based Dave Carter & Associates Inc. in 1976. He was honored as the

2011 Manufactured Housing Institute

vendor of the year.

Raylen Gritton

Gritton, of Salida, Calif., has been an

icon in the MH industry for 50 years, starting out with a retail home center in 1974

and currently serves as founder and CEO

of Homes Direct, with 13 locations.

Harry Karsten

In 1988, Karsten and a group of investors

purchased Golden West which was sold in

1994 to Oakwood Homes. Sacramento,

Calif.-based Karsten Homes was founded

in 1999, growing to four factories before

being sold to Clayton Homes in 2005.

Eugene Landy

Landy, Freehold Township, N.J., is

founder (1968), chairman of the board

(1995 to present), president and chief executive officer (1968-1995), and director (since

1968) of UMH Properties Inc. He is recognized as a pioneer of the REIT industry.

Tim Williams

Williams, Maryville, Tenn., joined the

Clayton Homes organization in 1976 at

the age of 21 and founded 21st Mortgage

Corp. In 2003 Clayton Homes was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway. Williams

was retained and remains CEO of 21st

Mortgage Corp. RVB

14 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

TOPof theNews

RV/MH Hall of Fame Names 2022 Inductees

Pictured top row from left are RV Hall of Fame inductees Mick Ferkey, Don Gunden, Veronica ‘Ronnie Hepp,’ William ‘Bill’

Redmond and Lewis ‘Lewy’ Shaum. Bottom row from left are MH Hall of Fame inductees David Carter, Raylen Gritton, Harry

Karsten, Eugene Landy and Tim Williams.

TOPof theNews

Convention Center at

RV/MH Hall of Fame

Closer to Reality

ELKHART, Ind. – Building materials for

the planned addition of a convention center

at the RV/MH Hall of Fame are on site and

construction is expected to begin the first

week of October, following completion of the

Elkhart RV Open House.

The $3 million project, encompassing

36,000 square feet, will be constructed on

the southeast corner of the existing facility,

reports Darryl Searer, RV/MH Hall of Fame

President.

The new clear-span, steel-structure convention center will employ state-of-the-art

audio/visual technology, will be able to accommodate 2,000 people in a banquet setting and up to 4,000 people in a theater

setting and will be seamlessly connected to

the current building, Searer said.

“There will be an entrance that will go

from the new convention center right

through the middle of what’s called Champion Hall today,” Searer said. A wall will be

removed and replaced with two walls that

will form a hallway into the convention center. Two rooms adjacent to the hallway will

become breakout rooms.

The new facility will put the Hall of Fame

on the map as a regional convention destination, Searer said.

“Right now, we’ve identified 15 events

that are outgrowing our facility. Take the (RV

Industry) Power Breakfast, for example. That

was 1,030, but it was sold out with six

weeks to go. I think we could easily have

had 2,000 people for that breakfast,” he

said. “We have Comic-Con. They bring five

to 10 thousand people. The gun show wants

a bigger place. It goes on and on with people who have been coming here on a regular

basis who say we just don’t have a large

enough facility.”

Ryan Szklarek, executive vice president,

expanded on the need for an up-to-date

convention facility at the Hall of Fame.

He said Elkhart, Ind., needed a convention center on par with what one would see

in Orlando, Las Vegas or Washington, D.C.,

“even if it’s a little smaller version. That style

is indicative of what the industry has become. We need that. So that’s what we’re

trying to create,” Szklarek said.

Searer said the new facility will vastly

improve the functionality of the Hall of Fame.

“We haven’t scratched the surface of

what we can do with what we have here,”

Searer said. RVB

National ARVC: Campgrounds

Earn ‘Essential Business’ Status

NTP-STAG 2023 Expo Planned

Jan. 16-17, 2023, in Denver

EXETER, Pa. – NTP-STAG announced June 21 it will be hosting Expo

2023, its annual dealer event live, Jan. 16-

17, 2023, at the recently opened Gaylord

Rockies Resort & Convention Center in

Aurora, Colo. The spectacular facility, just

30 minutes from downtown Denver will

provide a scenic backdrop for the two-day,

industry-only experience, according to a

release.

“Our events team has a tremendous relationship with the management of Gaylord properties throughout the country and

with the development of this new Colorado location, they knew that it would be

a destination that dealers would be excited

to visit,” said NTP-STAG Vice President,

of Sales Fred Petrivelli. “We are constantly

striving to produce a unique, exciting and

productive event for attendees, and we are

looking forward to spending time with

everyone when the industry comes together in Colorado next January.”

Just six miles from the Denver Airport,

the Gaylord Rockies venue boasts nine

miles of nature preserve trails in addition

to 10 miles of hiking trails while its convenient location presents multiple worldclass shopping and dining opportunities.

Boasting a 500,000-square-foot convention space where the show will be held, the

Gaylord Rockies features exceptional accommodations, restaurants and entertainment in a beautifully presented resort

setting.

Day 1 of Expo 2023 features RV University which includes PRO (Professional

Retail Organization) Education Seminars

followed by an opening reception on the

show floor.

The following day will be highlighted by

invited NTP-STAG customers from across

North America partaking in a full day on

the exhibit floor engaging in exhibits from

selected leading industry manufacturers followed by a special closing reception.

Learn more about the NTP-STAG

Expo 2023 at expo.ntpstag.com. RVB

16 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

Since the beginning of the pandemic,

the National Association of RV Parks

and Campgrounds (National ARVC)

has been leading the charge in advocating to get private RV parks and campgrounds classified as essential

businesses, and on June 6 that classification finally became official, according

to a press release.

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a division

of the Department of Homeland Security,

officially transitioned RV park and campground classification in the Commercial

Facilities Sector from Outdoor Events to

Lodging and simultaneously classified all

temporary lodging, including RV parks

and campgrounds, as essential.

This new classification allows RV

parks and campgrounds to operate and

continue serving Americans in a health

pandemic or natural disaster, a time

when they are able to provide a critical

source of temporary lodging and social

distancing activity with access to essential goods and services and much more.

The decision to list RV parks and

campgrounds as essential businesses resulted from a series of meetings led by

National ARVC and its lobbyist David

Ransom with McDermott, Will and

Emery, with support from industry

partners at Kampgrounds of America

Inc. (KOA).

“This is a big win for our industry,

and it’s been one of National ARVC’s

primary advocacy focuses since March

2020 when the first campground was

forced to close because of the pandemic,” said Paul Bambei, president and

CEO of National ARVC. RVB

18 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

TOPof theNews

Winnebago Takes Road Trip with e-RV Concept

Go RVing won

big at the National

Radio Mercury

Awards on June 9,

bringing home the

top prize in two categories as well as the event’s highest honor, Best

in Show, according to a News & Insights report by the RV Industry

Association (RVIA).

The top prize for a radio campaign went to Go RVing for the

“Don’t Let Your Vacation Ruin Your Vacation” campaign. Top prize

for sound design was awarded to Go RVing for the unique spot created in conjunction with “The Addams Family 2” film. The Mercury

Awards’ top honor of the night for Best in Show recognized Go

RVing’s “Air Travel” spot which beat out top tier competitors including McDonalds, Hulu, Geico, Ad Council, Progressive Insurance

and Heinz.

“These wins are only possible with a team stacked with passionate,

creatively-driven, ‘yes we can’ kind of team members,” said Go RVing

CMO Karen Redfern. “We are exceptionally lucky to have creative

partners FCB Chicago who work seamlessly with our in-house team

and support great ideas from start to finish.”

Winners at the 2022 Radio Mercury Awards were announced at

the 31st annual awards presentation held virtually and in-person at

Sony Hall in New York. The Radio Mercury Awards recognizes and

honors radio commercials and campaigns that successfully harness

the creative tools of radio and audio to tell a story. The annual competition draws entries from advertising agencies, radio stations, production houses and educational institutions across the country. RVB

Mary Kelly to Keynote RVWA

Educational Symposium in Oct.

Mary Kelly, Ph.D., CSP,

CDR, U.S. Navy (ret), a

leadership speaker and author, will be the featured

speaker at the RV

Women’s Alliance’s

(RVWA) inaugural Education Symposium, taking

place Oct. 11-12 at The

Renaissance at Schaumberg in Chicago.

A high-energy keynote

speaker, Kelly is focused

on using research, laughter, and experience to show professionals how to excel. Her relatable, no-nonsense approach inspires audiences to embrace their roles,

surpass their goals, and plan for the future.

The conference, which is open to anyone in the RV

industry, includes workshops presented by Purdue University, a keynote speaker and plenty of networking opportunities including an awards dinner and a cocktail

reception.

The symposium will provide attendees with professional-led seminars on effective coaching, communicating and listening during a two-part seminar, followed up

by a seminar on inclusion, diversity, equity and access. RVB

Mary Kelly

Go RVing Wins Top Honors at

National Radio Mercury Awards

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. – Winnebago Industries Inc. (NYSE: WGO),

a leading outdoor lifestyle product manufacturer, just completed a more than

1,300-mile all-electric RV road trip

with its e-RV, the first all-electric zero

emission motorhome concept from a

major RV manufacturer, according to a

press release from the company.

The e-RV was introduced in January

at the Florida RV SuperShow by the

company’s Advanced Technology Group

(ATG) as a fully functional, all-electric

concept vehicle that redefines efficiency,

comfort and functionality. The latest

road trip further affirms the growing

feasibility of electric-powered RV travel

– the primary objective of the road trip.

The trip began in Washington, D.C.,

in early June after an exhibition at the

RV Industry Association’s “RVs Move

America Week”and covered more than

1,300 miles. Highlights of the trip include stops in Harpers Ferry, W.V..;

Pittsburgh; Canton, Ohio; Cleveland;

Detroit; Indiana Dunes National Park;

Chicago and finally Eden Prairie, Minn.

– the headquarters of Winnebago Industries. This is the longest continuous

road trip conducted with the e-RV, and

the first known trip over 1,000 miles by

an all-electric RV.

“Winnebago Industries has a rich

history and tradition of innovation, and

we see electrification as a continually

evolving chapter of that legacy. We are

proud to be a leader in exploring the

possibilities of this technology in the

outdoor markets we serve,” said Michael

Happe, Winnebago president and chief

executive officer.

The All-Electric RV Road Trip enabled Winnebago ATG teams to further test and document real world performance factors and gather additional

data that will drive further refinements

as the technology is assimilated into

future production vehicles. Members

of the ATG who helped design and

build the e-RV had the opportunity to

drive legs of the road trip, which provided statistics and customer feedback,

as they interacted with RV and EV

owners at charging stations and

nightly stops.

Key stats from the road trip include:

• Total miles driven: 1,380

• Total drive time: 26 hours

• Average driving speed: 53 MPH

• Average charge time at DC fast

chargers: 1 hour and 2 minutes

• Total charging cost: $275

• 60% cost savings over a gas-powered road trip

• Average miles per kWh: 1.58

mi/kWh. RVB

20 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

TOPof theNews

Acquisitions from page 10

Pouliot from page 6 Impact from page 6

the openings of new dealerships: in

Collinsville, Ill., Jacksonville, Fla. and

Washington, Pa. The Collinsville location is currently in operation, while the

Washington, Pa., location will be new

construction with an opening of a temporary sales center in early July. In addition, Campers Inn RV has moved its

St. Augustine, Fla., store to a larger facility in southern Jacksonville.

• LCI Industries announced the acquisition of substantially all the business assets of TJ Snuggles Inc., a

company that manufactures custom

tents for expandable RV trailers as well

as cubical curtains and room dividers

for hospitals. Located in Bremen, Ind.,

the company’s 24,000-square-foot facility has been providing tent and canvas solutions to the RV industry for

nearly 55 years.

• In a transaction that was expected

to close May 31, New York-based

Wilkins Recreational Vehicles agreed to

purchase Jim’s RV Center in Nichols,

N.Y. The acquisition raises the number

of locations for Wilkins RV to seven, all

in New York.

• PleasureLand RV Center Inc.,

St. Cloud, Minn., announced the acquisition of Coulee Region RV of

West Salem, Wis. Founded in 1971,

it operates RV dealerships in St.

Cloud, Ramsey, Brainerd and Long

Prairie, Minn., and Sioux Falls, S.D.,

as well as a Truck Center in St.

Cloud and an RV Surplus Store in

Brainerd.

• General RV Center is adding a new

Supercenter in Elizabethtown, Pa. The

dealership, located at 187 Merts Drive,

will offer new and used RVs for sale. It

will also feature several service bays as

well as retail parts and accessories. The

dealership was anticipated to open in

July 2022.

• Brown &

Brown of Massachusetts LLC,

a subsidiary of

Brown &

Brown Inc., has

acquired substantially all of

the assets of CTI, which uses its proprietary software to offer a wide variety of

benefit plan audits to governmental and

private employers throughout the

United States. The company also acquired Dealer Specialties Group, an independent sales and service

organization providing F&I products

and sales support to automotive and

powersport dealers primarily in New

York State, as well as Profits Creation

Corp., which provides F&I products

and sales support to automotive dealers

across the southeast.

• Houston-based

PPL Motorhomes, one

of the largest RV consignment dealers in the

United States, announced the acquisition

of RV Swapshop in

Summerfield, Fla. This is the first acquisition for PPL outside of Texas and part

of an ongoing plan for strategic growth,

officials said. RVB

Brothers Coley and Ryan Brady,

founders of Alliance RV in Elkhart, Ind.,

were recognized by Ernst & Young LLP

(EY US) on June 20 as recipients of the

Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 Midwest

Award, according to a release.

The Midwest program celebrates entrepreneurs from Illinois, Indiana and

Wisconsin. Entrepreneur of the Year is

one of the preeminent competitive business awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who

think big to succeed, the release stated.

As regional award winners, the

Bradys will be considered by the national judges for the Entrepreneur of

the Year 2022 National Awards,

which will be presented in November

at the annual Strategic Growth

Forum. The Entrepreneur of the Year

National Overall Award winner will

then move on to compete for the EY

World Entrepreneur of the Year

Award in June 2023. RVB

Coley, Ryan Brady Named Midwest Entrepreneurs of Year

industry,” continued Kirby, “taxes that

fund roads, bridges, education, and the

parks and recreation areas our customers

visit.”

The 65 million Americans who plan

to go RVing this year contribute not only

generally to the U.S. economy, but to the

entire outdoor recreation economy, which

according to the U.S. Department of

Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis represents 1.8% of the U.S. gross domestic product. Camping and hiking, and

even boating and fishing are often not

just activities in themselves, but start and

end with a destination reached in an RV.

The RVs Move America Economic

Impact Study includes all companies involved in the manufacture, sale, rental, repair, storage, and service of RVs as well as

in the aftermarket industry, financing, and

insurance of RV purchases. The economic impact of campgrounds and trip

spending during RV travel is also captured in the report. RVB

report directly to her. Pouliot will continue to

work closely with the shareholders and the

board of directors.

Beyond her tenure at Thetford North America, Pouliot also serves as chairman of the

board for the RV Technical Institute, executive

committee treasurer of the RV Industry Association (RVIA) board of directors, chair of the RV

Supplier Committee and is a member of the

Michigan Association of Recreation Vehicles and

Campgrounds (MARVAC) board of directors.

She lives in Hartland, Mich., with her husband

and three children. RVB

JULY/AUGUST 2022 RVBusiness 21

Jayco Hosts Inaugural Family Night at Middlebury Campus

MIDDLEBURY, Ind. – Jayco announced that it held its first Family Night, with more than 1,000

employees and family members of the motorized division, on the evening of June 10. The event

consisted of food, contests, RVs and factory tours held on the Jayco campus in Middlebury, according to a release.

“This night was all about culture, showing value and appreciation for the team at Jayco. The

employees of Jayco and Entegra Coach are the life-blood of the organization,” stated Jonathan

Yoder, Jayco’s director of operations. “I was thankful the employees and their families were able to

appreciate the whole process, what each employee does, whether in station on the production line

or in their specific engineering, sales or purchasing role all the way to the final product. The true

pride is in each employee and their craftsmanship, along with the next employee, to create such a

beautiful final product that is truly worth displaying. Taking time to show appreciation to these employees and having fun in the process was a huge success.”

Facilities tours were encouraged to allow everyone to see the areas where their family members work throughout the complex. Each motorized line had bare chassis and finished coaches on

display to illustrate the process start to finish.

The Jayco family of companies manufactures and markets towable and motorized RVs

through its Jayco, Starcraft RV, Entegra Coach and Highland Ridge RV divisions. Products are

manufactured in Middlebury, Ind., Twin Falls, Idaho, and Shipshewana, Ind. RVB

Dometic Hosts Strategy Meeting with RV Aftermarket Firms

The Dometic team met on June 20 for its quarterly strategy meeting with RV aftermarket and

manufacturing leaders in Los Angeles, Calif. The meeting assessed progress made in 2022 and

current RV industry trends to recalibrate efforts for the remainder of 2022 and start of 2023.

Items on the agenda included reviewing the RV Dealers Rewards Program, refocusing the

field team as Territory Development Managers, and connecting with colleagues from Californiabased RV product supplier Valterra. The meeting, one among several scheduled throughout the

country, saw the first visit to the West Coast of 2022 for the Elkhart, Ind.-based Dometic team.

“Gathering the team to take stock of the progress we’ve made in the first half of the year and

review our current strategies benefits our team tremendously,” said Michael McCaslin, vice president of RV aftermarket sales and Service at Dometic “In light of current market conditions, we

plan to adapt and fine-tune our efforts to finish ’22 strong and position ourselves for significant

growth in ’23.”

For additional information on Dometic RV, visit: https://www.dometic.com/ennz/outdoor/nz/products/applications/rv RVB

Europe’s Caravan Salon Expands to 2.7M Square Feet

Caravan Salon, slated for Aug. 26-Sept. 4 in Düsseldorf, Germany, announced the expansion

of the world’s largest RV show. The exhibition area will grow by three to a total of 16 exhibit halls,

which means 600 exhibitors will have 2.7 million square feet of display space.

“Caravan Salon is the only place to see the full lineup of brands, thereby offering the kind of direct product comparison that is also only possible with us in Düsseldorf. We look to this year’s

event full of optimism and anticipation,” said Stefan Koschke, Project Director for Caravanning and

Outdoor. RVB

Bob Barouti, Founder of Giant RV in Calif., Passes Away

The RV Dealers Association (RVDA) announced May 24 that Bob Barouti, founder of RVDA

member Giant RV, passed away peacefully at his home on May 15. California-based Giant RV has

been recognized as an RVBusiness Top 50 Dealer multiple times.

Bob was a long time member of the CalRVDA board of directors, a board on which his son

Frankie Barouti currently serves. Bob worked on a number of major issues impacting dealers in

California, including sales tax and RV retail show issues and was honored by the association for

his service in 2016. RVB

Longtime Coachmen Class C GM Bear Announces Retirement

Mike Bear, general manager of Coachmen’s Class C Divisions, retired on June 1. Over Bear’s

34-year career with Coachmen, he has successfully served in a number of key leadership roles.

Over the past 14 years under Forest River, he has served as general manager of Coachmen’s

Class C Divisions.

With Bear’s retirement, Coachmen announced the promotion of Luke Handyside, who will

oversee the Leprechaun, Freelander and Concord product lines, and Nate Saunders, who will

lead the Prism and Cross Trail product lines. RVB

IN BRIEF

22 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

TOPof theNews

THOR from page 6

for our products.

Our growth and profitability is a result of our ongoing commitment to

prudent operational and financial management,” added Martin.

Q3 highlights included:

• Earnings per share for the third

quarter were $6.32 per diluted share, an

increase of 92.1% as compared to $3.29

per diluted share in the same period of

the prior fiscal year.

• Consolidated RV backlog as of

April 30 was $13.88 billion.

• During the third quarter, the company repurchased approximately $40

million of common stock under its

$250.0 million share repurchase program.

• During the third quarter, the company made principal payments of approximately $124.6 million on its Term

Loan. And subsequent to the end of the

third fiscal quarter, the company made

additional principal payments of approximately $140.5 million on its Term

Loan.

“At the end of our fiscal third quarter, due to the outstanding production

efforts of our team members, our independent dealer inventories of towable

RV products were at more historically

normal levels,” Martin added. “Due to

continued high demand for our motorized RVs and persistent global chassis

supply constraints, our independent

dealer inventories of motorized products were still below optimal levels. We

do not expect motorized RV inventory

levels to return to more historically normal levels until early in calendar 2023.

Martin noted that THOR decreased

its backlog by 21.7% to $13.88 billion

compared to Jan. 31, 2022, when it was

$17.73 billion.

“We are very pleased with our

progress, and we believe that the current

backlog, while still elevated, is indicative

of healthy long-term demand for our

RV products.” Martin noted. “As we

have reported, we actively verify the

backlog on an ongoing basis and will

continue to do so to make sure that it is

aligned with both our dealers’ inventory

needs and retail demand. To be clear,

the current level of our backlog remains

elevated, and we continue to be focused

on opportunities to lower it to more

traditional levels.

“We remain disciplined in aligning

production to meet current demand

without overproducing and overloading

our independent dealer channel,” he

added. “In order to align production

with retail demand, we pulled back on

towable production in the latter half of

our fiscal third quarter. On a historical

basis, we have prudently and proactively

managed our production rates categoryby-category based on market conditions, and we are doing so again today.”

In financial reports released by other

companies:

Winnebago Industries, Inc.

(NYSE: WGO), a leading outdoor

lifestyle product manufacturer, on June

22 reported financial results for the

company's fiscal 2022 third quarter.

Highlights:

• Record third quarter revenues of

$1.5 billion increased 52%, including

robust organic growth of 41%

• Reported quarterly diluted EPS of

$3.57 and adjusted EPS of $4.13, up

84% over prior year

• RV retail market share gains continue; 13.2%, +70 bps, fiscal year-todate through April

Record share repurchases of $70

million in the third quarter

• $148 million in cash returned to

shareholders through third quarter fiscal year-to-date

President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Happe commented, “The

trend in recent quarters continued, as

Winnebago Industries delivered impressive third quarter results, driven by

our team’s focused execution and good

progress on reducing our order backlog

in the quarter from our expanded portfolio of premier outdoor lifestyle

brands.

“In the third quarter, we capitalized

on the prime spring selling season to

further gain share and expand our

pipeline of lifelong customers, as our

golden threads of quality, innovation

and customer experience continue to

differentiate the Winnebago portfolio

and resonate with consumers.

“The unique strength of our brands

positioned Winnebago Industries to not

only gain market share but also to successfully take continued pricing actions

to offset meaningful component and

material cost inflation and enhance

margin performance across our segments. We are incredibly proud of our

results and the efforts of our talented

team across the organization.”

REV Group, Inc. (NYSE:

REVG), reported results for the second quarter of 2022 ended April 30

that included consolidated net sales

of $576.3 million, representing a decrease of 10.5% compared to $643.6

million for the three months ended

April 30, 2021.

The decrease in consolidated net

sales was primarily due to lower net

sales in the fire and emergency (F&E)

and commercial segments, officials said,

which were partially offset by an increase in net sales in the recreation segment primarily due to strong price

realization, and favorable mix, partially

offset by lower line rates and unit shipments related to supply chain disruption and labor constraints in certain

businesses.

Recreation segment net sales were

$241.0 million in the second quarter of

2022, an increase of $3.1 million, or

1.3%, from $237.9 million in the second quarter 2021. Backlog at the end of

the second quarter of 2022 was

$1,302.7 million, an increase of $362.2

million compared to $940.5 million at

the end of the second quarter 2021. The

increase was primarily the result of

strong demand and order intake in several product categories.

Skyline Champion Corporation

(NYSE: SKY) on May 23 announced

financial results for its fourth quarter

and full year ended April 2, highlighted

by net sales increasing 42.5% to $638.1

million and its total backlog increased

to $1.6 billion.

Cavco Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:

CVCO) announced financial results for

the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended

April 2, 2022, that included record

breaking net revenue and net income of

$505 million and $54 million, respectively. Also, backlogs were $1.1 billion

at April 2, 2022, compared to $603 million on April 3, 2021. RVB

24 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

As I travel to 20 Groups and visit

with dealers, I hear the same

questions and comments over

and over again: what are we going to

do about inventory?

After two years of having no inventory and scrambling for more, some

dealers find themselves with too much

inventory, even needing to cancel orders in order to manage rapidly changing demand. And wholesale price

inflation further complicates the picture – some dealers are reporting needing to expand their flooring lines even

as they reduce their units in inventory!

Having the right units in stock, at

the right time, is as difficult and important now as it has ever been. No wonder dealers are spending hours and

hours working on the jigsaw puzzle of

inventory management.

So, it might be a bit of a surprise for

most sales-oriented dealers that there

is a bit of inventory that they are overlooking, day in and day out – inventory

that, if properly accounted for and sold,

could profoundly change the bottom line

of the dealership. What I am talking

about is the inventory of unsold labor.

Wait, wait – labor isn’t inventory!

It’s an expense! This is just playing

with numbers! Or is it? When properly

analyzed, time is the only inventory

you have that is totally under your control, that you are guaranteed to have

more of every day, but which if not

used properly is irrecoverably gone at

the end of the workday.

Imagine if you had a product line

that guaranteed you 10 units every

morning at 7 a.m. Like a magic factory,

there they were – prepped and deAn author, consultant and instructor, John Spader has worked with a host of individual companies (most frequently retail dealerships) in a variety of industries. Spader Business Management — and the network of 20 Groups for which it has largely become

known — blends statistical analysis and hands-on coaching and consulting to assist clients in formulating proven business plans

and increasing revenues. Comments or suggestions can be sent to: [email protected].

■ BY JOHN SPADER & THE SPADER BUSINESS MANAGEMENT TEAM

SPADER

REPORT

It’s Always About the Inventory!

tailed, ready to be sold that day. Just

profit waiting to happen! Sound good?

I am sure lots of dealers would love to

have this line on their lots!

But there’s a catch to this miracle

product: if you don’t sell it by the end

of the day, all of the product disappears

… and you still have to pay for it. If

you think about it, that is the reality of

technician time. It is the only asset in

your company that depreciates completely every day!

Let’s do the quick math: if you’ve got

10 techs in the shop when the day starts,

and your labor rate is $150 per hour, collecting on 100% of their time should drive

$1,500 per hour, or something like

$12,000 per day in service labor. Do that

for a full year and that shop is collecting

a little over $3,000,000 in labor sales, all

at 100% gross margin.

Let’s compare that to other kinds of

inventory you sell. What kind of motorhome or travel trailer sales volume

would you need to generate

$3,000,000 of gross margin?

Just to give an example, if your average gross margin on unit sales is

15%, the answer to that question is

$20,000,000! And to add real perspective, let’s think about how much inventory you would probably need on hand

to drive those sales. In a more normal

times three turns is a pretty good job

of inventory management … given

that, you would need close to

$5,700,000 of merchandise in stock to

generate that kind of volume!

None of this is to suggest that service labor actually is inventory from an

accounting perspective, or that unit

sales should be compared directly with

labor sales. But it is an important reminder that service labor sales deserve

top-of-mind attention from all owners

and general managers.

The sales market is historically

fickle, but the service market is almost

always consistently strong. It’s your life

savings and your choice, but putting the

effort and energy into building a world

class service department seems like a

solid bet, especially when the risks of

generating comparable amounts of

gross margin dollars elsewhere in the

dealership are considered. RVB

“

”

The sales market is historically fickle, but the service market

is almost always consistently strong. It’s your life savings and

your choice, but putting the effort and energy into building a

world class service department seems like a solid bet.

26 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

■ BY SCOTT STROPKAI

STATISTICALLY

SPEAKING

Scott Stropkai is general manager of Statistical Services Inc., a well-known statistical and consulting firm in Grand Rapids, Mich. Statistical Surveys

tracks retail RV sales nationwide in all 50 states and Canada, producing market share information (available by subscription) for manufacturer,

model, state, basic training area (BTA), county, city, zip code and dealer.

I

n 2007 when Statistical Surveys

started tracking the Class B market

(we had been working on it for 4-5

years to make sure the data was accurate)

it was commonly referred to as a “niche”

product in the RV industry.

Fast forward 15 years and B-vans are

anything but niche. They are a major component of the motorized market.

In fact, in 2022 (YTD April) B’s account

for 29.73% of the motorized market,

where in 2007 they were just 4.39% of all

motorized sales.

These types of gains do not just happen

by coincidence. As more manufacturers noticed the gain in B’s we have seen an influx

Class B Segment Still Riding a Wave of Momentum

of companies producing them. The B-Van

market in 2007 consisted of fewer than 10

manufacturers and in 2022 that number is

up to 20 – and most likely growing.

I know this article is filled with way too

many numbers, but I think they help paint

a story of why B’s are here to stay.

In 2014 we only had three

states/provinces with over 100 B-Van registrations for the year. In 2021 – just seven

years later – we had 33 states/provinces

that exceeded that number of registrations.

This amazing growth shows that this market is growing in all parts of the U.S. and

Canada does not appear to be slowing.

Also, while the overall RV market for

new registrations is off in 2022, the B-Van

Class B 12MR Demographic Data (US) as of April 2022

axle

“

”

In 2014 we only had three states/provinces with over

100 B-van registrations for the year. In 2021 – just

seven years later – we had 33 states/provinces that

exceeded that number of registrations.

market is up over 40%.

Another interesting aspect of this segment of the market is we are bringing in

non-traditional RVers. While I don’t have

any hard evidence to back that statement

up, over the last 6-8 months I have had numerous friends and family ask about this

type of unit and how they could get one.

These friends and family members who

inquired would most likely never RV, at

least in the traditional sense of camping at

a campground or park, but they will take

it to a sporting event, concert or to visit

kids in college.

As an industry when people are using

RV’s in any way shape or form, there’s no

question that we all should be excited. RVB

28 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

Wells Fargo’s Lyon: What Economic

Headwinds Mean for the RV Industry

What the world has endured the

past few years is nothing short

of extraordinary. From a business perspective, every single industry

has been impacted in some way, including the RV sector.

We’ve been operating in an anomaly

where supply and demand for products

have been completely mismatched for

two years. Now that we’re seeing signs

of normalization in supply and consumer

consumption, combined with inflationary

pressures and impending economic impacts, we need to ask ourselves some important questions – one of them being

how can we best position ourselves for

this next phase of our business cycle?

We know that our dealers and manufacturers are incredibly adaptable and resilient. The industry has endured many

changes over the years and there’s no

doubt it will endure whatever comes

next. We knew the market would normalize eventually, and ideally it would have

normalized in an overall better environment. However we remain optimistic for

this next phase. Here are a few economic

variables we’re keeping an eye on, and

how they may impact the RV industry:

Consumer Consumption — A potential lull in demand due to inflationary

pressures is something we’re just starting to see materialize. Retail registrations are normalizing to more historical

rates. However overall demand remains

higher than usual.

Of course, the looming question is

whether the normalized demand will stay

the same or if it will continue to trend

downwards.

What we do know is many consumers

remain in a strong financial position due

to excess savings from the pandemic, and

personal consumption has been stronger

than originally anticipated in Q1, contributing to a boosted PCE forecast for

the year1

. If consumer spending continues to slow, it could be the perfect time

for dealers to reassess their inventory.

When demand and supply chain woes

were at their peak, there was a rush to

get any product that was available, and

now there’s an opportunity to reevaluate

who the customer is and how dealers can

best meet those interests.

Unemployment Rates — Unemployment rates have nearly returned to prepandemic levels and are on track to end

this year at 3.3%2

. While low unemployment can fan the flames of inflation, it

also means more income in the hands of

consumers and an increased likelihood

that businesses will be able to pass rising

input costs onto the consumer. Demand

for labor remains high and difficulty in

filling positions is an ongoing challenge,

so this is the right time to look at your

business and see where there are opportunities to maximize efficiencies, whether

that’s looking at productivity levels or

making investments to close the gap.

Inflation — The word of the year! Inflation was on everyone’s mind at the

start of the year with consumer demand

driven by a hot economy that was well

outpacing supply. Now, we have an ongoing geopolitical conflict combined with

Covid-related shutdowns in China creating more uncertainties around the climbing price of goods.

However, many consumers say inflated prices won’t interrupt their summer travel plans. The cost of an average

RV trip has only increased about 5% YOY,

compared with a 23% increase in hotels

and a 33%3

increase in airfare, making

RV travel one of the more economical options. Additionally, new RV users and

campers have increased significantly

since the start of the pandemic, and 2022

should be no exception, especially since

Chad Lyon is the Commercial Leader for Wells Fargo Distribution Finance RV Group.

n BY CHAD LYON

77% of RV users now own versus rent4

,

and they’ll want to utilize their investment.

Interest Rates — This is an area of

the economy that is a little more challenging to make predictions for. We expect short-term interest rates to climb

this year, which will create higher borrowing costs for dealers with normalizing

inventory levels. While we’ve seen longterm interest rates spike and increase

buying costs for the consumer and the

cost of financing an RV, on a historical

basis, they’re still relatively low given

how high inflation currently is.

As inflation gets under control, we expect them to stabilize and come back

down. Given the information shared earlier about the financial position of consumers, we do not expect this to be as

much of a headwind as initially forecasted.

Overall, this is just another chapter

for the RV industry. It’s important for the

industry to be tuned into what’s happening with the broader economy as we repeatedly find ourselves in unprecedented

territory. Economic predictions can

change weekly and even daily, and therefore dealers should really ingest the information available and consider

potential impacts to their business. We

remain optimistic about the future of the

industry and are ready to support our

dealers and OEM’s through all phases of

their business cycle. RVB

RVBUSINESS

GUESTVIEW

“ ”

1

Wells Fargo U.S. Economic Outlook: May

2022-- Wells Fargo - U.S. Economic Outlook:

May 2022 (bluematrix.com)

2

Wells Fargo U.S. Economic Outlook: May

2022-- Wells Fargo - U.S. Economic Outlook:

May 2022 (bluematrix.com)

3

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price

Index April 2022

4

KOA North American Camping Report 2022

It’s important for the industry to be tuned into what’s happening

with the broader economy as we repeatedly find ourselves in

unprecedented territory.

30 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

RV Trader Sees Big Shifts in Consumer Search Terms in 2022

An internal analysis of consumer

searches conducted on RV

Trader’s online marketplace website has revealed major shifts in how

shoppers are searching for RVs through

the use of keywords in 2022. The differences suggest shifting priorities among

consumers, even as searches by brand

and by class have held relatively steady.

The No. 1 most searched keyword

phrase among RV shoppers this year is

“Super C,” which has experienced a

massive 167% increase in searches

from the same time period last year

when “Super C” was only the fifth most

popular keyword.

Super C RVs are larger than typical

Class Cs, and can even look like Class A

RVs. However, unlike Class As, Super Cs

are still not built on bus chassis. Consumers’ increasing attraction to Super

C’s demonstrates that they value the

marriage of added space and power with

flexibility and drivability.

The second most searched keyword

is “diesel,” which has experienced a 12%

drop from the same time frame in 2021

when it was the No. 1 most searched

term. Undoubtedly, the ongoing gas price

crisis has impacted the appeal of diesel

RVs for some consumers. In fact, a recent survey of 1,083 RV Trader shoppers

found that over half of RVers said high

gas prices have caused them to adjust

their upcoming trips.

“Bunkhouse” is the third most

searched keyword in 2022 so far, with a

5% increase from the same time period

last year. Bunkhouse travel trailers are

RVs that include bunk-beds in one or

more interior spaces, reiterating how RV

camping is a community activity undertaken by those who value adventuring

with family or friends.

Next up, “toy hauler” has experienced a 100% increase in searches from

the same time frame in 2021. Toy

haulers are fifth-wheels or travel trailers that include a rear space for transporting powersport vehicles. Clearly

there’s a healthy segment of RV shoppers that doesn’t just want to take it

easy at the campsite.

Rounding out the top five most

searched keyword phrases is “4x4,”

with an 82% increase from the same

time period last year. Otherwise known

as four-wheel drive RVs, 4x4 vehicles

are for those whose travels take them

off-road. Due to the drivetrain, most

4x4 RVs are Class B campervans,

though there are some four-wheel-drive

Class Cs. Along with toy haulers, the

popularity of 4x4s emphasize how

RVers can be active adventurers.

Of course, RV shoppers often shop directly by OEM, searching for specific

brands that make their favorite models.

Year-to-date in 2022, the most searched

OEM is Forest River, which also held the

top spot in 2021. Winnebago and Keystone are the second- and third-most

searched brands in 2022, respectively,

also holding steady from last year.

The top five most-searched manufacturers are rounded out by Grand Design

(4th) and Jayco (5th), which swapped

places from 2021 when Jayco was fourth

and Grand Design was fifth. The consistent search trends for these OEMs yearover-year demonstrate the strength of

the brands to persist in popularity, even

as keyword search trends have more

dramatically shifted.

Notably, searches by vehicle class in

2022 have remained virtually unchanged

Rachel Heseltine is the Vice President of Consumer Growth at Trader Interactive, parent company of RV Trader, a leading online marketplace for

buying and selling new and used RVs.

n BY RACHEL HESELTINE

in rank from last year, with travel trailers as the most-searched RV class, followed by Class A, Class C, fifth-wheel,

and Class B. Travel trailers are often the

introductory class for those newly entering the RVing world and their ongoing

popularity is a positive sign for the industry, as the travel trailer audience segment has the opportunity to be seeded

for future motorized purchases.

Taken as a whole, these search

trends reflect a strong but shifting RV

market in 2022. The spike in consumer

searches for Super Cs, along with increased shopping for bunkhouses, toy

haulers and 4x4s, demonstrates the dynamic interests of RVers who seek to

make adventure happen with their family and friends. Ultimately, this data can

inform dealers’ marketing strategies

and help them frame their advertising

messages with concepts that are valued

by RV prospects.

Meanwhile, the drop in searches for

diesel RVs suggests that consumer shopping habits can be affected by current

events. Dealers selling diesel RVs will

have to closely monitor the situation to

determine if it becomes a more long-term

trend and prepare to adapt their sales efforts to overcome this potential obstacle

(keeping in mind that while searches for

diesel have dropped in 2022, it is still the

second-most searched term overall).

Finally, the steady popularity of the

top-searched OEMs and classes should

emphasize to dealers the benefit of having a diverse inventory of brands whenever possible, as well as the importance

of marketing travel trailers as a widely

popular introductory class and retaining those buyers for future motorized

RV purchases. RVB

RVBUSINESS

GUESTVIEW

“

”

Taken as a whole, these search trends reflect a strong but shifting RV market in 2022. … Ultimately, this data can inform

dealers’ marketing strategies and help them frame their advertising messages with concepts that are valued by RV prospects.

32 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

shows no signs of slowing,” Kirby said in

his welcoming remarks.

Once again, RVs Move America Week included a full slate of committee meetings,

in which volunteers from across the RV industry collectively worked to build a strategic roadmap to help define the industry’s

growth. The committee meetings also were

a great opportunity for RVIA members to

learn more about the association’s programs and initiatives to promote and protect the RV industry.

In addition, participants heard presentations from political speakers including

Fox News broadcast journalist, anchor and

author Bret Baier and Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter.

Following the committee meetings, attendees had the opportunity to participate

in Advocacy Day in which participants met

with Congressional leaders and their staffs

to lobby on behalf of causes friendly to the

RV and camping industries.

One of the key talking points in those

Capitol Hill discussions was the newly released study detailing the RV industry’s $140

billion economic impact. In addition, the

I

t was somewhat of a surreal feeling

among participants of RVs Move

America Week, the five-day conference hosted June 5-9 by the RV Industry Association (RVIA) at The Mayflower

Hotel in Washington D.C., as it was the first

time the annual meetings had been held

in-person since 2019.

After acknowledging the event’s return

from its pandemic hiatus, RVIA President

Craig Kirby noted that at the last in-person

“Committee Week” three years ago, attendees lobbied Congress for what eventually

would become the landmark Great American

Outdoors Act.

That legislation is the largest investment in the nation’s public lands in nearly

a century. The funding will go a long way

toward modernizing and expanding campgrounds and ensuring safe and adequate

access to public lands and waters for generations of RVers to come.

“Its passage highlights the significant

impact the RV industry is having on policy,

due in large part to our growing industry,

strong consumer demand and unprecedented interest in outdoor recreation that

The first half of the committee meeting for the Go RVing Coalition was dedicated to presentations by the

marketing agencies that assist the Go RVing team with its outreach efforts. Generally, those presentations

detailed the changing demographics of consumers, the creative messages developed to appeal to that

audience, and the specific methods to place those messages in front of those would-be RVers.

n BY RICK KESSLER

After COVID Hiatus, RV Industry

Returns to Washington D.C. for

‘RVs Move America Week’ Event

study revealed that the RV industry supports

nearly 680,000 jobs, and pays more than

$48 billion in wages. This is a 23% increase

in economic output in the past three years.

(See page 6 for more coverage)

Committee Meetings

As mentioned, the activity, discussion

and decisions within the dozen committee meetings all helped set the directives

and agenda for the Reston, Va.-based

trade group, while serving as a grassroots

effort to advance the greater good of the

industry as a whole.

Perhaps it was Chad Reece, director of

corporate relations for Winnebago Industries Inc. and the chairman of the Public

Relations Committee, who summed it up

best when he said it was “so good to get

us all back together again.”

“This is our first time in person for a

couple years. We have been meeting remotely, but it’s not the same,” he continued. “Still, there’s been a lot of great work

going on. So, credit to the staff and support of the committee to get those things

done.

JULY/AUGUST 2022 RVBusiness 33

“But it’s good to come in, to refresh,

and to find out where we’re at so we’re

able to go through what’s current, what’s

going on and look towards the future a

little bit and see what might be some

things that need moving forward so we all

can be prepared. And that was the whole

point of today.”

In abbreviated form, here’s a sampling

of what select committees discussed during their respective meetings:

• The Canadian Coalition meeting offered RVDA of Canada, Canadian RV Association (CRVA) and the Canadian Camping

and RV Council (CCRVC) an opportunity

to meet with RVIA and its members to

exchange updates on their respective

Associations.

“The RV industry has experienced certain challenges over the past decade and

often they are not restricted to either of

our countries. Meeting during RVIA’s ‘RVs

Move America Week’ has proved to be invaluable for the respective associations

and provides us with an opportunity for informal and critical discussions on topics

such as RV delivery barriers at the border,

the future of EVs and concerns on campground site availability,” committee chairman Shane Devenish told RVBusiness.

• For the most part, the Aftermarket

Committee discussed the upcoming Aftermarket Conference, which is scheduled for

Aug. 8-11 in San Antonio, Texas. At the

time, there already were 153 people registered for the event, reported RVIA staff liaison Jeremy Greene, and there’s every

expectation it will easily eclipse last year’s

219 attendance total. In addition, Greene

mentioned the new appointment-setting

app was to have been tested in the coming

week or so. The app is designed to make it

much easier to schedule meetings between

attendees.

• The first half of the four-hour Go

RVing Coalition meeting was dedicated to

presentations by the marketing agencies

tasked with helping the industry-wide

group refine and deliver its marketing

message to would-be RVers. Representatives identified the characteristics defining the next generation of RVers, then

explained the methods to place that message in front of consumers. In short, the

next generation of RVers are more diverse

than ever before, and the best way to

reach them is a variety of highly targeted

digital platforms.

“The biggest takeaway we wanted for

our members was to really start understanding diversity in America and what

that means for Go RVing, what that

means for the RV industry and why when

members or consumers see an ad for Go

RVing, they’re going to see diversity

there,” said Courtney Bias, the director of

Strategic Marketing and Communications

for Go RVing.

• The Supplier Committee again discussed the viability of a trade event specifically for supplier companies to present

their products to OEM customers. The topic

has been bandied about ever since the National RV Trade Show in Louisville was discontinued after the 2017 event. It was

decided that a task force would be established to further advance the discussion.

• As for the Public Relations Committee,

among a wide range of topics the group discussed was whether common messaging

was needed to provide the industry with

talking points when the media asks about

high gas prices and other headwinds.

In addition, the group talked about the

need to continue to be “storytellers” to

help spread the appealing message of

RVing. Toward that end, several committee

members touted the “Media Summit” event

in which a variety of national and niche

media outlets gathered June 9-12 for RV

camping at the Harpers Ferry KOA in West

Virginia.

“It ties everything together because

we’re in Great Outdoors Month (June), RVs

Move America Week, and we’re going to cap

that off with Go RVing Day on June 11,”

Reece said. “It’s the first one out of the

chute. So, this is pretty exciting stuff.”

Advocacy Day

Always one of the more memorable experiences of RVs Move America Week is

Advocacy Day, in which attendees lobby

Congressional leaders and their staffs on

Capitol Hill on matters that would advance the RV industry’s agenda.

This year, 114 participating advocates

and guides took part in 101 meetings with

Senators from 27 states and Representatives from 54 different districts on issues

critical to the growth of the industry.

As the impact of RV industry continues

to grow, its influence in Washington is vital

for the future success of the $140 billion

industry. This compelling economic story

provided a great backdrop for RVIA members and staff to urge members of Congress

to support investments in infrastructure

and promote outdoor recreation needs and

During the Go RVing Coalition meeting, committee members were presented with several examples of how demographic trends were influencing the Go RVing marketing efforts. The slide above

illustrates how the data form the 2020 census confirms Americans are increasingly ethnically

diverse. The slide below is Go RVing's marketing response to that trend.

34 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

federal reforms the RV and camping industry need to truly thrive.

The following actions were urged:

• Support the bipartisan America’s

Outdoor Recreation Act (S.3266)

• Support the establishment of grant

and incentive programs for state and local

governments, as well as the private sector, to build a robust rural network of EV

charging stations

• Reauthorization of the GSP program

with a six year or longer renewal term and

inclusion of all Indonesian lauan

Discussions on Capitol Hill were extremely positive, officials noted, as legislators and their staff recognized the

fundamental change happening in the

way Americans are prioritizing time in the

great outdoors and embracing the freedom that comes with RVing.

Organized by RVIA’s Government Affairs team, a traditional Advocacy Day on

Capitol Hill served as a fitting end to RVs

Move America Week, an event sponsored

by Airxcel, THOR Industries, Winnebago

Industries, Patrick Industries, Truma, Forest River, Alliance RV, REV Group, Thetford, and Bank of America.

Industry Awards

While most of the week was devoted to

committee meetings and lobbying, attendees also found time to honor several people for their contributions to the greater

good of the industry as a whole.

First among those honored was David

Humphreys, the former RVIA president

from 1979-2006, who passed away May 12

(see related coverage on page 36). Following that, RVIA Chairman Jeff Rutherford of

Airxcel announced this year’s RVIA award

winners.

Recognized as the association’s highest

honor, RVIA’s Distinguished Service to the

RV Industry Award was presented posthumously to Kevin Phillips, the former Thetford Corp. and Airxcel executive who died

in April 2021 due to complications from

COVID.

Phillips served with distinction on the

board of directors from 2009 to 2018,

Rutherford noted, including executive

committee roles as secretary and treasurer.

He chaired the Governance Committee and

Nominating Committee, and was a member

of the Market Information, Public & Legislative Affairs and Supplier committees.

“As an enthusiastic volunteer leader,

Kevin was always willing to step up and

lead a challenging project, earning the respect of those around him with his excellent strategic thinking and personable,

pragmatic approach,” Rutherford said.

“Over the years, I came to know Kevin

as an association colleague, a competitor,

a co-worker and a friend. There is no doubt

that he was one of our best and brightest

and an essential part of the fabric of our

industry and our association,” he added.

Accepting the award was Phillips’ wife,

Seann, and children: Jessica Engstrom, Steve

Phillips, Taylor Phillips and Kate Borough.

Presented in conjunction with the RV

Dealers Association (RVDA), the David J.

Humphreys RV Industry Unity Award recognizes those who continuously strive to

encourage the multiple constituencies of

the RV industry to work collectively for the

growth and betterment of the industry.

This award was presented to Garry Enyart

of Cummins Inc. who has served RVIA in a

variety of board positions including treasurer, second vice chairman, first vice

chairman, and chairman of the board.

Rutherford noted Enyart’s leadership

through the pandemic among other

achievements, but also highlighted his

efforts to spearhead a blue-ribbon group

of leaders from RV manufacturers, suppliers, dealers and distributors to develop impactful solutions to parts and

service issues through the Repair Event

Cycle Time (RECT) initiative to get RVers

back on the road sooner and improve

consumer satisfaction.

“Throughout his distinguished career

with Onan/Cummins and his dedicated

service as a volunteer with the RV Industry Association, Garry has relentlessly

worked to foster an understanding, cooperative environment among RV manuRVIA’s Distinguished Service to the RV Industry

Award was presented posthumously to Kevin

Phillips, the former Thetford Corp. and Airxcel

executive who died in April 2021 due to complications from COVID. Accepting the award was

Phillips’ wife, Seann, and children: Jessica Engstrom, Steve Phillips (at podium), Taylor Phillips

and Kate Borough.

Continuing with how demographic trends were influencing the Go RVing marketing efforts, the

slide above shows how 49% of Americans live in a non-nuclear household. The slide below is Go

RVing's marketing response to that growing trend.

JULY/AUGUST 2022 RVBusiness 35

facturers, suppliers and dealers,” Ruther

-

ford summed up.

For his part, and after expressing his

appreciation, Enyart noted that it was

“wonderful to see so many familiar faces

in the audience, but it was even better to

see so many new faces, too.”

The National Education Service Award

recognizes those individuals who have

been instrumental in the development

of educational programs for the RV in

-

dustry, and this year’s recipient was

Doug Gaeddert of Forest River. Forest

River General Manager Kevin McArt ac

-

cepted the award on behalf of Gaeddert,

who was unable to attend.

Crediting his “passionate advocacy” for

RV service training and certification for

dealer and independent technicians,

Rutherford called Gaeddert a “founding fa

-

ther” of the RV Technical Institute (RVTI).

“Leveraging his robust network of re

-

lationships, Doug is responsible for nearly

3,000 more trained technicians than what

we had just three years ago,” Rutherford

said. “During his time on the RVTI board,

Doug was relentless in bringing manufac

-

turers, dealers and suppliers together on a

level never seen before to address the crit

-

ical issue of technical training.”

The Distinguished Achievement in RV

Standards Award, which honors those con

-

tributing to the enhancement of the in

-

dustry’s standards, was presented to Tim

Schlabach of THOR Industries. A key mem

-

ber of the RVIA Technical Subcommittee

for many years, Rutherford has contributed

“considerable expertise and guidance to

the group,” said Schlabach.

In addition, Schlabach is responsible

for the development of a major reorgani

-

zation of the 2026 edition of the NFPA

1192 RV Standard that will result in a more

efficient and easier standard to read and

use. He was also instrumental in the de

-

velopment of the ANSI Recommended

Practice Laboratory Test Procedures for Ex

-

terior Ladders (EXTLAD-1).

“His commitment to serve and assist in

the development of standards, enforce

-

ment positions and policies has greatly as

-

sisted the Standards Department and is

respected by his colleagues in the RV in

-

dustry,” Rutherford noted. RVB

Flanked by Airxcel’s Jeff Rutherford and Craig

Kirby of the RVIA, the Distinguished Achievement

in RV Standards Award was presented to Tim

Schlabach of THOR Industries.

36 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

The RV Industry Association (RVIA) joined the rest of the

RV arena in mourning the May 12 passing of David J.

Humphreys, 86, who was instrumental in founding the Reston,

Va.-based trade group for which he served as president from

1979 to 2006.

“Under his leadership,” the association stated in a release,

“RVIA grew from a fledgling group into a highly respected professional trade association that reshaped the image and elevated the awareness of RV travel and camping with consumers,

media, and government, positioning the RV market for exceptional growth over the last 40 years.”

Humphreys joined the Recreation Vehicle Institute (RVI) in

1969 as Washington counsel and helped arrange the merger of

RVI and the Trailer Coach Association in 1974 that ultimately

created RVIA. He served as interim president for three separate

stints in 1974, 1976, and 1978 before officially being named

president in 1979.

“Dave’s impact on the industry is immeasurable,” said RVIA

President & CEO Craig Kirby. “His passion for the RV industry

was always evident and he played a critical role in elevating

our entire industry. The emphasis that I along with the entire

RV Industry Association team place on unity is thanks in no

small part the legacy Dave left behind.”

Humphreys, a 1997 inductee into the

RV/MH Hall of Fame, understood that a

strong trade association and a unified industry were key to overcoming serious

challenges in order to capitalize on a

strong consumer passion for RV travel

and camping, RVIA’s release noted,

adding that under his leadership the RV

arena weathered energy crises, economic

downturns and global conflicts while

promoting RV ownership to a growing

and receptive audience.

Critical to these efforts were the strategic coalitions and

partnerships spearheaded by the association under his direction – none more so, in RVIA’s view, than the 1997 creation of

the Go RVing Coalition by RVIA and the RV Dealers Association

(RVDA) and the subsequent launch of the national advertising

campaign that has introduced millions to the benefits of RV

travel and camping.

Humphreys led the creation of the American Recreation

Coalition (ARC), a federation of 100 recreation-related companies active in governmental policymaking that facilitated the

development of the National Scenic Byways, Take Pride in

America and the President’s Commission on American Outdoors.

“Dave was a leader in putting RVs in mainstream conversation with government officials, the media and consumers and

he ensured the RV industry’s voice was heard in the travel industry,” said Kirby, noting that Humphreys’ main legacy involves “a trade association that continues to unite a diverse

industry in pursuing the collective mission to promote and protect the RV industry” to this day.

Among the other touching comments that surfaced upon

Humphreys’ passing were those of Airstream Inc. Vice President of Sales Justin Humphreys, Dave’s son, who described

him as the patriarch of a large family consisting of 10 children,

24 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren who was especially

proud of the industry Unity Award bearing his name.

“Late in his life, as Dad underwent cancer treatments, he

saw so many children going through the same thing, which

broke his heart,” said Justin. “As a result, he started a fund

through St. Jude’s called the ‘Dave Humphreys Double Whammy

Fund’ to help support the most vulnerable. Whether professionally or personally, through life’s biggest challenges, he was a

champion of unity and goodwill for others. I am so proud of

this incredible quality of his.”

Former Coalition Chair and Carefree of Colorado President Tom Faludy: “There is no question that we, as an industry, are as successful as we are not just because of the hundreds

of brilliant entrepreneurs who risked it all to manufacture ever

more compelling products, the dealers who committed to make

their customers happy and suppliers who kept raising the bar

but also because David Humphreys’ leadership and gravitas

ushered us into a new era.

“Fact is, in his general demeanor and professional approach,

he groomed us to become – and to be perceived as -- an industry of a higher order. He stepped up our game and thank

goodness he did. God bless Dave Humphreys and his family.”

Former Monaco Coach Corp. President Jim Sheldon:

“David J. Humphries will be remembered in my opinion as the

single most timely leader our industry association has ever had.

Without his guiding hand, the RV industry undoubtedly would

have wallowed in mediocrity as just another cottage industry.

Instead, he took charge during each and every one of the crises

we faced, and each time we got stronger.

“Dave worked tirelessly to bring about the formation of a

true national organization called RVIA and one of his earliest

accomplishments was keeping the association afloat during the

first Arab oil boycott in 1974. He then masterfully navigated

RVIA through the stormy days of 1979 and 1980 when RV's

were labeled ‘gas guzzlers.’ This was followed by our own dicey

internal debate over the creation of the Go RVing advertising

program. And it went on and on.

“One of Dave's greatest talents was that of the unifier. Working with our dealer partners within RVDA and the state associations, he was able to identify common ground where each

segment could be satisfied. Dave set the bar very high for

those who will follow. That's the way it should be. Thank you,

Dave. You will be missed.” RVB

n BY SHERMAN GOLDENBERG

RV Industry Mourns the Passing of Dave Humphreys,

An RVIA Exec Who Led the Association for 27 Years

David J. Humphreys, 86, who passed away May 12, was instrumental in founding the RV Industry Association and served as its president from 1979-2006.

Dave Humphreys

THOR Industries Inc. on May 24 released the

company's 2022 U.S. Camper Perception Study,

which explores consumer RV purchase and usage

behavior in the environment of rising fuel prices, as

well as their perception of sustainability-focused

organizations.

It’s worth noting that, at the time of the study’s

release, the national average for the price of gasoline was $4.60 per gallon.

Confirming the long-term viability and growth

of the RV lifestyle and industry, the new study

finds that rising fuel costs will have minimal impact

on consumers’ likelihood to purchase an RV in the

next five years. The survey, which includes information from those who camped or glamped since

38 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

■ BY RVBUSINESS

It seems as if there’s no shortage lately of studies, reports and surveys that offer insight into the RV industry,

both from a strictly business activity perspective as well as an analysis of the habits of RVers themselves. What

follows is a select accounting of three of those studies.

Recent Studies & Surveys Offer

Insight into RV Business, Trends

2020 – 80% of whom had an RV experience in the

past two years – also indicates that rising fuel

costs have a nominal impact on intended RV usage

in the coming year.

Key findings from the study include:

• 67% of those who have RVed in the last two

years reported rising fuel costs have increased

their likelihood to purchase an RV in the next five

years, or has no impact

• 69% reported rising fuel costs have increased their likelihood to use an RV within the

next year, or has no impact

Findings of the first-ever Campground Industry Market Analysis by the RV

Industry Association (RVIA) indicate that, generally speaking, RVers prefer

campgrounds that offer a range of amenities to make full use of their RV. Yet,

the same study reveals there’s a large disparity between the types of amenities offered by public vs. private campgrounds

Prior research has shown that campground availability and the amenities

offered at campgrounds are key factors to the retention of RVers, yet RVIA’s

new campground report shows that only 8% of public campsites and 51% of

private campsites have full-service hookups. Compounding this problem is the

fact that during the during the peak camping season of June, July and August,

76% of all campsites are booked, meaning it is difficult for RVers to find a

campsite that meets their needs.

The analysis also found a disparity in amenities between private and public

camp.grounds. This is especially apparent in the availability of Wi-Fi in public

campsites versus private ones, as well as with other available amenities such

as dump stations. Research also indicates the need for increased pull-through

RV sites within both private and public sectors. Altogether, these findings indicate that increasing campsite amenities should be a priority of the campground industry, as this would improve consumers’ overall campsite experience.

With the significant influx of new RVers in recent years, the data in the report clearly indicates that both the public and private campground sectors

within the “Outdoor Hospitality” industry need to continue to grow, expand,

and redevelop their supply of facilities to keep pace with consumer demand,

particularly when it comes to providing full hookups and Wi-Fi to meet both

current and future needs of RVers.

THOR: Gas Prices Have

‘Limited Impact’ on RV

Sales, Usage

RVIA Report Sees Campground

Growth from Private Sector

RV Rental Association Survey Shows RV Rental Business has Growth Potential

Although many people only think of motorhomes

when it comes to RV rentals, a May 27 survey by the

RV Rental Association (RVRA) found 81% of RV rental

dealers also rent RV trailers.

Of the rental dealers surveyed, 59% said more

than one-fifth of their business last year was from

customers who already owned an adequate tow

vehicle.

The RV rental fleet will be about 2% larger this

summer than it was a year ago due to supply chain

disruptions, so families hoping to rent an RV for a vacation will need to act fast to get the exact RV type

they want, the release continued.

Another 37% of rental dealers responding to the

survey said over one-fifth of their business was from

customers wanting to have a trailer delivered to a

campground or other location of their choice, where

dealership personnel connect all utilities. RVB

L

ike a lot of family members who grew

up around an RV dealership, Mike

Pearo has seen a lot – and not all of

them good – while working a variety of

jobs at Hilltop Camper and RV, a retailer

founded by his grandfather, Roy Pearo, in 1951

in Hilltop, Minn.

The current chairman of the board of the RV

Dealers Association (RVDA), Pearo well remembers the difficulty of trying to maintain open

work orders and keeping customers informed of

service progress, a situation magnified as that

original family store grew to encompass four locations throughout Minnesota.

The turning point, said Pearo, was when

Hilltop was approached a few years ago by its

dealer management software provider, IDSAstra, to beta test a new program designed to

track work orders through its system. Developed after IDS was asked by RVDA to help develop a means of managing – and improving –

dealership repair event cycle times (RECT), the

program was refined through feedback until

the mainstream version enabled RV retailers to

not only track service orders but also compare

their performance to other dealers regionally

and nationally.

“Each dealer gets

monthly reports that extract

data and puts it in a format

that allows key people in

each organization to track

their progress,” said Frank

Tamburrini, IDS general

manager. “It shows whether

the service was a warranty

or customer-requested repair, how long it required, whether the open work order was due to

a part being out of stock and a lot more. A lot

of times, it just comes down to miscommunication between departments – so it gives a dealer

the information needed to ‘drill down’ and optimize its parts and service departments.”

As Pearo pointed out recently in a discussion with RVBusiness, the software has been a

“game-changer” in allowing dealerships to take

better control of their service departments.

“The fact that it can break down the different parts of a repair order’s life cycle gives us

a great window into where we might be running into roadblocks,” he said. “The different

stores can compare their reports with one ann BY BRUCE HAMPSON

‘RECT’ REBOOT

Repair Event Cycle Time Initiative Gains New Traction

As Industry Seeks to Raise the Bar on RV Consumer Care

40 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

Mike Pearo, left, of Hilltop Camper

and RV and the chairman of the RV

Dealers Association, and Garry Enyart, recently retired from Cummins. The two are among the

leaders actively looking to gather

industry-wide adoption of the Repair Event Cycle Time initiative.

Frank Tamburrini

All the

processes are part

of the puzzle and

we’re trying to get

everyone to work

on their parts of

those processes.

It’s not a sprint,

it’s a marathon.

But we all are in

the race.

– RVDA President

Phil Ingrassia

“

”

other and, when one location is doing

better in a certain area, allows our service

and parts managers to get together and

ask, ‘How are you accomplishing that?’ We

can work together and share information

to get better at what we do.”

Such software systems – in addition to

IDS, a similar program is used by dealers

employing the Lightspeed dealer management system by CDK Global or another by

Motility – are helping RV retailers dramatically move the needle when it comes

to RECT and service in general.

After a much-published debut a halfdozen years ago, RECT never was truly

able to establish a permanent foothold

before the pandemic stopped the world.

And then, someone flipped a switch

somewhere and the popularity of RVing

soared. Since then, for the most part, the

industry’s primary focus has been on feeding demand. It’s only very recently that,

as the supply chain begins to normalize,

RECT is again taking center stage as a

wide-angle strategy to dramatically speed

up service turnaround times.

Not a New Problem

To be sure, service department bottlenecks have long been a problem within

the RV industry – the topic was part of

earlier initiatives such as the Consumer

Care Commission and the Committee on

Excellence – but it

wasn’t until Brian

Wilkins, then RVDA

chairman, gave his

outgoing address during the 2016 RV Dealers International

Convention/Expo in

Las Vegas that it was

again brought to the

forefront — and stayed there.

“Where we have excelled at bringing

more innovation, more design and an enhanced look to product, we have failed at

developing the back-end systems necessary to support our customer and their

products,’’ the owner of New York-based

Wilkins RV told show attendees, adding

that manufacturers must improve “complex supply chain issues that impact parts

availability and interfere with our customers’ satisfaction with the overall RV

experience.”

“Is it doable?” he asked. “It may not

be easy, but it is. And it’s the type of vision that I feel we as an industry need to

be aiming for.”

It’s a vision the industry has been aiming at ever since.

To that end, the executive committees

for RVDA and the RV Industry Association

(RVIA) – along with a number of OEMs,

suppliers and wholesaler representatives

– met during the 2017 National RV Trade

Show in Louisville, Ky., to discuss improving aftermarket support for the end-user

and for the industry.

“We had a good cross-section of the

industry there,” said Garry Enyart, an

RVIA past chairman who recently retired

as director of RV generator business at

Cummins and will continue to helm the

industry focus on RECT going forward.

“That was the beginning of really putting

the spotlight on this problem and identifying what the impediments were – and

doing it with data this time.”

At the time, Cummins was one of the

only companies in the industry employing

Six Sigma — a statistical and data-driven

process that emphasizes cycle-time improvements while reducing manufacturing

defects — as a process-improvement tool.

Enyart utilized the process to distill a

thousand work orders acquired from 50

dealers, enabling the formed committee

to identify the inputs creating problems.

“There were a whole bunch of inputs

that slowed down the ability to repair a

unit quickly, but the biggest ones that we

focused on were parts identification and

parts delivery,” said Enyart. “As an example, one of the things that we ‘fixed’ was

how dealers received parts. Previously, the

supplier would send the part to the OEM,

who would then send it on to the dealer.

So, we needed a robust drop-ship program

where if the OEM didn’t have the part in

stock, the supplier could ship it directly

to the dealer.”

Not a Simple Solution

The importance of having parts available in the right place at the right time,

Enyart pointed out, is a cornerstone to reducing repair event cycle times.

Of course, that, too, is not without its

stumbling blocks.

“Some of the things that make our

product great are also the things that fuel

challenges,” said Wilkins. “The ability to

change a product on a dime allows us to

improve the product – but it disables our

ability to track what parts went into that

product. I get that. If we slow down and

track 100% every item that goes into

every RV, we’re going to add cost and slow

down the production. That’s where I think

that, as an industry coming together and

working together, maybe we could better

find those solutions.”

And, as RVDA President Phil Ingrassia

pointed out, parts procurement and availability is just one piece of the puzzle in

reducing service times for on-the-road RV

consumers.

“Everybody’s got a piece of repair

event cycle time,” he said. “Certainly, the

dealer on the ground and where we’re

measuring the time it takes to get the

unit fixed is important, but the dealer

also has to work with suppliers and manufacturers who either are on one side of

it providing the parts needed for the repair or are on the warranty side of the

house, providing approval for that repair

to be started and finished.”

Also included, Ingrassia said, is the

need to speed up warranty approval

processes – “How can they (OEMs) put

processes in place where the dealer can

just commence repairs without first checking with the manufacturers?” – as well as

a need for more trained technicians.

There again, however, Ingrassia noted

that training needs to go beyond the people using wrenches on customer units.

“Dealers are training people through

the RV Learning Center and through the

RV Technical Institute – and trained technicians absolutely are important,” he said.

“However, you can have the greatest

trained technicians in the world, but if

they’re practicing the wrong management

processes – the scheduling, the service

writer/advisor relationship with the customer — that can slow things down.

That’s where the RV Learning Center comes

in, with fixed operations trainings for service advisors. Soon, parts people will have

access to online training as well.”

There isn’t, said Ingrassia, any one

part of the repair event cycle time that

will, by itself, result in dramatically lowered service times. “All the processes are

part of the puzzle,” he added, “and we’re

trying to get everyone to work on their

parts of those processes.

“It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” he

added. “But we all are in the race.” RVB

Brian Wilkins

Hilltop Camper and RV Service Technician James

McDonald tightens the lug nuts on an RV wheel.

Hilltop Camper and RV Service

Technician Mark Fraser

JULY/AUGUST 2022 RVBusiness 41

While there’s no denying that

the pandemic – and its

squeeze on overseas parts,

both from a manufacturing

and shipping perspective – has thrown

a wrench in what, until its onset, was

a slow but steady reduction in repair

event cycle times (RECT), the industry

is nonetheless beginning to coalesce

around a long-overdue reevaluation of

the way it approaches not only the procurement and cataloguing of parts, but

also warranty authorization issues.

One of the first changes was implemented by NTP-STAG RV Distribution,

the industry’s premier parts wholesale

distributor. Bill Rogers, president of

NTP-STAG and its parent company, Keystone Automotive,

has been part of the

industry’s RECT

“task force” from

the initial meetings

in 2017, and it wasn’t long before he

put a plan in place

to utilize NTPSTAG’s distribution

muscle to help alleviate the parts bottleneck. The company initially partnered with a supplier, Coleman-Mach,

to carry its air-conditioners, then began

working directly with manufacturers including Grand Design RV Co., Jayco

Inc. and Winnebago Towables.

“We go through a process of determining what parts are probably the

most active in terms of warranty,”

Rogers told RVBusiness. “That means

looking at their information and determining whether or not we already have

the part and, if not, if it’s a part that is

available to us, and working through

the process in terms of them (OEMs)

dropping us orders and processing them

so that we get parts to the dealers as

fast as possible.”

That usually means as fast as

overnight, a performance metric nearly

unknown within the industry before the

program was implemented. With eight

distribution centers and 45 crossdocks

located across the country, “we hit 90%

of the population areas the next day,”

Rogers pointed out.

Of course, the NTP-STAG program –

and others also highlighted here – is

not without cost to the manufacturers,

underscoring their commitment to alleviating extended service times.

“If you consider what an OEM pays

for a product and what we (NTP-STAG)

pay, we probably pay a higher price

from the manufacturer,” Rogers said. “A

lot of time, that might simply be due

to packaging differences; products NTPSTAG purchases are meant for point-ofpurchase displays, whereas the

manufacturer might be getting pallets

of product used in production.”

That said, the costs oftentimes equal

out by the manufacturer taking advantage of NTP-STAG’s regional distribution

centers and saving on shipping charges.

“Having certain of our products –

Coleman-Mach air-conditioners and Suburban furnaces – carried by NTP-STAG

works to the dealer’s benefit and to

ours,” said Piar Adams, vice president of

marketing, aftermarket, and international sales for Airxcel Inc. “We work

with NTP-STAG on a

warranty fulfillment

program, so they fulfill warranty orders

on our behalf

through their logistics/distribution system. We take the

warranty inquiry from

the dealer as we normally would, but once we do the adjudication, rather than put the order into our

system, it goes through NTP-STAG’s system and is fulfilled by them. We work out

details behind the scenes after that.”

The benefit to dealers, Adams said,

is a dramatically shortened timeframe.

Rather than wait on a warranty unit or

part to ship from an Airxcel manufacturing facility – a process that usually

takes three to five days – the dealer will

instead likely receive it within 24 hours.

A secondary benefit, said Adams, is

a reduction in possible freight damage.

“That’s not a big issue because we ship,

in almost all cases, truckload quantities. But when we’re shipping a warranty unit and it is going LTL (less than

truckload), you have a higher risk of

freight damage. The incidence of freight

damage with NTP-STAG’s delivery trucks

is almost zero.”

Jayco, for its part, has partnered

with NTP-STAG for “about a year-and-ahalf,” said Steven Claude, Jayco’s vice

president for customer service, “and

they’ve been a great

partner.”

“Using NTP-STAG

has been a great

asset insofar as us

being able to provide fast service to

our customers and

being able to put

product out in the

field quickly,” he added. “We’ve been

working diligently with our suppliers to

get proper inventory in place. That

means ensuring that NTP-STAG is

stocked as well as Jayco, so we can respond immediately.”

n BY BRUCE HAMPSON

Bright Spots Abound on

Fixing the Parts Bottleneck

42 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

One of the remedies for parts bottlenecks is OEMs maintaining a robust inventory of the parts

needed most frequently. Toward that end, Heartland RV doubled the size of its parts warehouse

and the number of SKUs stocked in inventory.

Bill Rogers

Piar Adams

Steven Claude

continued on page 102

One of the biggest advancements of late impacting Repair Event Cycle Times (RECT)

has nothing to do with parts

of delivery times or warranty processing. It’s software.

“RVs are very complex products –

there are thousands of components in

an RV,” said RV Dealers Association

(RVDA) President Phil Ingrassia. “That

makes the job for the industry complex

as well. What we’ve seen over the last

few years has been a real commitment

from the dealer management software

(DMS) providers to provide those measurement tools so that dealers can

measure their own repair event cycle

time – how long it takes for the repair

order to be completed – and then,

through that, identify bottlenecks in

their own system with their suppliers

and manufacturers so they can work

through them.

“The industry,” he added, “owes a

huge debt of gratitude to our DMS

providers.”

Currently, IDS-Astra, CDK Lightspeed

and Motility have each integrated the

ability to track RECT not only at an individual dealership but within dealership

groups. The monthly reports, distilled

from the work orders input into the software systems, also allow dealership

managers to compare their performance

against regional and nationwide service

efficiencies. Depending upon the system, it may also trace key performance

indicators in sales and F&I.

“Lightspeed has offered reports for

a number of years that touched on

some of the questions posed by

RECT,” said Rob

Grant, field sales

director at CDK

Global. “We called it

‘days in shop.’ When

the RV industry

began refocusing

on customer service

and repair event cycle times, we

jumped on board and added some additional features and insights that

keyed on things that affect RECT such

as how it’s impacted by warranty work

versus parts and having to order parts.”

Presented in both grid number and

graphs, the Lightspeed reports track

such data as total days in the shop,

start/finish/delivery days, length of time

to identify and procure parts and more.

It also “drills down” with supporting reports than dealers can run on specific

orders and customers. On the parts side,

the system can suggest reorder points to

maintain inventory based upon demand

and even seasonality.

“It’s raised the awareness level of

dealers as they have been able to now

address some of those key items they

can control within their dealership,”

Grant said. “Some dealers have been

able to cut their RECT by up to 50%, on

average, compared to the national

numbers.”

Another aspect of the Lightspeed

system, said Grant, is the ability for

dealers to use it to automatically communicate with customers via text messaging or email automatic updates to

schedule regular service.

The value of being able to monitor

RECT can’t be overstated, added Frank

Tamburrini, general manager of IDS.

“Whether it’s a

warranty claim or

someone bringing in

an RV for service,

the RECT reports

track the work orders throughout the

system, extract the

vital information

and put it in a format that allows key people in the organization to see how well they are

doing,” he said. “It also helps identify

inefficiencies. A lot of time, simple miscommunication between departments

can lead to longer repair times; RECT

reports allow service departments to go

through every phase of the work order

to see what might have happened to

hold up the repair.”

By working with dealers, Tamburrini

said the reports also are continually

being evaluated for meeting additional

requirements.

“Last year, some of the feedback we

received was dealers asking for the

ability to see how different service advisors stacked up against one another,”

he said. “A dealer might have a ‘superstar’ who has found a way of moving orders through pretty quickly while others

might need more training. It now provides that insight. We’ve also made it

easier for dealer groups to compare

their locations against each other.

“The RECT program should be a living breathing program that’s constantly taking in new feedback and

then providing better visibility for our

dealers,” Tamburrini added. “We’re actively gathering information and then

we’ll look at incorporating it. Our challenge is, not everybody in the industry

does something the exact same way. I

think if everyone in the industry is trying to work in a similar fashion, track

information in a similar fashion, the

value of the reports will be even better. But we’re looking for feedback all

the time.” RVB

n BY BRUCE HAMPSON

Major DMS Providers Incorporate

RECT Data into Monthly Reports

44 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

Currently, IDS-Astra, CDK Lightspeed and Motility have each integrated the ability to track RECT

measurements. The data is used to not only identify inefficiencies, but also highlight processes

and persons that are performing at optimal levels.

Frank Tamburrini

Rob Grant

I

f there’s one thing that distinguishes RV manufacturing from

companies in related transportation industries, it’s the ability to

take an idea and build an entirely new

company around it. From the guy who

constructs teardrop trailers in a renovated garage to experienced executives who pitch their new concept to

investors and dealers and go on to establish a major manufacturing footprint, the entrepreneurial spirit is truly

alive and well in the RV industry.

On one hand, this startup mentality

fuels the creativity that’s the hallmark

of the RV industry. But on the other

hand, it’s also a hurdle when it comes

to servicing those units.

“For example, a simple slideout

motor may have 10 different part

numbers,” said Mike Regan, president of Texasbased Crestview

RV. “It’s the same

part, but depending upon where

you buy it from, it

will have different

part numbers assigned to it by

each OEM using it.

“It drives service writers crazy,” he

added. “You don’t know what you don’t

know; if a service writer thinks the

part has a certain number, he doesn’t

know to look for it elsewhere under a

different number, because no one’s

told him it’s the same product.”

Establishing a commonality of part

numbers industrywide is something

that the RVDA/RVIA RECT committee

has been pushing and needs to continue, said Garry Enyart, who will continue to oversee the effort following

his June retirement

from Cummins.

“Consolidating

and sorting

through all that

hardware is a big

task, but it’s

something that

will be ongoing,”

he said. “But we’re

going to start with a ‘top 100’ parts

from each supplier and start consolidating those. That will have a significant impact on who stocks what

and where, and have the right part

in sufficient quantities at the right

place at the right time.

“This is how the automotive industry has sustained itself for years,” he

added. “The auto industry doesn’t give

away those parts, but it does have

them available when they’re needed.”

Along with the push for industrywide part numbers, Enyart outlined

several other key issues that continue

to stymie the full adoption of RECT.

Another stumbling block, he said, was

warranty processing.

“There are OEMs that are focusing

on this, but streamlining the warranty

process so a dealer doesn’t need to

get authorization for everything on

every repair is something that needs

attention,” he said.

Other aspects of improving RECT

include standardizing “best practices”

within the industry and engaging

RECT discussion “Partners in Progress”

meeting at the RVDA Convention/

Expo. And, of course, a continued

focus on product quality.

Training, too, is high on the list.

“RVIA and RVDA have come a long

way in getting techs trained nationwide,” said Regan, “but having

enough techs is still a big issue.”

Enyart concurred. “There’s a fixed

amount of (service) capacity in this

industry and it’s based upon how

many trained technicians you have,

how many service bays you have and

how fast you can get the customer’s

unit repaired properly the first time.”

Pedal to the Metal

Enyart also will be working to keep

RECT in the forefront of industry discussions. While RECT has met with

some success and has been embraced

by some individual companies, his aim

is to keep it front and center for

everyone associated with the supply

chain and manufacturing.

“One of the things I’m going to do,

starting in the third quarter, is put together a quarterly newsletter that outlines everything being done to

improve RECT,” said Enyart. “There are

some individual companies with people working on this every day, but

now I’ll be doing it for the industry.”

Addressing repair event cycle times

is, said Regan, “the single most important thing that this industry can

do to take care of the end-users. We

knew we had a problem in taking care

of our customers, but RECT put a spotlight on it – and we saw it’s a bigger

problem than we even thought it was.

“Everyone’s doing their part,” he

added. “I’m not sure that there’s one

answer that fits everything, but there

are many ways, many paths, to get

there – and we all need to get there.

I don’t know if we’ll ever get to a destination – it’s more of a journey – but

so long as we’re all improving, it’s

good for the industry.” RVB

n BY BRUCE HAMPSON

What’s Next? Parts, Warranty, Training

All Part of the Puzzle on RECT ‘Journey’

Common parts numbering across the industry and warehouses consistently stocked with the

most often needed parts are two of several goals of the repair event cycle time initiative.

Garry Enyart

Mike Regan

46 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

Startup Manufacturers, Some Backed

by Familiar Names, Are Looking to

Stake their Claim in the RV Marketplace

■ BY RVBUSINESS

48 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

Standing with Ember RV’s innovative off-road chassis is, from left, company

founders Ashley Bontrager, Steve Delagrange and Chris Barth.

Ember RV: ‘Building Better RVs

by Building a Better RV Company’

Ember Recreational Vehicles was founded in 2021 on the

principle of “building better RVs by building a better RV company.”

Owned by a partnership that includes President & CEO

Ashley Bontrager Lehman, Vice President & Chief Operating

Officer Chris Barth, and Operations Directors Steve Delagrange and Ernie Miller, the company is already churning out

adventure-ready travel trailers from a brand new 88,000-

square-foot production facility near Bristol, Ind.

“Leading a company has always been a goal of mine,” said

Bontrager, the granddaughter of Lloyd and Bertha Bontrager,

founders of Jayco, a company which grew to become one of

the nation’s largest RV manufacturers. “And growing up

around the RV industry through my family’s company, it has

always been special to me. There’s a unique energy in this industry that is alluring and it’s full of so many great people who

are talented and innovative. Luckily, I have three of the best

working alongside me to not only build RVs, but to build a

With the popularity of RVing at an all-time high, it stands to reason that entrepreneurs, having taken notice,

would want to try their hand at helping people enjoy the great outdoors from the comfort of an RV.

Whether brand new to the industry or veterans striking out on their own, there’s no shortage of startup OEMs

looking to stake their claim in the RV marketplace.

That includes Ember RV, founded by four partners with generational ties to the industry, as well as Brinkley RV

and Encore RV, both of which were founded by individuals with longtime experience at various manufacturers.

Recently, RVBusiness took a closer look at who’s behind these new company and what motivated them to

open up shop.

& CONVERSATIONS

JULY/AUGUST 2022 RVBusiness 49

great company, too.”

Bontrager says the real key to the company’s success is the

building a robust team with experience and specialized expertise.

“We’re stronger together, so creating a culture where each team

member is encouraged and empowered to share their unique

talents and insights is a top priority for me and the other

founders,” she said.

She mentioned that Delegrange and Miller have 47 years of

production experience between them, and Barth, an industry

veteran of 25 years, is known for his innovative, trend-setting designs with a lengthy array of significant RV product improvements to his credit. Barth was also known for his strong

relationships with and service to dealers across the nation, Bontrager pointed out.

“We’re excited to enter the marketplace in the new, but fastgrowing segment of adventure campers, taking design cues

from European and Australian caravans as much as from the

growing overland culture here at home,” Barth said. “We know

our higher quality approach won’t produce the lowest-priced

products, but price is only an issue in the absence of value and

we think today’s RV customers will see the difference.”

Ember RV debuted with four innovative travel trailers specifically designed for adventure camping off-road and off-grid. Each

of the eight Overland Series models and both of the Overland

Micro Series ROK (Rear Outdoor Kitchen) and ROL (Rear Outdoor Locker) units offer several highly distinctive features, most

notably its Trailblazer chassis.

The chassis is constructed with heavy-duty, reinforced steel

tubing instead of a conventional I-Beam frame, standard CURT

Independent Suspension System that boasts a trailing-arm, axlefree design with road-dampening shocks and heavy-duty

springs. Other chassis features include a patent-pending integrated parking brake, a heavy-duty electric flat jack, a unique

tongue-mounted gearbox, and Ember’s exclusive VersaCoupler

customizable hitching system.

More recently, Ember introduced two tandem independent

suspension floorplans – the 201FBQ (Front Bed Queen) and

the 221MDB (Murphy/Double Bunk).

“Once again, these floorplans are in response to actively listening to what our customers are asking for,” Barth said. “We

have strong customer demand for floorplans with a north/south

walk-around bed and also frequent requests for when they

would be able to buy a larger, tandem axle-equipped floorplan

from Ember.”

Both new floorplans are stretched, widened and enhanced

versions of Ember’s two most popular floorplans.

The 201FBQ is a 24-foot long, 96-inch-wide couples’

coach/non-bunkhouse layout featuring a walk-around residential

queen bed (60-inch X 80-inch) in the front with enhanced storEmber recently introduced two tandem independent suspension

floorplans – the 201FBQ and the 221MDB.

It might have been one of the industry’s worst-kept

secrets, but several well-known industry executives on

May 19 finally confirmed their intentions to launch an

all-new RV manufacturing firm called Brinkley RV on

the southeast side of Goshen, Ind.

Behind the new development are four co-owners:

Ron Fenech, a former THOR Industries Inc. president

and co-founder of Grand Design RV and Keystone RV

who plans to serve in an advisory role, while day-today management will be handled by former Grand Design RV execs Nate Goldenberg and Micah Staley as

well as Ryan Thwaits, formerly affiliated with Red Rock

Supply and Indiana Transport.

While plans call for the construction of three

175,000-square-foot production facilities on a 252-

acre campus near the Elkhart County Fairgrounds,

Brinkley RV looks to move into its first plant in the

fourth quarter of this year with production getting underway in early 2023. The firm projects employment of

up to 350 workers by the end of next year.

Goldenberg in June agreed to answer a few questions on behalf of Brinkley’s management team about

the new company, a startup RV builder that’s prompted

plenty of buzz since going public in May.

RVB: Why, in the big picture, did you guys decide

to start Brinkley RV?

Nate Goldenberg: We’re entrepreneurs at heart,

and we have a lot of dealer friends wondering why we

waited so long. We like building brands, and the industry needs more privately owned manufacturers and

there’s obvious opportunities in the market.

There’s a new generation of forward-thinking

younger leaders coming up and we’re proud to be a

part of it. In fact, we want to start a movement that

drives change in our business for the good on both the

dealer and OEM levels. In a lot of ways, we think manufacturers are holding dealers back from being great.

One of our core values is to simply be the best. We

really don’t care about being the biggest or chasing revenue.

Having said that, we respect the heck out of the Big

Three and there’s clearly merit to public companies. For

us, though, we much prefer the flexibility and connection of being private. We’ve been on both sides. When

you’re a part of a public company your responsibilities

change and there’s more distractions. We like staying

connected with our people and our customers in ways

that in a public setting you just can’t. Having that connection is when the magic happens. We see a long future of doing that.

Brinkley RV Offers Details on

Upcoming Production Launch

continued on page 50

The Brinkley RV Group includes, from left, Nate Goldenberg,

Ryan Thwaits, Micah Staley and Ron Fenech.

50 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

age in the bedroom, large pantry space in the kitchen, a hidden

wardrobe with extra storage space, and a much larger front

pass-through storage area. It also includes a 16-foot awning,

storage sofa slideout, and 10-cubic-foot, 12V refrigerator.

The 221MDB is a 26-foot long, 96-inch-wide bunkhouse

floorplan featuring Ember’s first walk-around residential queen

Murphy bed (60-inch by 80-inch) in the front, ample storage in

the new sofa slideout, extra countertop space in the kitchen, additional pantry storage and 600-pound rated double-over-double

bunks in the back. The enlarged 18-foot awning covers the standard outside kitchen and the inside kitchen features a 10-cubicfoot, 12V refrigerator.

Ember backs all of its products with its “easy as 1-2-3” warranty – a one-time transfer, two-year limited base warranty and

a 3-year limited structural warranty – giving customers the peace

of mind they deserve as they head out on their adventures.

Encore RV: Quality Control, Not

Quantity Goals, is Key to Success

Quality, not quantity, is the mantra for Elkhart, Ind.-based adventure trailer OEM startup Encore RV, according to founder

and president Rich Schnippel.

Founded in August 2021 amid challenging labor and supply

chain conditions, Schnippel – a motorsports/cargo trailer and RV

veteran having worked for ATC and inTech – said the plan was always to start small with his ROG-branded lines. Operating in a

15,000-square-foot facility, the company now employs 25 workers.

“We didn’t want to go at this really large,” Schnippel said.

“We wanted to try and do it on a smaller scale. It allowed us to

do the most important thing for us, and that is control quality.

We really want to watch quality. I don’t want to have to make excuses. I’d rather explain a slightly higher price one time than poor

quality time and time again.”

Another reason to keep the scale small was Schnippel’s perception of today’s RV market.

“We were really aware that we were on a 12-year roll, and

we knew it’s going to come to an end at some point, so we

specifically said we were going to start with small trailers,”

Schnippel said.

This made it easier to cultivate a dealer network because, “it’s

easier to sign up a dealer when you can do a load of three just

to get them out the door and get him going. And you can do that

for under $60,000,” he said. “The idea was you’d be able to start

a dealer with less money. You would bring them into a product

that they may not have the greatest experience with, but they

know it’s a growing market, a niche market, these smaller

teardrops or square-back trailers, or ‘adventure trailers’ is what

we call them in our category.”

The price point also was important because it lowers the

RVB: What can you tell us about your production

complex?

Goldenberg: We have around 250 acres on the

southeast side of Goshen. We selected this location

because it’s very accessible to an incredible workforce

in our area. The property is big enough for us to grow

for years to come and, being contiguous, leads to much

better cohesiveness and efficiencies.

There is access to another 120 acres right next to

us if we need it. The plants will be very updated in comparison to most, and we’re focused on having an incredible work environment for our people. It starts with

them and we plan to prove that.

RVB: So, what does the market need that it doesn’t

already have?

Goldenberg: It’s not that the market doesn’t already

have what it needs. The market doesn’t always know

what it needs until it has it, but if you listen to retail customers and dealers there’s a void in a lot of areas. We

plan to attack those areas and in turn give the dealers

and consumers what they’re asking for. We’re six

months out from production so I’ll leave it at that.

RVB: Could you provide an overview of your business model?

Goldenberg: We intend to partner with the best dealers in North America, deliver them a quality product that’s

very focused on the retail customer’s needs and all combined with great back end support. We’re not going to

have a ton of dealers, so the plan is to partner deeply with

the ones we have in all areas. We’ll be very accessible to

retail customers. We don’t run from warranty issues – fix

them quick, get good data and move on.

The collective production philosophy is that if you

continued on page 52

Brinkley RV from page 49

Rich Schnippel, founder and president of Encore RV

52 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

Brinkley RV from page 50

build every unit like it’s for a family member, your perspective changes. Come in every day with that mentality, then take a little extra time to make sure it’s done

right. Are people going to have bad days and make mistakes? We’re human, so, yes. But we believe that creating an environment with that mindset will be the

foundation of a great company – and great companies

build great products. That’s what we’re here to do.

RVB: Your thoughts on the market in general?

Goldenberg: We have a very positive outlook on the

broader market with a bright future ahead of us. We’re

going through a reset now, but we knew that was coming in Q3 last year. There are definitely some significant

challenges ahead, but our industry is very resilient.

RVB: Can you speak to those specific challenges?

Goldenberg: Sure – product positioning, pricing,

parts, service, internal company structures, compensation and digging out of the inventory mess of both

rolling stock inventory and material from the suppliers.

RVB: What’s your gameplan – to the extent that you

can tell us – regarding product?

Goldenberg: We plan to start with the mainstream

towable segments, then, most likely, a full profile fifthwheel brand. Then we’ll build what the dealers need.

We’re fortunate to still be very close to product. We can

really go in any direction the market demands. Micah

and I still ran brands ourselves at our last company. We

have the dealers’ trust in towables. That’s what we do

best. After that, we’d like to get into motorized.

RVB: How, by the way, did you pick the name

Brinkley?

Goldenberg: We wanted a name that had a friendly

approachable ring to it. Mostly we wanted our name to

mean one thing to our customers: ‘Brinkley, a company

you can trust.’ We know we need to earn it, but that’s

the plan.

RVB: So, how do you plan to stand out from the

rest of the market?

Goldenberg: Most departments of the company are

being revised from the norm. We are thankful to be a

part of such a wonderful industry with so much opportunity. In saying that, anything that would fall into the

category of ‘this is the way we’ve always done it’ will be

the first items on the list to be overhauled.

In today’s business environment you have to acclimate to change, and that happens to be our comfort

zone. Dealers want OEMs to evolve. Brinkley is what

they’re asking for. We have a clean slate and we’re

going to use it.

RVB: What, more specifically, are the dealers asking

for?

Goldenberg: They expect a quality unit that doesn’t

take shop time away from their customers, and they want

brands they can PDI quickly in two hours or so. Parts

must be readily available; they need to be shipped quickly

and correctly. In addition, many of the same warranty issues that we’ve seen in the top five for years need to go

away. And, lastly, they’re asking for streamlined communication in all departments. So, in the end, collectively,

every interaction with Brinkley will feel different. RVB

threshold a buyer must cross. MSRPs for ROG models land in

the mid- to upper-$20,000 range.

“The entry point is lower, but we’re selling a quality product.

You can buy something for less in the same size, but you won’t

have the features, it won’t be built as well and it won’t be built of

the same materials,” Schnippel said.

Three ROG models are currently in production – the 12RK

with a rear kitchen, the 12BH bunkhouse and the micro-toy

hauler 10MC. The company is building 10 units per week.

“Actually, we were really thinking we’d be at 12 by now, but

we decided to stay at 10 and focus on quality,” he said. “The

leap up has to make sense. Each time we do it, we’re watching

it. Our QC person is out there. It was a conscientious decision

to hold up and focus on quality.”

He added that members of the Encore owners’ group are

commenting on the level of quality.

“Some of them are first-time buyers, but the majority of them

have owned something before and are very impressed with the

quality of what they’re getting,” he said.

Encore models are all-aluminum, all-tube and employ what

Schnippel describes as “tri-bond construction.” The frame, chassis, walls and roof are assembled first with an industrial adhesive,

then mechanically fastened and welded, creating an incredibly

strong and lightweight cage frame to which fiberglass exterior

walls are bonded.

There is no wood anywhere in an Encore trailer, Schnippel

said, so there’s no chance of water damage or moisture penetration. ROGs feature lightweight aluminum cabinets that are

CNC laser cut, formed and powder coated, Schnippel said, and

when cabinets are installed, they become an integral part of the

structure creating added strength.

Large all-terrain tires, torsion axle suspensions and a proprietary roof rack system are all standard equipment.

He believes customers will spend money on quality versus

buying a product of lower quality that will require more maintenance and will not hold its value in the used market.

Another advantage in the small-trailer market is that buyers who

are first-timers don’t have to purchase a different tow vehicle.

“Our product doesn’t require anything special to tow it. Most

small SUVs, even a Subaru, can pull this,” Schnippel said, adding

that all Encore models are designed to keep tongue weight manageable, even after adding payload.

And while the thrust at the company’s founding was the small

adventure trailer market, Schnippel said the future holds some

larger offerings.

“It was well thought out as far as what we were going to

come after first, but I’ve got some products coming that are really

innovative in the larger travel trailer market,” he said. “It just wasn’t

the right time to bring those out first.”

In the engineering phases of production is a 20-foot toy

hauler that will accommodate a four-door side-by-side and a 20-

foot camper version, along with 14- and 16-foot models of both.

All will be adventure trailers that are off-road-capable.

Dealer response to Encore’s offerings has been positive and,

“Our demand is still high, but we’re doing it in a really controlled

way. I’ve not brought on every dealer in the world who wanted

to be a dealer,” Schnippel said. “It would have been easy to have

a big backlog, but right now, if somebody calls me and says,

‘Hey, I’m running low on these, is it going to be a while before I

can get them?’ I can say, ‘No, it’s not. Don’t worry. I’ve got some

stuff here I can get to you in a two-week period.’ Look, it doesn’t

work for me to sign every dealer and have a backlog or start allocating. Not in my first year.”

He said Encore has some dealers who are on their fourth or

fifth loads, which, “for a company that’s only been delivering

54 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

since December, that’s pretty good. We’re very pleased with

the retail sell-through.”

AEONrv

Founded in 2021 by a pair of

former Silicon Valley startup

execs who have a combined

60+ years of experience in software expertise and technology

innovation, Reno, Nev.-based AEONrv is looking to be a disrupter in the small Class C space by changing how RVs are

made and equipping them with the latest technology. Jim

Ritchie, AEONrv co-founder and CEO, said he and cofounder and CTO Lars Severin didn’t really start out with the

idea of forming an RV company. Aimed at the adventure market, AEONrv offers industry-leading off-grid capability and a

unique build profile that uses no mechanical connectors. Built

on a Ford Transit chassis, all panels and cabinets are glued

together akin to construction methods used in high-end marine or aerospace applications. No screws or staples that can

work loose over time are used.

Visit https://aeonrv.com

Alpine Vans LLC

The team at Alpine Vans LLC prides itself in understanding the multi-sport athlete, the weekend warrior and the nomad,

and custom builds tough, practical vans.

Founded in 2021, Conshohocken, Pa.-

based Alpine says its process starts with

asking the customer a simple question:

“What do you do?” Alpine’s Mercedes Sprinter-based builds

are durable, easy to use and simple to re-configure from winter to summer. “From the basics like trash, recycling and laundry to the details like boot & glove dryers, draining 195cm ski

racks and MTB trays under the bed – we get adventure vans

and how they will be used,” the company states. Standard

builds start at $30,000 and include: camper window with

slider and screen; electrical system with Battle Born, Redarc,

Simlex and Victron components; plus two MaxxAir vent fans;

75x78 platform bed; two kitchen cabinets; two overhead cabinets; two drawers; and a dry-flush toilette system.

Visit https://alpinevans.com

Cortes Campers

After years of experience in designing

and manufacturing offshore high-performance powerboats from best-in-class

marine fabrication materials, Cleveland,

Ohio-based Cortes Campers decided

to use its expertise to design and build

travel trailers for the RV market. The

company enters the RV market with topof-the-line molded fiberglass travel trailers with patent-pending designs for comfort, style, durability

and longevity. And only premium fiberglass composites are

used in the construction of the interior and exterior monolithic

structural surfaces. Only the best exclusive marine grade gelcoat is applied to coat the fiberglass surface. Founded in

2021, Cortes Campers received its initial purchase order of

$1.15 million from Florida and Oregon distributors in December of that year.

Visit https://cortescampers.com

Elevation Park Model Company

Elevation Park Model Company was born out of a need in

the market for a new manufacturer with a different way

of doing things. Based in

Elkhart, Ind., the company’s

founders saw a growing demand for park model RVs

across the country, and a shortage of product on dealers’ lots.

With over 25 years of combined experience, Brent Kattau and

Joel Lederman – both heavily involved in the innovation and

design process for an established manufacturer – decided to

venture out on their own. In fall of 2021, they started construction of a 60,000-square-foot modern production facility and

began assembling a group of well-established dealers to partner with. “Elevation’s goal is to combine a passion for uplifting

people to reach their potential, creating a team atmosphere

where everyone feels valued, and a commitment to building

the best quality product on the market. We look forward to

pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in a park model,

providing a great experience for customers, an honest relationship with dealers, and family environment for our employees for many years to come,” the company states.

Visit https://elevationparkmodels.com

Great Outdoor Cottages LLC

Founded in late 2020 in

Georgetown, Del., Great Outdoor

Cottages LLC describes itself as

a team of developers, investors

and adventurers. The company

was formed to design and build

innovative and high-quality cabins,

park models and cottages for the

campground and resort industries. The company prides itself on designing and building

high quality, innovative and functional products – made in the

USA. “We strive to create memorable experiences of the

great outdoors while still having access to modern amenities

that all can enjoy,” the company states. Great Outdoor Cottages hopes to tap into the growing market of camping and

RV parks in central and southern Delaware that are booming

in part because of beaches and a 100-acre youth sports complex.

Visit www.greatoutdoorcottages.com

Ozark Mountain Adventure Vans

While Springfield, Mo.-based

Ozark Mountain Adventure Vans

(OMAV) may seem like new kids

on the block in the Class B world,

that’s not exactly the case. Springfield Coach Group (SCG), the

parent company of OMAV has

been building limousines, party

buses, Ford Transit, Dodge Promaster and custom Sprinters for the last 30 years. But when

COVID hit, SCG found itself with 60,000 square feet of manufacturing space and demand for limousines and party busses

waning. The team pulled together in 2020 and began building

quality Class B adventure vans. OMAV employed simple design elements to build vans with four different layouts and a

handful of options to satisfy every need. Their long-term relationships with manufacturers Mercedes, Ford and Ram gives

them an advantage on pricing and gathering units.

Visit https://ozarkmountainadventurevans.com

continued on page 111

n BY RON BARGER

Hitches & Towing and Related Products

Meeting the Increased Demand for Safer,

Smoother Towing & Driving Experience

As the ongoing boom in RV sales continues, even if it is

somewhat moderated as of late, there’s no question that all

segments of the industry are reaping the rewards.

Indeed, the manufacturers, assemblers and distributors

in one of those segments in particular – generally speaking,

everything designed to make the ride safer, smoother and

hassle-free – also have experienced record sales, and certain challenges, as they meet this demand.

Given that the RV industry’s boom has put countless

numbers of inexperienced RVers on the road, equipping

them with premium hitches and towing products as well as

wheels, brakes, sway control, suspension and all of the myriad other running gear upgrades can only be seen as a

good thing.

Business Has Grown Consistently

Jack Enfield, vice president for MORryde International

Inc., Elkhart, Ind.-based makers of stabilization systems and

fabricators of a wide array of parts for RVs, concurred that,

indeed, business is good.

“Our RV business has grown significantly in the past two

years,” he told RVBusiness. “Part of this growth has been

tied to the overall industry success and part has been the

introduction of new products to the market. Our focus has

been to provide and develop products that help RVers enjoy

their RV more so they can enjoy the lifestyle more.”

He said that MORryde growth is directly related to products that improve the camping stay.

“Typical of this is a line of stabilizer products called the

X-Brace,” Enfield continued. “It helps the RVer when they

are at the campground by reducing the unwanted and bothersome movement from people walking in the unit, or on

windy days. It just delivers added stability.”

Jesse Bauer, director of product automotive for CURT,

a Lippert brand headquartered in Eau Claire, Wis., stated

his company now has a full line of products.

“This includes gooseneck, fifth-wheel and weight distribution hitches as well as electrical components, ball

mounts, trailer balls, cargo carriers, bike racks and other

towing accessories,” he said. “CURT continues to increase

business over the last five years.”

In this crowded marketplace, Bauer said innovation is

the key to his firm’s success.

“Innovation is a huge focus for us,” he said. “We talk,

think and breathe innovation both in products and in

processes. We actually are out there discovering the problems that our consumers are facing so we can brainstorm

and collaborate as a team to come up with solutions.

“Another part of our growth is expanding into different

channels of our markets,” added Bauer. “We are selling our

products through distributors, installers, retailers, online and

continuing to keep up with new applications. There are so

many vehicles and makes and models today that we simply

must stay of top and trying to be first in the market.”

56 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

HITCHES, TOWING & SAFETY PRODUCTS GUIDE

A Ford Lightning is shown towing an Airstream

travel trailer in this Ford Motor Co. publicity photo.

JULY/AUGUST 2022 RVBusiness 57

Gahre Scudder, product manager at Husky Towing, an

NTP-STAG company based in Elkhart, said their business

also experienced the COVID camping surge over the past

few years.

“This created a large demand in everything from weight

distribution systems and fifth wheels to smaller accessories

such as receiver ball mounts and hitch/trailer locks,” said

Scudder. “This was a welcomed boom in sales when other

industries were struggling to keep going. After large stock-up

orders in 2021, as dealerships became concerned with the

availability of product, sales have been starting to return to

2020 levels, which were still elevated over the previous years.”

He said customers are upgrading both brand new units

as well as RVs they’ve owned for many years.

“They are buying equipment for their new RV, as well as

preexisting RV owners upgrading their equipment with

more powerful electric jacks, a new fifth-wheel hitch or a

new weight distributing unit with more features than their

existing unit,” he stated. “Service parts have also been great

sellers for routine maintenance that always takes place at

this time of year.”

Mike Hesse, CEO of the Pender, Neb.-based Blue Ox,

one of the oldest and most well-known brands in tow bars,

base plates, brakes for towable and motorized RVs, said his

company has been using this boom opportunity to grow its

product offerings.

“Our brand has continued to grow and develop as a

company,” he said. “So, we started launching more weight

distribution hitches for travel trailers. That’s becoming very

large – actually, our largest market segment. We continue

to grab market share with our premium weight distribution

hitches that are priced extremely cost effective. Having a

product that’s just a little better, that’s priced very economically, does well in this marketplace.”

Hesse stated that within the next 60 days Blue Ox also

will be launching a fifth-wheel hitch.

“We’re really in the process of ramping up production as

our company moves into the future,” he reported. “We will

further develop our core products but continue to develop

new products that we’re marketing to the RV industry. It’s

an exciting time at Blue Ox and we continue to grow our little plant and our little company, which isn’t so little anymore.”

He said that the tow bar business just represented 10%

of the RVs on the road so his stabilizer bar business has

eclipsed this segment to open up a larger market share.

“Travel trailers are going to make up well over half,” he

said. “So, because of more potential units that are being

sold, we continue to grow our market share, the weight distribution side is going to pass the plateauing side this year

for sales, which is insane.”

“We’ve had the blessing, as has most of the RV industry,

of having more business than we know what to do with,”

said David Robinson, vice president of Roadmaster Inc.,

another prominent producer of a wide range of towing products based in the Pacific Northwest with three facilities totaling more than 250,000 square feet.

Handling Supply Chain Challenges

“Made in the USA” has become more than a slogan but

rather a solution for many manufacturers during this time of

supply chain woes.

MORryde manufactures the vast majority of its products

in house, according to Enfield. “This has helped us deal with

many of the supply chain issues. We do have some suppliers who are stretched thin. However, we have worked with

them to overcome any blips or issues,” he said.

“Our efforts have been to keep jobs here in America,”

added Robinson. “It has been complicated by supply chain

issues. We make the vast majority of what we produce from

scratch but if you can’t buy some of your raw materials, it

doesn’t matter if you can make 49 out of 50 of the ingredients, if you don’t have the 50th one it causes delays. That

has been part of our challenge to get in front of the demand

curve. We are slowly catching up but we still have a decent

backlog of orders to fulfill.”

The biggest challenge for Roadmaster and many others,

according to Robinson, is circuit board-related parts.

“A circuit board might have 100 pieces and parts on it and

some of these components just aren’t available,” he explained.

“So, then you have to spend $10 to $1,000 to redesign your

board and find new parts that will do the same thing. We’ve

got one circuit board that had a part that used to cost us 86

cents. We’re having to pay $15 per part today.”

Bear Musgrave, VP of San Antonio-based Pressure

Systems International and Truck Systems Technologies

(TST) is one lucky Texan, from all appearances. Musgrave

says he got nervous during the onslaught of the supply

chain crisis and went to his board with hat in hand.

“On the RV side of our business we do only one thing

and that is tire pressure monitoring systems,” he stated. “So,

we are a one-trick-pony and these things are selling hot. We

got way ahead of the supply chain problems and, I got to

tell you, we did it by luck. I got nervous and asked our corporate board to approve a huge storing of our inventory and

they rubber stamped it. We got way ahead of the curve.

Had we not have done that, to meet the model changeover

demand now, there’s no way we would have made it. We

are working on inventory that we will need in about nine

months.

“Right now, we are happy to pay $25,000 for a container

we used to pay $3,000 for because at the peak of the crisis

it was $40,000,” summed up Musgrave. “Now, prices are

getting higher and higher because of demand but also fuel

prices to get it here to San Antonio. We are in for a rough

ride.”

Blue Ox is dealing with supply chain pain with increased

manufacturing, but also labor-reducing automation of

processes on its assembly lines.

“One thing that has allowed Blue Ox to grow over the

last several years has been our ability to adapt to the challenging supply chain that’s out there,” explained Hesse.

“And we’ve been able to do that through automation. But

The new CURT CrossWing fifth-wheel hitch.

continued on page 79

SwayPro Weight-Distributing Hitch The SwayPro is Blue Ox’s premium weight-distributing

hitch, preventing sway in all weather conditions including

rain and snow. The caster is built into the adjustment-free

hitch head to work in tandem with the sway bars to constantly push the trailer to the center of the tow vehicle.

SwayPro works without friction, keeping the hitch noisefree.

SwayPro is available in multiple tongue weights starting at 350 pounds up to 2,000 pounds. Spring bars are

interchangeable for use with trailers of differing tongue

weights. Gross towing weight is 20,000 pounds. The 2-

inch receiver shanks are standard with a 2 1/2-inch receiver shank available. Hitch ball is included.

Avail The Avail is a versatile, premium motorhome mount

tow bar with patented, non-binding latches that quickly

disconnect even in the most rugged terrain. The legs are

2 inches longer than most standard tow bars, making it

easier to maneuver around obstacles and allows for

smoother tracking of the towed vehicle. Offset triple lugs

make for easy attachment to the towed vehicle’s baseplate and rubber boots protect the tow bar legs from debris and dust. The Avail does not have a centering pin,

making it easy to stow and it stores while attached to the

receiver hitch.

Gross towing weight is 10,000 pounds. Available in

two models to fit a 2-inch or a 2 1/2-inch receiver.

Adjustable Ball Mount Blue Ox Ball Mounts are adjustable in height for level

towing and include a 2-inch trailer ball and clamshell

that converts the 2-inch ball to 2 5/16-inch. Our adjustable ball mounts will not drag on the ground like dual

ball mounts.

Four models are available: 4-inch Rise/Drop, 2-inch

receiver, 10K capacity; 7-inch rise/drop, 2-inch receiver,

10K capacity; 4-inch rise/drop, 2 1/2-inch receiver, 12K

capacity; 7-inch rise/drop, 2 1/2-inch receiver, 12K

capacity.

58 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

BLUE OX

HITCHES, TOWING & SAFETY PRODUCTS GUIDE

TrackPro Weight-Distributing Hitch TrackPro, the first weight-distribution hitch to use Sway

Management Technology, provides a smooth, premium

ride under all road conditions at a competitive price. The

caster is built into the adjustment-free hitch head to work

in tandem with the sway bars to constantly push the trailer

to the center of the tow vehicle, and spring steel bars augment the suspensions of the trailer and tow vehicle.

Four models are available: BXW0650 (600 pounds

gross tongue weight); BXW0850 (800 pounds gross

tongue weight); BXW1050 (1,000 pounds gross tongue

weight); BXW1350 (1,300 pounds gross tongue

weight). Spring bars are interchangeable for trailers with

differing tongue weights. Gross towing weight is 13,000

pounds. Hitch ball is included.

60 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

Eaz-Lift TR3 Weight Distribution

Hitch Kit with Sway Control The Eaz-Lift TR3 Kit is a weight distribution hitch that

features adjustable sway control. By simply adjusting

the clamp, drivers can decide how much sway control

is exerted on the trailer. The TR3 will distribute the

weight of the trailer across the axles of the tow vehicle

and provide as much sway control as is chosen. Or,

drivers can turn the sway control completely off in dangerous or icy road conditions. Its streamlined design

makes the hitch and the trailer move as one, while creating a sleek look. The TR3 is easy to install on topmount or bottom-mount coupler-style trailers. Includes

a pre-installed 2 5/16-inch hitch ball.

Eaz-Lift ReCurve R3

Weight Distribution Hitch The Eaz-Lift ReCurve R3 is a weight distribution hitch

that features adjustable sway control. By simply adjusting

the clamp, drivers can decide how much sway control is

exerted on the trailer. The ReCurve R3 will distribute the

weight of the trailer across the axles of the tow vehicle

and provide as much sway control as is chosen. Or, turn

the sway control completely off in dangerous or icy road

conditions. Its top-loading spring bars give it more ground

clearance than other hitches, and the streamlined design

makes the hitch and the trailer move as one, while creating

a sleek look.

Eaz-Lift ReCurve R6

Weight Distribution Hitch The Eaz-Lift ReCurve R6 is Camco’s most userfriendly weight distribution hitch with premium adaptive

sway control. With other sway control hitches, turning

can be an even bigger hassle than usual because the

sway control “locks” the trailer straight. With the ReCurve R6, the hitch will control sway for normal driving

– but when turning, the sway control will automatically

disengage, making maneuvering smoother and easier.

The sway control can easily be turned completely off in

dangerous or icy road conditions. Its top-loading spring

bars give it more ground clearance than other weight

distribution hitches, and the streamlined design makes

the hitch and the trailer move as one, while creating a

sleek look.

Trailer-Aid Plus Trailer-Aid Plus is the fast, safe and easy way to

change a trailer tire on a tandem-wheeled trailer. Simply

pull the good tire up onto the Trailer-Aid Plus to raise

the flat tire up 5 ½-inches for changing. Trailer-Aid Plus

has an additional 1-inch of lift than the original TrailerAid. The extra 1-inch lift is handy when performing routine trailer maintenance. Trailer-Aid Plus is ideal for RV

trailers and horse trailers. With horse trailers, you do not

have to remove your horses to change a flat tire.

CAMCO

HITCHES, TOWING & SAFETY PRODUCTS GUIDE

62 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

DEXTER

HITCHES, TOWING & SAFETY PRODUCTS GUIDE

Dexter Disc Brake System Dexter disc brake systems make any unit safer with

improved stopping distance, the company says. Premium disc brakes provide improved braking with actuation from the Dexter DX Series E/H Actuator. The

combination provides drivers with the superior braking

performance large RVs demand during light or severe

braking situations. The consistent performance of disc

brakes avoids heat related issues found with drum

brakes, even during continued braking.

Owners can tow with the peace of mind they are

using similar technology they have on the tow vehicle.

Dexter’s disc brakes are available in multiple capacities

and coatings, Dexter disc brakes are machined in Indiana with domestic castings and backed by a five-year

limited warranty. Dexter disc brakes offer a lower maintenance cost due to the self-adjusting calipers, easy

brake pad replacement, and fewer moving parts

www.dexteraxle.com/discbrakes

DX Series Electric/Hydraulic Actuator

With Dexter’s DX Series Electrically Controlled Hydraulic Brake Actuator, drivers can be assured that

years of American engineering expertise and precision

design work provide braking power they can depend

on. Designed to provide brake pressure when needed,

the Dexter DX Series E/H actuator keeps everyone safe

even during the most panicked of stops. It’s designed

to manage and work with the changing world of electronic brake controllers and battery systems, with circuitry protections that will continue to work for far longer

than other brands. The newly updated DX Series E/H

Actuator now has brake controller compatibility built into

the unit, making installation more efficient and less expensive. Superior braking relies on a quality actuator

that users can depend on.

www.dexteraxle.com/dxseries

Tow Assist Dexter’s Tow Assist system provides advanced

safety features, giving the user the confidence to tow

safely and securely. As the first system to provide ABS

and sway mitigation features to electric brakes, Tow Assist is revolutionary. The ABS feature eliminates tire

lock-up while on slippery surfaces or during panic stops,

always keeping the trailer under control. The sway mitigation feature significantly reduces the likelihood of losing control during unpredictable road conditions,

sudden lane changes, or evasive maneuvers through

the braking system. The Tow Assist system was developed in partnership with Bosch, a leader in automotive

safety technology, bringing proven intelligence and reliable functionality to the trailer towing market.

www.dexteraxle.com/towassist

Nev-R-Adjust Brakes Dexter’s Nev-R-Adjust helps keep any trailer safe by

automatically adjusting electric drum brakes, since

brake adjustment is critical to safe trailering. The NevR-Adjust feature ensures proper brake adjustment by

rotating the adjuster assembly, closing the gap caused

by lining wear. For years, trailer brakes have been manually adjusted, unknowingly causing users to drive with

poorly adjusted brakes. With Dexter’s made-in-Indiana

Nev-R-Adjust, drivers can be assured with quality products keeping them out of harm’s way. Helping them stop

with confidence, Dexter’s Nev-R-Adjust brakes help reduce stopping distance. Choose safe, dependable

braking by equipping every trailer with Nev-R-Adjust

Brakes from Dexter.

www.dexteraxle.com/brake

64 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

REESE M5 Fifth-Wheel Hitch Available in 20K, 27K, and 32K weight capacities,

the Horizon Global’s REESE M5 features an industryleading modular design, allowing for flexibility and increased ease of assembly. With a wider stance, tighter

tolerances and the industry’s best shock absorption

system, the REESE M5 ensures that you can spend

less time worrying about hooking up and more time enjoying the journey.

REESE Pro Weight

Distribution System The REESE Pro weight distribution system is engineered to provide more features and superior ride performance to other systems. It is designed to evenly

distribute weight and reduce trailer sway.

REESE Sidewinder Officials say it’s the “ultimate short bed towing solution!” The REESE Sidewinder is the premium pin box

designed specifically for today's short-bed pickups.

With its patent-pending design, Sidewinder is engineered to automatically eliminates turning and clearance headaches. Now drivers can make 90+ degree

turns without ever exiting the truck.

REESE Goose Box Get your bed back with the REESE Goose Box! The

box provides air ride gooseneck towing for fifth-wheel

RVs. “We didn’t just think outside the box, we invented

a whole new box,” says the manufacturer. Designed for

RV comfort and dual-purpose trucks, the REESE

Goose Box system was designed to reduce stress between the truck and RV. It reportedly performs so well

that it is the only product of its type that does not void

the warranty on Lippert frames.

REESE

HITCHES, TOWING & SAFETY PRODUCTS GUIDE

66 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

CURT

HITCHES, TOWING & SAFETY PRODUCTS GUIDE

CURT OEM Replacement

Dual-Output 7- & 4-Way Connector The CURT dual-output connector #57015 is designed to be a perfect OEM replacement, combining a

4-way flat and 7-way RV blade into a single socket. This

allows users to select either trailer plug type. It features

a USCAR base to quickly and easily connect to a standard USCAR plug. Once plugged into the USCAR

socket, it provides a connection for the taillights, turn

signals, brake lights, backup or reverse lights, electric

trailer brakes, 12-volt battery and the ground wire. It also

features spring-loaded dust covers, pre-greased terminals and a rubber gasket – all to ensure a reliable connection for the road ahead.

CURT TruTrack

Weight Distribution Hitch Lippert’s CURT TruTrack weight distribution hitches

take an innovative approach to combining weight distribution with sway control while using powerful spring

bars to level the tow vehicle and trailer and integrate

two-position or four-position sway control to ensure a

smooth ride. The TruTrack 2P hitch #17601 incorporates sway control elements at two points that work together to keep the trailer aligned. The 2P generates

passive sway control with its fixed spring bar hookups

alone. If you’re looking for enhanced sway resistance,

the TruTrack 4P hitch #17501 promotes peaceful travel

by incorporating sway control elements at four points.

It offers active sway control with its spring and cam system inside the head, along with the fixed spring bar

hookups.

CURT Echo Under-Dash & Mobile

Trailer Break Controllers The Echo line of brake controllers is the number-one

choice for modern, powerful trailer braking. Its Bluetooth

capabilities equip it for convenience and functionality,

while balancing state-of-the-art controller technology

and reliability. Both CURT Echo® brake controllers are

industry-first products, providing an entirely new towing

experience, syncing with an Apple or Android phone

and turning it into a wireless brake controller interface.

The mobile version #51180 provides a compact,

portable design, allowing for easy transfer from one vehicle to another, while the under-dash model #51190

provides a low-profile, traditional mounting solution.

CURT PowerRide Fifth-Wheel Hitch

Get professional-grade fifth-wheel towing power with the

CURT PowerRide fifth-wheel hitch #16320. This 30K hitch

is engineered to offer industry-leading fifth-wheel capacity

with ergonomic operation. Some of its advanced features

include a self-resetting handle, multi-directional head, onepin head removal and strategic grip points for easier mobility.

PowerRide is designed for ease of use while having the capability to tow the largest fifth-wheel trailers. The sophisticated handle self-resets after uncoupling one’s trailer,

making it ready to couple again without an extra step. Unlike

other 30K 5th wheel options, installing the PowerRide™ and

relocating it for storage is easy. The head assembly is attached with a single pin, allowing you to quickly dismantle

the hitch into smaller, lighter-weight components for easier

handling, and installation requires no welding or fabrication.

PowerRide can be mounted into industry-standard rails or

in select OEM puck system platforms.

68 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

LIQUID SPRING

HITCHES, TOWING & SAFETY PRODUCTS GUIDE

LiquidSpring Gas Class A Rear Suspension

LiquidSpring is a smart suspension system for RVs

that features fluid-based struts and an onboard processor to provide better handling and control as needed

for a smoother, softer ride. The reduced vehicle vibration

increases comfort and can also lower maintenance

costs. At the heart of the LiquidSpring LLC system is a

shock-absorbing silicon that is supported by smart controls to bring the appropriate reactive spring rate for

every moment, rather than a one-size-fits-all metal spring

solution.

https://liquidspring.com/rv-suspensions

LiquidSpring Gas Class A Front Suspension

Integrated with LS CLASS rear drive axle suspensions, the variable stiffness and damping adjusts automatically and instantaneously based on road conditions

without driver intervention.

This results in drastically reduced road vibration

which leads to less driver fatigue. A kneeling feature to

improve cab and side door egress is standard. The approved rating for this LiquidSpring front axle suspension

is from 7,000-pound to 9,000-pound GAWR.

https://liquidspring.com/rv-suspensions

LiquidSpring Gas Super C Front and

Rear Suspension Ford E-350, E-450

Variable stiffness and damping adjusts automatically

and instantaneously to optimize Super C motorhome ride

and handling based on road conditions without driver intervention. A non-torque reactive five-link suspension optimized with CLASS technology maintains proper

driveline geometry through the full range of torque inputs

and axle movement reducing driveline noise, vibration and

driver fatigue. Automatic load leveling compensates for

variable payload distribution and imbalances plus on-demand kneeling. No modifications to OEM exhaust system

are required. This offering from LiquidSpring is compatible

with most body installations and chassis configurations

with an 8,500-pound to 9,600-pound GAWR.

https://liquidspring.com/rv-suspensions

LiquidSpring Super C Diesel Rear,

International, MV & CV

Variable stiffness and damping adjust automatically

and instantaneously to optimize vehicle ride and handling.

Non-torque reactive five-Link suspension optimized with

CLASS technology maintains proper driveline geometry

through full range of torque inputs and axle movement reducing driveline noise, vibration and driver fatigue. Automatic load leveling compensates for variable payload

distribution and imbalance plus an on-demand kneeling

function. No modifications to OEM exhaust systems are

required. Compatible with most body installations and

chassis configurations with ratings of 13,500-pound

GAWR or 15,500-pound GAWR. All kits contain suspension components, struts, secondary volumes, power module w/ECU, mounts, height/steering sensors, all hydraulic

lines and wire harnesses, and driver interface.

https://liquidspring.com/rv-suspensions

70 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

MORRYDE

HITCHES, TOWING & SAFETY PRODUCTS GUIDE

CRE3000 Suspension System For a smoother towing experience, look no further than the

CRE3000 Suspension System from MORryde International Inc.

Designed for towing improvement over the standard equalizer and

conventional leaf springs, this system uses MORryde’s rubber

spring technology to cushion and absorb road shock. The unique

travel slot increases wheel travel, allowing for three inches of suspension travel. The CRE3000 is compatible with units that have

up to 8,000 GAWR and easily bolts on to existing frame hangers.

Complete the smooth towing experience with MORryde’s

Heavy-Duty Shackle Kit. This kit offers trailer owners an upgrade

over the conventional attaching leaf spring shackle kit. Included

are half-inch thick shackle brackets instead of the stock quarterinch shackles, bronze bushings instead of plastic and grease-able

bolts instead of standard non-grease-able bolts. Visit morryde.com

for access to the qualification guides for the CRE3000 and Wet

Bolt Kit to determine compatibility and part numbers.

Rubber Pin Box Leave rough towing behind with the MORryde Rubber Pin Box. This pin box system utilizes a unique rubber

shear spring that works to absorb towing shock and reduce back-and-forth chucking and jerking. With 3” of

front-to-back and 1.5” side-to-side travel, this pin box

provides a cushioned sensation over uneven roads

along with jerk-free starts and stops resulting in a

smoother, more comfortable in-cab ride. The Rubber Pin

Box replaces most stock pin boxes and installs in an

hour on most fifth-wheels.

For more information on the Rubber Pin Box

or the complete line of MORryde products, visit

www.morryde.com or email [email protected]

JULY/AUGUST 2022 RVBusiness 71

TRUCK SYSTEM TECHNOLOGIES

HITCHES, TOWING & SAFETY PRODUCTS GUIDE

TST Spare Tire Air Hose Kit The Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) from

Truck System Technologies (TST), San Antonio, Texas, can

help protect you from tire-related issues with real-time

pressure and temperature monitoring. But what about the

often-forgotten spare

tire?

TST’s new Spare Air

kit allows RVers to easily

check spare tire air pressure and add air when

needed without dismounting the spare or

crawling underneath a

vehicle. They can even

add a TPMS sensor to

monitor a spare in real

time. Works on towables

and tow vehicles!

Spare Air is Made in

the U.S. and comes with everything needed to give spares

the attention they deserves, including:

• 6-foot sealed hose

• Knurled valve stem and bulkhead fittings

• Stainless steel mounting bracket with hardware

Truck System Technologies is a Pressure Systems

International Company. www.TSTtruck.com

TST TPMS Sensor Tow Pack Truck System Technologies (TST), San Antonio, Texas,

offers a two- or four-sensor Tow Pack, which can help protect

towed vehicles from tire-related issues. Compatible with any

existing TST system, these cap sensors work with metal or

rubber valve stems and provide peace of mind with real-time

pressure and temperature monitoring. Mix and match to

make sure all your vehicles, trailers and toys are protected.

Truck System Technologies is a Pressure Systems

International Company. www.TSTtruck.com

Gooseneck Ball & Safety

Chain Anchors Husky Towing Products Gooseneck and Chain Tie

Down Kit allows consumers to safely secure a gooseneck trailer to OEM fifth- wheel or gooseneck prep

packaged equipped Ford, Chevrolet, GM, and Nissan

trucks. The gooseneck ball has a 2-5/16 inch diameter,

installs easily (no tools required), is constructed from

billet heat-treated alloy steel, and has a durable polished

chrome finish. The gooseneck ball is rated at 35,000-

pound GTW and 8,7500-pound tongue weight using

the SAE J2638 standard. Each kit includes a 2-5/16

inch, 35,000-pound gooseneck ball, chain tie downs,

durable storage bag, instructions, and carries a 10-year

limited warranty.

www.huskytow.com

Underbed Gooseneck Hitches Husky Gooseneck Underbed Hitches for new model

HD Ram and Ford pickups feature an industry-leading

35,000-pound GTW gooseneck ball with an easy-touse coupling mechanism for trailer connections. Each

hitch installs under the truck bed, which allows full bed

utilization when the gooseneck hitch ball is removed and

replaced with the included rubber cap. These hitches

are tested to SAE J2638 safety standards and backed

with a limited 10-year warranty.

Husky Fifth-Wheel Wedge The Husky Fifth-Wheel Wedge is a simple but reliable way to allow a Husky Fifth-Wheel Hitch to be used

with a rotating fifth-wheel pin box. A rotating pin box

mounts to the front of the trailer, replacing the factory

pin box, and when used with a fifth-wheel wedge, it provides a new pivot point for the kingpin, and a wider turn

radius for the fifth-wheel trailer. To keep the pin box from

swiveling in its fifth-wheel mounting location, a fifthwheel wedge inserts into the hitch head, locking the pin

box into place. This Fifth-Wheel Wedge is designed to

fit Husky 16KW and 26KW 5th wheels and accommodates the Sidewinder pin box.

Super Brute Electric

Tongue Jack The Husky Super Brute is an easyto-use electric tongue jack with a 5000

pound capacity and 18” stroke with 6”

drop down leg that conveniently operates with included remote control. The

jack is weather protected, backlit and

employs soft-trigger switches. A UV

and water-resistant cover keeps the

Super Brute safe from the elements.

This jack features a 3-high output LED

light system for enhanced visibility during hookup and a low-friction ball

screw design that draws less amperage, creates less heat, reduces noise

and increases motor and jack life.

72 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

HUSKY TOWING PRODUCTS

HITCHES, TOWING & SAFETY PRODUCTS GUIDE

74 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

PULLRITE

HITCHES, TOWING & SAFETY PRODUCTS GUIDE

#4437 OE Series

Gooseneck Ball with Plate Now RVers have the choice of an American-made

gooseneck plate to go with their truck.

PullRite’s OE gooseneck ball fits the truck’s factoryequipped Tow Prep Package or any aftermarket underbed gooseneck system with a 2-5/16-inch ball.

The system includes patented cam-action, TwistLock

technology and there are no plastic parts to break.

There are no openings in the top to allow dirt and moisture in to corrode. A hard nickel finish is resistant to

scratches. Machined flats never get stuck in the bed.

The Chain Plate brings safety chain attachments

points closer to the ball.

#2600 SuperLite

Single Point (1P) Attachment The #2600 SuperLite Single Point (1P) Attachment

is a lightweight, fifth-wheel hitch designed for any OE

or aftermarket undermount gooseneck towing system

and is unlike any other hitch of its kind on the market

today, officials stated. Superlite 1P is made of strong,

American steel compared to some weaker aluminum

models and still weighs only 64 pounds.

PullRite converted the fifth-wheel trailer’s king pin to

a ball and turned the hitch plate into a funnel, making it

the easiest hitch on the market to hook up. Totally visible

from the cab, drivers simply drop the trailer’s converted

ball anywhere on the diameter of the funnel and lower

their trailer. The Remote Latch system locks the ball into

the funnel and keeps the driver out of the bed and there

are no secondary locking devices to engage.

SuperGlide: The innovation that

Put PullRite on the Map From the first SuperGlide that was introduced over 30

years ago to the all-new OE Puck Series, the SuperGlide

from Pulliam Enterprises remains the envy of every other

hitch builder, company officials said.

Not only does the SuperGlide give the user worry-free

towing with its intuitive sliding action, it remains to this day

the only sliding hitch that also features an automatic latching and locking hitch plate.

So, with all this innovation setting the current SuperGlide lineup, the company could not just build another OE

Puck Series hitch…developers had to make theirs more

convenient, stronger, safer and simplify better than any that

its competitors are offering.

Find out how PullRite accomplished this by going to:

www.pullrite.com/products/oe_puck_SG

PullRite 3900

Connects to Gooseneck Ball The PullRite #3900 is a new lightweight, super easy

alternative to both aluminum adapters and heavier steel

hitches that attach to a gooseneck ball, officials said.

With a lifting weight of only 75 pounds, the #3900 has

been thoroughly tested to SAE J2638 standards and

achieved a GVWR rating of 24K.

The #3900 mounts to any aftermarket or OE Style

2-5/16-inch gooseneck ball, including PullRite’s

patented #4436 cam actions OE Ball. The flexible design allows the trailer’s king pin to be positioned near

the axle allowing for a tighter turning radius regardless

of the truck bed length. It is 100% U.S.-made.

76 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

ROADMASTER

HITCHES, TOWING & SAFETY PRODUCTS GUIDE

Roadmaster Nighthawk Tow Bar

The Nighthawk by Roadmaster, Inc. is the world’s

first illuminated tow bar. In addition to increased safety

and visibility, the American-made Nighthawk offers a

tow rating of up to 8,000 pounds and incorporates internal channels for the included power cord and safety

cables. Non-binding, solid stainless-steel inner arms are

said to be the longest ever produced, and are housed

inside a sleek, matte-finish powder-coated body with

built-in LED lights. Weighing in at just 35 pounds,

Nighthawk is also available to fit Roadmaster, Blue Ox

or Demco baseplates.

Roadmaster Comfort Ride Shocks The bucking and bouncing commonly experienced

when towing a travel trailer or fifth wheel is often caused

by a lack of shock absorbers. Roadmaster’s Comfort

Ride shock system solves these problems and helps improve stability and braking performance with an engineered solution that bolts in place with common hand

tools. Patented, adjustable mounting brackets allow the

heavy-duty, nitrogen charged shock absorbers to be

mounted nearly vertically, where they have the leverage

to limit up-and-down motion on both compression and

rebound. Designed for tandem axle trailers, Comfort

Ride shock systems are available for 2-3/8”, 3” or 3.5”.

Roadmaster Sway Bars Roadmaster’s Anti-Sway Bar kits offer a remarkable

improvement in handling and control. Featuring a solid

steel, 1-5/8” one-piece induction forged bar, these kits

are easy to bolt in place — in most cases with just 8

bolts. The larger diameter results in increased tension

that dramatically reduces sway — up to 90% more resistance than stock sway bars. Crafted in the USA,

these kits include all necessary mounting brackets,

hardware, and urethane bushings for long-lasting,

squeak-free operation. Roadmaster Anti-Sway Bars

allow for a planted, lower center-of-gravity feel in motorhomes and trucks for a truly car-like ride.

Roadmaster Invisibrake Roadmaster’s Invisibrake is a fully automatic, progressive braking system that uses the electrical connections

already in place on the towed vehicle (the towed vehicle's

electrical harness) to activate its brake system whenever

the motorhome brakes are applied. When the driver steps

on the motorhome’s brake pedal, InvisiBrake immediately

engages the dinghy’s brake system, then applies increasing brake pressure until the user-selected setting is attained (adjustable from 5 to 100 psi). Measuring just

8-3/4” by 8-3/4” and only two inches tall, the main controller can be placed almost anywhere in the main cabin

or trunk. InvisiBrake trickle charges the dinghy vehicle’s

battery while towing and energizes the power brake system, so it’s not working against a “dead” brake pedal. A

two-stage monitor includes LEDs for visual reference of

braking activity, as well as an audible alert that will sound

if the dinghy’s brakes have been activated for an excessive period.

STAINLESS STEEL INNER ARMS











  





 

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ULTRA-BRIGHT LED STRIPS

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EGG SHAPED PROFILE

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Tough USA-Made | Outstanding Customer Service | Award-Winning Design



BRING ON THE NIGHT

ILLUMINATED TOW BAR

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Time Tested - Time Proven

roadmasterinc.com

800-669-9690

78 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

HITCHES, TOWING & SAFETY PRODUCTS GUIDE

Timbren SES Kits Does your tow vehicle squat when you

hook up your RV trailer, or lean dangerously

on tight corners? Are you afraid to go the

speed limit in case your trailer tips over?

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in for a pair of Timbren SES (Suspension

Enhancement Systems) helper springs!

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axle was never meant to correct rear end

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prevent metal from hitting metal... and

that’s it.

Install a Timbren SES kit and experience

the difference. Feel what it’s like to have a

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Every Timbren SES kit comes with a lifetime warranty and a 100-day customer satisfaction guarantee.

RV SnapPad - XTRA XL

Lux 6-Pack The latest from RV SnapPad -

XTRA XL Lux 6-Pack. Made for the

newest, biggest fifth-wheels available,

XTRA XL Lux 6-Pack takes the hassle

out of placing, retrieving, and storing

jack pads, permanently.

Stromberg Carlson’s

JET-3755 electric

tongue jack is rated

for 3,500 pounds

with built-in motor

protection to guard

your investment. It

has 18 inches of

travel with an additional 5-inch drop

down leg. The JET3755 includes a

built-in level and two

separate LED lights

for easy night time

hookups. A removable 5.5-inch diameter footpad prevents

sinking into gravel or

soft ground. Backed

by a limited two-year

warranty.

Stromberg Carlson JET3755 Electric Tongue Jack

JULY/AUGUST 2022 RVBusiness 79

what we also did is a massive plant expansion.

“Phase one of that plant expansion

was completed earlier this year. And

phase one was our own machine

shop. We do purchase, but we build

quite a bit of components in house. A

tow bar takes 30-plus components to

build. If we don’t have one of those

components, we’re not building tow

bars. So, we build our own machine

shop so that we can build as many

products in house so we don’t have

supply issues.

“We’ve been able to stay ahead of

that curve,” he continued, “and that’s

where our lead times have been significantly less compared to the competition. We’ve been able to mass produce

because of our automation – versus the

competition, which really relies solely on

labor-driven technologies.”

Hesse said the new plant expansion should be completed in January,

and 2023 will include a new E-coating

and paint system that will be online for

all of its products.

For his part, Scudder said purchases planned well ahead of time

seem to be working out for his Husky

brands.

“Anticipating a stock order rush to

refill empty warehouses of both distributors and retail stores, we tried to get

ahead by strategically analyzing our

sales history and demands and placing

orders earlier, in order to take advantage of the lull at the manufacturing facilities,” reported Scudder.

“Our team worked diligently to align

production schedules with our shipping outlets, to try to secure the containers and ship space that we needed

to have a continuous flow of product.

It is not to say that there were not

bumps in the road or delays, but overall, our strategy has worked out well

and we are sitting in a good inventory

position as a result,” he said.

Looking Down the Road

When it comes to the future, Hesse

said that the average RV buyer in 2021

was about 33 years old based on the

RV Industry Association (RVIA) data,

but even now that may be changing.

“That buyer, as inflationary concerns

and issues have come up higher, is

starting to dry up,” offered Hesse. “But

that older buyer for the motorized, who

doesn’t really care what their spending

in six figures is still going strong. I’m not

saying that higher fuel prices doesn’t

concern that buyer, but they’re older,

they’ve got more liquidity.”

Roadmaster’s Robinson stated that

today’s motorhomes and trailer owners

don’t have the tolerance for driving a

barge down the road that was once

the norm.

“They won’t tolerate constantly trying to keep it between the lines,” he

stated. “Those are the kinds of things

that we fix with our anti-sway bars and

our steering stabilizers. I think the

younger crowd wasn’t as accepting. I

think the younger crowd wasn’t as forgiving about how poorly they handle.

So, I think we did see a more than typical bump in this segment of products.”

“It’ll be interesting to see what the

future holds,” said Robinson. “We’ve

got a whole lot of people that tried the

RV lifestyle because of COVID. I see

some percentage of those people are

going to go back to flying, staying in

hotels. I worry a little bit about the future of the industry. Don’t know for

sure what it’s going to hold.

“I think with everything going

through the roof price-wise, particularly

with interest rates rising, stock market

having challenges, I really think that our

particular customer (Roadmaster),

which for us is primarily a retirement

age 55-plus person, those people

going into retirement are going to be a

little bit more conservative. I think that

their spending is cut back a little. Our

industry is going to remain strong as

we go forward. We’re going to hit road

bumps as all industries do over the

course of time,” Robinson added. RVB

Hitches & Towing from page 57

Given the number of new RVers, a

safer towing experience is a must.

OEM SHOWCASE n BY JOE RUSSO

While Grech RV is a relatively new

name in the Class B market,

founder and CEO Ed Grech has

been in the business of manufacturing luxury custom vehicles since 1983.

In 2020, Grech used his 39 years of experience to develop a line of luxury motorhomes for Grech RV, based in

Riverside, Calif., that, by all appearances,

rivals anything else in the Class B space.

“I am grateful to all of our RV dealer

network who have made Grech RV a reality,” Grech told RVBusiness. “I am indebted

to my loyal employees of nearly 39 years

who, as a team, have built a product line

that we are all very proud of.

“Our team has come together like never

before to execute one common goal: create

the highest quality Class B motorhome

available. My core philosophy in business

has always stayed focused on delivering the

highest quality products and providing unparalleled after-sale support,” he added.

Grech RV currently offers three different models all built on the Mercedes-Benz

Sprinter high-roof chassis. The Strata is

the longest at 24 feet in length on the 170-

inch extended chassis, the Terreno is 22

feet in length on the 170-inch non-extended chassis and the Turismo is the

shortest at just over 19 feet on the 144-

inch van chassis.

Each model comes standard with a

propane generator and 200ah of lithium

batteries, or they are offered in an “ion”

package which includes 1260ah of lithium

batteries in place of the generator. The

lithium battery package from Lithionics is

the highest capacity lithium battery package available on the Class B market, officials noted. The option for

four-wheel-drive is currently offered on

the Turismo model and will be available on

the Terreno starting in late 2022.

Every model comes standard with a

host of luxury features as well. At the heart

of these various features and systems is the

FireFly control system, which is a touch

screen control panel that operates most of

the coach. This system is Bluetooth-enabled so customers can connect their

smartphones and have complete control at

their fingertips.

Other standard systems include the

Timberline diesel heating system that is

not only a furnace but offers a continuous

hot water system. Other features include

power awning and window shades, Zamp

solar, induction cooktop and solid birchwood cabinets. Also, the Strata and Terreno both come standard with an air

suspension system that is continually selfadjusting and self-leveling that not only

improves ride comfort, but also the stability of the vehicle.

All three Grech models sleep two on

California-Based Grech RV Gaining

Traction in Luxury Class B Segment

80 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

Relative newcomer Grech RV manufactures high-end B-vans on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis.

Ed Grech

JULY/AUGUST 2022 RVBusiness 81

process. The first is done at the factory

where the vans are checked for water

leaks during the manufacturing

process, and then a final quality check

is done at the end of the line.

Next, the vans are taken on a threehour drive. The drivers are trained to

listen and look for the right things to

give the vehicle a real shakedown durthe rear bed, which also converts into a

rear lounge area during the day. The

Turismo has seat belts for four while

the Strata and Terreno seat seven in the

Tour floorplan and nine in the Lounge

floorplan, which adds two captain

chairs up front.

On the exterior of the coach, Grech

RV has patented a concealed wet

bay/utility panel along the driver’s side

of the van. This not only cleans up the

exterior but the way it’s designed

makes it look like part of the Mercedes-Benz factory molding which is

actually a piece of custom fiberglass.

The company also installs a fiberglass

body kit, which not only gives it a sleek

look but also becomes a structural part

of the body.

“If you were to park Grech RV units

side by side with anything available to

the market, the overall quality, fit and

finish, the attention to detail and

craftsmanship really speak for themselves,” stated Vice President AJ

Thurber. “There’s no comparison out

there.”

Grech RV backs this up with a

three-year warranty on all Grech manufactured components, he added.

When asked whether Grech RV offers any customization, Thurber explained that it’s not something they do

at this time, mainly due to the supply

chain issues and not being able to get

many of the parts customers may request. The other reason, he said, is because the company is able to maintain

high levels of fit and finish through

consistency. Whenever a change is

made on a production line, he said, it

could conceivably begin to create quality control issues.

Each Grech RV motorhome goes

through a three-stage quality control

Every Grech RV model comes standard with host of

luxury features including the FireFly control system.

82 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

ing the drive before it goes through the

final quality control process.

Once at the 45,000-square-foot facility in Riverside, a final pre-delivery

inspection and detailing is done before

putting the vans on a flatbed to be

shipped to dealers across the country.

Being a boutique RV manufacturer,

Grech RV is able to provide more personal attention not only to each unit

but the customers to which they are

going as well.

“Not a single unit leaves here before

I or Jeff Ravenscroft, our dealer/sales

manager, personally give it a stamp of

approval,” Thurber noted. “Once an

owner takes possession of one of our

motorhomes, the best feedback that

we’ve received is our attention to them

after the sale. As soon as we receive a

warranty registration from one of our

dealers, we are immediately in contact

with that new owner and opening that

door of communication. If they have

any questions or needs on technical

support or need an education on how

to operate anything or they have a warranty issue, we're in direct communication with every owner.”

Picking up on this, Ed Grech

added that, “As a family-owned, independent manufacturer, we have the

ability to quickly resolve any problem,

whether that be through continuous

refinement and progressional improvement of our products or responding to a motorhome owner’s

service needs. My personal name is on

every motorhome we build and I take

pride in knowing our products will

meet the highest standards of the

most discerning buyers.”

While the global supply chain issues

have been an ongoing challenge for

Grech RV, Thurber noted, the company has been able to maintain production with some ingenuity and forward

thinking.

“The supply chain issue is, of course,

not only crippling the chassis supply

world with the microchip shortages,

but really every component.” he explained. “Right now, the way you win

the game is by having significant safety

stocks several months out of all parts

and components related. And it's a

full-time job. Just chasing parts and

components to make sure that your

production lines keep going.”

For example, our solid Birchwood

that Grech RV uses for its cabinets

comes from eastern Europe and, due

to the conflict in Ukraine, officials

have bought significant stock to make

sure they have sufficient inventory

VITAL

STATISTICS

COMPANY: Grech RV

LOCATION: 6915 Arlington Ave, Riverside, CA

92504

KEY PERSONNEL: Founder and CEO Ed Grech;

Vice President AJ Thurber; CRO Jeffrey Ravens;

Dealer and Sales Manager Jeffrey Ravenscroft, R&D

Director David Reagan

PRODUCTS: Luxury Class B Motorhomes

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 400

WEBSITE: https://grechrv.com

EMAIL: [email protected]

PHONE: (951) 688-8367

Based in Riverside, Calif., Grech RV includes a 45,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility.

on hand.

“The old days of just-in-time delivery for manufacturing are certainly

gone,” Thurber said.

••••••••••••••••••••••••

The starting retail price on the

Strata is $217,900 and the Strata-ion

is $235,900. The Terreno is $215,900

and the Terreno-ion is $233,900. The

base Turismo is $191,900, with the

4x4 option it’s 201,900. The

Tourismo-ion is $209,900 and

$219,900 with the 4x4 option.

Every Grech RV is sold through

the company’s curated dealer network:

Campers Inn RV; General RV; McClain’s RV; Giant RV; Colton RV;

Bretz RV; RV Country; Manteca

Trailer & Motorhome; and Holiday

World RV. RVB

RVB: Just to put things into a little

bit better perspective, what’s RVshare

like now compared to when you

started four and a half years ago?

Jon Gray: When I arrived, it was a

much smaller business. I would say

RVshare is more than 10 times the size

it was in terms of number of people who

come to rent. It’s not grown quite that

much on the RV owner’s side, but we

now list well over a hundred thousand

RVs on the platform.

RVB: And, in spite of rising fuel

prices, you’re not seeing any kind of a

moderation of RV rentals occurring,

right?

Gray: Not at the moment. While a lot

of people are talking about fuel prices

– and this is something that I do want

us as an industry to stay out in front of

– we are still a great value travel option.

That is true in a recession; that is true in

a boom time. We’re a great value travel

option, even in a high fuel price environment.

The average RV trip on RVshare is

about 375 miles. It’s about a $1.40 per

gallon more expensive than it was last

year to buy gas, and an average RV

gets about 15 miles to the gallon. So,

we’re talking about $35 difference this

year versus last year. We’re talking

about a manageable cost difference

versus a very meaningful cost difference, if you look at the impact of fuel

prices on airlines.

RVB: And the benefit to RV owners who rent their RVs through

RVshare is what again?

Gray: In most cases, we’re taking

an asset that someone has spent a lot

of money to purchase, and it sits there

for 49 weeks a year. They use it for

about three weeks, on average. We’re

taking that and making it to where they

can cover and offset a lot of their

costs.

More than half of people who use

RVshare cover all of their ownership

costs of the RV by renting it out. So,

they’re basically owning it for free, or

getting to use it for the three weeks

that they’re using it for free. And that’s

something that when we look at what

we’re doing here, we’re pretty proud of.

RVB: So, what’s next for RVshare?

Gray: I think we are at a really interesting time in the future of travel as a

whole and it’s being defined by this

‘work from anywhere’ movement and,

generally speaking, just flexibility in people’s schedules.

One of the things we learned from

the pandemic – that was actually a positive – was that we can accomplish a lot

without sitting in an office. At RVshare,

we like to think about that as a ‘work

from anywhere.’

We recently did a partnership with

SpaceX and Starlink to get really highquality WiFi into RVs and we’ve heard

great things about it so far in terms of

the ability to do Zoom calls and the like

from an RV on the road. I see this as the

biggest macro tailwind certainly in the

last 20 years of the travel industry.

Trips are going to get longer. People

will still be focused on value because

they’re going to want to take more

trips per year. The number of trips

per traveler, I expect, will go up. The

length of trips I expect to go up and

the focus on value I expect to continue

to be there. RVB

& CONVERSATIONS

Jon Gray has been the CEO of

RVshare for nearly five years and, in that

time, he has had a front-row seat at how

his company and other peer-to-peer RV

rental marketplaces have brought about a

transformative change in the RV industry.

In fact, the growth of RVshare and

other platforms like it has been nothing

short of astounding.

The company’s business has grown

more than 10 times in the past five years

and revenue from bookings on RVshare

is up nearly 40% in 2022, compared to

just last year, as the category gains momentum and enters the mainstream.

“COVID was obviously a really difficult time, especially when the lockdowns

were taking place for every business, and

ours was no exception,” Gray said,

adding that at one point they had more

than 10,000 cancellations in the span of

a few days.

But, in what has become a familiar

data point, once people were allowed to

venture outside their homes, RVing and

camping became one of the go-to

sources for recreation. Like others,

RVshare has reaped the benefits of that

ongoing phenomenon.

“We saw a tremendous, exponential

growth in the business during COVID,

and we’re still seeing really nice growth.

We’re growing almost 40%. Memorial

Day bookings were up around that 40%

number as well,” Gray said.

With offices in Austin, Texas, and

Akron, Ohio – but whose almost 100

employees largely work remotely around

the country – RVshare’s revenue model

involves an 18%-25% commission from

owners and a 5% travelers fee that includes an insurance offering, customer

service and booking.

It should be noted that RVshare, which

has more than 100,000 privately-owned

units available for rental, is continuously

developing new programs and partnerships to grow its business. Among them:

a Campground Partnership Program in

which campground and RV park operators earn revenue from RV rental bookings; a new brand campaign, “Use Your

Outside Voice;” and a partnership with insurance technology platform DigiSure.

Gray recently sat down with RVBusiness for a Capitol Talk video interview;

what follows is an edited account of that

discussion.

JULY/AUGUST 2022 RVBusiness 83

RVshare CEO Jon Gray on the Front Lines of Transformative Change

Things were a lot simpler when the business that today is

ArrKann Trailer & RV was founded in 1977. Back then,

the single-location store was mostly a hardware store

whose owners decided to manufacture and sell a few tent trailers

on the side.

But, as business changed, the grandfather and uncle of today’s

CEO Sarah Baptiste decided to go all in with RVing after a 1987

tornado hit the Edmonton, Alberta, location and wiped it out.

The pair bought a larger location in Edmonton and rebuilt

the business from scratch as an RV dealership.

Some 35 year after that tornado, they probably wouldn’t recognize the business they started. Not only has it expanded to six

locations, but operations have changed and the RV world is looking at an entirely new demographic of owners who are more demanding than ever.

But next-generation CEO Baptiste has proven more than up

to the challenge of the next generation of customers. She not

only has grown the largely towable dealership to its six locations

– including its newest in Medicine Hat – but she also has done

some reorganization that puts solving the needs of those customers front and center. A customer experience department is

specifically designed to follow up with new buyers and solve

minor issues before they become major problems.

“It’s more important now than it has ever been, but it has always been important,” said Chris Caldwell, vice president of customer experience, whose four-person team has been charged with

this new task. “The most successful companies in the world have

realized that and started to act on that a long time ago.”

84 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

The ArrKann management team, pictured from left, includes Rob Minarchi, VP of Sales & F&I; Chris

Caldwell, VP of Customer Experience & Marketing; Terry Harmatiuk, VP of Operational Efficiency;

Tim Peters, Controller; Jenna Crispin, HR Manager; and Sarah Baptiste, General Manager, CEO.

DEALER SPOTLIGHT n BY TRAVIS O. PRYOR

For Canada’s ArrKann Trailer & RV Dealership,

‘Customer Experience’ is More Than a Catchphrase

An ArrKann service tech installs a solar panel on the roof of a unit.

JULY/AUGUST 2022 RVBusiness 85

Happy to be Heard

From that original facility in Edmonton, ArrKann also operates a second in

Edmonton as well as stores in Calgary,

Carstairs, Medicine Hat and Red Deer,

Alberta.

After spending time in the government

and corporate world playing the role of the

family member who wanted nothing to do

with the family business, Baptiste said that

in 2005 she discovered she didn’t fit in either of those other worlds, but loved the

fact that she could actually make a difference at home in the family business.

Growing to plural locations proved

challenging, but it also has advantages.

“Mainly we are able to utilize our inventory a lot better than when we were a

single location,” said Rob Minarchi, vice

president of sales. “We are able to move

our product around between the stores so

we can be a little bit more responsive to

our customers.”

Baptiste said the multiple locations

also allow ArrKann to centralize some of

its functions to cover the needs of all six

dealerships.

And that is a big part of where the customer experience department comes in.

Most dealerships have some method of

following up with customers after a purchase. But all too often those efforts are

either limited to a single phone call asking

if the customer knows anybody else looking to buy an RV or else the communication is simply an emailed survey asking

how things are going.

“With people from all walks of life

spread out at our dealerships, it can make

it more difficult to maintain a consistent

high level of customer experience,” Caldwell said. “Different people can follow different processes at different stores, and

that isn’t always ideal. We know that getting closer to our customers and developing proper relationships with them so they

can feel genuinely cared for and reaching

out to them on a regular basis instead of

just sending them a survey once in a while

helps you talk to them and be proactive on

issues to keep them from coming up in the

future.”

Caldwell acknowledges that there

probably is a fine line between not talking

to customers enough and calling too often

and being a pest. But, at least up to this

point in the year-old department’s existence, he hasn’t found that line yet.

“As a general rule, companies probably

aren’t talking to their customers as much as

they should,” he said. “A lot of customers

appreciate it. We’ve had resounding great

feedback from our customers. They’re just

so happy somebody reached out to them

and it’s been nothing but awesome.”

ArrKann believes in giving back to the community, including partnering several times with Make-A-Wish

and Edmonton Food Bank, among other organizations.

86 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

And all of that is music to Baptiste’s ears.

“What we really missed was that, as you

get bigger, it becomes more difficult to react

and for the customer feedback to get from

that front-line staff up to the executive team

and the people involved in decision-making,” she explained. “Now, we have a team

that is dedicated to doing that and getting

feedback so we can have the advantages of

being larger but keep the advantages of

being nimble and reacting to that feedback

quicker and making adjustments.”

Minarchi said that in some ArrKann

dealerships, sales staff is tasked with making

follow-up calls and scheduling surveys to be

sent out.

He believes ArrKann’s method is much

more effective and efficient and it keeps the

sales staff selling.

“So, rather than just filling out a survey,

there’s a human touch, a human element,

that Chris has done a great job with his

team developing,” he said. “The feedback

also is way quicker than what we would

have gotten in the past. We can be more responsive and understand where the customer is coming from maybe by the tone of

their voice. When you’re actually talking to

someone, you can get a feel for that.”

“With the advent of technology, without

that personal touch, you’re going to miss

those referrals and it becomes even more

commoditized,” Baptiste continued. “We’re

different because we genuinely want to help

your family connect with their RV experience. We want to have everything in place

that will allow them to do that as seamlessly

and with as little friction as possible.”

Teamwork Times Six

Having six separate stores could get a bit

confusing if it was allowed to. After all, each

ArrKann location has a sales staff and an

F&I department and parts and accessories

store and a variety of service bays.

The newest location in Edmonton,

which Baptiste refers to as a behemoth, features 27 service bays. There are eight at the

original location. Calgary has six, Carstairs

five and Medicine Hat four.

But with quality communication that

includes effective daily huddles the stores

are not only able to share best-practices, but

also able to swap inventory if someone is

running short or if a unit is getting stale at

its original location.

“It’s funny, we can have a unit sitting at

a dealership for six months with no action

and then we move it and it’s sold in a week,”

Minarchi said.

He said it also is noticeable when one

store has a particular department that is

performing well.

When that happens, other stores are

encouraged to take a look at some of the

ideas from the high-performing store and

vet them to see if they will work in the

other stores.

There also are advantages when it comes

to scaling certain parts of the business. For

example, when an advertising campaign is

devised, it is supporting six stores instead of

just one, so the costs can be spread out.

Baptiste also encourages regular communication between the locations and

weekly meetings that are efficient rather

than getting in the way of productivity.

“Our meetings result in the bedrock of

our communication,” she says. “Effectiveness and efficiency are our big focus when

it comes to meetings. For front-line staff, we

have 15-minute or less daily huddles. We

focus on what do we all need to know today

to make us more productive and provide a

better service to our customers. We have

store meetings once a week. We use our

meeting time for true collaboration as opposed to watching someone type something

in a document.”

Meeting the Challenges

As the name suggests, ArrKann Trailer

& RV sells mostly towables. The dealerships have a solid lineup of Dutchmen,

Heartland and Keystone trailers on hand.

Motorized vehicles also are part of the

selection, but as Minarchi points out, motorized has been tough to come by in

Canada lately due to shortages as well as demand in the U.S.

But, as with any business challenge, the

staff at ArrKann has learned to adjust and

meet the challenges from wherever they

come.

“The old saying that says sales sells the

first unit and service sells the second is incredibly true,” Baptiste said, “especially now

as consumer expectations increase, having a

service department that is going to stand

behind them and even having been open to

someone who bought privately or bought at

a different dealership that’s not getting the

experience they want, we want to be there

for them as well.”

It's also with that in mind that ArrKann

has its technicians handle walk-throughs

when the customers arrive to pick up their

new vehicle.

Having a technician on-hand to help a

new owner better understand the workings

of their vehicle often sets them more at ease.

And there have been plenty of raw recruits to the RVing ranks in Canada just as

there have been in the U.S. over the past

couple of years.

“We had a massive spike after COVID

similar to what the entire industry was experiencing,” Minarchi said. “It was an interesting year trying to get inventory and

then we had some additional challenges

with the freight. That’s where having the

different stores helped and we were able

to get a lot of good trades as well with

buy-ins between the stores. We ended up

having a successful year. We could have

sold more if we had more. This year inventory is feeling a bit more normal except

on the motorized side.”

Doing what they can to bring customers

back is the heart and soul of what sets ArrKann

apart and has led to its growth.

And if Baptiste is correct with her business model, the company’s revenues will

continue to grow.

“Our job is to work for the customer. If

we’re not listening to them and not meeting

their needs, they’re going to get their needs

met somewhere else,” she said. “We’ve been

around for a long time so we know that we

need those repeat customers. Especially in

Edmonton where we started, we have second and third generations that are purchasing RVs from them, so they can give their

families the same kind of experience they

had and they come back to us.” RVB

For all its efforts, ArrKann hopes consumers will enjoy their RV for years to come.

88 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

SPONSORED CONTENT

For over four decades, Elkhart, Ind.-based ASA Electronics has been growing the landscape of mobile technology that serves the

agriculture, commercial vehicle, construction, marine, powersport, RV and utility trailer markets. The company now has seven brands

serving these industries, each with its unique capabilities. For 2022 ASA Electronics is highlighting three products for the RV industry.

Three ASA Electronics Products for 2022

TPMS iN·Command Tire Pressure Monitoring System

The iN·Command Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) uses Bluetooth

Low Energy (BLE) technology and a water-resistant sensor known as NCSTPS1

to monitor the RV’s tire pressure and temperature on the road in real-time. The

TPMS system can monitor up to 22 tires at once and alerts the driver to any

change in pressure or temperature with audible and visual cues.

The system comes with the TPMS app that provides alerts and temperature

readings in real-time; it works natively with the customer's phone and is easy to

pair to mobile devices with three different pairing methods. To pair to a device, the

user must follow along with a video link provided.

The system also uses a Bluetooth signal repeater (NCTP100R) to ensure reliable connections on any trailer length. Although best used with the ASA iN·Command network, the TPMS system can also be used independently.

The company states that the TPMS is easy to install. The individual sensors

are secured to the tire valve stem with anti-theft bolts. After the driver installs the

sensors, they can use the iN·Command TPMS app to scan the QR codes on each

sensor to assign them to individual tires.

ASA Electronics implores that the TPMS saves lives. On average, there are

nearly 11,000 tire-related motor vehicle crashes each year, and more than 600 people will die in those crashes.

TPMS is on every automotive vehicle built today, yet they are not built into RVs that are far heavier than cars, averaging 10,000

pounds. A TPMS system can keep RVers and surrounding vehicles on the road safer. A tire blowout is not only dangerous to the driver

but life-threatening to other drivers on the road. TPMS is preventative, as it acts as a warning so that the driver is aware and can get off

the road to safety before a disaster happens.

The product is available to the aftermarket as well as OEM customers. View more information at https://in-command.net/tpms/

Backup Camera System

The ASA Electronics WiSight backup camera kit includes the monitor

(WVSXM70) and camera WVSXC160). It’s easy to install for RVs with the

camera already prewired. To install, the customer or dealer will remove

the plate that covers the outlet and then easily install the camera. If it is

not prewired, a pigtail is included for the customer to install from scratch

if they wish, without needing to go to the dealer.

WiSight 2.0 technology uses proprietary software to give the driver a

secure connection on the road as it locks onto a clean signal without the

interference of other wireless signals. The 7-inch monitor can display up

to four cameras, and there are multiple views on one screen simultaneously. Cameras have a microphone, so the driver is alerted of any person

trying to communicate to the driver while reversing. The microphone can

be muted whenever needed.

ASA has done more extensive testing than anyone to ensure its products are durable, quality, and long-lasting. The system has an IPX6 rating

for water resistance. https://www.voyagercameras.com/rv-systems/

New Blind Spot Sensors by ASA Just Introduced for 2022

According to ASA, like its TPMS systems, blind spot sensors (VBSD32) can save lives. RV drivers and accidents account for

about 30% of the death rate out of all other motorized vehicles on the road, suggesting that RVs are safer than other vehicles. Although driving an RV might keep the driver safer than a car, any accident involving the RV won't just affect the driver but others

operating the surrounding vehicles.

One of the leading causes of RV accidents is failing to see another car in the other lane due to a blind spot, and ASA strives to reduce

this cause drastically. Although they cannot be installed for aftermarket customers, customers can work with their dealer to install the

new ASA Blind Spot Sensors. Drivers can view up to 30 feet behind them. There is a noise alarm if the driver's turn signal turns on while

another car is in the lane next to the RV. When the driver shifts in reverse, the sensor's view widens to sense cross-traffic.

Like most cars today that have built-in blind spot detection, ASA believes that RVs should as well, especially since RVs weigh

2.5 times the weight of the average vehicle. The blind-spot detection gives drivers security, confidence, and peace of mind. Drivers should be aware of what is behind and next to their vehicle. (Note: This new product has just become available and is not pictured here)

ASA Electronics • www.asaelectronics.com n

90 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

SPONSORED CONTENT

The GoPower! 100-watt DuraLite charging kit is 60% lighter than traditional portable solar kits making it easier to use for all sorts of charging

at the campsite. With built-in kickstands for easy setup, the DuraLite is

ideal for all types of applications, from charging an RV or trailer battery

while on the road to trickle charging a car, ATV or boat.

“We anticipated a level of versatility in how the DuraLite kits were

used,” said Eva Mitic marketing manager, Go Power! “But more people

are using them for applications outside of just keeping their RV batteries

charged. Loads of people have been using them to keep their boats,

ATVs and even solar generators charged for powered wheelchairs. It’s

nice to see these panels are being embraced in different ways.”

Lighter than aluminum portable kits, the new DuraLite Portable Solar

Kit is a plug-and-play solar charger that comes with everything needed

to keep batteries charged on the road. The low-profile, lightweight solar

panels provide over 5-amps of charging power. Complete with 12-feet of

cable, campers can park and set up a tent, RV or truck in the shade and

place the panel in the sun.

The Ultimate Portability

Designed for portability and easy storage, the 100-watt solar panel

weighs just 8.4 pounds and is 2-inches thick. The DuraLite features

integrated kickstand legs and convenient magnetic clasps that keep the

kit secure. The rugged plastic handle features two built-in USB ports to

easily charge small devices on the go, without the need to be connected

to the battery.

The DuraLite 100 Kit comes complete with a 30-amp solar controller

to prevent batteries from overcharging, and an array of battery connection options. These components fit neatly and packed away in the zippered compartment on the canvas carry bag for easy storage. The kit

includes: 100W (5 amp) solar panel, 30-amp charge controller (GPPWM-30-DL), Battery clamps, Quick connectors, Ring terminal

connectors, SAE solar plug adapter, XLR-style solar plug adapter,

12 feet of UV 12/2 cable and Canvas kit bag

Expandable Capabilities

The system is expandable with supercharge options to add to the

DuraLite base kit with two DuraLite 100-E expansion kits. The base kit

can be expanded to a 300-watt solar charging powerhouse. The expansion kit can also be used as a standalone solar input for solar generators

and portable power stations. These panels also feature integrated kickstands and rigid plastic handles with built-in USB chargers, and magnetic closures to keep the panel from opening in transit. The expansion

kit is outfitted with connection accessories to easily string your DuraLite

kits together.

The new DuraLite solar kits come with a two-year warranty, and are

backed by Go Power!’s industry-leading customer service. The DuraLite

kit is available through RV dealers and online retailers.

(866) 247-6527 • www.gpelectric.com n

GoPower! Duralite Kit Provide Campers Solutions

for More Than Just Powering RV Systems

JULY/AUGUST 2022 RVBusiness 91

SupplySide

■ BY TRAVIS O. PRYOR

rdinarily, the RV industry’s two

product-oriented segments

succeed on almost opposite

schedules.

If manufacturers are finding

a huge demand for rolling stock, that probably means a lower demand for replacement parts and aftermarket accessories

designed to fix up or upgrade an existing

recreational vehicle.

But if the market is such that new sales

are moderated due to a bit of economic

uncertainly or other issues, it’s likely that

consumers are making do with the RVs

they have, albeit with a few add-ons, upgrades and repairs.

So it’s interesting to note that, as we

roll through 2022, both sides are finding

brisk sales. And although the supply chain

still has some kinks in it, many suppliers

and distributors apparently find they’re better able to meet the needs of their dealer

partners.

Manufacturers, who have been building

at a frantic pace since the middle of 2020,

find themselves caught up to the point that

the RV Industry Association (RVIA) recently downgraded the number of expected shipments this year to 549,000 –

which, incidentally, would still be the second-highest on record. April retail sales declined 31% from their sizzling levels in

2021, which is allowing manufacturers to

slow their blistering pace – and which, in

turn, eases the burden on parts and accessories.

So, set against the rare backdrop where

both sides of the industry appear to be

reaching a profitable balance, RVIA’s Aftermarket Committee and various members

of the aftermarket are preparing for the

51st Annual Aftermarket Conference,

which is set for Aug. 8-11 at Embassy

Suites by Hilton in San Antonio, Texas.

Steering Committee Chairman John

Tinghitella of RVDesigner said attendees

should look forward to some continued adjustments to the conference, as the committee moves its focus more toward consumer outreach and less to just internal

meetings.

“What we also did in 2021, in the interest of making a run toward this consumer

perspective, is we engaged a two-hour

workshop specifically on understanding

and engaging the consumer,” Tinghitella

told RVBusiness. “We used recent RVIA research (by Bill Baker’s group) as a starting

point to guide our discussions. This data

provided great insight into consumer

habits and activities. This informed our

breakout discussions and helped our 70-

plus workshop attendees serve up great

ideas for future use.”

Watershed Moment?

Tinghitella, for his part, agrees that the

2022 Aftermarket Conference comes at an

interesting time for the industry.

He said it’s neither blazing hot like it had

been since about the middle of 2020, nor

is it looking lukewarm like it was shortly

before the COVID outbreak. But, unlike past

contractions, this cooling period comes at

a time when there are 11.2 million registered RVs out on the road. He and other aftermarket suppliers have those 11.2 million

reasons to believe that their business will

stay relatively warm and they can still

make a profit.

“The aftermarket is healthy,” Tinghitella

said. “We are following the overall market

and a recent cooling. Not severe up or

down.”

Of course, the current wild card is the

rising cost of fuel prices – all too often a

harbinger of things to come in the RV market.

And while Tinghitella agrees those

prices are going to be reflected in overall

RV usage, he said he is confident that the

consumers who’ve entered the market

over the past two years aren’t going to

abandon the lifestyle overnight. They discovered the freedom of travel and being

with people without the concerns of quarantining to a great extent.

“We’re aware of inflationary pressures,

particularly at the gas pump. Gas surges

come and go. The key for the consumer

is having access. And, so far, that is not a

problem,” Tinghitella pointed out.

Former president of the RV Aftermarket

Association, Susan Carpenter of B&B

Aftermarket Takes Center Stage as

Trade Conference Readies for Texas

Harv Giesbrecht, left, and Jordan Martindale of Icon Technologies Ltd. meet with representatives from Meyer Distributing at a past Aftermarket Conference.

O

some real issues that directly affect the aftermarket.

“We asked ourselves, how do we better

understand the consumer and we broke

out into groups to facilitate this,” Tinghitella

said. “It was a guided discussion and we

came up with some really good perspectives. That led to the formation of the Consumer Outreach Task Force. The group has

been meeting since then and we’re working on developing meaningful content.

‘How can the new consumer gain confidence in using aftermarket products?’

We’ve still got a long way to go, but that is

our main outtake from what we gathered

from that two-hour discussion.”

While the group’s purpose always has

been to understand, connect with and

serve the consumer, it should be noted

that by no means does this focus on the

consumer take the dealer out of the equation.

“We think our purpose in life is to provide a great consumer outcome in the RV

aftermarket so that everyone along the

supply chain benefits,” he said. “We start

with the consumer and work our way

backward. Adding an important consumer

perspective to what we’re already good at

is really what we’re trying to accomplish.

We keep the discussions respectful of the

distribution system.”

92 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

SupplySide

Molders, strongly agrees.

“Everybody thinks it has to do with the

price of gas, which it has absolutely nothing to do with it historically. It's always

been the interest rates,” she told RVBusiness. “If anybody had planned a trip that

was far away, they may pull it closer, but a

lot of people just camp within an hour of

their homes with their family just to get

away. It’s still the cheapest way to experience a vacation.”

He said he also believes the service

portion of the industry will remain strong,

as those new buyers seek to keep their

units in good shape for the trips the are

able to take. And any trip to the dealer puts

the potential customer within just a few

feet of the dealer’s parts and accessories

store.

Which, by the way, is where understanding those consumers’ buying patterns comes into play.

Looking Outward

Before the 2021 conference, the event

typically was a series of private meetings

in the hotel rooms of attendees, along with

associated networking.

During the typical event, suppliers and

distributors meet in one-on-one “appointment sessions” to pitch new products, discuss programs and seek better

collaboration, all while taking advantage of

key networking opportunities. There was

plenty of socializing, of course, but business was the name of the game for the

better part of three days.

While much of that remains intact, the

event began incorporating dramatic

changes in 2019, the first conference to

take place after the RV Aftermarket Association (RVAA) merged with RVIA.

While those meetings continue to be an

important part of the conference, they became more interspersed with lunches, dinners receptions, additional social events

and research data designed to help drive

business decisions.

In fact, the latest RVIA economic impact study finds the RV aftermarket contributes 3,187 jobs, $272 million in wages

and over $750 million in total economic

output on a yearly basis.

The conference is an attractive opportunity for supplier companies to develop

strategies for expanding the market segment and chart a course for future growth.

At last year’s conference, for the first

time the group was asked to come together in a two-hour discussion and tackle

Carpenter is by no means alone when

she said the RVAA is much better off now

as a part of RVIA. It freed up the previously

stand-alone group up to consider some

aspects of the market it had not taken into

account before, in her view.

“The steering committee is working

with RVIA’s marketing to learn more about

what the markets mean to the aftermarket,” Carpenter said. “Jeremy Greene is the

liaison for the committee and he’s done a

great job of allowing us to explore different

things that we’ve never been able to explore before.”

The new freedom – plus the changes in

the overall economy of the aftermarket –

may have saved the group, although it took

on a different look.

“Truthfully, I think it was a really great

change for RVAA,” she said. “Not knowing

what was ahead of us and having the

COVID pandemic happen, I question

whether RVAA would still be in existence

today had we not done that just because

of the hardship it would have created. We

were traditionally held together by the conference and for two years that wouldn’t

have happened. I think it financially would

have ruined us. But we were fortunate

enough to come together with RVIA and

they have been very gracious to us and a

great partner.” RVB

Monday, Aug. 8

7 a.m. – 3 p.m. Golf Tournament at Canyon

Springs Golf Club

Noon – 6 p.m. Registration & Information Desk

6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Welcome Reception

Tuesday, Aug. 9

7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Registration & Information

Desk

8:20 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Morning Appointment

Sessions

11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Lunch and 2022 RV

Aftermarket Awards

1:40 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Afternoon Appointment

Sessions

Evening – Explore San Antonio on Your Own

Wednesday, Aug. 10

7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Information Desk

8:20 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Morning Appointment

Sessions

11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Lunch w/ Speaker

1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. How to Market to Consumers

Through Emerging Technologies Workshop

1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Afternoon Appointment

Sessions

8 p.m. – 10 p.m. Drinks and Dessert on Riverwalk

Thursday, Aug. 11

7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Information Desk

8:20 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Morning Appointment

Sessions

11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Lunch

1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Afternoon Appointment

Sessions

6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Closing Reception

RV Aftermarket Awards

The RV Aftermarket Awards program was

designed to honor and recognize individuals,

suppliers and distributors, who are committed

to excellence and growth in the aftermarket

industry, as well as highlight the newest and

most popular products available in the aftermarket industry. All winners are announced

during the RV Aftermarket Conference.

This year’s awards include:

• Product of the Year

• Distributor of the Year

• Supplier of the Year

• Rep Group of the Year

• Lifetime Achievement

94 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

ed Diamond Aftermarket Solutions,

a new go-to-market brand of Novi,

Mich.-based The Shyft Group

(NASDAQ: SHYF), parent company

of Spartan RV Chassis, made its debut June

22 alongside a trio of initial product offerings:

(1) Red Diamond RunFlat to safely steer and

brake during a tire blowout, (2) Red Diamond

Air Booster to keep motorcoach tires at the

recommended pressure; and (3) Red Diamond Self-Leveling System to allow easy

coach leveling at the touch of a button.

“We take pride in offering cutting-edge features to consumers when buying a new RV

with a premium Spartan Chassis, and training

and service after the sale,” Steve Guillaume,

president of Shyft Specialty Vehicles, stated in

a release. “Today, we are expanding that service to do more for the RV industry. We have renamed our Parts and Services to Red Diamond

Aftermarket Solutions and are broadening our

offering to include exclusive and private-labeled

parts beyond our current Spartan RV Chassis

product portfolio.”

Red Diamond offers all RV owners a line

of best-in-class aftermarket products. With an

online store and hundreds of authorized Spartan RV Chassis service centers across the

U.S. able to offer Red Diamond, owners can

enjoy peace of mind that premium products

and services are available wherever the adventure leads.

“Our engineers work closely with industryleading suppliers to offer a Red Diamond portfolio for all types of RV owners with a focus on

enhancing their safety, comfort and convenience on the road,” said Ray Dalton, Director

of Parts and Customer Services, Shyft Specialty Vehicles. “If you see the Red Diamond

label, you know that your RV parts and accessories are of the highest quality, vetted and authorized to fit your specific needs.”

Designed for the Class A RV market and

constructed with military-grade technology

proven to withstand harsh conditions, Red Diamond RunFlat features runner roller technology to protect against heat and friction when

engaged. This allows the owner to safely steer

and brake in a tire blowout or pressure-loss incident, thereby minimizing potential damage

from tire blowouts and protecting passengers,

the motor coach and surrounding vehicles.

RunFlat is manufactured in the U.S. and compatible with any Class A motorhome equipped

with 22.5-inch wheels.

Red Diamond Air Booster gives RV owners

the ability to double onboard chassis air pressure, inflating tires to the recommended PSI in

seconds as well as other auxiliary air needs

without the use of a separate air compressor.

Its compact design saves space, connects

easily to a coach and is compatible with any

recreational vehicle that has an onboard air

supply.

The Red Diamond Self-Leveling System

brings quick and easy leveling to an RV without the use of hydraulic leveling jacks. This

segment-leading air spring leveling system is

available for installation on Class A diesel

coaches on a Spartan Chassis, model year

2000 or newer. With a simple and intuitive

touchscreen interface, users have a full suite

of leveling functionality, including a one-touch

auto-leveling feature or four-point manual control of the leveling actuators.

Representatives from Red Diamond will be

onsite during the 36th Annual Newmar Kountry Klub Rally, being held July 16-23 in Rock

Springs, Wy. Attendees are invited to visit the

exhibit located outside of the West Pavilion

Hall of the Sweetwater Events Complex to

learn more about the suite of Red Diamond

product offerings.

More information about Red Diamond can

also be readily accessed by visiting reddiamondparts.com. RVB

SupplySide

Spartan Chassis Parent Debuts Aftermarket Program

R

GEN-Y Hitch Building Nappanee Facility

NAPPANEE, Ind. – GEN-Y Group started construction of a new 74,000-

square-foot facility in Northern Indiana June 20, according to a press release.

The building, at 3400 W. Market St., Nappanee, Ind., will house both

GEN-Y Group’s divisions – GEN-Y Hitch, currently based out of Nappanee,

and NEXGEN Industryz, located in Bremen, Ind.

Completion is projected by December.

“We are excited about where GEN-Y Group is going. This expansion

project will provide much needed space for the organization to continue

the strong growth our great team continues to generate. We are glad to

officially make Elkhart County Indiana our headquarters and become a

permanent member of the Nappanee business community,” said Dan

Miller, company president.

“This has been a dream for me since I started the company. This new

building will tremendously help our team grow and that’s what truly excites me. We need a facility to achieve that next level of growth for GENY Group and I am so excited to see it all come together,” said Carl

Borkholder, company founder. RVB

Lippert Wins Top Manufacturing Award

ELKHART, Ind. — Lippert Components Inc. (Lippert) announced June

10 that Lippert Plant 113, located in Bradenton, Fla., was recognized as

one of three Gold winner recipients for the Florida Sterling Manufacturing

Business Excellence Award (SMBE) by the FloridaMakes Network and the

Florida Sterling Council.

Leaders accepted the award at the 30th Annual Governor’s Sterling

Award Banquet on June 3 in Orlando. Plant 113 manufactures marine

canvas, upholstery, and shade systems for the Taylor Made and SureShade brands.

More than 160 Florida manufacturers were nominated for this year’s

award. A team of Sterling Council-trained examiners and manufacturing

community representatives contributed significant time and expertise to

evaluate nominations and narrowed them down to 23 finalists. The examiners then conducted virtual site visits, interviews with leadership, and

employee focus groups with each finalist and then chose 11 winners designated as gold, silver and bronze. RVB

In Brief

Steve Guillaume

JULY/AUGUST 2022 RVBusiness 95

Micro-Air LLC, the award-winning manufacturer of the EasyStart

family of air conditioning products, and RV Whisper LLC, the wireless

aftermarket RV monitoring system manufacturer, on May 20 announced a strategic partnership integrating their two technologies.

As a result, RV Whisper can now “hear” the EasyStart 364-X36-

Blue, the Bluetooth-enabled soft starter for RV, home or marine

use, according to a release.

“RV Whisper has been waiting for this chance to include another

power product in its fold – and here it is,” said owner Ed Bender.

With RV Whisper now able to wirelessly receive information

from the Bluetooth-capable version of EasyStart, company officials explained that their mutual customers now have access to

historical EasyStart data in their RV or boat. The data logged by

RV Whisper includes Peak Starting Amps, Live Amps and EasyStart Status messages, allowing owners to easily see historical

data in graph and other formats along with all their other RV Whisper data.

An unintended and surprising feature is its “good for pets” advantage, officials added. Viewing the app information remotely,

RVers are reassured that the AC unit is starting and running and

starting again when a temperature set point is exceeded.

The RV Whisper integration includes remote access to the EasyStart historical data including graphs over time, and it supports

sending email and text alerts based on user defined settings. These

functions were not part of the EasyStart’s design but are value

adds coming from the new partnership.

With its WiFi ability, text alerts and email

capacity, RV Whisper adds a whole new

dimension to the EasyStart. Customers

will be able to very easily share their

EasyStart historical data with Micro-Air

to better support remote diagnostics and

troubleshooting.

EasyStart 364 is the only soft start for

RV and starts RV AC on low power

sources like small generators, reduced size inverters and low utility power sources like 20-amp power at home and even two AC

units on 30-amp campground power. Its Bluetooth model (X36-

BLUE) is UL listed and provides diagnostics and permits owners

to observe their power inrush reduction. RV Whisper builds wireless monitoring systems so owners can see various bits and

pieces of RV data that interest them – all in one app. The Bluetooth sensors with which they integrate provide visibility to tire

pressure, shore power, battery power, water tank levels, propane

tank levels and more. Shore power volts and amps are available

through an integration with any of the Power Watchdog products

from Hughes Autoformers.

Micro-Air also makes and supplies its aftermarket EasyTouch RV

WiFi thermostats to the RVing public. They are drop-in replacements

for all Furrion, Coleman and Dometic AC thermostats. RVB

RV Whisper, Micro-Air Announce Strategic Partnership

SupplySide

96 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

VANCOUVER, B.C. – Acuva Technologies Inc. (Acuva), a world leader in the design, manufacture and integration of

advanced water purification solutions for

commercial and consumer applications,

on June 2 announced an exclusive supply

and distribution agreement with Lippert

Components Inc. (Lippert), a leading supplier in the RV, marine and other industries, according to a release from Acuva.

Acuva’s innovative range of consumer

UV-LED water purification products is a

perfect solution for adventurers who enjoy

the off-grid lifestyle in their RVs, camper

vans, trailers and boats, the company reports.

Acuva’s proprietary IntenseBeam UVLED technology eliminates up to

99.9999% of bacteria and viruses found

in water, providing customers with the

confidence and peace of mind that they

can safely consume water wherever they

may be, no matter the source.

“At Acuva, we believe everyone should

have access to safe drinking water, which

is why we are excited to partner with Lippert to bring our range of water purification products to the fast-growing RV and

marine markets in North America,” said

Manoj Singh, president and CEO of Acuva

Technologies. “While having access to

clean drinking water is a priority for our

customers, we know concerns around

protecting our environment have never

been more top-of-mind. Our products

offer a safe and sustainable drinking water

solution, removing the need to carry single-use plastic water bottles. Every

Acuva-Lippert product has the potential to

remove hundreds of thousands of plastic

water bottles from our landfills over its

lifetime.”

Together, Acuva and Lippert will create

a co-branded range of water purification

products designed specifically for the RV

and marine markets that will be sold exclusively across channels by Lippert in

North America. These systems also will

be installed into new RVs at the time of

manufacture, giving customers the bestin-class water purification technology already built-in.

“Lippert is excited to partner with Acuva

to bring their advanced water purification

technology to the RV and marine industries,” said Andrew Mock, Lippert’s senior

vice president of Furrion North America.

“The addition of the new co-branded

Acuva-Lippert UV-LED water purification

products to our suite of offerings is Lippert answering the call of our customers

who are increasingly seeking more sustainable solutions as they pursue the outdoor lifestyle. We look forward to working

with Acuva to expand the availability of

these products, giving our customers

clean drinking water wherever they go,

both on and off the grid.”

UV-LED disinfection systems have been

addressing the barriers to safe drinking

water for more than seven years. Beyond

providing compact, low-power and high

effective applications for individual and

commercial customers, Acuva’s technology can be integrated into appliances for

the home or office.

The Acuva-Lippert products for the RV

and marine markets will be available for

purchase in Q3 2022, and the new RVs

are expected to hit the market then as

well. RVB

Acuva Technologies, Lippert Announce Partnership

..We are excited to

partner with Lippert to

bring our range of water

purification products to

the fast-growing RV and

marine markets in

North America.”

“

”

Manoj Singh, CEO, Acuva Technologies

The addition of the

new co-branded AcuvaLippert UV-LED water purification products to our

suite of offerings is Lippert

answering the call

of our customers...

“

”

Andrew Mock, Sr. VP, Furrion North America

RENO, Nev. – Dragonfly Energy Corp., a

leader in energy storage and producer of

deep cycle lithium-ion storage batteries,

and Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp.

(CNTQ) (Nasdaq: CNTQ), a publicly traded

special purpose acquisition company, on

May 16 announced a definitive agreement

for a business combination that will result

in Dragonfly becoming a publicly listed

company.

Upon closing of the transaction, the

combined company will be renamed Dragonfly Energy and is expected to be listed

on the Nasdaq exchange under the new

ticker symbol “DFLI.”

Dragonfly products – under the Dragonfly

Energy brand – are sold direct to consumers under the Battle Born Batteries

brand and to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Keystone RV, a

subsidiary of THOR Industries and Midwest Automotive, a unit of REV Group. As

such, Dragonfly generated $78 million of

revenue and nearly $9 million of adjusted

EBITDA in 2021, both representing an

80+% CAGR since 2018.

As Dragonfly penetrates new and existing

markets, the company anticipates continued growth with 2022 and 2023 revenue

forecasts of $115 million and $255 million,

respectively, and 2022 and 2023 adjusted

EBITDA forecasts of $12 million and $41

million. CNTQ believes that an investment

in Dragonfly presents a compelling opportunity at a 32% discount to its peers’ 2023

revenue multiples.

Dragonfly intends to use a portion of the

proceeds raised from this transaction to

accelerate the development and commercialization of its revolutionary All-solidstate-battery technology.

All-solid-state-batteries are non-flammable and are designed to allow for efficient,

distributed energy storage that enables renewables to be cost competitive with fossil

fuels while further stabilizing the power grid.

Dragonfly co-Founder, Chairman &

Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Denis Phares

and the current management team are

expected to continue to lead the combined company. RVB

Dragonfly Energy to Become Publicly Traded Company

JULY/AUGUST 2022 RVBusiness 97

WICHITA, Kan. – When AC compressors

start up, they require a large power draw,

according a press release from Airxcel Inc.

subsidiary Coleman-Mach.

If that electricity is from a generator, inverter or another low-amperage source it

can cause a fault, overload the system or

place extra strain on batteries. The new

Coleman-Mach soft start kit can be easily

installed on existing Coleman-Mach ACs,

reducing compressor starting amps by up

to 75% to improve energy efficiency and

protect against premature degradation of

components, the release stated.

Coleman-Mach product experts engineered the pioneering soft start kit exclusively for use with its line of premium air

conditioners. Compact and ready for installation right out of the box, it mounts

easily inside existing AC units without impacting the exterior aesthetics of the coach

or the validity of the Coleman-Mach manufacturer’s warranty. The Coleman-Mach

soft start kit, the company says, is best installed by a qualified RV technician.

“As a consummate partner to our aftermarket customers we strive to design

products that elevate the RV experience

not just in terms of comfort but also efficiency,” explained David Gehlen, product

manager for Coleman-Mach. “This includes expanding our line of RV efficiency

products so current RV owners can easily

enhance the performance of their AC units

without sacrificing comfort, aesthetics or

cooling power.”

When retrofitted within an existing AC

unit, the addition of a soft start will improve start-up performance, letting RV enthusiasts enjoy the comfort of a

Coleman-Mach air conditioner while offgrid, using generator power, when only

30A park service is available or when running more than one AC unit. The ColemanMach soft start kit is also particularly

useful in air conditioners for overland vehicles with a small generator and for

builders expanding into electric vehicles.

“We kept the dynamic growth and interest in the EV market in mind when designing the Coleman-Mach soft start kit,”

said Gehlen. “AC units with a soft start

installed are ideal when powering Coleman-Mach air conditioners with lithium

battery packs used in recreational vehicles and EV applications. At ColemanMach we want to support RVers on the

road now and help to push the development of energy efficient vehicle design in

the RV industry.” RVB

Coleman-Mach Soft Start Kit Reduces Initial AC Load

The Coleman-Mach soft start kit.

98 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

Arrow Distributing Sets

Exhibitor Showcase

ELKHART, Ind. – Arrow Distributing has

announced in a press release it will be hosting its annual Exhibitor’s Showcase Jan. 10-

11 at Paris in Las Vegas. This will be another

live and in-person event in the city that has

it all.

“Come out and take advantage of the

best pricing of the year from the distributor

that doesn’t compete against it’s dealers online or on Amazon. Our family owned distributorship hosts one of the best events in the

industry. Just ask our dealers and vendors.

We’ve put together another jam-packed

show to include a day of interactive educational seminars followed by a show floor

walkthrough and a cocktail party allowing

you to connect with industry experts and

friends,” according to the release.

“Day two will be a full day of show-floor

exhibit excitement with Poker Run deals

every hour. These deals are worth the trip

alone but you’ll be amazed with all the other

specials we’ve aggressively priced for your

benefit. More details will follow so make

sure you save the dates and plan to attend,”

the release stated. RVB

Expion360 to Build RV

Lithium Battery Plant

REDMOND, Ore. – Expion360 Inc., an industry leader for lithium batteries and accessories for RVs, outdoor, marine,

residential and industrial applications, has

signed a non-binding letter of intent (LOI)

to buy lithium battery manufacturing equipment from an Asian producer in connection

with its plans to build a large-scale lithium

cell manufacturing facility in Redmond, Ore.

The lithium battery manufacturing equipment is expected to produce up to 250,000

Type 26650 lithium battery cells per day. Officials expect the engineering plans and site

planning of the $450 million facility to begin

before the end of the year. RVB

Znergy Headquarters

Planned in Elkhart, Ind.

SYRACUSE, Ind.– Znergy, Inc. (OTC

PINK: ZNRG), a leading provider of new

LED lighting, turnkey LED lighting conversions, RV lighting, solar and accessories, announced its new headquarters location in

Elkhart, Ind.

Znergy serves the RV manufacturing

market through its RluxRV LLC joint subsidiary. RluxRV is a factory direct supplier of

recreational vehicle LED lighting, solar systems, plumbing and accessories. RVB

CINCINNATI – FMCA, an international organization for RV owners, announced June

2 that Blue Ox, manufacturer of RV-related

towing equipment, will be the title sponsor

for the association’s 105th International

Convention & RV Expo in Lincoln, Neb.

FMCA’s “Golden Getaway” Convention

presented by Blue Ox will take place Aug.

24-27 at the Lancaster Event Center, according to a release.

Having a title sponsor is a first for FMCA,

but Blue Ox officials approached FMCA

leaders about doing something special to

welcome those attending the August convention. Blue Ox maintains its headquarters

in Pender, Neb., and has a facility in Lincoln

as well.

“FMCA is delighted to have Blue Ox serve

as the title sponsor for our Lincoln convention,” said Rett Porter, FMCA national president. “Through the years, our members

have purchased thousands of their tow bars

and other safety equipment. Blue Ox is an

industry leader for towing equipment and

has been a caring and supportive company

for FMCA members.”

Mike Hesse, CEO of Blue Ox, agreed that

the long-standing relationship with FMCA

has been beneficial to his company. “The

FMCA partnership has been great for us,”

he said. “FMCA has very loyal members,

which has resulted in many loyal Blue Ox

customers. At Blue Ox, you’ll often hear the

phrase, ‘Towing doesn’t have to be a drag.’

That process starts by listening to our customers’ experience towing all types of cars,

trailers, and RVs and how we can make

their journey as great as the destination.”

“With a facility in Lincoln, and our headquarters in Pender, we wanted to go above

and beyond to welcome FMCA and its

members to Nebraska and give an exceptional customer experience at this year’s

rally,” said Alex Walker, director of sales

with Blue Ox. “We are excited to showcase

our many quality products, thank our current customers, and welcome our new

customers.”

As title sponsor, Blue Ox will have a major

presence in FMCA’s promotional efforts for

the convention and on-site at the Lancaster

Event Center. The company also will cohost “Welcome To Lincoln Night” in the

city’s downtown area on Tuesday, Aug. 23.

That evening, convention attendees will be

invited to the Historic Haymarket District for

a night of food and fun. With dozens of

restaurants, shops, and other attractions

within an eight-block area, FMCA members

will have multiple dining and browsing options, with discounts offered by many area

businesses. At Lincoln Station Great Hall,

entertainment and refreshments will be

available for convention attendees throughout the night during the “Blue Ox Bash.”

“In partnership with Blue Ox, we are so excited to put together this event for those

coming to Lincoln,” said Chris Smith, FMCA

CEO. “I know our attendees will love the

area once they check it out, and this will be

a great way to get their convention experience started. I can’t wait to see the streets

of Lincoln filled with folks wearing their

‘Golden Getaway’ badges.” RVB

Blue Ox is Title Sponsor for FMCA’s

‘Golden Getaway’ Convention & Expo

In Brief

SupplySide

JULY/AUGUST 2022 RVBusiness 99

ELKHART, Ind. – With an initial introduction by Keystone RV Co.’s Cougar, the

echocoat showers by G3 Solutions Inc.,

Elkhart, Ind., will be expanding as several

additional brands now are migrating to this

upscale design, according to a release.

G3 Solutions GM Andrew Eakle pointed

out that this move is part of the company’s strategy, and progression in expanding the product. The echocoat

shower line has been doing very well in

luxury full-profile segment, the release

stated.

“We’re happy to see the product now

moving into mid-profile and travel trailer

lines. This, we knew, was going to be a

natural progression as especially now, the

appeal to a customer’s eye, takes precedence over something plain or antiquated,” Eakle said.

More Keystone models will come onboard this fall, with the Sprinter line making an earlier spring introduction. Sprinter

Product Manager Jeff Kloska said the

move is consistent with his brand’s desire

to capture a modern look and to offer

more premium features.

“As prices increase and non-traditional

buyers come into the market, there is a

clear desire for new levels of fit and finish.

Luxury bathroom renovation is a massive

residential trend. G3 is helping Sprinter

bring this trend into our product design in

a way that we think will be incredibly appealing to shoppers. This will be especially valuable in our Sprinter Limited

floorplans,” Kloska said.

“Our focus remains on the enhancement in aesthetics throughout RV interiors,” Eakle added. “When a customer

turns the corner or peers into a bathroom, they immediately notice the upgraded appearance and style with G3

products. This has influenced buyers for

the past years across many higher end

applications, now we’ll be seeing a lot in

the TT class ‘step-up’ for 2023. Progressive managers and designers have realized this and they’re making sure their

models continue to stay ahead of their

competition in design.” RVB

Keystone RV Chooses G3 Echocoat Showers

The G3 Luxury shower.

The G3 Sprinter shower.

Rockwood, Flagstaff Choose

ASG for Off-Grid Power Needs

MILLERSBURG, Ind. – The Rockwood

and Flagstaff Divisions of Forest River Inc.,

have selected Advanced Systems Group

(ASG) for their off-the-grid Power Package,

the company advised.

The Power Package includes Mastervolt’s latest lithium battery and

inverter/charger technology and is an intuitive system that allows an RV to be used

completely off grid. The system can operate all 120V and 12V DC loads without

having to rely on shore/generator power.

“The Power Package supports Forest

River’s initiatives in offering turn-key

power systems to create an experience

where RVers can enjoy the luxury and

comforts of being connected to power,

wherever their adventures may take them,”

said ASG RV National OEM Sales Manager

Menno Ligterink. RVB

100 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

Premier Drive features an all-new independent front suspension.

SupplySide

Helios Technologies

Partnering with

Storyteller Overland

SARASOTA, Fla. – Helios Technologies

(NYSE: HLIO), a global leader in highly engineered motion control and electronic controls technology for diverse end markets,

announced in mid-May that its subsidiary,

Enovation Controls, has begun manufacturing 10.6-inch displays, power distribution

modules and harnessing for Storyteller Overland.

“Our mission is to offer the highest quality, most user friendly and innovative Class B

Adventure Vans in celebration of all things

vanlife, overlanding and adventure travel” said

Lee Conn, president, Storyteller Overland.

Built with high-brightness and optically

bonded LCDs, the 10.6-inch PV1100 PowerView glass-front display delivers “best-inclass sunlight viewability.” RVB

Garmin Intros BC 50

Series of Wireless

Backup Cameras

OLATHE, Kan. – Garmin International

Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NYSE: GRMN),

recently announced the rugged BC 50 and

BC 50 with Night Vision wireless backup

cameras that help drivers clearly see the environment behind their vehicles and reverse

with confidence.

The BC 50 with Night Vision offers

Garmin’s proprietary NightGlo technology that

can illuminate up to 20 feet behind a vehicle

for optimal visibility at night or in dark settings, according to a company release. Compatible with a variety of Garmin GPS

navigation devices, the BC 50 Series is purpose-built to satisfy a broad range of needs

from parallel parking on a busy city street to

backing an RV into a campsite, off-roading in

the great outdoors or reversing a semi-truck

into a docking bay. Simply put, the BC 50 has

a driver’s back, night and day. RVB

Horizon, Continental

Amicably Settle

Patent Dispute

PLYMOUTH, Mich. – Horizon Global Corporation (NYSE: HZN), one of the world’s

leading manufacturers of branded towing

and trailering equipment, on June 8 announced that its subsidiary, Horizon Global

Americas Inc., and Continental Automotive

Systems Inc. have agreed to amicably resolve their 2-year-old dispute over patent

rights to their electronic trailer brake controllers.

The specific terms are confidential. RVB

In Brief

NOVI, Mich. – Spartan RV Chassis, a

go-to-market brand of The Shyft Group

(NASDAQ: SHYF), in May introduced Spartan Premier Drive, a single, comprehensive

and proprietary chassis system designed

specifically for Class A RV luxury motorcoaches and engineered to deliver the best

possible ride quality.

Previewed at the Newmar Annual Dealer

meeting in April, the Premier Drive system,

complete with the all-new Independent

Front Suspension (IFS), made its industry

debut at the 2022 Entegra Coach Diesel

Owners’ Homecoming event May 17-20 at

the Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds in

Goshen, Ind.

The Premier Drive system is a fully integrated collection of advanced chassis

technologies. End to end, each element

is custom designed and engineered to

isolate and absorb bumps in the road.

“We know luxury RV owners invest a lot

of time and money into their motorcoaches,

so we’ve designed each element of the Premier Drive system from the ground up to

deliver the best ride quality possible,” said

Steve Guillaume, President, Shyft Group

Specialty Vehicles.

Designed with the driver and passenger

in mind, the all-new IFS provides drivers advanced agility, maneuverability, and improved bump absorption through

custom-built, high performance shocks –

designed specifically for motor home use.

With a tighter, more automotive feel at the

steering wheel, drivers experience better

steering control under all road conditions,

and the 55-degree wheel cut creates exceptional maneuverability. The IFS also features

the air disc brake system, which resists

fade and adds stopping power while decreasing stopping distance for best-in-class

driver safety.

“With every new innovation, driver

safety and comfort is our number one priority,” said Guillaume. “Our new independent front suspension went through rigorous

testing by highly trained engineers and experienced motorcoach drivers to ensure that

every passenger feels comfortable and

every driver feels in control, ready to take to

the road with confidence.”

The Premier Drive system’s foundation

is a robust frame and cross member system for the Class A diesel industry, providing a solid and premium structure. The rear

suspension stabilizes the back of the coach

for smoother, more comfortable driving –

even with uneven terrain, unpredictable

roads and windy conditions. The forces

against the coach suspension are dissipated with the Spartan RV Chassis torsion

control system – reducing the stress on the

chassis frame. This leads to a more

durable, longer-lasting chassis and less

twisting, for a more stable riding experience.

The advanced tag axle enhances the turn

radius – with a best-in-class 17-degree

wheel cut –while distributing the coach’s

weight more evenly. This gives the driver a

smoother, softer-feeling ride while improving confidence in tight turning situations and

the E-Z Steer technology allows the driver

to adjust the steering effort to the most

comfortable level in various driving conditions, reducing driver fatigue, and improving

driving pleasure.

Entegra Coach Diesel Owners’ Homecoming event attendees were invited to visit the

Spartan RV Chassis display to learn more

about Premier Drive and the new IFS, as well

as other brand offerings. RVB

Spartan RV Chassis Introduces New

Premier Drive System for Class A’s

JULY/AUGUST 2022 RVBusiness 101

Latest Technologies Makes RVing Even ‘Greener’

Many years ago, I studied how RVs impacted our carbon footprint after

attending a symposium on environmental conservation and the results were

eye-opening: The speakers actually touted RVing. Why? Because RVs are

greener than most homes.

Historically, when life pivots in

the United States, the RV industry takes it on the chin. So,

when the COVID-19 pandemic

shut down the country, the industry got

lucky and prospered beyond belief. Getting out in an RV was one of the best

ways for people to find relief from the

pandemic stresses, and those who embraced RVing were able to enjoy a little

chunk of normalcy and stay relatively

safe from the bug. And the lifestyle

caught on in a big way.

Now we’re faced with new challenges, including one of our old nemeses: fuel. Continued bad news about

fuel could send shock waves. Or will it

this time? I suppose the answer is a little more complex than a simple “yes”

or “no.”

As I illustrated in the last issue, fuel

can have a seriously negative affect on

our mental well-being and our wallets,

but it’s best not to get hung up on reading the posted fuel prices at service

stations. When you do the math, RV vacations are still more affordable.

While I still stand by the premise that

fuel prices can be reckoned with – and

Europeans proved that years ago – a

new fly in the ointment may require

some lifestyle adjustments and possibly more practical decisions when enthusiasts select the best RV that fits

their needs.

An article, “Bottleneck Fuels

Record Gas Prices” in the May 28,

2022 issue of the Wall Street Journal

(WSJ) was troubling. Fuel prices will

likely be impacted by reduced refinery

production and a looming ferocious

global appetite for fuel as driving routines are normalized and the world

climbs out of pandemic shutdowns

and restrictions. According to the

WSJ article, when demand plummeted during the height of the pandemic, older refineries were

shuttered. Getting back to normal, if

that’s even possible, may be painful.

Alas, are we looking at a repeat of

the long lines of the early 1970’s?

■ BY BOB LIVINGSTON

Maybe. The misguided energy policy in

this country will undoubtedly continue

to fester controversy.

Don’t get me wrong; going green is

a worthy goal. I bought my first electric

car six years ago and loved it. But fossil

fuels will still be in high demand for

many years while technology evolves,

making electric vehicles more feasible

for heavier-load service – and, of

course, as the charging infrastructure

continues to expand. I’m not sure how

the power grid is going to be able to

keep up with demand, considering

rolling blackouts are becoming more

prevalent in certain areas. It’s like expanding communities without building

roadways to handle the uptick in traffic.

For now, I’ll defer that argument to the

opinion pages.

We should all be concerned with our

carbon footprint, and kudos to the RV

industry for working toward that goal.

Many years ago, I studied how RVs impacted our carbon footprint after attending a symposium on environmental

conservation and the results were eyeopening: The speakers actually touted

RVing. Why? Because RVs are greener

than most homes. True, RVs consume

more fuel on a per-mile basis than the

average car, but RVs are not used for

commuting. While fuel consumption is

only part of the equation, from a livability standpoint, RVs are the ultimate

conservation machines.

The average household uses around

300 gallons of water per day. RVers can

get along with 50 gallons of water (average) stored in an onboard holding

tank for a few days while boondocking,

and – even when hooked up – still consume much less than a stationary

household. Beyond a natural desire to

conserve on the part of RVers, the fact

remains that it takes less water to flush

the toilet and fill up smaller sinks. RVs

rarely have multiple showerheads to

promote lingering and there’s no outside landscaping to maintain.

Energy conservation is equally as

important. The average household consumes around 30 kWh of power on a

daily basis, which is about 30% more

than RVs when hooked up in an RV

park. And as more RVers turn to selfcontainment and employing robust

solar systems that make it possible to

shun the power grid, the positive impact is greater. Obviously, when a home

is vacated during an RV vacation, the

power savings are substantial.

Nevertheless, there is still more

work to be done. For example, higher

profile motorhomes and fifth-wheels

are more spacious, but are they necessary for most enthusiasts? Probably

not if smaller, lighter models are on the

horizon. Save the extra weight for

mandatory dual pane windows and

added insulation. My wife, Lynne, and

I live full time in a lower profile fifthwheel with these window and insulation features, and the HVAC efficiency

is excellent.

Creative space utilization makes it

possible to live comfortably in less

square footage as illustrated by the

Class B motorhome segment. And the

trend toward all-electric systems supported by onboard power grids is

breathtaking. The thought of powering

an air-conditioner without running a

generator or hooking up in an RV park

was fantasy just a few years ago. So

was towing with an all-electric truck!

I think we’re poised for an evolution

in the RV industry. There will always be

a market for more conventional RVs,

especially for the full-timing crowd, but

creating contemporary RVs in response

to current events will keep the buzz

alive. The concept of living large without the bulk is exciting, and I believe the

industry is up to the challenge. RVB

LIVINGSTON REPORT

Bob Livingston is the former group publisher and

senior VP for GS Media and Events, publishers of

“Trailer Life” and “MotorHome” magazines and

their respective websites. After retiring from his publisher’s post in 2016, he started a consulting company

that focuses on product development and marketing

projects in the RV industry. More recently, he is also

the publisher of digital “RV Enthusiast” magazine.

102 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

More to the Equation

Like other manufacturers contacted by

RVBusiness, Claude emphasized that parts

fulfillment was only one aspect of a revamped customer service program at

Jayco that now numbers 300 employees.

“It’s also your response time, how well

you take care of the dealer and customer,

getting preapprovals, making sure that

we’re getting the proper information so

that they can repair the units – there’s a

lot to it,” he said. “We also initiated ‘lean

processing’ into our business plan. The

customer service management team goes

through lean and leadership training

every week, looking at how to analyze our

business, where the opportunities are for

continuous improvement.

“We’re constantly reviewing our business practices to better support and take

care of our consumer’s needs,” he continued. “We’ve made some huge strides over

the last year and a half – and we’ve improved our lead times by about 54%

across the board, and we’re not happy

there. Our goal is to take care of any customer, with any question, within an

hour.”

As Claude explained, Jayco also has implemented key performance indicators

(KPI) on all departments inside customer

service, “gauging how we respond, the accuracy of how we respond, the efficiencies.

It’s a daily ‘report card’ that all 13 departments in customer service receive showing

how they’re performing and how we’re taking care of the customer.”

Other OEMs which have made substantial investments in their customer service

programs include Forest River Inc., Keystone RV Co. (along with its subsidiaries

CrossRoads RV and Dutchmen Mfg.) and

Heartland RV Co. (including its DRV and

Cruiser RV divisions).

“Our investment actually predates the

pandemic,” said Heartland President Ryan

Juday. “Beginning about two years ago,

we began a substantial upgrade in how

we respond to RECT. We have actually

doubled the size of our parts warehouse

– to approximately 82,000 square feet –

and likewise doubled the number of SKUs

we stocked. And we have additional warehouse space both in Indiana and Idaho.”

The upshot, added Jim Fenner, Heartland’s vice president of customer service,

quality and engineering, is to get a 24-

hour turnaround time on parts fulfillment.

“The goal with the new warehouse is

to substantially increase our stocking

level,” he said. “We want to get to the

point where we stock 90% or more of all

parts used on products manufactured in

the past three years. The faster we can get

a part out, the happier the consumer –

and the dealer – is going to be.”

The addition of the new warehouse, he

added, is just Phase One of a three-part

project that will include merging the two

Elkhart warehouses into one central facility.

Heartland’s warehouse initiative, Fenner added, includes a greater reliance on

technology – including barcode scanning

and automation efficiencies – to drive the

process. Fenner also has overseen a commonality of part numbers – a sticking

point with many dealers – across all three

companies.

“One of the first things Jim and I partnered up on was to realign the expectations of what our parts and our service

capabilities would be inside this organization,” said Juday. “That goes through

our cataloging, as well – Jim and his team

have done an absolutely amazing job upgrading our cataloging system. It will also

include our dealer portal, which will have

a massive upgrade this fall. There are a lot

of logistical things that go along with this

project.”

Beyond the trade side of the equation,

Heartland also has focused on consumercentric aspects through the launch of a

new app earlier this year which allows

owners to track the progress of repairs.

“The app is incredible. It allows a customer to communicate with us, but also

with their dealer,” said Juday. “With it, a

customer can enter their VIN and see

what parts have been ordered and track

the parts and the warranty claims through

the system. It lets them keep an eye on

their coach throughout the service

process – which also frees up valuable

time for dealers by cutting down on

phone calls.”

Improving RECT also has been on the

radar for several years at Forest River.

“We developed a new parts, service

and warranty website, called Dealer Connect, about 3½ years ago,” said Doug

Deter, director of warranty, parts and

service. “We created it with dealer input,

Parts Bottleneck from page 42

Heartland RV President Ryan Juday, right, and

Vice President of Customer Service, Quality and

Engineering Jim Fenner.

Keystone RV Co. keeps in stock its 2,500 fastest-moving

parts, all but guaranteeing a timely order fulfillment.

In an effort to streamline efficiencies, part numbers are now constant

across all lines at Keystone and its Dutchmen and CrossRoads divisions.

2022 RVBusiness Top50 Dealer Awards

The Tradition Grows

Join Us

Sponsored by

All RVDA Con/Expo attendees are invited

to the reception and RVB Top 50 Dealer

Awards presentation.

Save the Date: 5:30 p.m., Wed., Nov. 9,

2022, at Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas

We are pleased to announce the next round of the RVB Top 50 Dealer Awards! The awards

once again will be presented at the popular Wednesday night reception during the RV Dealers

Association’s 2022 Convention/Expo in November. Our thanks to our host, RVDA, and to the

sponsors who generously support and honor the winning dealers and to the manufacturers

who nominated their most professional retailers.

2022

104 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

then brought 10 dealers in to preview it.

We took their suggestions, implemented

them and released it. It’s easy to use,

whether it’s filing a claim or ordering a

part, and makes it a better experience for

dealers.”

A corporate training team not only developed training for dealers on how to use

the system, he added, but also internal employees so everyone was on the same page.

“That’s important, because we all need

to speak the same language,” said Deter.

“If you’re not filing a claim correctly, if

you’re not including the proper description or not attaching photos, it gets

caught up in what we call ‘pre-authorization’ status and slows everything down.”

Warehousing & Numbering

More recently, Forest River enacted a

companywide approach to parts numbering

that, Deter said, came right from the top.

“We were in a meeting when Pete

Liegl (Forest River CEO) said, ‘I want to

have one universal part number for every

part in the company so anyone can locate

a part, whether they get it from NTP-STAG

or Lowe’s Home Improvement,’” Deter

said. “Dealers have told us they wish the

rest of the industry would do this. We

don’t look upon parts as a profit center.

We really just want to reduce RECT and get

customers back out on the road.”

Another critical aspect of Forest River’s

RECT approach is training. Deter brought

on two service technician trainers who

“are constantly on the road” to help train

dealer techs, along with an in-house

dealer relations expert who assists dealers

in presenting data.

“What we’ve found is that by working

together to get a claim submitted at the

flat rate with the proper photos and

proper description, it actually reduces the

time that vehicle is in the shop,” Deter

explained.

“We continue to invest capital to expand the operating capacity and capabilities of many of our facilities,” Deter said.

“That allows us to accommodate not only

the repair of units but also facilitate and

manage our parts and warranty operations.”

According to Garry Enyart, who oversees the RECT program on behalf of RVIA

and RVDA, RECT is focused on parts, service and warranty issues – and Keystone

has addressed all three aspects with its

ongoing focus on helping dealers get customer rigs out the door.

For starters, the Goshen, Ind.-based

OEM reorganized its warehouse, adding

mezzanine space, then stocked parts according to order frequency.

“We identified the top 2,500 fastestmoving parts and stock them low to the

ground and close to the pack line,” said

Rick Deisler, vice president of service operations. “Any time you reduce the number

of steps needed, you’ll get it out the door

faster. By the same token, our motor

freight-type parts also are now stocked together near the freight line. Before they

were scattered throughout the building.”

Another sea change for Keystone has

been a huge investment in inventory.

“In years past, we would not stock

things like refrigerators and axles. But you

can’t tell a customer ‘The vendor can’t get

me a refrigerator for 30 days.’ That’s not

acceptable. So now, if it’s a high mover,

it’s in the building. It’s now our focus to

not run out of product – especially with

the current supply-chain challenges.”

According to Deisler, Keystone now

stocks in excess of 16,000 SKUs between

two locations. “That gives us the ability

to fill orders immediately,” he said. “Last

month (May) we had more than 30,000

lines ordered – and with nearly 90% of

them, we had immediate access to the

part. We didn’t have to go to the vendor

for it.” And part numbers, he added, were

changed to remain constant across all

lines at Keystone and its divisions.

Along with its internal stocking program, Keystone has implemented a pair of

dealer programs that likewise are intended

to reduce RECT.

“We incentivized dealers to order in

bulk the fastest-moving parts so they

would have them on hand, and offered

them at a discount if the order reached a

certain level,” Deisler said. “And part of

the program is free freight on the initial

and subsequent bulk orders – every other

week, they’re allowed to replenish anything they are getting low on. Then, we

guarantee to buy back unused parts. But,

so far, we have 250 dealers signed for the

program and no one’s asked us to buy

anything back.”

Keystone has also taken warranty parts

delivery directly to consumers through its

website or, via the “My Keystone” app,

where a retail customer can submit a request for a warranty part to be shipped

directly to them.

“There is no RECT because the unit

never had to go to the dealer,” Deisler

said. “That frees up service capacity to

work on larger repairs. What we avoid is

owner repairs made to propane or electrical systems – situations where a customer

could get hurt – but there are a lot of repairs and upgrades a person with some

mechanical aptitude can accomplish –

water pumps, blinds, cabinet door latches,

things of that sort.”

Keystone also has revamped its online

parts catalogs which, Deisler said, now includes a product photo with the part number to reduce wrong orders. Beyond that,

the catalogs outline floorplans.

“For example, there may be 35 or 40

different windows used on the Montana for

a certain year; that makes it difficult for a

dealer to determine which one they need.

Now, they can go to the floorplan layout

and see the windows and where they are

placed. It’s really streamlined their ability

to find the right part,” he said.

What it comes down to, said Deisler, is

making RECT a priority.

“When it comes to ordering and delivering parts, we check off almost every box

the RECT committee has on their improvement plan,” he said. “And we’ve also

streamlined what requires preapproval;

80% of the repairs a dealer might do to

one of our units no longer require any

kind of approval first.” RVB

Of the more than 30,000 lines ordered in May,

Keystone officials said, the company had immediate access to the needed part nearly 90%

of the time.

Helping lead the RECT charge at Keystone RV Co. are, from left, Assistant Manager of Service

Operations Garett Carolus, Director of Service Steve Holmes, Director of Parts Nic Davis and

Vice President of Service Operations Rick Deisler.

106 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

ALLIANCE RV

More than 500 “Allies” in more than 220 Paradigm, Valor and Avenue fifth-wheels descended on

the Elkhart County, Ind., 4-H Fairgrounds for the

third-annual 2022 Alliance Ally rally.

Hosted May 25-27 by the team at Elkhart, Ind.-

based Alliance RV, the national rally featured a presentation to a packed exhibition building by Alliance

co-founders Coley and Ryan Brady.

The brothers updated their Allies about the company’s progress and future goals and then followed

up with a lively Q&A session, fielding questions from

those in attendance. Emcees for the event were Bob

Zagami and John DiPietro, hosts of the popular

“RVing in New England” live Facebook show, sponsored by the New England RV Dealers Association.

The May 25 installment of the show was broadcast

from the rally.

Speaking with RVBusiness prior to the event, Coley

and Ryan expressed pride and gratitude for the many

Alliance RV owners who made the trip to the northern

Indiana rally.

“This is our third annual Alliance RV Ally Rally,”

Coley said. “We started out with 60 rigs in 2020. Last

year we had about 145, this year over 220. It’s incredible just to see the growth, the camaraderie and

all the people here together just having a lot of fun

and celebrating what we’re doing.”

He said the term “Allies” came about shortly

after the company’s founding, suggested by an Alliance owner. The company name was chosen because the Bradys believed that strong alliances with

suppliers, dealer partners and owners was a formula

for success. Allies was a natural progression and the

term stuck and became part of the company’s DNA.

As Coley looked at the number of coaches that

made the trip to the rally in the face of rising gas

prices and interest rates, inflation and economic turmoil, he sees it as evidence that the RV lifestyle remains strong.

“Yes, there are some headwinds in our industry,

but we’re going to be able to weather the storm quite

well,” he said. “We feel really confident in our ability

to actually grow through some of the contraction in

the marketplace just because of the fact that we’re

still relatively new and our dealer inventories across

the country are still low. We have dealers who are

wanting more, and we are in the peak of the summer

selling season, so this is a great time for us, and we

look forward to continuing the growth.”

RV OEM, FMCA Rallies Attract

Hundreds of Coaches to Elkhart

Alliance RV owners packed an exhibition building at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds in Goshen,

Ind., to hear a presentation by the company’s co-founders, Coley and Ryan Brady.

COACHMEN

More than 150 Coachmen units and more than 300

owners were on hand June 19-26 at the Elkhart County

Fairgrounds in Goshen, Ind., for the Coachmen Owners

Association rally.

In the past, the annual event was held at different

locations each year, only returning to Elkhart or Centerville, Mich., every four or five years, said Jason

Brewer, of Howe, Ind., who serves as director of the

Coachmen Owners Association.

“But now that this facility has opened up and we

do a lot service, it’s nice to be close (to Elkhart). We

can do so much more with our vendors and everything

like that,” Brewer said. “In my last 10 years, we’ve been

remote three times. So, other than COVID, we’ve been

here six years out of the last 10.”

Brewer, who also works for Forest River subsidiary

Coachmen as director of owner relations, said the Elkhart

location allows the association to offer more to its members.

There were more than 30 vendors in attendance

with plenty of food and RV-related products on site. Educational and service seminars also were offered, and

live entertainment was featured on Thursday evening

following the annual President’s Dinner.

ALINER

The Aliner Owners Club (AOC) hosted its North

American Rally June 12-18 at Palmer Gulch KOA in

Hill City, South Dakota – the first of its kind since

before the pandemic.

Nestled in the beautiful Black Hills, the picturesque Palmer

Gulch KOA is located just 6 miles

west of the Mount

Rushmore National Monument.

Aliner owners from across the country joined other

tiny camper fanatics and AOC members to enjoy

beautifully landscaped, roomy RV sites complete

with full hookups.

Throughout the week-long event, attendees

were able to participate in educational seminars,

meet with Aliner Territory Manager Dan Hyland, and

explore new Aliner models.

The Aliner Owners Club is an independently operated organization aimed at promoting camaraderie

among Aliner, A-Frame and other related small

camper owners.

Jason Brewer, director of the Coachmen

Owners Association, and his son, Tyler, relax

in their golf cart during the group’s rally.

Coachmen RVs are lined up at the annual Coachmen Owners Association Rally in Elkhart, Ind.

n STORY & PHOTOS BY GARY GERARD

Four RV manufacturers – Alliance RV, Coachmen RV, DRV Mobile Suites and Jayco Inc.’s Entegra Coach –

plus the FMCA, all hosted rallies in Elkhart County, Ind., in May and June. Despite rising fuel prices and economic

uncertainty, the events drew approximately 820 coaches to the world’s RV-building hub. Also in June, Aliner

owners gathered in South Dakota. Following are a few highlights from the rallies.

108 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

ENTEGRA COACH

More than 200 motorhomes arrived at the Elkhart

County Fairgrounds May 17-20 for the 2022 Entegra

Coach Homecoming, an annual event where owners

relax, socialize and learn about exciting new features

in the Jayco Motorhome Group unit’s lineup.

Most notably among several upgrades, the 2023

Cornerstone, Anthem and Aspire diesel pusher brands

sport an all-new Entegra Safe View Dash which offers

a significant step up in safety, functionality and convenience, said Pat Carroll, senior director of product

development for Jayco Motorhome Group, during a

presentation in an exhibition building at the fairgrounds before a large group of owners.

Prior to Carroll’s remarks, Brittany Ware, marketing and brand manager for Jayco Motorhome

Group, a division of THOR Industries Inc., unveiled a

new Entegra Coach logo.

She said the logo embodies the spirit of the company which “continuously evolves to produce what

is wanted and expected from our customers. As our

products grow and change, it is important for our

brand to follow suit.”

The logo incorporates a representation of the Entegra Coach “C lights,” a headlight array that is

unique to Entegra, making the brand easily recognizable on the road.

Carroll – a 43-year RV industry veteran, having

worked for Holiday Rambler and Monaco Coach

Corp. before joining Jayco in 2012 – took the stage

saying he was moved by the loyalty of owners in

attendance. “I love what I do. I love our products

and I’m just so humbled every time I come here

and see that you love our products as much as I

do,” he said.

Of the new Entegra Safe View Dash, a technology

developed alongside supplier partner Spartan RV

Chassis, Carroll said, “Today, I’m truly excited to introduce to you the most modern, most safe viewing

cockpit in the industry. We always had the cab forward design on the Entegra Coach, but now, in the

2023 models of Aspire, Anthem and Cornerstone,

we’ve enhanced it even further.”

With the introduction of the Safe View Dash with

its 15-inch, raised portrait-mode screen in the center

console, drivers no longer have to take their eyes off

the road, he said.

Brian LaPray, regional sales manager, sits in the cockpit of 2023 Entegra Motor Coach Aspire

equipped with the Entegra Safe View Dash.

DRV MOBILE SUITES

Owners of DRV Mobile Suites luxury fifth-wheels

gathered at the Elkhart Campground north of Elkhart,

Ind., June 6-10 for a first-of-its-kind event, the 2022

National DRV Rally, “The Gathering of the Suites.”

While two owners’ groups – the DRV Owners

Group, affectionately referred to as the “Dogs” and the

Suites Owners International Travel Club (SOITC) – have

hosted rallies independently in the past, the groups

came together to host this

event, the first sponsored by

DRV corporate.

And while all DRV owners

are invited to all DRV rallies, “This

year we decided we wanted to

bring everybody together, and

we’re calling it The Gathering,”

said Shawn James, general

manager of DRV, a unit of Heartland Recreational Vehicles. “DRV is putting this on just to get

all our owners together in one centralized location.”

Owners of approximately 140 coaches were on

hand to enjoy hanging out with each other and several

vendors including Lippert and MORryde, he added, noting that a full slate of activities – seminars, food trucks,

corn hole, euchre, bingo and live entertainment – kept

the owners busy.

“It’s been a week of a lot of activities,” James said.

Owner Lowell Briggs, president of the SOITC, said he

and his wife, Marsha, are on their third DRV unit, this one

a Mobile Suites 38RSSA. They are traveling with their 35-

year-old daughter Amber, who has Down Syndrome.

He and his wife – campers their entire lives –

started out with a popup and upgraded through the

years to a fifth-wheel.

Both retired teachers, he and his wife are full-time

RVers after selling their home in York, Pa. They planned

for their full-time status for 10 years and have been on the

road for a year now, Briggs said. Their daughter was a factor in their decision because they wanted her to be able to

experience travel and enjoy the sights across the U.S.

“Someday, when Marsha and I are gone, Amber

won’t be able to travel like this and we really wanted

her to have this experience,” Briggs said.

The decision to purchase a DRV, Briggs said, came

after quite a bit of research.

“When Marsha and I were evaluating different fifthwheels, the quality and the workmanship surpassed in

our judgement anything else that was out there,” Briggs

said. “We came across one that was for sale from a private owner, and we bought it. And we got to know the

folks at the plant who said, ‘Even though you purchased

it from a private owner, we are here to help you,’ and we

have valued that customer service ever since.”

Before hitting the road, the couple did a lot of research on full-time RVing to determine which rig had

the right features to suit their needs and, “the DRV has

been an absolute joy.”

An apprehension full-timers face is loss of the support system of nearby friends and relatives, which owners’ groups and rallies help alleviate.

“When you leave your home and go out into the vast

United States to travel, you’re in essence, literally alone,”

Lowell said. “But in very quick succession, thanks to DRV,

we have become a part of this wonderful community of

1,400 people in our club (SOITC), but there is another club

out there and we’re all here together this time. And it

means so much to know that wherever we are in the

United States, we’ve got other DRVers out there and we

can pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey, I’m having a problem

here’ or ‘Where are you, do you want to meet for dinner?’”

A sign at the entrance to the

Elkhart Campground welcomes

owners of DRV fifth-wheels.

Shawn James

JULY/AUGUST 2022 RVBusiness 109

FMCA GLAMARAMA

More than 260 RVs were registered June 8-11 at

the Elkhart County Fairgrounds in Goshen, Ind., for the

2022 installment of “GLAMARAMA.”

The event is hosted by the Great Lakes Area Motorcoach Association (GLAMA), an organization affiliated with the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA).

Ken Lewis, national vice president for the Great

Lakes region of FMCA, said the event offers up a full

menu of food, fraternization and fun.

“We’ve been coming

here to the Elkhart County

Fairgrounds since 2013,” he

said. “The GLAMA area is

Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and

Ontario. That’s the Great

Lakes area of the Family Motorcoach Association. We’d

been in Michigan for a few

years before we came back

here to Elkhart.”

He characterized turnout for this year’s event as

“really, really good. Right now, we’re at about 263. Of

course, nowadays, we are all RVs, so it’s not exclusive

to motorhomes. We have trailers and fifth-wheels,” he

said, a reference to a decision made by FMCA in late

2017 to expand membership beyond Class A, B and C

motorhomes.

Despite the strong showing, Lewis said he has

heard a fair amount of blowback from RVers regarding

surging gas prices.

“Out of my 260 that are still coming, I’ve had over

40 cancellations. Quite a few of those were because

of fuel,” he said, noting that others were due to mechanical issues arising from motorhomes that hadn’t

been used much in the past couple of years and that

a few no-shows expressed concerns about the ongoing

spread of the COVID virus.

But despite any setbacks, overall, the event was a

net positive, with lots of activities for GLAMA members

to enjoy.

“We’ve got live entertainment,” Lewis said.

“Wednesday night we had ‘The Singing Auctioneer,’

Dane Bailey. Friday night’s going to be (Indiana entertainer) Steve Jeffries. Saturday night featured “The

Spittin’ Image,” a pair of twins who perform out of

Greenville, Ohio. They’re a good group. We book them

almost every year.”

In addition to entertainment, almost 30 vendors

were on hand for GLAMA members to visit. “Big

names. It’s not just local craft sales, it’s a lot of RV industry vendors.”

And, of course, there was food.

Coffee and donuts were offered Thursday and Friday mornings along with a picnic lunch with burgers

and hotdogs on Friday. A pancake breakfast was set

for Saturday morning and Saturday evening featured

a catered dinner. RVB

Great Lakes Area Motorcoach Association (GLAMA) members gathered at the Elkhart County

Fairgrounds in Goshen, Ind., for the FMCA-affiliated “GLAMARAMA.”

Ken Lewis

110 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

Recognizing the importance of marketing’s

role in the company’s strategic business

model, Renee Jones has

been named Vice President

of Marketing for THOR Industries, reporting to COO

Todd Woelfer. Jones, who

has been head of corporate

marketing for three years,

will continue her role in the development and

execution of the organization’s communication strategies, management of corporate

partnerships, public relations and strategic

marketing, as well as working closely with

marketing leadership throughout the THOR

family of companies.

Lippert has welcomed Sundar Ananthasivan as Senior Vice President of Aftermarket

Engineering and Product

Development, based in Eau

Claire, Wis. He will be leading engineering technology, product development

and innovation.

In addition, Lippert announced that Catherine (Catie) Grubb has

been hired as VP of Global Quality. In this

role, Grubb will lead Lippert’s global quality

initiatives, reporting to Lippert President and

CEO Jason Lippert. Grubb comes to Lippert

with more than 20 years of experience leading global quality strategies, with 17 of those

years at the Eaton Corporation, a diversified

manufacturer of power management

solutions.

Campers Inn RV has added Greg Walker,

formerly chief operations and finance officer at Vogt RV, based in Fort Worth, Texas,

as a market director for its Midwest stores.

Walker brings over seven years of experience running high volume, multi-location

RV dealerships. In addition, Pete Brichant,

sales director for Campers Inn RV, was promoted to market director for the expanding

Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions.

Brichant brings over 18 years of experience

in RV and automotive industries, with over

seven years being at Campers Inn RV.

Setec BMPRO, a leading power

management and Smart RV technology

manufacturer, announced on June 22

the appointment of a new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Jasmin Lakhani.

This move comes as a direct result of

the company’s strategic focus on

building a strong and diverse executive

leadership capability as it transitions

into a new growth phase, a release

stated. As a specialist in the field,

Lakhani brings over 18 years of experience in all areas of finance, audit, tax

and corporate law for both domestic

PEOPLEon theMove

and international businesses.

JL Audio, an innovator in high-end audio

solutions, appointed

Christy Burnstine as Director of RV OEM sales for

North America. Burnstine

has over 25 years of experience selling and servicing

OEMs in the RV industry.

Adam Weisner, formally Chief Commercial Officer, is now President of SuperSprings International

(SSI), reporting to Gerry

Lamberti, who remains the

company Chairman and

CEO. Weisner already had

been functionally driving

the company direction and

revenue of SSI since August of 2021, when

it restructured to include five distinct business units all reporting to Weisner.

Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA)

announced several personnel moves:

Larry Brownfield was promoted into an

assistant vice president role within

KOA’s franchise development services,

where he will be tasked with holistically

growing KOA’s industry-leading franchise system within this new role;

Brandi Simpson has joined the executive leadership team at KOA in the role

of chief of staff, serving as a strategic

partner to the company’s CEO, Toby

O’Rourke; and Yolawnda Henry as its

new vice president of human resources.

Cedric Waters has joined Airxcel Inc. as

a business development manager, where

he will serve as a central

point of contact for an expanding number of Airxcel brands to streamline

communication and product development with

Airxcel’s RV OEM partners. Previously, Waters was with ASA

Electronics for nine years, most recently

serving as national account manager.

THOR Industries subsidiary Erwin

Hymer Group (EHG) on May 23 announced

several changes to its executive management team: Martin Brandt has decided to

end his role as chief executive officer to

devote more time to his family and private

life and continue to support the company

in a non-executive role. Alexander

Leopold, currently Chairman of the Management Board at Dethleffs, will take over

as CEO. His role at Dethleffs will be succeeded by Bernhard Kibler, Head of Sales

Operations International at EHG.

RVshare announced that Melissa Fortenberry has been named

Chief Product Officer

(CPO). She most recently

served as Vice President of

Product, where she played

a significant role in scaling

RVshare’s business by

driving product vision and strategy.

Apryl Turczynski has been named Vice

President/General Manager for Clean Seal Inc. In

her new position, Turczynski will provide overall direction and guidance to

the operational activities of

Clean Seal.

Thetford Europe has promoted Marie

Boulanger to become its new Sales & Marketing Director. Boulanger has worked at

Thetford Europe for over 14 years and has

held various positions within the organization, most recently as General Manager

Sales & Services. In her new role, she will

be responsible for sales, service, marketing,

and product management.

The Shyft Group Inc., the parent company

of Spartan RV Chassis, named industry veteran Randy Wilson as Vice President, Investor Relations and Group Treasurer,

effective June 20, 2022. In his new role, Wilson will be responsible for all aspects of the

investor relations and treasury functions at

The Shyft Group.

The National RV Training Academy

(NRVTA), Athens, Texas, announced David

Henderson joined its team as the new national sales manager. The Albany, Ga., resident will oversee three student advisors and

work directly with Tony Flammia, NRVTA’s

director of sales and marketing, to help students identify the best courses and programs to achieve their professional goals,

whether that is getting a job or going into

business for themselves.

The National Association of RV Parks

and Campgrounds (National ARVC) announced

promotions for three of

the organization’s leadership team: David Basler

has been named senior

vice president of membership and marketing;

Susan Motley has been

named vice president of

member programs; and

Jaqueline “Jaq” Gloria,

has been named director

of membership. RVB

Jones

Ananthasivan

Burnstine

Weisner

Waters

Fortenberry

Turczynski

Basler

Motley

JULY/AUGUST 2022 RVBusiness 111

Sunnyside OffRoad

Reno,

Nev.-based

Sunnyside

OffRoad offers an ultralight teardrop, the Boony Stomper,

with an advanced long-travel suspension engineered and

tested for higher-speed towing over rough terrain. Weighing

only 600 pounds, the Boony Stomper is made for any tow

vehicle, including a side-by-side. “The Boony's incredibly

smooth ride will allow UTV riders, hunters, rock crawlers,

overlanders and backcountry adventurers to re-create recreating. Finally, a trailer that will not slow you down or inhibit

your off-roading. This trailer is perfect for the outdoor enthusiast looking to replace tent pitching or the traditional

heavy, rough riding overland trailers with a lightweight, comfortable, higher speed, off-road camper,” information from

the company states.

Visit https://sunnysideoffroad.com

Supertramp Campers

Golden, Colo.-based

Supertramp Campers

manufactures its slide-in

truck campers on-site

using premium materials

and innovative construction processes, according to information from the company.

Supertramp Campers are said to be remarkably lightweight

– weighing in at 1,200 pounds – and filled with features

and conveniences not typically available in lightweight

campers. To keep weight down, the company, founded in

2021, uses materials such as carbon fiber and epoxy in

building a monocoque shell. The campers are known for

spacious layouts, large windows and high-end appliances

on the interior. Supertramp Campers lift to standing height

with the touch of a button and can easily be carried on any

pickup truck that features a 6-foot 6-inch bed.

Visit https://supertrampcampers.com

Wingamm

While not technically a

“start-up,” the Wingamm micro

Class B motorhome made its

debut in North America in

2021, when TM Motorhome

Sales LLC, its exclusive distributor, was founded by California-based entrepreneur Tony

Diamond. During the

Wingamm’s debut at the florida RV SuperShow in January,

Diamond told RVBusiness he discovered Verona, Italy-based

Wingamm motorhomes in 2019 during a trip to Europe and,

recognizing its compact size, level of technology and style,

decided to bring it to North America. What makes the

Wingamm different is its monocoque fiberglass body, designed and manufactured in Italy, along with its size. “There is

no motorhome in the world that is less than 18 feet long, (it’s

17 feet, 9 inches) that comes with a full kitchen, full bath and

can sleep four,” Diamond said. The U.S. models will be manufactured in Italy on the Dodge ProMaster chassis and delivered to consumers in the U.S. via TM Motorhome Sales.

Visit https://wingamm.com/us. RVB

Startup Manufacturers from page 54

112 RVBusiness JULY/AUGUST 2022

MARKETPLACE

While every effort is made to maintain accuracy and completeness, last-minute changes may occasionally result in omissions or errors.

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

Advertiser Page Website Advertiser Page Website

Airxcel 180 https://airxcel.com

American Technology Components 35 www.atcomp.com

ASA Electronics/Voyager 89 www.voyagercameras.com/rv-systems

Bauer Products 79 www.bauerproducts.com

BGS 7 www.bgsrv.com

Blue Ox 59 https://blueox.com

Boring-Smith 47 www.boringsmith.com

Brown & Brown Insurance 81 https://bbdealerservices.com

Camco 61 www.camco.net

Certified Green by TRA Certification 99 https://certifiedgreenrvs.com

Contoure 9 www.contoureusa.com

CURT 67 https://curtmfg.com

Dexter 63 www.dexteraxle.com

Dometic 37 https://dometic.com

Eberspaecher 31 www.eberspaecher-na.com

Entegra Coach 45 https://entegracoach.com/accolade-xl

EQ Systems 29 https://eqsystems.us

Forest River Inc. 87 www.forestriverinc.com

Freightliner Custom Chassis 13 https://fcccrv.com

GE Appliances 27 www.geappliances.com/rv-appliances

Go Power!/Dometic 90 https://gpelectric.com

Grand Design RV 15 https://granddesignrv.com

Husky Towing Products 73 https://huskytow.com

Icon Direct 51 https://icondirect.com

Jayco RV 25 https://jayco.com/greyhawk

Lagun USA 39 www.lagunusa.com

Lavanture Products 179 www.lavanture.com

Lippert 23 https://lippert.com

Liquid Spring 69 https://liquidspring.com

MBA Insurance Inc. 21 www.mbainsurance.net

MCD an Airxcel Company 2 www.mcdinnovations.com

MORryde 70 www.morryde.com

Norcold 93 https://norcold.com

Northpoint Commercial Finance 78 https://northpointcf.com

Patrick 43 www.patrickind.com

Performance Brokerage Services 53 https://performancebrokerageservices.com

Protective 5 https://protectiveassetprotection.com

Pullrite 75 www.pullrite.com

REESE 65 www.reeseprod.com

RV Invoice Writer 112 www.rvinvoicewriter.com

RVBusiness Top 50 Dealer Awards 103 www.rvbusiness.com

RVIA Aftermarket Conference 107 https://rvia.org

Roadmaster 77 https://roadmasterinc.com

Saniflo 55 https://go.saniflo.com/rv

Spader 109 https://spader.com/20-Groups

Statistical Surveys 111 https://statisticalsurveys.com

Thetford 17 www.thetford.com

THOR Industries 19 https://thorindustries.com

Trim-Lok 95 www.trimlok.com

Tri State Protection Inc. 112 www.tristateprotect.com

Troyer Products 97 www.troyerproducts.com

TST Truck System Technologies 71 www.tsttruck.com

UBCO 105 https://ubco.com/become-a-dealer

WFCO 11 https://wfcoelectronics.com

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UNITED STATES

ALABAMA

Alabama RV & Storage LLC

3041 Wetumpka Hwy., Montgomery,

AL 36110, (334) 270-1100, FAX (334)

270-1105

www.alabamarvandstorage.com

[email protected]



AMU Services

16046 Old Greensboro Rd.,

Moundville, AL 35474,

(205) 371-6825

www.amuservices.net

[email protected]



Andy’s RV Service LLC

2466 Deere Rd. S.E., Decatur,

AL 35603, (256) 355-2090,

FAX (256) 355-9419

www.andysrvservice.com

[email protected]



Ashley Outdoors LLC - Alabama

12811 Hwy. 280, Salem, AL 36874,

(334) 744-5449

www.ashleyoutdoors.com



B & M Campers

61 N. Main St., Boaz, AL 35956,

(256) 593-3830

www.bandmcampers.com



B & R Camper Sales

Route 66 RV Network

5606 Hwy. 90 W., Theodore,

AL 36582, (251) 653-7700,

(888) 758-3783

www.brcampers.com



Bama RV

5276 Montgomery Hwy., Dothan, AL

36303, (334) 678-9510, (866) 325-

6261, FAX (334) 983-1052

www.bamarv.com



Bankston Motor Homes Inc. -

Albertville

5660 Hwy. 431, Albertville, AL 35950,

(855) 755-3100

www.bankstonmotorhomes.com

[email protected]



Bankston Motor Homes Inc. -

Florence

3008 Florence Blvd., Florence,

AL 35634, (866) 766-3181

www.bankstonmotorhomes.com

[email protected]



Bankston Motor Homes Inc. -

Huntsville

2191 Jordan Ln. N.W., Huntsville,

AL 35816, (800) 624-2899

www.bankstonmotorhomes.com

[email protected]



Bankston Motor Homes Inc. -

Warrior

9690 U.S. Hwy. 31, Warrior,

AL 35180, (855) 313-9280

www.bankstonmotorhomes.com

[email protected]



UNITED STATES

Alabama ................................100

Alaska ...................................101

Arizona..................................102

Arkansas...............................104

California ..............................105

Colorado ...............................112

Connecticut ..........................114

Delaware ...............................114

Florida...................................114

Georgia .................................119

Hawaii ...................................120

Idaho .....................................120

Illinois....................................121

Indiana ..................................123

Iowa.......................................125

Kansas ..................................126

Kentucky ...............................127

Louisiana ..............................128

Maine.....................................128

Maryland ...............................129

Massachusetts .....................129

Michigan ...............................130

Minnesota .............................132

Mississippi............................134

Missouri ................................135

Montana ................................136

Nebraska...............................137

Nevada ..................................138

New Hampshire....................139

New Jersey ...........................140

New Mexico ..........................141

New York...............................141

North Carolina......................143

North Dakota ........................145

Ohio.......................................145

Oklahoma..............................147

Oregon ..................................148

Pennsylvania ........................150

Rhode Island ........................152

South Carolina .....................152

South Dakota........................153

Tennessee.............................154

Texas .....................................155

Utah.......................................159

Vermont.................................161

Virginia ..................................161

Washington...........................162

West Virginia.........................164

Wisconsin .............................165

Wyoming...............................166

CANADA

Alberta...................................167

British Columbia ..................169

Manitoba ...............................170

New Brunswick.....................171

Newfoundland ......................171

Nova Scotia ..........................172

Ontario ..................................172

Prince Edward Island ..........175

Quebec..................................176

Saskatchewan ......................178

Yukon Territories ..................178

2022 RV DEALER Directory

Bay RV Sales

34397 U.S. Hwy. 98, Lillian,

AL 36549, (251) 962-4990

www.bayrvsales.com



Bunk House RV

315 Hospital Rd. N.W., Red Bay,

AL 35582, (256) 356-8634,

FAX (256) 356-4229

www.bunkhouseconversion.com

[email protected]



Burton Campers

320 Hwy. 304, Calera, AL 35040,

(205) 668-0075, (800) 226-1822,

FAX (205) 668-6267

www.burtoncampers.com



Campers & More LLC

6340 Moffett Rd., Mobile, AL 36618,

(251) 645-3966, FAX (251) 645-3968

www.campersandmore.com



Campers Inn RV of Madison

Priority RV Network

9311 Madison Blvd., Madison,

AL 35758, (256) 837-3883

www.campersinn.com/huntsville-madison



Campers Unlimited

4315 Old Pump Station Rd.,

Gadsden, AL 35904, (256) 344-2084

www.campersunlimited.net



Camping World of Calera

730 George Roy Pkwy., Calera,

AL 35040, (888) 875-2097

https://rv.campingworld.com



Camping World of Dothan

2961 Ross Clark Cir., Ste. 2,

Dothan, AL 36301, (866) 504-3880

https://rv.campingworld.com



Camping World of Oxford

2772 U.S. Hwy. 78 E., Ste. 1,

Anniston, AL 36207, (888) 473-0038

https://rv.campingworld.com



Camping World of Robertsdale

21282 Hwy. 59 S., Robertsdale,

AL 36567, (866) 906-6968

https://rv.campingworld.com



Clarks RV Center

1824 Alabama River Pkwy.,

Millbrook, AL 36054, (334) 290-2606,

FAX (334) 290-2607

www.clarksrvcenter.com



Cobb & Son RV - Repair

4655 Hwy. 431 S., Seale, AL 36875,

(334) 855-1241, FAX (334) 855-0180

www.cobbandsonrv.com



Cobb & Son RV - Sales

1706 Hwy. 280 Bypass, Phenix City,

AL 36867, (334) 291-2004,

FAX (334) 291-4002

www.cobbandsonrv.com



Cooley’s RVs

22307 Diesel Dr., McCalla, AL 35111,

(205) 477-4775

www.cooleysrvs.com



Country Roads RV Sales & Service LLC

7531 University Blvd. E., Cottondale,

AL 35453, (205) 507-4678, (888)

505-4678, FAX (205) 507-4617

www.countryroadsrv.com



Cruise America - Birmingham

(Anniston)

Bama Auto Rentals

512 S. Quintard Ave., Anniston, AL

36201, (256) 237-6619, (800) 671-

8042, FAX (256) 237-4640

www.cruiseamerica.com

[email protected]



Cruise America - Enterprise

Big Dawg Rentals

818 North Ouida St, Enterprise,

AL 35078, (334) 475-3999,

(800) 671-8042

www.cruiseamerica.com

[email protected]



Cullman RV Sales & Repair

5158 U.S. Hwy. 278 W., Cullman,

AL 35057, (256) 590-1884

www.daughertyauto.com

[email protected]



Dickson Campers

10465 Tanner Williams Rd., Mobile,

AL 36608, (800) 322-0306

www.dicksoncampers.net

[email protected]



Discount General LLC

7159 Hwy. 231 S., Dothan,

AL 36301, (334) 446-0170,

FAX (334) 446-0183

www.discountgeneralllc.com



Great American RV - Calera

Priority RV Network

1150 George Roy Pkwy., Calera,

AL 35040, (844) 642-4947

www.greatamericanrv.com



Great American RV - Grand Bay

Priority RV Network

12167 Interchange Dr., Grand Bay,

AL 36541, (844) 311-6772

www.greatamericanrv.com



Gulf Coast RV Center

25553 State Hwy. 59, Loxley,

AL 36551, (251) 256-0293

https://gcrvc.com



Gulf RV Rentals & Sales Co.

4882 Hwy. 59 S., Loxley, AL 36551,

(251) 964-2267

www.campoutnotinn.com

[email protected]



Gulf State RVing Rental Center

3950 Demetropolis Rd., Mobile,

AL 36693, (251) 285-1733

www.ucampforless.com

[email protected]



Hall’s RV

Route 66 RV Network

9184 U.S. Hwy. 431, Albertville,

AL 35950, (256) 894-6235,

FAX (256) 894-6236

www.hallsrvsales.com



t

t

t

2022 RV DEALER Directory

Hensley RV Sales

5400 Hwy. 72, Killen, AL 35645,

(256) 757-9150



Jerry’s Mobile RV

202 Gann Blvd., Tuscumbia,

AL 35674, (256) 383-0074,

FAX (256) 383-8875

www.jerrysmobilerv.com



Johnny’s Premier Boat & RV

5636 Hwy. 90, Theodore, AL 36582,

(251) 653-1049

www.premierboatandrv.com



Johnston RV Center - Cullman

273 Schwaiger Rd., Cullman,

AL 35055, (256) 449-8488

www.johnstonrvcenter.com



Johnston RV Center - Decatur

3504 Deere Rd., Decatur, AL 35603,

(256) 414-9364

www.johnstonrvcenter.com



K & K Camping Center

1810 I-65 Service Rd. E., Millbrook,

AL 36054, (334) 285-5251

www.facebook.com/kandkcampers



LB Trailers

10109 Hwy. 72, Rogersville, AL

35652, (256) 247-7888, (800)

664-3153, FAX (256) 247-0015

www.lbtrailers.com

[email protected]



Marlin Ingram RV Center

4504 Troy Hwy., Montgomery,

AL 36116, (334) 288-0331,

(800) 500-1032

www.ingramrvcenter.com

[email protected]



McElroy RV’s

2405 Jordan Ln. N.W., Huntsville,

AL 35816, (256) 830-5024,

FAX (888) 807-7103

www.mcelroyrvs.com



McKinney RV

125 Hospital Rd. N.E., Red Bay,

AL 35582, (938) 223-7000

www.mckinneyrv.com

[email protected]



Millican RV America

6550 C.R. 490, Hanceville,

AL 35077, (256) 775-8030

www.millicanrvs.com



Opelika RV

6752 U.S. Hwy. 280 E., Opelika,

AL 36804, (334) 742-9160,

FAX (334) 460-1976

www.opelikarv.com



Rocket RV

Route 66 RV Network

21768 State Hwy. 20, Tanner,

AL 35671, (844) 806-5580

www.rocketrvcenter.com



RV Collision Repair & RVC Sales

7550 Theodore Dawes Rd.,

Theodore, AL 36582, (251) 653-6880

www.rvcampersales.com



RV Connections - Dothan

Route 66 RV Network

4218 S. Oates St., Dothan,

AL 36301, (334) 678-5194

www.rvconnections.com



RV Outlet

15651 N. Hwy. 59 S., Foley,

AL 36535, (251) 233-9545

https://rvoutlet.wixsite.com/rv-outlet



The RV Repo Outlet

23640 Hwy. 59 N., Robertsdale,

AL 36567, (251) 947-7283

www.thervrepooutlet.com



RV Roadway - Calera

1405 Hwy. 87, Calera, AL 35040,

(205) 663-0046

www.rvroadway.com



RV Roadway - Opelika

1201 S. Foxrun, Opelika, AL 36801,

(334) 748-9028

www.rvroadway.com



RV’s Unlimited

23360 State Hwy. 59, Robertsdale,

AL 36567, (251) 945-1112

www.rvsunlimited.com



Triple H RV’s

3354 State Hwy. 13, Haleyville,

AL 35565, (205) 635-1915

www.triplehrvs.com



White Sands RV

19408 Hwy. 59, Summerdale,

AL 36580, (251) 986-3330

www.whitesandsrv.com



Woodard RV

8907 Hwy. 22, Spruce Pine, AL

35585, (256) 288-0030

https://woodardrvs.com



ALASKA

ABC Motorhome Rentals

3875 Old Intl. Airport Rd.,

Anchorage, AK 99502, (907) 279-

2000, (800) 421-7456

www.abcmotorhome.com



ABC RV Sales

8103 Old Seward Hwy., Anchorage,

AK 99518, (907) 349-0450

www.abcrvsales.com

[email protected]



Adventure RV Center

1551 W. Parks Hwy., Wasilla,

AK 99654, (907) 232-2407



Alaska Bear RV Rentals

1341 E. 70th Ave., Anchorage,

AK 99518, (907) 346-7744

www.rvrentalsanchorage.com

[email protected]



Alaska Motor Home Inc.

6633D Brayton Dr., Anchorage,

AK 99507, (907) 344-3200

www.alaskarvrental.net

[email protected]



Alaska Performance RV & Marine Inc.

6820 Arctic Blvd., Anchorage, AK

99518, (907) 522-8965, FAX (907)

522-5975

www.alaskaperformancerv.com

[email protected]



Alaska RV Center

3070 Phillips Field Rd., Fairbanks,

AK 99709, (907) 452-4279

https://akrvcenter.com



Arctic RV

3013 Peger Rd., Fairbanks,

AK 99709, (907) 451-8356

www.arcticrv.com

[email protected]



Camper Valley RV LLC

3251 Palmer Wasilla Hwy., Wasilla,

AK 99654, (907) 376-8100

www.campervalleyrv.com

[email protected]



Clippership RV Sales & Rentals

5401 Old Seward Hwy., Anchorage,

AK 99518, (907) 562-7051, (800)

421-3456

www.clippershiprv.com

[email protected]



Cruise America - Anchorage

2230 Cinnabar Loop, Anchorage,

AK 99507, (907) 349-0499,

(800) 671-8042

www.cruiseamerica.com

[email protected]



Dependable RV

10100 Old Seward Hwy., Anchorage,

AK 99515, (907) 344-4337

www.dependableakrv.com



Explore Alaska RV Rentals LLC

Anchorage, AK 99517, (907) 223-

4844, FAX (888) 438-0248

www.explorealaskarvs.com

[email protected]



Frontier Auto & RV Sales

1300 E. Dowling Rd., Anchorage,

AK 99518, (907) 561-9900

www.frontierautosales.org



Great Alaskan Holidays Inc.

9800 Old Seward Hwy., Anchorage,

AK 99515, (907) 248-7777, (888)

225-2752, FAX (907) 248-7878

www.greatalaskanholidays.com



Valley RV Center

7061 E. Blue Lupine, Palmer,

AK 99645, (907) 745-7747

www.valleyrvcenter.com

[email protected]



ARIZONA

Action Line Sales

751 Lake Havasu Ave. N.,

Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403,

(928) 733-6177

www.actionlinesales.com

[email protected]



Affinity RV Service Sales & Rentals

- Prescott

3197 Willow Creek Rd., Prescott, AZ

86301, (928) 445-7910, FAX (928)

445-7214

www.affinityrv.com



Affinity RV Service Sales & Rentals

- Prescott Valley

6850 E. Hwy. 69, Prescott Valley, AZ

86314, (928) 775-5770, FAX (928)

775-3479

www.affinityrv.com



Airstream of Scottsdale

1375 S Arizona Avenue, Chandler,

AZ 85260, (480) 467-3737

www.airstreamofscottsdale.com



Airstream Phoenix

A Penske Automotive Dealership

18530 N. Scottsdale Rd., Phoenix,

AZ 85054, (480) 538-6100

www.airstreamphoenix.com



Always RV

9245 E. Main St., Mesa, AZ 85207,

(480) 626-2231, (888) 784-6488,

FAX (480) 626-5889

www.alwaysrv.com



Anthem RV - Phoenix

44019 N. Black Canyon Hwy.,

Phoenix, AZ 85087, (623) 465-3998,

FAX (623) 465-7340

www.anthemrv.com