This Saturday, June 14, is National Go RVing Day — a day to celebrate the fun, freedom and adventure of RVing — and the RV industry’s Go RVing campaign reminds dealers, campgrounds and other RV-related businesses that it has a wealth of resources to help businesses get the word out.
“We created this day for the industry to use it as a hook to run a promotion for their dealership or campground or brand, to drum up sales and interest,” explained Monika Geraci, RVIA senior director, public relations and communications. “It’s a way to say, ‘It’s National Go RVing Day this Saturday, come check the cool things I have at my campground or the cool things at my dealership.’”
This is year marks the fourth annual National Go RVing Day (held annually the second Saturday in June) and Geraci said momentum continues to build for the event each year. It’s a particularly good campaign to spread via social media, she added.
Monika Geraci
Specific Go RVing resources available to RV businesses include a National Go RVing Day logo, social media graphics (for use on Facebook, Instagram and X), draft social media copy, a draft blog/newsletter article, and a draft media pitch template that can be sent to media outlets in advance of Go RVing Day. These resources — which can be used as-is or customized to particular audiences — are available by clicking on this link.
The toolkit ties in with the Just Beyond Your Door campaign, which launched on Tuesday, May 6. The campaign aligns itself with the theme of National Go RVing Day by emphasizing that the call of adventure and the comforts of home are close – just beyond your RV door.
RVIA Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President Karen Redfern and Vice President of Marketing Jeremy Greene spoke about the Just Beyond Your Door campaign during the most recent episode of RVBusiness Capitol Talk. That episode can be accessed by clicking on this weblink.
Geraci noted that National Go RVing Day coincides with National Camping Month and Great Outdoors Month in June, giving the industry even more opportunities to promote the RV lifestyle.
This Saturday, June 14, is National Go RVing Day — a day to celebrate the fun, freedom and adventure of RVing — and the RV industry’s Go RVing campaign reminds dealers, campgrounds and other RV-related businesses that it has a wealth of resources to help businesses get the word out.
“We created this day for the industry to use it as a hook to run a promotion for their dealership or campground or brand, to drum up sales and interest,” explained Monika Geraci, RVIA senior director, public relations and communications. “It’s a way to say, ‘It’s National Go RVing Day this Saturday, come check the cool things I have at my campground or the cool things at my dealership.’”
This is year marks the fourth annual National Go RVing Day (held annually the second Saturday in June) and Geraci said momentum continues to build for the event each year. It’s a particularly good campaign to spread via social media, she added.
Monika Geraci
Specific Go RVing resources available to RV businesses include a National Go RVing Day logo, social media graphics (for use on Facebook, Instagram and X), draft social media copy, a draft blog/newsletter article, and a draft media pitch template that can be sent to media outlets in advance of Go RVing Day. These resources — which can be used as-is or customized to particular audiences — are available by clicking on this link.
The toolkit ties in with the Just Beyond Your Door campaign, which launched on Tuesday, May 6. The campaign aligns itself with the theme of National Go RVing Day by emphasizing that the call of adventure and the comforts of home are close – just beyond your RV door.
RVIA Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President Karen Redfern and Vice President of Marketing Jeremy Greene spoke about the Just Beyond Your Door campaign during the most recent episode of RVBusiness Capitol Talk. That episode can be accessed by clicking on this weblink.
Geraci noted that National Go RVing Day coincides with National Camping Month and Great Outdoors Month in June, giving the industry even more opportunities to promote the RV lifestyle.
As 2024 drew to a close, the Go RVing campaign run in partnership by the RV Industry Association and RV Dealers Association had a lot to celebrate.
“All in all, we are really pleased with the awareness that was created by the campaign this year and the amount of traffic to the Go RVing website. In all, we had 12 million unique visitors to Go RVing.com in 2024,” said Jeremy Greene, RVIA vice president, marketing.
What’s more, Go RVing’s partnership with the DreamWorks Animation on the Wild Robot movie that debuted in 2024 paid handsome dividends, generating 100,000 visits to Go RVing’s Wild Robot micro website, 20 million completed video views and 50 million overall impressions associated with that campaign, according to Greene.
“Even though it involved a limited spend by the campaign, it (the movie) was very targeted to families,” he said, noting the movie’s appeal to families with young children is a key demographic Go RVing seeks to reach. “Recall of the Wild Robot ads was very good and it allowed to us to reach that audience in a different way.”
Greene said Go RVing also was particularly pleased with its partnership with several social media influencers to generate consumer interest in RVs and the RV lifestyle. Among those Go RVing partnered with was three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White, who shared highlights of a 2024 RV trip on Instagram while also fondly recalling details of RVing when he was a child.
Meanwhile, Greene said Go RVing enjoyed continued success hosting experiential marketing events across the country, which in 2024 included showcasing RVs at 12 different events ranging from air shows to musical festivals to cultural community events to the Minnesota State Fair, which draws more than 730,000 annual attendees.
“We go to these events to show up in front of consumers in unexpected ways,” he explained. “Go RVing partners with local dealers to reach a rich target audience and to generate leads that funnel back to dealers.”
In 2024, the Go RVing campaign, operating across all channels, generated 2 billion impressions, up from 1.3 billion impressions in 2023, said Monika Geraci, RVIA senior director, public relations and communications. Still, generating impressions is only part of the goal, she added, noting the campaign’s efforts to convert RV awareness to RV rentals and sales.
For example, targeting people searching online for “traveling with pets” and directing them to Go RVing’s website is a more intensive and expensive proposition than people searching for “RV rentals,” but it’s also potentially more beneficial in terms of audience reach, Geraci explained.
“If they (consumers) are searching ‘RV rentals’ we’ve already won,” Greene added.
Building on Go RVing’s successes in 2024, Geraci said the campaign is excited to launch a new ad campaign called “Don’t Go There” that poke fun at the frustrations of hotel stays and airline travel. She noted that the ads, which will debut soon, build upon Go RVing’s “Go on a Real Vacation” ad campaign that has been running for several years.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Now in its 14th year, the RVBusiness Top 50 program celebrates those North American RV dealerships that, in the eyes of an esteemed panel of independent judges, best exemplifies dealer excellence in customer and community service. Winning dealers will be recognized during a presentation Nov. 13 during the RV Dealers Convention/Expo at Paris Las Vegas.
RVBusiness will publish a profile of each Top 50 sponsor leading up to the RV Dealers Convention/Expo.
Wells Fargo Inventory Finance is honored to be a founding sponsor of the RVBusiness Top 50 Program. The honorees of the Top 50 represent those who are fully invested in elevating the RV lifestyle and have a strong focus on the customer experience. They consistently seek excellence in the industry and are the benchmark in best practices.
“It is with great pride and gratitude that we stand as an inaugural sponsor of the RVBusiness Top 50 program, a testament to our enduring support for the RV industry. This partnership not only acknowledges the excellence of RV dealers, but also honors our cherished relationships with RVDA and RVBusiness. We are thrilled to celebrate these achievements and continue fostering our long-standing connections,” says Chad Lyon, managing director, inventory finance.
“We take immense pride in the long-term relationships we’ve built across the industry and are always looking for ways to complement our core inventory finance product. Our role as a stable, long-term source of funding for the OEM/dealer community, with a legacy exceeding four decades, remains steadfast,” Lyon says. “Being part of Wells Fargo Bank has enabled us to introduce a wider array of financial solutions to our customers. With our industry engagement, we are optimistic that additional enhancements will be offered in the near term. Our dedicated and specialized approach to the market is tailored by design to provide the right financial solutions, market data, analytics and peer benchmarking to improve businesses and maximize customer profits.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Now in its 14th year, the RVBusiness Top 50 program celebrates those North American RV dealerships that, in the eyes of an esteemed panel of independent judges, best exemplifies dealer excellence in customer and community service. Winning dealers will be recognized during a presentation Nov. 13 during the RV Dealers Convention/Expo at Paris Las Vegas.
RVBusiness will publish a profile of each Top 50 sponsor leading up to the RV Dealers Convention/Expo.
RV Trader draws more than 9 million visitors to its premier website connecting interested buyers with RV dealers, but the company is not resting on its laurels.
In fact, RV Trader is continually improving the website to make it even more valuable for consumers and dealers, says Erin Ruane, chief marketing officer for Virginia Beach, Virginia-based Trader Interactive, the parent company of RV Trader.
“We’ve got a lot of new tools and programs that we’ve been rolling out to support our dealers,” she says. For example, RV Trader has launched Service First, which pairs a dedicated RV Trader sales consultant to work with individual dealers that they can contact anytime to discuss their performance metrics. Additionally, RV Trader this year debuted its Premium Select product, which elevates dealer ads from standard to premium listings, and its eMail Lead Amplifier program, which provides dealers with more consumer email leads.
RV Trader also ramped up a new generation of unbiased RV product reviews, which Ruane says consumers and dealers alike should appreciate. “I think it really underscores the commitment that we have to continually improve our platform for both dealers and consumers,” she says.
Other benefits RV Trader offers to dealers include its TraderTraxx web program and smartphone app for dealers, as well as its lead enrichment software. Those programs provide exclusive industry data, as well as insights on consumers shopping the website, such as the type of unit they are shopping for and how long they’ve been searching. TraderTraxx also lets dealers manage their online leads.
Meanwhile, RV Trader has a designated onboarding team that works with dealers when they first join to help them make the most of their membership. The company also offers in-person training at trade shows and customized webinars where dealers can learn how to make the most of RV Trader tools, as well as resources such as SEO best practices and trend reports.
Currently, RV Trader is beta testing a program that collects information from customers on the website about how responsive dealers are on following up with sales leads and it lets the dealers know how their prices compare with others on the website.
“We take our role in this amazing industry very seriously,” Ruane said. “We are here to provide leading advertising services to connect buyers to dealers and to provide dealers with the data only we have to make stronger, data-driven decisions in order to be more successful.”
As for why RV Trader is supporting the RVBusiness Top 50 Dealer Awards, Ruane says, “Supporting the RVBusiness Top 50 Dealer Awards is a testament to our commitment. We celebrate and recognize the outstanding achievements of dealers who drive our industry forward, showcasing the innovation and dedication that makes the RV community thrive.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Now in its 14th year, the RVBusiness Top 50 program celebrates those North American RV dealerships that, in the eyes of an esteemed panel of independent judges, best exemplifies dealer excellence in customer and community service. Winning dealers will be recognized during a presentation Nov. 13 during the RV Dealers Convention/Expo at Paris Las Vegas.
RVBusiness will publish a profile of each Top 50 sponsor leading up to the RV Dealers Convention/Expo.
NTP-STAG is much more than a parts distributor—it is one-stop shop for everything RV service and repair professionals need to keep their customers on the road, according to Andy Morgan, senior director of marketing for the Exeter, Pennsylvania-based company.
“We want to be a partner that helps them run their business and be as efficient and effective as they can,” he says. That support takes many forms, Morgan says, starting with offering next-day parts and accessories delivery service to retailers, thanks to the company’s eight warehouses located strategically across the country and its own fleet of delivery trucks.
Notably, the company has opened expanded distribution facilities in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, and Orlando, Florida areas in the past year in order to better serve customers in those regions. Now, with its eight facilities combined, NTP-STAG has almost 3 million square feet of warehouse space.
“We continue to make investments in the business to help support improved service and better parts availability,” Morgan says.
Meanwhile, the company is putting a renewed focus on repair parts, warranty and service offerings for dealers. Specifically, Morgan says the company has relaunched an updated version of its MagniFinder RV parts finder website and it has revitalized its PARTease backroom service and warranty parts stocking program.
Morgan says NTP-STAG continues to work with OEMs to add more warranty and service parts to its inventory. Combined with its parts and accessories offerings, NTP-STAG offers 185,000 stocking SKUs.
“It’s something where we’re trying to have that right stock for dealers and their retailer customers,” he says.
Other ways NTP-STAG assists its dealer partners include parts store resets and refreshes, other merchandising assistance and offering a variety of marketing tools, including print and digital catalogs and social media support. In addition, they are offering website-services, product and supplier training, OE warranty fulfillment, and producing a top industry trade shows.
“We want to be a partner that helps dealers be as efficient and as effective as they can,” he says.
Morgan says NTP-STAG proudly supports the RVBusiness Top 50 Dealer Awards because it believes that dealers that go above and beyond to serve their customers are worthy of special recognition.
“We support all our customers, but we want to get behind this because it’s recognizing the best and brightest dealerships from across the U.S. and Canada, who we are in business to serve,” he says. “We think it’s great the top dealers are recognized and we support the process and recognition for those Top 50 dealers.”
Jesse Stopnitzky enjoys being the face of Performance Brokerage Services at the annual RV Dealers Association Convention in Las Vegas and other select dealer events.
“I’ll be at the RVDA Convention again this year,” he says. “I often hand out business cards at these events, as I want people to know when they call, they can speak with me personally.”
The family-owned dealership brokerage firm believes in offering personalized service, but, as a result, Stopnitzky says he believes the size and scope of the Irvine, California-based company’s operations aren’t always immediately apparent to dealers.
Jesse Stopnitzky
“I think what some people don’t recognize about our company is that we are 30 years in business; we’re 10 offices across the U.S. and Canada; we’re about 35 dealmakers; and we’ve consummated more than 900 dealership sales, including 76 this year,” he says. “We are the highest-volume brokerage firm in North America. So, I think sometimes the perception might be that the business is just me and my family, but it’s a powerhouse firm.”
Being a nationwide firm and being involved in several industries, including RV, marine, auto and powersports, gives Performance Brokerage Services advantages when it comes to serving its clients, says Stopnitzky, a co-owner of the business. He recalls a transaction where his company helped an automotive dealer north of Denver buy an RV dealership in Colorado Springs. In another transaction, Stopnitzky’s business helped facilitate the sale of the largest Airstream dealership group in the Pacific Northwest to the largest automotive dealership chain.
“I think something that makes us unique is our access to the largest, top-quality dealers and buying groups across all dealership industries,” he says.
Mergers and acquisitions in the RV sector have slowed down this year as interest rates have risen and market conditions have softened, Stopnitzky acknowledges. Still, for dealers who are contemplating their exit strategy—even if it’s several years out—it never hurts to talk with a buy/sell expert, he adds.
“It’s never too early to prepare; there’s no fees and no commitments,” he says. “We always say, ‘We’re not here for the business today. We’re here for the relationship today—and the business will come when the time is right.’”
Stopnitzky says Performance Business Services is proud to be a sponsor of the RVBusiness Top 50 dealership awards because it shares the sentiment that top dealers deserve to be recognized for their achievements. “We think it’s an exceptional event and we are truly honored to be a part of it,” he says.
SEATTLE, Wash. – Dealers wanting to buy and sell used RVs, boats and powersports online now have another option with the recent launch of Wholesale Whale (https://wholesalewhale.com).
David Karstens
Company founder and president David Karstens previously worked as the chief technology officer (CTO) for a multi-store RV dealership based in Boise, Idaho. He said that experience convinced him there needed to be a better, easier way for dealers to buy and sell used inventory from their fellow dealers.
“The process of getting started on the wholesale side was wanting a simple way for dealers to connect with each other to get inventory,” he said. “And it just became apparent in conversations with dealers and from feedback that the current wholesale methods are pretty challenging and not as useful as dealers would want, from a technology point of view.”
So, Karstens and his development partner and CTO, Justin Shaw, launched Wholesale Whale, which Karstens said was specifically designed to make the whole process as user-friendly as possible. For example, a dealer in the market for used inventory can create a “hot sheet” for various types of RVs they are interested in purchasing that fit their criteria.
“A dealer can enter what they are specifically interested in. For example, if I only wanted to be (alerted) when a Class A diesel, in the Southwest, in this condition (i.e. good, fair, acceptable), is listed,” Karstens said. “You can filter the entire process through the lens of your hot sheet.”
Once an RV is listed on the platform that meets a buying dealer’s criteria, he receives a text message or email, Karstens added.
“A dealer can respond directly through that email or text that they want to make an offer on a unit; you don’t have to go anywhere else to log in,” he said. “So, convenience and speed is one of the things that we really focused on.”
RV Listings Made Easy
Karstens said Wholesale Whale also makes it very easy for dealers to list their used inventory on the website, as the platform can connect with a retailer’s dealer management system to download a used RV listing’s pertinent details.
“We can connect directly to (a dealer’s DMS) to pull in those details, which makes it super easy to list,” he said. “So, we pull in all of the data from that unit, like the model year, make, model number, VIN number, maybe odometer reading. And the only thing that you, as a dealer, are really responsible for is the condition report.”
To determine a sale price for a model, Karstens said dealers are expected to use the book value of a third-party source, such as JD Power, and then state how much under book value they are willing to accept for the unit. “So, a dealer listing an RV might say, ‘I’m willing to accept offers up to 20 percent below value for this unit,’” he explained.
In other cases, Wholesale Whale can help a dealership automate the process of disposing of aged inventory. For example, if a dealer has a used RV on their sales lot that is more than 60 days or 90 days old (whichever the dealership decides), that unit automatically gets listed on Wholesale Whale for 10 percent below its book value, Karstens said.
“Every dealer has a unit in the back of their lot that no one is paying attention to, and it’s just growing cobwebs on it,” he said. “Well, now you can set a trigger on that unit and have it automatically listed on the platform. And now dealers nationwide have the opportunity to look at it and put an offer on it.
“But, unlike an auction house, there is no obligation to buy and there’s no obligation to sell,” he added. “But, at least now, dealers have options if a unit is not retailing, or if he’s in the market for used inventory.”
While details about models for sale are listed on Wholesale Whale, Karstens said information regarding both sellers and buyers on the platform are not initially disclosed.
“Both parties have to agree to connect,” he said. Once they do, Karstens said the buying and selling dealers are connected and are able to hash out final details, such as who will pay for vehicle titling and the cost for transporting the RV, boat or powersport unit.
Wholesale Whale officially went live last week. For now, the web platform is limiting the number of participating dealers, but Karstens said more dealers will be added each week.
During a period of beta testing expected to last about 30 days, Wholesale Whale is free for dealers to use. After that time, participating dealers will be charged a monthly subscription fee, Karstens said.
Karstens said he is optimistic about Wholesale Whale’s prospects, in part because his company previously ran an earlier platform, called RV Whale, that had about 250 participating dealers.
“With that learning process, we’ve made a number of changes, just to be a better fit for dealers,” he said. “Our whole thing is to support dealers and get them a useful tool for inventory management that no one else is offering.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Now in its 14th year, the RVBusiness Top 50 program celebrates those North American RV dealerships that, in the eyes of an esteemed panel of independent judges, best exemplifies dealer excellence in customer and community service. Winning dealers will be recognized during a presentation Nov. 13 during the RV Dealers Convention/Expo at Paris Las Vegas.
Brown & Brown Insurance has deep roots in the RV industry and a long history of giving back to worthy organizations, perhaps most notably the RV Dealers Association.
In May, the company made a $26,666 contribution for 2024 to the RVDA Mike Molino RV Learning Center. The pledge fulfills Brown & Brown’s pledge of $200,000 for the RV Learning Center.
Mike Neal
“The RV Learning Center continues to prove its incredible value as a source of training and education for the nation’s dealership fixed-ops personnel and we consider our contributions to be a good investment in the future of the industry,” says Michael Neal, president of Brown & Brown Dealer Services.
Brown & Brown’s parent company, Brown & Brown Inc., is the sixth-largest independent insurance brokerage in the nation and provides risk management solutions to help protect what its customers value most. The company has more than 16,000 teammates and more than 500 locations worldwide.
Brown and Brown is always looking to introduce new products for RV dealers and end customers. At last year’s RVDA Convention & Expo, the company introduced its first roof service contract, called Roof Pro, which it touts as the industry’s first service contract designed to cover RV roofs. The service contract is the result of an exclusive partnership between Brown & Brown and supplier Alpha Systems. The contract has a five-year term with a $100 deductible and a $10,000 limited liability limit.
To support its dealer partners, Brown & Brown hosts an annual F&I school for all of its dealers, at no cost to those dealers. In 2023, the company hosted a three-day school for the first time, which enabled 23 presentations from vendors, lenders and Brown & Brown employees.
What’s more, not only does Brown & Brown offer in-house F&I training, but it also offers compliance training for all of its dealers. The company says the majority of its agents have sat in the F&I seat themselves at one point in life and can truly relate to dealers and the process of a sale.
Brown & Brown is a proud sponsor of the RV Business Top 50 Dealer Awards program. “We value the relationship we have with all of our dealers, and truly support this program,” says Shawn Moran, president of RV F&I and Brown & Brown Dealer Services.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Now in its 14th year, the RVBusiness Top 50 program celebrates those North American RV dealerships that, in the eyes of an esteemed panel of independent judges, best exemplifies dealer excellence in customer and community service. Winning dealers will be recognized during a presentation Nov. 13 during the RV Dealers Convention/Expo at Paris Las Vegas.
Airxcel’s sales tagline is: “Better Brands, Better Experiences.”
That succinct description understandably just scratches the surface when attempting to communicate the breadth of the company’s offerings and the quality that goes into all of its products, according to Piar Adams, Airxcel vice president of marketing, aftermarket and international sales.
“Airxcel oversees 15 of the most well-known brands in the RV industry. From heating and air conditioning to interior and exterior systems, all products under the Airxcel umbrella are highly engineered to deliver stress-free customer experiences,” he says.
The Wichita, Kansas-based company’s premium brands include Aqua-Hot, CAN, Clear Vision Windows, Cleer Vision Doors, Cleer Vision Tempered Glass, Coleman-Mach, Dicor Products, Elkhart Composites, Maxxair, MCD Innovations, Suburban, United Shade, and Vixen Composites. Notably, Airxcel late last year introduced two new brands: InVision and Velarium.
InVision supplies a variety of residential-style RV appliances, including microwaves, refrigerators, ranges and range hoods, available in stainless-steel or black finishes, as well as washers, dryers and small personal appliances. Velarium provides a full range of awning products, including 12-volt models, slide toppers, box awnings, replacement canopies, and awning accessories.
Adams says Airxcel launched its InVision and Velarium product lines, both of which are located in Elkhart, Indiana, in response to requests from RV manufacturers, but he says the brands also are finding success on the aftermarket side of the business. And to continue to support its dealer partners, Adams notes that Airxcel offers a variety of online and in-person product training opportunities for RV technicians, as well a variety of merchandising materials including store displays.
“We pride ourselves on the comprehensive support we provide dealers before, during and after the sale,” he says. “With the number of premium brands we bring to the table, we’re proud to deliver more selling opportunities, better aftermarket support, and product expertise when dealers need it. This is a distinction that we believe drives sales and increases trust between our partners and their customers.”
Adams says Airxcel is a proud sponsor of the RVBusiness Top 50 Dealer Awards because the awards recognizing top-performing retailers reflect the company’s own values of being a premium brand that delivers superior service.
“We think it’s a unique program that has grown its prestige. And it’s something that I know dealers really value, being recognized as a top 50 dealership,” he says. “We are honored to sponsor the event because it aligns with our values and desires, to continually find new and innovative ways to serve and engage with consumers to elevate the RV lifestyle.”
