Supplier Companies Pleased with ’24 Florida RV SuperShow – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
TAMPA, Fla. – Supplier exhibits at the Florida RV SuperShow were popular attractions, especially since the two supplier buildings gave show-goers a respite from rain that fell intermittently for three of the five show days.
One exhibit that attracted a lot of attention was an expansive booth staffed by Lippert Components Inc. (Lippert).
That booth featured a popular “Ask a Tech” counter where at least four tech-savvy Lippert team members were on duty to answer any and all questions about the myriad products Lippert sells into the RV sector.
“We have technicians here who are ready to answer any questions about our components – from slideouts to leveling to windows to awnings to One Control,” said Lippert technician Joshua Sherrer regarding the company’s Bluetooth-enabled system that is used to operate all electronic functions inside an RV.
Another part of the Lippert booth that was drawing considerable consumer attention was a display featuring “The Ultimate Fuzion,” a one-of-a-kind collaboration between Lippert, THOR Industries Inc. subsidiary Keystone RV Company and Cortni Armstrong and Patti Baruxen from “The Flipping Nomad.”
Armstrong and Baruxen took a break from their RV renovation business and full-time
RVing during 2023 to forge the partnership and create The Ultimate Fuzion toy hauler.
Nicole Sult, Lippert vice president of customer experience, said, “This year we partnered with Cortni and The Ultimate Fuzion. She reached out to us and said, ‘Hey, I’m going to build this new RV. I would like to use some of your products and see what we can create together.’”
The team worked on the project throughout the summer.
“She built this in Elkhart, Ind., so right in the heart of everything,” Sult said. “And she would come into our headquarters work with our manufacturing plans and our research and development teams to start putting together some new innovative products.
“Some of it was products we had every day that our RV OEMs use and she tweaked them – made them bigger or smaller or changed them just a bit. So, this partnership is really about showcasing new innovative products and new ways to look at RVs through the lens of Cortni. We’re showcasing it here today. This is the first time it’s been available to the public.”
The collaboration was a two-way street, Sult said.
“It’s been very interesting when we’d bring products to here and say, ‘Hey we’d really like to see this on the rig’ and she’d say, ‘Yes, immediately, here’s what I’m thinking,’ but a lot of times, she would say, ‘No, this doesn’t work for me,’ and continue to explain why. And that was so informative because she’s living this life. She’s really that first-hand, real-time feedback on products.”
From Tampa, Armstrong kicked off a year-long tour where she will hit the road across the U.S. holding do-it-yourself classes on RV renovations.
She also will partner up with Lippert’s RV Owners School.
“So, we take that Owners School on the road,” Sult said. “And she will show up at some of those events, perhaps host parts of classes, really giving some of those DIY tips.”
Sult said the traffic at the booth was brisk as both attractions piqued the interest of consumers.
“It’s been full. We’ve had a lot of guests in here,” she said. “Lots of interest, I would say equally among Ask a Tech and touring the rig.”
Andy Jamison, vice president of sales for the Dexter distribution and product management group, said a product drawing significant interest at the Dexter booth was a tow assist package featuring anti-sway and anti-lock braking for electric trailer brakes.
“We’ve had pretty steady traffic,” he said. “The afternoon was a little slower, but this morning was super busy.”
A booth featuring Airxcel subsidiaries United Shade and MCD – which manufactures awnings, window coverings and roller shades – also was experiencing good traffic on the first day of the show, according to Tina Sharkey, sales manager.
“Even though it’s the first day, we find sometimes that people like to come right out of chute and start things off early,” she said. “In our situation, we’ve had a lot of customers who said that they’ll measure windows – because they brought their unit down here – and they’ll be back over the next couple of days.”
