In this episode of OEM Showcase, Rick Kessler of RVBusiness goes “On Location” to Venture RV in Shipshewana, Ind., where Rob Kortmann provides a walk-through tour of the 2026 Sienna SA251VRB travel trailer.
This episode of OEM Showcase is sponsored by H.B. Fuller.
The post OEM Showcase: Venture RV 2026 Sienna SA251VRB first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.
In this episode of OEM Showcase, Rick Kessler of RVBusiness goes “On Location” to Venture RV in Shipshewana, Ind., where Rob Kortmann provides a walk-through tour of the 2026 Sienna SA251VRB travel trailer.
This episode of OEM Showcase is sponsored by H.B. Fuller.
The post OEM Showcase: Venture RV 2026 Sienna SA251VRB first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.
In this episode of OEM Showcase, Rick Kessler of RVBusiness goes “On Location” to Venture RV in Shipshewana, Ind., where Rob Kortmann provides a walk-through tour of the 2026 Sienna SA251VRB travel trailer.
This episode of OEM Showcase is sponsored by H.B. Fuller.
The post OEM Showcase: Venture RV 2026 Sienna SA251VRB first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.
From RecPro: Need a cleaner, more convenient way to travel with your portable waste tank? RecPro’s Portable Waste Tank Cover is designed to protect your tank from dirt, debris, and harsh weather—all while giving your setup a sleek, finished look. Made to fit RecPro’s 36-gallon portable waste tank, this durable cover is available in blue or black and features three sturdy buckles to keep everything secure while you’re on the move. No zippers, no hassle — just easy protection. Visit us at https://recpro.com
The post Video: RecPro Showcases Portable Waste Tank Cover first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.
Working directly with legislators in Madison and a team of lobbyists, OHI announced an important step has been taken toward a legislative fix that will be a win for the seasonal camping consumer, and a win for all privately-owned campground small businesses in Wisconsin, according to a release from the national association representing RV park, campground and glamping businesses in Wisconsin and across the country.
This action, which will be introduced in September by Rep. Kevin Petersen (R-Waupaca) and Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R- Appleton) to clarify existing legislation, the release continued. The proposed clarification is what the Wisconsin state legislature intended in the repeal of the personal property tax starting in 2024 and will ensure a seasonal camper’s personal property located within a licensed campground is treated the same as any other personal property that became permanently exempted from property taxation with the passage of Act 12. You can read the text of the bill here.
OHI is working closely with the Wisconsin Association of Campground Owners (WACO) to ask all Wisconsin campground owners/operators and their campers to take action today in support of this issue, the release stated.
OHI has created two letters in its Advocacy Action Center: one specifically for Wisconsin campground owners/operators (which can also be shared with staff), and a second letter customized specifically for seasonal campers; and is asking campground owners/operators to take two specific grassroots actions in support of this action:
1. Submit a personal letter on behalf of your business (this link can be shared with your staff as well): https://www.votervoice.net/OHI/Campaigns/128761/Respond
2. Email this link to all your seasonal campers so they can submit a personal letter as well: https://www.votervoice.net/OHI/Campaigns/128762/Respond
“OHI has been focused on this fix from the beginning when Jim Button, chair of OHI’s Board of Directors and owner of Evergreen Campsites in Wild Rose, Wisconsin, first raised it at the local level,” says David Basler, CSO and SVP of Government Affairs for OHI. “Once this action is taken, it will translate to substantial tax savings for campgrounds and seasonal campers in Wisconsin.”
This will be a two-phase grassroots campaign to flood legislative offices with letters of support now and then again when the bill is officially introduced sometime in September.
“Our highest priority is the well-being of Wisconsin campground owners and operators, and that’s why making sure this comes to fruition is so important,” says Scott Kollock, owner of Vista Royalle Campground and president of WACO. “Tackling issues together as a united front is the best way to see success. We’re looking forward to seeing this across the finish line with OHI and the state of Wisconsin. “
If you have any questions about the bill or this grassroots campaign, please email the OHI government affairs team at [email protected].
The post OHI Seeking Support in Wisconsin for Legislative Fix first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.
ELKHART, Ind. – THOR Industries Inc. (THO) has promoted Angie Wilcox Meadows to become Vice President of Financial Controls and Risk, according to a post on the company’s LinkedIN page.
According to the post: “With this promotion, Angie will expand her responsibilities, continuing to ensure our internal audit efforts are as efficient and effective as possible, while also further reinforcing our robust control and financial risk mitigation framework.”
According to her personal LinkedIN page, Wilcox Meadows has been with Thor for just over four years. Before joining the company, she worked as the Chief Financial Officer for LORAC Cosmetics in Valencia, Calif.
The post THOR Names Meadows VP of Financial Controls, Risk first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a GuestView by Kishore Rajgopal & Justin Marvin of Rapidious, which provides an AI-powered SaaS platform that helps RV dealerships optimize pricing, manage inventory, and boost profits. Rajgopal is the founder and CEO and Marvin is the co-founder and senior vice president for Rapidious.
Are you running your RV dealership on gut feel? If any of the following sounds familiar, it’s time to rethink your approach:
If so, you’re not alone—but you’re also leaving money on the table. Savvy retailers blend customer data, sales trends, product info, local events, hyper-local demand signals, and even housing prices to make smarter decisions. The result? They know what customers want, when they want it, and how much they’ll pay.
Retailers have spent years perfecting the art of using data to drive sales, boost margins, and outsmart the competition, such as P&G’s Daily Demand Sensing that allows it to forecast with precision.
Procter & Gamble collaborates closely with retailers, receiving frequent point-of-sale (POS) data feeds. They integrate this real-time data with insights about local events, weather forecasts, and historical purchasing patterns. This detailed approach delivers highly accurate demand predictions—down to the product, city, zip code, and even weekly level. The result? Improved production planning, optimized logistics, and enhanced retailer partnerships, ensuring products supplied align precisely with customer demand.
This strategy accelerates inventory turnover, significantly reducing capital tied up in excess stock across warehouses and distribution channels. By pulling daily sales data, P&G cut forecast errors by over 50% and reduced safety stock by 10%.
Savvy retailers blend customer data, sales trends, product info, local events, hyper-local demand signals, and even housing prices to make smarter decisions. The result? They know what customers want, when they want it, and how much they’ll pay.
Here’s how you can apply these retail best practices to your dealership:
Demand Forecasting. Stock what sells: Retailers use data to keep shelves stocked with what customers want; no more, no less. Use sales history, seasonality and local trends to predict which RVs will move fastest, yielding fewer slow-movers and more inventory turns.
Pricing Optimization. Get paid what you’re worth: Dynamic pricing—commonly seen with airline tickets and hotel rooms—is a strategic approach retailers use to adjust prices based on real-time demand, availability, and consumer willingness to pay. Retailers analyze purchasing patterns by product, geography, and timing (monthly, weekly, daily) to pinpoint optimal pricing. For example, school supplies typically drop in demand after the school year begins, prompting targeted discounts to clear excess stock. Similarly, fashion items command premium pricing at the start of a new season but often require deeper discounts later as interest wanes. Effective dynamic pricing means discounting just enough to drive sales without leaving money on the table by unnecessarily reducing prices for customers who would have willingly paid more.
Most RV dealers rely on gut feel or past experience to price units, occasionally referencing outside sources for comparable unit pricing. But what happens when there’s a sudden shortage of popular RV models, or when local events dramatically boost demand—such as major RV shows, seasonal travel peaks, or local festivals?
For instance, consider the surge in demand for compact travel trailers ahead of summer vacation season. With real-time data on sales velocity, inventory levels, and competitor pricing within your regional market, you could confidently adjust your prices upward during peak periods. This data-driven strategy ensures you’re neither leaving money on the table nor pricing units too high to deter customers.
Eventually, just as successful retailers do, RV dealerships could leverage AI-driven tools for precise initial price recommendations, backed by detailed justifications. The result? Increased walk-ins, quicker sales, and stronger profit margins.
Smarter Ordering. Don’t just replace… Anticipate: Retailers don’t just reorder what sold; they anticipate what’s next, so order units based on upcoming demand, not just what’s missing from your lot. This keeps your inventory fresh and relevant.
Many dealerships habitually reorder the exact make-model-trim of an RV after it sells, a strategy that leaves money on the table and clutters lots with units that no longer reflect customer preferences.
Instead, consider this scenario: your data indicates an increasing local demand for mid-sized, family-friendly travel trailers due to upcoming summer vacations. At the same time, interest in luxury Class A motorhomes is declining in your region. Using this insight, you shift your procurement strategy—ordering more mid-sized trailers while scaling back on luxury Class A models.
Additionally, inventory analytics can show if your dealership has an excess of certain units and shortages of others, allowing intelligent redistribution and timely adjustments. This targeted, data-informed approach ensures your inventory remains precisely matched with what customers want to buy, accelerating sales and enhancing dealership profitability.
Lot and Space Optimization: Make every inch count: Retailers use data to decide which products get prime shelf space.Arrange your lot to highlight high-demand models and make it easy for customers to find what they want, speeding up deal closures.
Take the case of successful RV dealerships operating with just modest two-acre lots. Despite limited space, such dealers turn inventory seven times faster than average by carefully selecting and positioning units based on data-driven insights. How did they do it?
First, dealerships should analyze sales data to pinpoint which RV floor plans, brands, and price points are most appealing to customers. With this insight, strategically place these high-demand models in prime, easily visible locations on the lot, guiding customer attention naturally toward your strongest offerings. Conversely, slower-moving units or models requiring deeper discounts can be placed further back, subtly encouraging buyers to explore preferred options first.
Additionally, optimizing the sequencing of units listed on dealership websites can significantly influence customer decisions. By displaying high-demand and popular units prominently on inventory pages—and adjusting this positioning dynamically based on the day, week, or seasonal buying trends—dealerships can maximize online customer engagement and conversion rates.
This approach illustrates the tremendous potential awaiting dealerships that embrace strategic lot and space optimization, transforming limited space into a powerful sales advantage.
The RV industry lags behind retail, e-commerce, and hospitality in using data, but that’s changing fast. Here’s what you stand to gain:
You don’t need to be a tech wizard to get started. Here’s how:
Remember: Tools are only as good as the discipline behind them. It’s not about buying the latest software, it’s about using data to make better decisions, every day.
This diagram summarizes the foundations for leveraging AI for smarter decision making…
During a blizzard, a major railroad’s network ground to a halt. Managers ignored the AI’s routing advice, trusting their gut instead. When the CEO insisted they follow the AI’s recommendations, the system was back on track within a week. The lesson? Sometimes, the machine really does know best.
AI and machine learning can now make recommendations as sophisticated as a seasoned expert even if they can’t always explain why. The most successful companies trust the data, act on it, and improve over time. The sure-shot way to derail AI and any data-driven decision making is to take the stance that “I will implement these decisions only after I am convinced…”
Industries like credit cards, hospitality and retail are ahead because they chose to work with AI and not second-guess it. RV dealers who commit to embrace AI and institutionalize data-driven decision-making will emerge winners.
Generative AI (Gen AI), often nowadays just referred to as AI, is changing the game. What used to take a month — analyzing sales data, designing new screens, building prototypes — now takes days. Research, sentiment analysis, and competitor intelligence are faster and more accessible than ever.
This isn’t just for the big guys. Gen AI puts enterprise-level tools in the hands of independent dealers, letting everyone compete on a level playing field.
In more mature industries like retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG), brands and retailers routinely collaborate through sophisticated digital portals that facilitate data sharing, communication, and joint planning.
Giants like Walmart and Target have built proprietary portals, while third-party platforms serve smaller players, offering access to sales performance, category trends, and real-time demand and inventory insights. These tools enable brands to plan procurement, manufacturing, and logistics with precision, aligning supply with actual market demand. The result? Faster inventory turns, lower carrying costs, and more responsive operations. It’s time the RV industry embraced a similar model.
A shared RV Dealer–Manufacturer Collaboration Portal would enable dealers to place orders directly with manufacturers, while giving manufacturers a clear, data-backed view of dealer-level sales trends and customer demand. This would empower brands to manufacture and price more intelligently, reducing overproduction and unsold inventory. In turn, dealers benefit from faster delivery, better stock alignment, and improved sell-through rates.
Such a platform would unlock collaborative forecasting, smarter planning, and tighter value chain integration, creating a win-win for both sides of the RV ecosystem.
The RV business is at a crossroads. Dealers who embrace data and AI will turn inventory faster, close more deals, and build stronger customer relationships. Those who stick to gut feel risk being left behind.
Retailers have shown us the way. Data and AI aren’t just buzzwords; they’re proven tools for growth and profitability. Start small, stay disciplined, and trust the process. The future of RV dealerships belongs to those who use data to drive decisions, not just instincts.
The post GuestView: How Data, AI Can Transform RV Business first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a GuestView by Kishore Rajgopal & Justin Marvin of Rapidious, which provides an AI-powered SaaS platform that helps RV dealerships optimize pricing, manage inventory, and boost profits. Rajgopal is the founder and CEO and Marvin is the co-founder and senior vice president for Rapidious.
Are you running your RV dealership on gut feel? If any of the following sounds familiar, it’s time to rethink your approach:
If so, you’re not alone—but you’re also leaving money on the table. Savvy retailers blend customer data, sales trends, product info, local events, hyper-local demand signals, and even housing prices to make smarter decisions. The result? They know what customers want, when they want it, and how much they’ll pay.
Retailers have spent years perfecting the art of using data to drive sales, boost margins, and outsmart the competition, such as P&G’s Daily Demand Sensing that allows it to forecast with precision.
Procter & Gamble collaborates closely with retailers, receiving frequent point-of-sale (POS) data feeds. They integrate this real-time data with insights about local events, weather forecasts, and historical purchasing patterns. This detailed approach delivers highly accurate demand predictions—down to the product, city, zip code, and even weekly level. The result? Improved production planning, optimized logistics, and enhanced retailer partnerships, ensuring products supplied align precisely with customer demand.
This strategy accelerates inventory turnover, significantly reducing capital tied up in excess stock across warehouses and distribution channels. By pulling daily sales data, P&G cut forecast errors by over 50% and reduced safety stock by 10%.
Savvy retailers blend customer data, sales trends, product info, local events, hyper-local demand signals, and even housing prices to make smarter decisions. The result? They know what customers want, when they want it, and how much they’ll pay.
Here’s how you can apply these retail best practices to your dealership:
Demand Forecasting. Stock what sells: Retailers use data to keep shelves stocked with what customers want; no more, no less. Use sales history, seasonality and local trends to predict which RVs will move fastest, yielding fewer slow-movers and more inventory turns.
Pricing Optimization. Get paid what you’re worth: Dynamic pricing—commonly seen with airline tickets and hotel rooms—is a strategic approach retailers use to adjust prices based on real-time demand, availability, and consumer willingness to pay. Retailers analyze purchasing patterns by product, geography, and timing (monthly, weekly, daily) to pinpoint optimal pricing. For example, school supplies typically drop in demand after the school year begins, prompting targeted discounts to clear excess stock. Similarly, fashion items command premium pricing at the start of a new season but often require deeper discounts later as interest wanes. Effective dynamic pricing means discounting just enough to drive sales without leaving money on the table by unnecessarily reducing prices for customers who would have willingly paid more.
Most RV dealers rely on gut feel or past experience to price units, occasionally referencing outside sources for comparable unit pricing. But what happens when there’s a sudden shortage of popular RV models, or when local events dramatically boost demand—such as major RV shows, seasonal travel peaks, or local festivals?
For instance, consider the surge in demand for compact travel trailers ahead of summer vacation season. With real-time data on sales velocity, inventory levels, and competitor pricing within your regional market, you could confidently adjust your prices upward during peak periods. This data-driven strategy ensures you’re neither leaving money on the table nor pricing units too high to deter customers.
Eventually, just as successful retailers do, RV dealerships could leverage AI-driven tools for precise initial price recommendations, backed by detailed justifications. The result? Increased walk-ins, quicker sales, and stronger profit margins.
Smarter Ordering. Don’t just replace… Anticipate: Retailers don’t just reorder what sold; they anticipate what’s next, so order units based on upcoming demand, not just what’s missing from your lot. This keeps your inventory fresh and relevant.
Many dealerships habitually reorder the exact make-model-trim of an RV after it sells, a strategy that leaves money on the table and clutters lots with units that no longer reflect customer preferences.
Instead, consider this scenario: your data indicates an increasing local demand for mid-sized, family-friendly travel trailers due to upcoming summer vacations. At the same time, interest in luxury Class A motorhomes is declining in your region. Using this insight, you shift your procurement strategy—ordering more mid-sized trailers while scaling back on luxury Class A models.
Additionally, inventory analytics can show if your dealership has an excess of certain units and shortages of others, allowing intelligent redistribution and timely adjustments. This targeted, data-informed approach ensures your inventory remains precisely matched with what customers want to buy, accelerating sales and enhancing dealership profitability.
Lot and Space Optimization: Make every inch count: Retailers use data to decide which products get prime shelf space.Arrange your lot to highlight high-demand models and make it easy for customers to find what they want, speeding up deal closures.
Take the case of successful RV dealerships operating with just modest two-acre lots. Despite limited space, such dealers turn inventory seven times faster than average by carefully selecting and positioning units based on data-driven insights. How did they do it?
First, dealerships should analyze sales data to pinpoint which RV floor plans, brands, and price points are most appealing to customers. With this insight, strategically place these high-demand models in prime, easily visible locations on the lot, guiding customer attention naturally toward your strongest offerings. Conversely, slower-moving units or models requiring deeper discounts can be placed further back, subtly encouraging buyers to explore preferred options first.
Additionally, optimizing the sequencing of units listed on dealership websites can significantly influence customer decisions. By displaying high-demand and popular units prominently on inventory pages—and adjusting this positioning dynamically based on the day, week, or seasonal buying trends—dealerships can maximize online customer engagement and conversion rates.
This approach illustrates the tremendous potential awaiting dealerships that embrace strategic lot and space optimization, transforming limited space into a powerful sales advantage.
The RV industry lags behind retail, e-commerce, and hospitality in using data, but that’s changing fast. Here’s what you stand to gain:
You don’t need to be a tech wizard to get started. Here’s how:
Remember: Tools are only as good as the discipline behind them. It’s not about buying the latest software, it’s about using data to make better decisions, every day.
This diagram summarizes the foundations for leveraging AI for smarter decision making…
During a blizzard, a major railroad’s network ground to a halt. Managers ignored the AI’s routing advice, trusting their gut instead. When the CEO insisted they follow the AI’s recommendations, the system was back on track within a week. The lesson? Sometimes, the machine really does know best.
AI and machine learning can now make recommendations as sophisticated as a seasoned expert even if they can’t always explain why. The most successful companies trust the data, act on it, and improve over time. The sure-shot way to derail AI and any data-driven decision making is to take the stance that “I will implement these decisions only after I am convinced…”
Industries like credit cards, hospitality and retail are ahead because they chose to work with AI and not second-guess it. RV dealers who commit to embrace AI and institutionalize data-driven decision-making will emerge winners.
Generative AI (Gen AI), often nowadays just referred to as AI, is changing the game. What used to take a month — analyzing sales data, designing new screens, building prototypes — now takes days. Research, sentiment analysis, and competitor intelligence are faster and more accessible than ever.
This isn’t just for the big guys. Gen AI puts enterprise-level tools in the hands of independent dealers, letting everyone compete on a level playing field.
In more mature industries like retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG), brands and retailers routinely collaborate through sophisticated digital portals that facilitate data sharing, communication, and joint planning.
Giants like Walmart and Target have built proprietary portals, while third-party platforms serve smaller players, offering access to sales performance, category trends, and real-time demand and inventory insights. These tools enable brands to plan procurement, manufacturing, and logistics with precision, aligning supply with actual market demand. The result? Faster inventory turns, lower carrying costs, and more responsive operations. It’s time the RV industry embraced a similar model.
A shared RV Dealer–Manufacturer Collaboration Portal would enable dealers to place orders directly with manufacturers, while giving manufacturers a clear, data-backed view of dealer-level sales trends and customer demand. This would empower brands to manufacture and price more intelligently, reducing overproduction and unsold inventory. In turn, dealers benefit from faster delivery, better stock alignment, and improved sell-through rates.
Such a platform would unlock collaborative forecasting, smarter planning, and tighter value chain integration, creating a win-win for both sides of the RV ecosystem.
The RV business is at a crossroads. Dealers who embrace data and AI will turn inventory faster, close more deals, and build stronger customer relationships. Those who stick to gut feel risk being left behind.
Retailers have shown us the way. Data and AI aren’t just buzzwords; they’re proven tools for growth and profitability. Start small, stay disciplined, and trust the process. The future of RV dealerships belongs to those who use data to drive decisions, not just instincts.
The post GuestView: How Data, AI Can Transform RV Business first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has announced a six-month extension to its PFAS reporting deadline. Originally set for January 1, 2026, the new reporting deadline is now July 1, 2026. This announcement is a result of the advocacy efforts of the RV Industry Association, industry partners, and widespread concern expressed by the manufacturing community about the lack of time to comply with the rapidly approaching reporting deadline. This extension applies to manufacturers who make, sell and/or distribute products in Minnesota containing intentionally added PFAS.
The decision to extend the deadline was based in part on the concerns raised by the RV Industry Association and others, who emphasized that the original deadline was impracticable due to the volume of data being requested, the complexity of supply chains (especially for manufacturers of complex products), and the fact that the final rule has yet to be published and the reporting platform has not been implemented.
This decision will provide much-needed time to collect the required information. The RV Industry Association’s advocacy efforts included two sets of written comments, a formal meeting with Minnesota Pollution Control Agency staff, verbal testimony during the May 22 public hearing and participation in extensive coalition activities.
View the announcement from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
For more information, please contact Bill Erny, Senior Manager of Regulatory Affairs, at [email protected]
The post RVIA Advocacy Efforts Lead to Deadline Extension first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – UFP Factory Built, a division of UFP Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: UFPI), has announced its acquisition of certain assets of National Supply LLC, a leading supplier based in Elkhart, Indiana effective July 14, 2025. This strategic move further strengthens UFP Factory Built’s position as a critical components and solutions provider to the recreational vehicle (RV) industry, building upon its previous acquisition of a manufacturing plant in Twin Falls, Idaho location.
National Supply LLC, a key partner to the RV manufacturing sector, is a material supplier to Forest River, a Berkshire Hathaway company and one of the largest RV manufacturers in North America. The acquisition of Elkhart based assets of National Supply, complements UFP Factory Built’s distribution arm – UFP Distribution’s product offering. This new acquisition and other recent strategic investments significantly enhance UFP Factory Built’s ability to supply essential components to both motorized and towable segments of the RV industry.
“Many key employees critical to the day-to-day operation of the Elkhart-based facility of National Supply are joining our team. I am excited to welcome them to the team,” said Eric Brumbaugh, VP of UFP Distribution.
“This represents our commitment to deepen our relationships with the biggest players in the RV manufacturing industry and provide quality and innovation to RV construction.”, he added.
Executive VP of UFP Factory Built Chad Eastin reiterated that UFP will continue to make strategic investments to expand its product range and service capabilities to better serve its customers in the RV industry.
UFP Factory Built is a division of UFP Industries, Inc., a leading global manufacturer and distributor of wood and wood-alternative products. UFP Factory Built provides innovative solutions and essential components to various factory-built housing and commercial manufacturing sectors, including the cargo trailer and recreational vehicle industry.
National Supply LLC, based in Elkhart, Indiana, is a supplier of components to the recreational vehicle manufacturing industry.
The post UFP Factory Built Expanding its Footprint in Elkhart first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.