RVDA, RVIA Leaders Discuss the State of the Industry – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
ELKHART, Ind. – As has been the case throughout the 12-year history of Power Breakfast, the industry’s two major associations — the RV Industry Association (RVIA) and RV Dealers Association (RVDA) were well-represented at the program. Executives of both organizations touched on challenges facing the industry — especially at the legislative level — while acknowledging successes and celebrating the career achievement of former RVBusiness Publisher Sherman Goldenberg.
“RVDA released a survey of its members this spring, and the vast majority of RV dealers are very, very optimistic about the future of the business,” said RVDA President Phil Ingrassia. “They’re confident that the industry has built up a larger installed base through the pandemic and can really, really build on that installed base, bring in repeat buyers, new buyers, and grow the business.”
That said, Ingrassia also spoke of public policy challenges still to come. While noting the industry’s success in having RV dealers exempted from the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) “cars rule” currently being fought in court by the nation’s automotive dealers, RVDA is working on the “travel trailer and camper tax deductibility act.”
“It’s important that we get this fixed, and you’re going to be hearing more about it in the coming months as Congress returns to session and works on the 2017 tax extensions,” he said.
For his part, RVDA Chairman Ryan Horsey of Parkview RV Center in Smyrna, Del., reflected on how camping trips such as the one taken recently by his family “shape and mold families for years to come” and fuel his desire to ensure dealer fixed operations are being catapulted into the future.
“As we’re sitting here talking about how do we go ahead and lower repair event cycle times (RECT) for recreational vehicles inside a service lot, or how do we go ahead and take a part of making sure that we’re able to identify different parts that may have more opportunities than others, it’s ideas (generated by these discussions) that have allowed our DMS systems to come together and to identify them. And as we go ahead and go forward with the industry initiative, I pray that it’s more of a behavior rather than something that’s just talked about my term for RVDA chairman.”
Craig Kirby, RVIA president and CEO since 2019, noted that the industry is essentially made up of three segments — manufacturers/suppliers, dealers and campgrounds — and while unity between manufacturers and dealers has never been stronger, the relationship with the campground segment “has not been that close.”
“That’s changing for the positive,” he noted. “The Emerging Leaders Coalition in the newly formed Campground Coalition is made up of leaders from all segments of the industry — manufacturers, dealers, suppliers, campgrounds and aftermarket. They’re developing relationships across industry that are bringing us all closer together,” and those relationships are already paying dividends.
Kirby also touched on how RVIA’s Government Affairs team is coordinating federal and state legislative contacts to strengthen the industry’s lobbying power, and RVIA also is sharing its collective market research and data to help each segment take the customer experience to the next level.
“But this is only the tip of the iceberg of what we can accomplish,” he added. “When I look out in this audience, I see so much talent and more importantly, such passion for the RV industry. I know everyone’s focused on their lane as you should be, but I challenge everyone here today to look outside your lane to see how we can work closer together to break down industry barriers to growth, and bring RVers the experience they deserve.”
Kirby also outlined many of the successes of various industry programs and initiatives — including that of the RV Technical Institute, which he said has made great strides in training techs and attracting new ones to the industry.
“In the past two years, the institute has recruited more than 2,200 new RV techs into the field, and there are currently 17,000 individuals enrolled in some type of technician training. It has also increased the number of certified RV techs to more than 5,800 and now has in excess of 900 dealership and authorized learning partners across the country. The institute has firmly established itself as the gold standard in RV technician training.”
In a surprise move, Kirby ended his remarks by presenting Sherman Goldenberg, the longtime publisher of RVBusiness who last year relinquished that position to Rick Kessler, with RVIA’s “Distinguished Service to the Industry” award.
“This award is the association’s highest honor and is presented to an individual within the RV industry who has set himself or herself apart through outstanding service to the industry,” Kirby said. “I think that we can all agree that Sherman Goldenberg is such a person.”
Goldenberg was uncharacteristically at a loss for words.
“I found out about this a couple of days ago, was going to put together some incisive comments, but I think I’m just going to say ‘thank you’ earnestly for those kind words and for the recognition,” said Goldenberg, who continues to serve RVBusiness as senior editor. “And I’m reminded looking across this room of what a ‘relational’ business this is. We always hear it. It’s one of the first things they told me in the early 1980s when I was entering the industry, and it still is.”
