RVDA Chairman Mike Pearo Takes a Look Back at 2022

Mike Pearo

Editor’s Note: The following column by Mike Pearo, RVDA chairman of the board, appears in the current edition of RV Executive magazine. it is reprinted by permission.

It’s hard to believe that it has been almost a year since Chris Andro passed the gavel onto me and my chairmanship of RVDA began. It’s also amazing to think that our RVDA Convention in November 2021 was the first major live event in our industry since March 2020.

The past year has provided us with another host of changes and obstacles to navigate while still working through COVID-19. As many of us became experts at navigating COVID and the changing CDC guidelines, we were once again presented with the additional challenges of war, rising fuel costs, continued infla.tion, a declining stock market, and an increase in interest rates.
Fortunately, the spotlight that shined on our industry during the height of COVID has helped grow our customer base. These new and younger buyers are looking for a different variety of products which has caused us and the manufacturers to focus on styles of campers that were not always in high demand. We are still selling traditional travel trailers, fifth wheels, and motorized, but we are also seeing a higher demand for Class B vans, niche travel trailers, and toy haulers.

Just as our world and industry has greatly changed over the past two years, our RVDA convention has also changed.

Ryan Horsey and the team at RVDA have adjusted the convention to focus on an education program that is relevant to different dealership business models, enhanced networking opportunities for dealers and their business partners, increased vendor-specific educational opportunities, and developed fixed operation content centered on improving Repair Event Cycle Time or RECT.

RVDA’s focus on improving RECT remains a top priority, and with more than a million new RVs having been sold over the past two years, there is good reason to be focused. RVDA has devel.oped a RECT Progress Report which aims to put all the efforts in this area into context. This report will be a never-ending project that will journal all the efforts throughout the industry that work to improve repair event cycle time. Additionally, volunteers from the RVDA Board of Delegates are forming a task force to work with their respective DMS software systems to help improve RECT reporting within those systems.

It’s been a very busy year for me as chairman as well as for the entire staff at RVDA. I want to thank the great team at RVDA for all their hard work and help throughout this very challenging year. I especially want to thank Phil Ingrassia for all his work, help, guidance, and travel. His dedication to us RV dealers and the RV Industry takes him away from home and his family many times throughout the year. Phil’s skills and leadership play a huge role in our industry’s success, and we are fortunate to have him as our RVDA President.

I also want to thank the Hilltop Camper and RV family. Their support and hard work made it possible for me to step into a volunteer role that took me away from our stores frequently throughout the year. My three brothers, great managers, and the entire staff at Hilltop all pitched in to cover during my absences.

Most of all, I want to thank my wife, Jessica, for putting up with my crazy travel schedule over the past year. With our three kids, all under the age of 14, I know it wasn’t easy. I must admit, I had the easier job as RVDA chairman than my wife did being married to the RVDA chairman. I’m fortunate to have a wife, family, and Hilltop family that was so accepting and supportive
of my role in RVDA. As always, happy camping and Go RVing!

Source: https://rvbusiness.com/rvda-chairman-mike-pearo-takes-a-look-back-at-2022/