More Awards, Meetings on Day 2 of RVs Move America Week

WASHINGTON D.C. – The second day of RVs Move America Week, the annual conference hosted by the RV Industry Association (RVIA) at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., was highlighted by the last of the committee meetings, the second of two industry award presentations, and preparations and training for today’s Advocacy Day, when the RV insiders lobby Congress on matters that would propel the industry forward.

During a luncheon awards presentation sponsored by Winnebago Industries, RVIA President and CEO Craig Kirby and Chairman Kevin McArt of Forest River Inc., recognized President & CEO Pete Liegel, Dick Grymonprez of Skyline Champion, and the Michigan Association of RVs and Campgrounds (MARVAC).

Liegl was honored with the Distinguished Service to the RV Industry award. As RVIA’s highest honor, the award is presented to an individual within the RV industry who has set himself or herself apart by outstanding service.

“Pete is an industry titan who founded Forest River in 1996 and built the company into one of the world’s most well-known, respected, and successful RV manufacturers,” said Kirby. “Throughout his time at the helm of Forest River, he has been a steadfast advocate for our association and has always generously encouraged many talented people in his organization to be active on the RV Industry Association Board and on many committees.”

Although Liegl was unable to attend, it was noted that his entrepreneurial leadership and innovative ideas have fueled the RV industry’s growth over the past two decades, introducing RV travel and camping to millions of families and outdoor enthusiasts. He is also a generous benefactor and patron for many deserving causes nationally and in the greater Elkhart area.

McArt presented the remaining two awards, the Special Award and the National Scholastic Award.

From left, RVIA Chairman Kevin McArt of Forest River Inc., Dick Grymonprez of Skyline Champion, and RVIA President & CEO Craig Kirby.

The Special Award recognizes an individual within the RV industry who has made extraordinary contributions to the industry’s overall success. This year the winner of the Special Award is Dick Grymonprez, director of park model sales for Skyline Champion.

“Dick has been an invaluable volunteer leader for the RV Industry Association and an impactful advocate for the park model RV industry,” McArt announced. “He played a crucial role in working with the RV Industry Association to have park model manufacturers rejoin the organization in 2012. He served as a park model RV representative on the Board of Directors from 2012–2022 and has also served as a member of the Park Model RV, Membership, and Awards committee.”

The final award presented, the National Scholastic Award, recognizes state/regional association directors or institutions who have contributed most to the advancement of technical training within the industry.

Flanked by McArt and Kirby is Darren Ing of the Michigan Association of RVs and Campgrounds (MARVAC).

“The award this year goes to the Michigan Association of Recreation Vehicles and Campgrounds,” McArt announced. “The Michigan Association of Recreation Vehicles and Campgrounds has been an unwavering champion for the RV industry’s educational and training efforts for decades and a passionate booster more recently of the RV Technical Institute. The organization has generously promoted the Institute programs through association channels and provided exhibit spaces and customer presentations at their events, free of charge to elevate awareness.”

“They have also facilitated networking opportunities with campgrounds, dealers and key contacts throughout Michigan, helping to unite the industry around the Technical Institute, improving the Repair Event Cycle Time, and serving the RV customer,” McArt added. The National Scholastic Award was received by Darren Ing, Director of the Michigan Association of Recreation Vehicles and Campgrounds.

Committee Meetings Wrap Up

Prior to the luncheon, the last of the week’s committee meetings took place, which included the Lawyers, Sustainability, PAC Steering, Aftermarket, and Executive committees.

The topics of discussion at the RV Aftermarket Committee meeting included a presentation on the group’s first of several videos designed to educate the new RVer on how to use their rigs (see video below) as well as some of the new features of the RV Aftermarket Conference, which takes place Aug. 7-10 in San Diego. Among the conference highlights singled out by John Tinghitella of RV Designer, who serves as chair of the RV Aftermarket Committee, was updated RV owner data – and what to do with that info.

“Within the RV Industry Association, there are so much robust capability, and if you’re truly going to do the right thing, we believe you start with great information because information feeds knowledge,” Tinghitella told RVBusiness. “So we start with great information, and then we’re going to create events and efforts to digest and curate that information into, ultimately, ‘How do we give our members take home value?’

“Now, we’re not telling people how to run their businesses,” he continued, “but we want to give them tools so they can run their businesses better, because when you do that, the industry grows, the industry elevates and the industry improves. That’s really the core of what we’re trying to do. This is volunteer work, this is association work, And we’re all taking off our company hats and putting on our market hats for the good of everybody, and in this case, we want that to occur.

“Additionally, we have this amazing marketing engine called Go RVing. We can emulate, model some of the stuff they do and tap into some of that great capability, specifically after we form some great video content utilizing their promotional mechanisms to let our videos live on these great sites, because they’re magnets for consumers looking to learn stuff. And that’s really what we want to do,” Tinghitella added.

“And so, leading up to the conference, it’s a combination of taking what we’re historically good at, which is forming and executing great trade connections and layering in a great consumer focus through information, knowledge, connections, and outreach,” he concluded.

Source: https://rvbusiness.com/more-awards-meetings-on-day-2-of-rvs-move-america-week/