Gary Gerard

TAMPA, Fla. – Park model RV builders and park operators at the Florida RV SuperShow say that the market for their more residential-style PMRV’s is normalizing following a surge when new units couldn’t be built fast enough and a softer year in 2024.

“I feel like we are back to a more steady pre-COVID sales climate,” says Heather Taylor, regional vice president for Sun Outdoors, a publicly held resort operator affiliated with more than 600 resorts. “I mean, we’re still growing. We still have wait lists for people who are waiting for them to come in, so the business is still quite booming.

“Our homes run anywhere between 399 square foot to up to 500 square foot,” Taylor added. “They have all the full-size amenities a normal home would have. A lot of people are looking for smaller economical homes, so this is exactly what they’re looking for.”

However, Michael Pozar, park manager and resort manager for Sun Outdoors Lakeland (Fla.), said he has seen a shift in demographics. “Where it used to be pretty much a 55-plus market, now it’s an all-age market,” he said. “I mean, we’re selling things to college kids. It’s a first home. It’s a starter home. It’s equity in something as a young adult or a small family getting ready to have their first kid. That demographic shift has helped us tremendously.”

Joe Gibbons, managing partner of relative newcomer Gulf Atlantic Cottages, a park model builder launched a year-and-a-half ago, explained his company was a custom home builder and saw a need for a higher-quality park model and is seeing strong demand.

“The response has been overwhelming,” he said. “Just last month we sold five, and the show has been fantastic. I mean, we can’t keep up with the folks coming in here. And I think now that we are through this election season, I see the real positive vibes coming around that. And not only that, here in Florida — we’re based right here in Tampa and build them here – we have a huge affordable housing crisis, and I think this is going to really help out with that.

“We’re getting a lot of people 55 plus, but we’re getting a lot of younger folks, too.”

Another factor that could drive demand for his units involves zoning issues.

“The state of Florida is really helping out with the different municipalities and trying to educate the municipalities on the fact that we build this just like a single-family home.” Gibbons said. “It just happens to be on a chassis that has axles that can be taken off. So, our company is working diligently with a few different municipalities on helping them get educated on the fact that this is a house – to be set up as a house.”

He added that Gulf Atlantic Cottages are green certified with spray-foam attics, level-four drywall finishes and residential quality builds. The units are RVIA-certified and come with a seven-year warranty. “That’s what we strived to do when we started this company, we wanted to build homes,” he said.

Skyline Homes and Champion Park Models also had units on display at the SuperShow.

The post Industry’s Park Model Sector Also Well Represented in Tampa first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

TAMPA, Fla. – Italian-based B-van builder Wingamm unveiled its eye-catching Oasi 540.1 Wednesday during the Florida RV SuperShow.

What sets the Wingamm USA apart among other things is its dual-layer, one-piece fiberglass monocoque shell, which, the company reports, is completely impervious to water intrusion.

Part of the big news for Wingamm, which has been in the U.S. market for three years now, includes the fact that it’s now available here on a Dodge ProMaster 3500 van showcased at the Tampa Show for an MSRP of $185,000.

Previous versions – as well as all current European models – have been built on the Fiat Ducato chassis. (Both Fiat and Chrysler/Dodge are subsidiaries of global automotive giant Stellantis.)

The front-drive chassis is powered by the Chrysler Pentastar 2.6-litre V6 gas engine. The shell is manufactured in Verona, Italy, and shipped to the U.S. for final assembly.

The diminutive Oasi is 17 feet, 10 inches long and 7 feet, 5 inches tall. The interior appears roomy for the size of the unit with a pull-down bunk in the front, a bath in back and a mid-coach dinette. The design allows for a fairly roomy exterior storage bin in the rear – a relatively unusual Class B feature.

Flooring is two-inch dual layer with polyurethane insulation and warmed with Truma Combi-heated air.

Just as noteworthy, according to Tony Diamond, Wingamm director and CEO, is the company’s new approach to sales here in the States. Wingamm currently has two dealerships in the U.S. – in Salt Lake City and Nashville – plus service centers in Dallas and St. Louis. And more dealerships and service centers, located in city centers, are to be added as market share grows

“We believe we’re starting with motorhomes that are best-in-class and we wanted to extend that to our sales model and dealership network,” Diamond said. “Most dealerships are not in the city center. They’re 30 minutes to an hour outside of city center, so they’re not convenient to get to. And once you get there, you are met by a commission salesperson, which is a process that we believe nobody enjoys.”

He also said the current dealership model involves different models and brands whereas Wingamm offers franchise dealerships with expert staff.

“Once you get there, you’re are immersed in the Wingamm and you’re greeted by a customer specialist, not a commissioned sales person,” he told RVB. “Our display areas are being patterned after Apple stores; we offer an elegant, modern, sophisticated experience at our dealerships.”

In a move taking a page out of the Tesla marketing model, Wingamm also plans to have displays in high-end shopping malls across the U.S.

“That is being done for a number of reasons,” Diamond said. “First, again, it’s about convenience. So these are in city centers, and then it’s also about creating a pleasant experience as opposed to being outside, which is how most stores are. You’re now inside. You can shop. You can have lunch and see a Wingamm, all in the same place and it’s five minutes from your house.”

Diamond also believes there is a much larger, untapped addressable market for the Oasi 540.

“We hope to capture that market,” he said. “We want people who currently drive large SUVs, but all of their daily needs are not being met by those large SUVs. We believe there are a lot of daily pain points that that can’t be solved in a Range Rover, but can be solved in a Wingamm.

“Let’s say you’re a family of four,” he added. “Saturday morning, you’ve got one kid’s soccer game, then another kid’s softball game, and you got grandma’s house at the end of the day, right? So today, it’s hop in the SUV. With a Wingamm, you can, while one kid’s playing soccer, the other kid’s napping. While one kid’s playing softball, the other kid’s doing their homework, and everyone can shower and change and head to grandma’s without ever having to go home.”

Both units on display at Tampa were sold with other potential customers placed on a wait list.

The post Italian B-Van Builder Showing New Model, Strategy, in Tampa first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

TAMPA, Fla. – Upbeat would probably be the best way to describe the mood Thursday during the Florida RV SuperShow at the Florida State Fairgrounds east of Tampa – one of the nation’s most significant retail RV consumer venues.

While chilly temperatures in the 50s and 60s may have dulled the street-level enthusiasm to an extent among OEMs, suppliers, consumers and social media influencers, most everyone on hand at the show seemed eager to poke around the hundreds of new units on display and get a good look at some of the latest gadgets the industry has to offer.

Dave Kelly, executive director of the Florida RV Trade Association, which organizes the event, reported that 13,100 consumers walked through the turnstiles on Thursday, down from 2024’s Thursday attendance of 15,915.

“We haven’t counted exactly, but I think it’s our 14th Tampa Show,” said Mike Wendland, a co-creator with his wife Jennifer of the “RV Lifestyle” newsletter and YouTube channel. “The show seems a little slower, not quite as exciting as it usually is. But I think that’s just a reflection of the weather.”

In fact, the good news, according to Wendland, a respected voice within the industry’s consumer ranks, has to do with the general retail mood he sensed in Tampa.

“I think there’s a buying atmosphere here more than I’ve sensed before,” he continued. “I know that in one of the displays – I went in early yesterday (Wednesday), opening day — there were three or four people who were writing deals in the first 20 minutes. I think people do a lot more research than they’ve ever done before and know what they want. Everybody I’ve talked to who’s either a dealer or a manufacturer seems to be thinking this is looking better for 2025 than they thought it would be, frankly. I think they really are saying, ‘Well, maybe we’re going to turn around a little bit.’”

Kyle Kwasny, president of THOR Industries Inc. brands Heartland, Cruiser and DRV, confirmed Wendland’s assessment.

“The traffic’s been really good. I mean, I think that the response for Wednesday was really solid,” he said “We had a lot of activity yesterday afternoon on display. The weather’s a little tough, but I think for the most part, everyone’s pretty optimistic about the industry, about where we’re going. And I feel pretty good, honestly.”

He also believes consumer sentiment is pretty good “I think if you look at what this lifestyle provides, it’s still affordable, it’s still family-oriented,” said Quasny. “I think there’s a lot of interest among people that have done it and want to do it, and I think the industry’s really healthy.”

Curiously, he added, consumer interest in his product lineup is coming at both ends of the price spectrum.

“Our entry-level business has been really robust because of affordability,” Quasny added, “and then I think there’s been a lot of activity in the higher-end segments, probably more so than we’ve seen in the last couple years. I think it’s based on demographics, as people are simply retiring. And then I think there’s been a lot of those folks that have a lot of equity in their homes and are in a pretty good financial position to take advantage of buying a big fifth-wheel or big motorhome that they’ve dreamed about it for a long time.”

Spirits were high in the supplier building as well. For instance, Lippert Components Inc. Chief Marketing Officer Jarrod Lippert reported good traffic and eager consumers at his company’s booth in Supplier Building A.

“Inside our booth I can say there’s a lot of interest for some of the things we’re showing right now,” he said. “And people are definitely here to buy accessories and parts. I’m hearing a 50/50 both, ‘I’m shopping for a new RV and looking for stuff of yours that’s on it that’s cool and new and exciting.’ And then I hear a lot of, ‘I’m just looking to upgrade the one I have.’ So a little bit of both. So it’s a lot of interest in our Chill Cube air conditioner though, and a lot of interest in our suspension system that we’re showing.”

He also said his staff was driving consumers to OEMs who are using Lippert products. “We’re telling them, ‘Hey, if you like the suspension system, go see this guy or that guy, and they’ve got it on units out there.’”

And while traffic was decent, Lippert said that consumers  were not averse to spending. “For example,” he continued, “we’re selling our ATK Chill Cube air conditioner right now. That’s the featured product here. And when I tell people the price ($925.00), they don’t even bat an eye. And they’re like, ‘Okay, we’re going to go buy it.’”

He added that Lippert was selling a significant amount of furniture as well. “People are here to spend money, for sure,” he said.

“It’s been such an incredible show, constant traffic,” said Lisa Schoder, Camco’s chief marketing officer. “We’re really excited about just engaging with consumers. Just having this opportunity for that face-to-face contact is so critically important for a marketer. … I’m getting information right from the people who are in the lifestyle and living it every day, because that’s the best source of information for consumer insights.” 

Traffic was constant, moreover, despite cloudy skies.

“We’re giving away free product samples of our TST Pro, (toilet treatment), which has been an incredible engagement opportunity,” noted Schoder, “and people are excited to try a new product. So, we’ve been really pleased with how everything has been going.”

At the Dragonfly Energy booth, Wade Seaburg, chief revenue officer, also report good traffic and tons of interest in his company’s industry leading Battle Born lithium batteries.

“We’ve had really good traffic,” he said. “I just got in today, and it seems really good. I even went out and visited a few of our OEMs, and traffic seemed good out there and they seemed upbeat about the show. So, yeah, every one of our techs that’s in the booth has been occupied the entire time.”

And he believes an RV industry market upswing may be in the cards for 2025.

“I think I saw one headline that said ‘Cautiously Optimistic,’ said Seaburg. “I think that’s pretty accurate. Everybody’s figuring out what this new normal from the demand side is going to be within the RV industry. Units are changing, but the fact of the matter is, people still want to go and camp and enjoy nature and the outdoors. So, I think the health of the industry is very strong. It’s just how much volume is going to return, and is it going to be consistent?”

Sara Dover, brand manager for RV for supplier Dometic’s Land Vehicle American division, was overseeing a booth in the General RV parts area as well as an education display in Building A for Dometic, which is currently celebrating its 100^th year in business.

“We’ve had a lot of traffic in both spaces,” she said. “I think the general space is up a lot from last year, so that’s great. We have our traditional RV stuff, obviously like toilets and AC’s, but then we have our Dometic GO furniture. We have our new soft-sided coolers here as well. We always have the Juggernaut CFXs, the power coolers. Those always do really well.

“And then we have our partners with Valtera, which is now getting ready to be called Dometic Sanitation. They’re here as well as our partners at Go Power or Mobile Power Solutions. We’re kind of in the middle of transitioning names for Valtera and Go Power.

At the other booth, new displays were built, “to really give more of an educational relevance to some of our products, and so that booth focuses a lot on stuff that’s coming. We’ve got new FreshJet VII AC. We’ve got a really cool sound dome over there so people can see how quiet the AC is. That’s the struggle with ACs. That one over there is super low profile. It’s only eight inches tall. It’s the most powerful. At only 48 decibels, it’s one of the quietest on the market.”

That booth also was showing Dometic’s water heater which offers “less weight and less wait,” she said.

A new, feature-rich roof fan’s scheduled to debut in the summer, offering a port feature which allows users to connect solar panels, Wi-Fi or other accessories on the roof. “It’s got dual arms,” added Dover, “so it’s going to be stronger in the wind. It’ll have a hood on so you can drive in the rain and you won’t get any water in. That fan is going to be a game changer for the market.”

The post Tampa Show Reflecting Market Strength Despite Chilly Weather first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

TAMPA, Fla. – Cautious optimism would be the best way to describe the mood so far at this year’s Florida RV SuperShow, sponsored by the Florida RV Trade Association.

As North America’s largest retail RV show, Tampa has long been understood to be a barometer for industry activity in the upcoming model year.

On Wednesday – the first day when consumers were welcomed – crowd sizes were not record-breaking, but Dave Kelly FRVTA executive director and show director, said “I was pretty happy with the crowd, actually, I mean the public parking lot was pretty full and we’re hearing people were happy with the first-day results. We’d like more, but it wasn’t a horrible day for dealers and we’re hearing they’re pretty happy with what they got, but it’s not like they’ve had in the past.”

Total attendance was just over 17,000, a slight 2% decline over; last year’s tally of 18,111.

He said overcast conditions sometimes affect attendance because as consumers wake and see clouds, they’re concerned about the potential for rain.

Another factor affecting opening-day attendance, he pointed out, was that for the second year, the senior citizen discount was extended to cover Wednesday through Friday. Previously, the discount was only offered on Wednesday.

This, he said, tends to spread out senior citizen visits over all three days.

But, “Overall, I think everybody was pretty happy with yesterday,” Kelly said.

Dealerships were engaging with consumers on opening day and deals were being written, and while it was a bit too early to draw any conclusions, John Ferrando, Blue Compass RV Founder, CEO and President exuded a sense of confidence in his company’s prospects.

“We’re excited,” he said Wednesday afternoon. “It’s a great way to kick off the year. We brought the largest team we’ve ever had, and probably the best talent from across our store network.”

That network includes 107 stores in 33 states with more than 15,000 units in inventory.

“We got a great product lineup across the board,” Ferrando added. “Airstream, Jayco, Forest River, Alliance, ForeTravel, Thor, Geneva. It’s really a phenomenal lineup of great products, and we are well positioned for a record show.”

Casey Tubman, president of Newmar, the Nappanee-Ind.-based builder of luxury motorhomes, said he believes the current market is “on the verge of what’s going to be positive.”

He said many people in the in the industry feel the same and pointed to some signs to support that conclusion.

 “October’s retails came back out, revised as positive. November was negative, but we believe the revised will come back slightly positive,” he said. “That’s kind of the start of momentum. This show will be the signal for the year that says, ‘How well are we going to do?’ Presidential election’s over, so that helps. Interest rates have been already impacted a couple times. That just gets people feeling better. Even if it’s not changing a ton in the bottom line, it gets them feeling better about buying. So, I think we feel pretty good about what’s coming.”

He noted that the high-end luxury segment is, “a little bit insulated, so we feel good.”

He also added that on the product side, Newmar was showing it’s all-new smaller Super C model, the Grand Star which debuted at the Elkhart Open House in September.

 “We’re showing it to the public for the first time, but we showed it to the dealers back at open house, and we’ve had real positive reactions. Lots of orders came in for it. So we’re expecting those to do real well. People have talked to different folks, our sales team, myself and others, saying, ‘Oh, I’m coming to see the Grand Star.’ We sold a couple pieces already this morning, that (Grand Star) might’ve been one of them. So we’re starting out good.”

Tubman, who came to Newmar just as the COVID boom was winding down, noted that the average age of RVers since then has fallen from the 50s to the 30s.

“Now, that’s going to be more probably the entry-level product,” he explained. “But in general, we’re seeing our customer as well come down in age. So again, each generation’s going to be different, but what we know is the younger generation now is about the environment, sustainability, getting out into the outdoors. There’s study after study that says it’s better for your health. They’re all listening to that, right? That’s that generation. And we’re seeing that come into play in our business as well.”

Coley Brady, co-founder of Elkhart-Ind. towable manufacturer Alliance RV said his firm has adjusted to current market conditions and believes those adjustments will be borne out in the coming market year.

“The biggest thing is meeting the demand now, for what dealers and customers are going to want. And you’re seeing a shift, too, in the product,” he said. “There are some brands that are emerging, and I feel like we’re one of those emerging brands. And there are other companies that are emerging, too, but it feels pretty good right now, with where we’re at. I feel good. I mean, I think the RVIA projection is maybe a 10-ish percent increase overall as far as shipments go, and retail probably a similar number. And our goal and our plan is to do more than that and grow market share,” he said.

The post Florida RV SuperShow Opens with ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ Vibe first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

TAMPA, Fla. – Jason and Abby Epperson, stalwarts of RV social media and creators of the RVMiles and America’s National Parks podcast and related YouTube, Instagram and content, were at the Florida RV SuperShow Tuesday to have a look at their new Sabre 377RVMILES fifth-wheel.

The 377RVMILES is the result of a collaboration between Jason, Abby and Forest River’s Sabre production team.

The relationship with Sabre started several years ago, Jason explained.

“We were brand ambassadors for them in their 37 FLL floorplan, and that was back when we were full-time RVers. We’re not full-time RVers anymore. We’ve been off the road full-time for about a year-and-a-half now, and we call ourselves just normal RVers. We go out for week and weekend trips,” he said.

So, for the last couple of years, the Eppersons and their three sons – ages 11, 14 and 17 – have been camping in a 25-foot travel trailer.

“And that was great. Served its purpose; was a great off-road rig,” Abby said. “But when you have three teenage boys, a 25-foot travel trailer gets a little crowded and cozy awful quick, especially when one of your kids is 6-foot-5.”

“That 25-foot travel trailer was great, but way too small for our family of five,” Jason added. “It served its purpose. We took it from Baja to Alaska.”

The Eppersons knew they were looking for something else and kept in touch with the team at Sabre.

“They wanted to get us into one of their floorplans and there just wasn’t one that was perfect for us,” Abby said. “The thing that was perfect for us doesn’t exist, and we’ve learned that through the design process, but they said, ‘Well, we’ll build you what you want. Let us know what you want and we’ll build it. And let’s do a collaboration and let’s put something out together. It’s a win-win.’ We get the floorplan we want, and they get a floorplan that is something that RVers like us want.”

Next came the process of figuring out what the floorplan might look like. When they started out, Jason and Abby envisioned something much smaller.

“We were talking about doing a mid-size fifth-wheel and, over the course of the design process, we realized we really were happiest with our three kids in a really big fifth-wheel with lots of space,” Abby said. “And they were amazing partners to make that happen.”

Enter Forest River’s Shirley Cartwright, product manager for the Sabre line.

She outlined the win-win, where her brand ambassadors get the floorplan they want and Sabre gains valuable insights into what like-minded consumers are looking for in a new unit.

“Yes. This is something that’s going to appeal to a lot of big families or even the couple that maybe has the in-laws come with them or another couple comes with them,” Cartwright said. “You’ve also got a desk back there. So, it can be a remote office that’s basically not only a bunk room, but a flex room. So, yes, it’s going to be a floorplan that’s going to be a win-win for Sabre as well, because a lot of people are going to be drawn to this floorplan.”

Another plus for Forest River is the exposure of brand ambassadors who are at the top of the RV social media food chain.

The Eppersons started the RVMiles podcast in 2017. Just competing its 346th episode, the podcast – in audio and video versions – enjoys approximately 20,000 downloads each week. The couple’s American National Parks podcast, an audio-only production, also sees 20,000 weekly downloads and the RVMiles YouTube channel has 113,000-plus subscribers.

“So, a pretty healthy reach across social media, along with Instagram and Facebook and all the places you have to be these days,” Abby said.

From Cartwright’s perspective, “They’re going to get us a lot more outreach and get to a bigger community than what we get to on our own. And their experiences, their adventures, all their cool camping trips that they’ve got planned coming up so people can envision themselves actually going out and doing all these fun things. It gives them another perspective and shows just how much fun RVing can be. That’s what we achieve with them.”

Cartwright characterized the collaboration with the Eppersons as a positive experience.

“It really was a lot of fun. Like, they were saying they really wanted maybe a 30-foot unit. So we tried to put everything that they had on their wish lists into a 30-foot unit,” Cartwright said, grinning. “And then they said, ‘That’s not going to work.’ Okay, how about 34 feet? 36 feet? So, we’d go back to the drawing board and try again. The next thing you know, we bring them back something that they love. But as you can see, it’s not the footage that they were looking for, but it does give them all the things on their want list that they’d given us that makes the camping experience wonderful for not only them, but other campers as well.”

Michele Kay, interior designer on the project said, “It really started almost with a paper napkin, drawing some pictures, and it just kind of turned into this magnificent unit. From front to back and side to side, the Sabre Sundeck was a huge part of everything. Everybody loves it. The bunk room or flex room can be used so many different ways – an office, schoolwork, kids, grandparents, you name it.”

Abby recalled, “It was really this sundeck. It really changed a lot of our perspective about what we wanted when we saw this at Open House.”

“Shirley was saying we could keep the sundeck and expand out the RV and it would be 43 feet, or we could look at removing that and getting it smaller,” Abby added. “And I had fallen in love with this so much, I thought, ‘Well, honestly, what’s the difference at this point between 39 and 43?’”

Jason said the Sabre team “was very kind to give us the time and patience to let us dream and figure out all the things that could be problems. And I think we came up with lots of good compromises that are what we want in terms of being able to have our larger children, have a good road access and lots of different places to store stuff, a good chef’s kitchen. And it’s something that is not so niche that’s just for us, but other buyers will be interested in, too.”

Abby added, “It was really important to us to make sure that we weren’t just designing for Jason and Abby of RV Miles, but that we were also considering what another RV buyer might also like and that this would appeal to them. … That’s why it was so great working with them because we all had the same kind of goal in mind, like a real true partnership. And that same goal always carried us through as we continued to develop this and figure out what was going to work.”

Abby shared a story about the plant manger at Sabre. When the Epperson family came into the plant to look at the prototype, their 11-year-old son climbed up into the bunk. Afterward, he quietly asked his dad if he thought they could put a handle up on the wall to make it easier to get into the bunk.

“And so Jason went over to the plant manager and said, ‘Hey, Henry had this idea,’” Abby explained. “And the plant manager, rather than talking it through with Jason, went up to our son and said, ‘Hey, Henry, come show me what you’re talking about. Tell me what you need to be able to enjoy this RV.’”

Abby said she tells that story to “anyone who will listen to it because I think it is such a great example of what we need to do more of – listen to the really diverse voices that are all a part of RVing.”

The three-slide unit features a front bedroom with a camper king bed and bath with a full-sized shower, The kitchen houses a wraparound counter with a dinette across from its residential-sized appliances.

The Sabre 377RVMILES is 43 feet long with a UVW of 13,183 pounds, a carrying capacity of 3,052 pounds and a hitch weight of 2,235 pounds. MSRP is $114,749.

The post Forest River Sabre Debuts 37RVMILES at Florida SuperShow first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

TAMPA, Fla. – Expectations are running high for the 2025 edition of the Florida RV SuperShow, an annual event that has historically served as a bellwether for the RV industry’s prospects in the upcoming model year.

Held each January, the event – in its 40^th year – is sponsored and organized by the Florida RV Trade Association (FRVTA) and takes place at the Florida State Fairgrounds on I-4 northeast of Tampa.

The public portion of what has become the nation’s largest consumer-facing retail show, runs Wednesday through Sunday, with Tuesday earmarked as Industry Day – a time for credentialed RV Industry personnel to put finishing touches on their exhibits and have a look around the show grounds.

Dave Kelly, FRVTA executive director, said Monday the show was just about ready to go.

“We’re about 95% moved in and just doing come cleanup and some last-minute details today and we’ll be ready to open for tomorrow.”

He said the show will play host to approximately 1,300 RVs – from teardrop travel trailers to luxury Class A motorhomes and everything in between – along with 27 dealerships.

The weather mostly likely will not cause any problems, with high temperatures predicted from the mid-60s to low-70s under partly cloudy skies, with only a couple of slight chances for rain during the show’s six-day run.

“The whole week looks like it’s going to be fantastic. A little on the cool side, which is never a problem out here,” Kelly said.

Another precursor for a solid show is the level of supplier interest, which Kelly said is strong, with space sold out well in advance.

“I wish I had another a hundred thousand square feet I could sell. Everything’s sold out from the booths to the manufacturer space,” he said.

And while Kelly hadn’t yet spent a great deal of time talking to OEMs, dealers and suppliers, he noted an overall positive vibe so far around the show grounds.

“To me, I just feel like there’s just an air of optimism about opening,” he said. “The uncertainty over the election is behind us. We’re starting a new year with a new administration coming in and I get a feeling of maybe cautious optimism. It’s definitely better than what we’ve seen in the last couple of years going into the show.”

He also is anticipating robust attendance.

“I really think we are going to have a good crowd. I mean, we’ve had more of our social media influencers participating this year than ever before,” Kelly said. “I think we’re close to 200 of them. We got our meet-and-greet schedule all lined up for them and they’ve been out promoting. I mean, every time you turn around someone’s posted something about being at the SuperShow and coming to meet them. And we’re getting a lot of inquiries, a lot of advanced ticket sales. So yeah, everything’s pointing to a big week.”

Show hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission is $15 per person for a two-day pass. Children under age 16 are free. Senior citizens get $2 off Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. First responders and military get $2 off every day.

The post Expectations Running High on Eve of Florida RV SuperShow first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

CLEARWATER, Fla. – More than 150 vendors gathered Monday and Tuesday for the 2024 Keller Marine and RV East Coast Show at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort.

And by all accounts, the vibe at the show – which happened to coincide with a divisive election day – was positive.

“I am really, really excited about the people here,” said Lori Morrow, Keller co-owner and marketing director. “The people are very upbeat. I have heard nothing but positive comments. No negative. Which is really uplifting to me as well.”

She noted that influencers Kevin and Patrice McCabe of the Discovery Channel TV show “RV There Yet” were on hand to talk about the show and present a planogram of products.

“Whoever buys the most of those products at this show will be the one that will get a seminar done at their show. So people are excited about that,” she said.

Further, the McCabes’ appearance helps connect with the generation of RVers.

“I’ve talked to several different dealers about, will that help us reach out to the younger consumer?” she said. “Because I know a lot of these younger people love to watch those type of TV shows, and I think it’ll make the lifestyle attractive to them because if you don’t know much about it, if you watched people RVing, it kind of teaches you a little bit about it. So I’m excited about that.”

The show also featured seminars on new Furrion air conditioners, products from SoftStart and other vendors which were well received by show-goers.

The show rotates annually between Florida and Pennsylvania, giving all Keller customers the opportunity to check out the latest and greatest from vendors.

And Mike Keller, company president, made a point to stress just how important those vendors are to Keller Marine and RV.

“One of the things that I would want to make sure we communicate is that we really are about supporting vendors,” he said. “We are not a private label company. We don’t go overseas and take the brands of our vendors – and we could. We know where the factories are in China. We know where most of the stuff is built. But it’s just not our M.O. to take business like that because we feel these are our partners in this building right here. And it’s cool in an industry when it tightens up to watch, you either hang together or you hang separately. And I feel these guys are really hanging with us. And this show, from a dealer’s perspective as well as from the vendor’s perspective, it’s really about that – hanging together.”

Mike Hesse, CEO and chairman of Hesse Enterprises, the parent company of hitches and towing manufacturer Blue Ox, was pleased with the show.

“Mike (Keller) does a fantastic job with everything,” Hesse said. “We’ve seen a lot of major gains this year with new customers coming on board with Blue Ox products. So this is our second distributor show of the season. We’ve had very similar results so far and they’ve both have been really honestly fantastic.”

But Blue Ox’s show traffic has been more a function of a gain in market share as opposed to a turnaround in the market, Hesse explained.

“Blue Ox is a little different right now because we are in the process of capturing a lot of market share. So our growth is through new acquisitions, just having more customers,” he said. “I would argue that the industry hasn’t seen a bottoming out effect yet. However, we are close. So we’re getting closer. I’m calling Q1 of next year the bottom before we start moving higher.”

Keller explained a new technology that is currently in beta testing on the Keller Marine and RV website.

Called “K-Market,” it allows Keller customers to upload products they have in inventory that they want to sell.

“Technology-wise, what we’ve done is we’ve started a product for our dealers – a thing called K-Market – which is where the dealer can now list his own stuff,” Keller said. “He can show what he has available and he can search other dealers based on OEM and aftermarket. So, we’re beta launching this right now. The program’s written, but we’re logistically working through a small test market to try this concept. All the dealers we talk to about it are really excited. Because what happens is one dealer’s junk is another dealer’s treasure. We’re trying to help them move their obsolete parts or the slow-moving OEM parts as well as the stuff they buy from us.”

Keller Marine and RV started in 1957 by Mike and Lori’s father in the marine sector. Their father was building boats and suggested that his son get into the distribution business, Lori explained.

“So that’s how we started. And then in around the mid ’70s, our father was distributing Starcraft boats and then he got into Starcraft campers, and that’s what led him into campers. People started looking for the parts. So that’s how we got into the RV parts side of the business,” she said.

The company currently employs approximately 70 people in two warehouses – one in Thonotosassa, Fla., and another in Port Trevorton, Penn. The company handles up to 48,000 SKUs from brands that represent a Who’s Who of the marine and RV sectors.

The company’s growth and success, Mike Keller believes, flows from a client philosophy which was on display at the show.

“I believe as independent people in this business, it’s so important that we come together in a venue like this where we can just talk and see product, but more importantly, be on the same team,” he said. “It’s not an easy market right now, so if you’re not hanging together – as I said earlier – you’re hanging separately. I feel good about the energy. I feel good about the people being here. And I feel good energy on the vendor side as well.

“Because you see our labels out there. Those are vendors in this industry for a long time and their name means something to us. And we’re not out here saying, ‘OK, let’s take a product that sells really well for us and put a Keller name on it and buy it cheaper somewhere else’ like Amazon does. We’re about helping build their brands and being a part of that. And I think that’s really a huge deal.”

The post Keller Marine and RV Show in Florida Sees Robust Attendance first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

CLEARWATER, Fla. – The 2024 Keller Marine and RV East Coast Show is underway at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort in Clearwater, Fla. he two-day show, which concludes today, features all major vendors showcasing their latest products to RV and marine dealers. Visit RVBusiness.com Wednesday for full coverage.

The post Keller Marine & RV East Coast Show is Underway in Florida first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

ORLANDO, Fla. – “RV Palooza – Rollin’ Thru the Decades” was theme for the Florida RV Trade Association’s (FRVTA) 44^th annual convention, this year conducted at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World Resort.

The three-day event – Sept. 5-7 – was packed with a welcome reception, an informative general session, a stable of instructional breakout sessions and plenty of entertaining activities like “Splitsville Bowling,” painting class, “Name That Tune” gameshow luncheon, silent auction and “Rock of Ages” costume party.

Dave Kelley, FRVTA executive director, said that while attendance was down a bit from last year, those who did make the trip to Orlando were enjoying the convention and “People come to have a great time. They get a lot of useful information.”

Audience members served as the jury as Friday morning’s General Session kicked off with Harold Oehler’s mock trial of a consumer’s lawsuit against an RV dealer and manufacturer. Oehler, of Oehler mediation, has over 30 years’ experience defending RV and auto dealers against consumer claims both as a trial lawyer and general counsel for Lazydays where he worked for 21 years.

The trial was a sequel to last year’s popular “Trial of the Century.” This year’s event served to train RV dealers how to prevent customer complaints from turning into lawsuits, recover customers with persistent service issues and work better with manufacturers to resolve customer issues and prevent litigation. Oehler’s mock trial offers practical techniques service employees can use every day in an entertaining and engaging format.

The trial was followed by four presentations from industry leaders – RV Dealers Association (RVDA) President Phil Ingrassia, RV Industry Association (RVIA) Vice President of Legislative Affairs Jason Rano, RV Technical Institute (RVTI) Executive Directory Curt Hemmeler and Florida and Alabama RV Park and Campground Association (FARVC) President Bobby Cornwell.

Ingrassia opened his remarks by commending the FRVTA.

“One of the things I’m always so impressed when I come to Florida and meet with you folks is just the unity and the strength of this association,” he said. “And I really encourage everybody here not to take that for granted. Because as part of my job at RVDA, I travel all over the country and there just aren’t state associations like this across the country. And so, it’s really important that you support Dave and this terrific staff and the board because if you take it for granted – I’ve seen it in other states – it can go away. So congratulations to Dave and the board and previous boards who have built this organization into what it is.”

Ingrassia then offered a market overview and discussed RVDA board priorities and professional development opportunities.

Regarding dealer sentiment, he shared data compiled by Milwaukee, Wis.-based Baird, a privately held financial services firm.

Referring to a chart in a PowerPoint presentation, Ingrassia noted, “Long-term sentiment continues to be kind of even – that’s three to five years. Where you see the red line, that’s current conditions. There’s a lot of concern out there with current market conditions.”

But, he added, “Things are getting better, and part of that reason is the dealers have really worked hard to get inventories in line with where they need to be. That’s a big difference from last year at this time. Going into the (Elkhart RV) Open House, the dealer inventory levels are much better shape than they were a year ago, and motor home inventories have really gotten a lot better as well according to the survey,” he explained.

Overall, he said “some of the projections that we’ve seen over the last few weeks are trending in the right direction for 2025. Unemployment is relatively low. We’ve got to get through these November election jitters. …  There’s a lean used RV total market out there. Retail credit is tough for some of the customers, I’m sure you’ve seen. Wholesale seems to be steady according to our dealer survey. For 2024, Baird is projecting shipments near 320,000 and retail near 340 to 350. You’ll see that retail is going to outperform wholesale, so we’re seeing there’s an inventory drawdown this year again.”

RVDA board priorities continue to include repair event cycle time (RECT), of which, Ingrassia said, “We’ve got to do a better job getting people on the road after they’ve brought an RV in for service.”

He said RVDA is working alongside Rano and the RVIA to prioritize a fix for a travel trailer inventory tax error along with urging passage of the EXPLORE Act.

Under current law travel trailer dealers can only under write off a certain amount of expense on their floorplans. The law applies only to dealers with over $29 million in annual sales, but even so, Ingrassia said, “This is going to cost dealers about a hundred million dollars in excess taxes that they’re paying on floor plan interest. And it really is unfair because it only targets travel trailers.”

Motorhomes, boats, motorcycles, powersports and automobiles are not affected.

He said the RVIA has established a coalition of outdoor recreation people, trade associations and business groups to help promote passage of the EXPLORE Act, which would “modernize a lot of the public lands’ policies and procedures. Basically, for the RV business, it would help private firms who are doing business with the federal government do better maintenance, take some of the red tape out of doing like concessions for campgrounds and other things. This would be a really good bill for the RV business and to help modernize some of the older campgrounds that are on public land.”

In the professional development realm, RVDA, through the Mike Molino Learning Center, has five certifications for service manager, service writer/advisor, warranty administrator, parts manager and parts specialist, Ingrassia explained.

He also mentioned a free fixed operations app available in the Google or Apple stores online which offers five readiness tests for would-be fixed operations employees.

“It’s a gateway into the training that’s available through the learning center. Just search for RVDA in those app stores and you can download it,” he said.

Ingrassia told dealers about the RV Dealership Employee Emergency Relief Program, a fund set up through a $500,000 donation from Ron Fenech, a longtime RV industry executive and entrepreneur, who currently is one of the founders of Brinkley RV.

The fund provides up to $2,500 for RV dealership employees who have emergency needs, such as immediate family health issues or catastrophic incidents such as damage due to natural disasters, home fires or flooding. The program is expressly for all RV dealership employees. RV dealership owners/principals are not eligible.

He encouraged dealers to attend this year’s RVDA Convention and Expo planned Nov. 11-15 at Paris Las Vegas.

“We’ve got a bunch of speakers who are going to be talking about really important issues that are impacting dealers right now. On Thursday we’ve got a huge fixed operations part of the convention, which is going to focus on warranty training, service and parts. It is really going to be powerful way for you to get a lot of information in a very short period of time,” he said.

Rano opened his remarks with a measure of the economic impact of the RV industry, which nationally totals $140 billion annually. The RV industry in Florida alone generates $6 billion in economic activity.

The economic impact study is released every three years, “We are gearing up as an organization to rerun the numbers and that’ll be released during RVs Move America week, which is our big week in D.C. every June. Next June will be the updated numbers.”

He also noted that recent RVIA surveys showed 24,000 plus RV shipments in July, which is up 17.5% over July of last year and over 202,000 shipments year to date, which is up 9.5% for the same time period last year.
“And then every season or so, whether it be summer or fall or the holidays, we do a survey to see how many Americans are planning to RV,” he said. The survey showed 27 million Americans say they are going RVing this fall, 14 million traveled for the solar eclipse last April, and 7.3 million indicated they would go RVing over Labor Day weekend.

He spoke about legislative efforts the RVIA is pursuing, emphasizing that this is something RVDA and RVIA work together on “day in and day out.”

He said it was important for dealers to reach out to their elected officials on issues like the floorplan tax fix, explaining that “80% of RVIA’s membership is based in Northern Indiana, one congressional district. The person in that congressional district … is a great champion for our industry, but when we don’t have a broad coalition, we’re the only industry impacted. We need every voice. There are obviously dealers across the country and members of Congress love to hear from constituents, local business leaders, and so we really need your voice to get this over the finish line.”

At the state level, Rano says RVIA has been busy working to push franchise laws and laws addressing housing creep, where states seek to change the law to allow RVs to be considered housing, often aimed at controlling homelessness.

“Now it predates me, but everybody I’ve talked to is very clear that they have zero interest in revisiting the battle with the Housing and Urban Development Department that culminated in 2018 with good news for our industry, which is that we are exempt from being regulated as housing.”

He said in one state or another every year RVIA pushes back on efforts to classify RVs as housing.

Other issues on RVIA’s legislative radar include:

• Pushing back on the regulation of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) commonly known as “forever chemicals” which are found in many components – carpeting, upholstery, drapery, etc. – which are used in RVs.

• Advocating for a revamp of de minimis regulations which create a loophole for Chinese goods to compete unfairly with U.S. manufacturers via duty-free importation.

• Work to re-instate a Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) trade program that expired in 2020, driving up the cost of lauan imported from Indonesia, costing suppliers roughly $1.5 million per month.

• Work toward passage of the aforementioned EXPLORE Act.

With regard to regulations, Rano noted that “if Donald Trump returns to the White House, you better believe that on the regulatory front, California is going to do everything in its power to upend anything that a Trump EPA or Department of Energy tries to do. And if Vice President Harris becomes president, there’s going to be a ton of regulation coming out of EPA, Department of Energy and everything like that. We as an industry need to be prepared for either scenario and ready to push back and talk about the uniqueness of our industry.”

Some issues RVIA will watch include EPA emissions standards and DOE energy efficiency standards.

Regarding EV infrastructure, Rano said, “We spend a lot of time talking to states and talking to RV-friendly site hosts – Love’s, Bucky’s, Walmart’s, Target, Pilot, Flying J – to make sure that they are accounting for our industry with pull-through charging. So if you’ve got a Lightning with a trailer on the back, you don’t have to unhitch it to charge your Lightning.”

Hemmeler opened his remarks by noting Elkhart, Ind.-based RVTI just celebrated its five-year anniversary and “I’m happy to report that this year we have really completed everything that was originally put forward, even in the light of a pandemic.”

He said 19,000 people have had RVTI training in one form or another – 5,000 in the last year. There are 713 dealerships that have open RVTI subscriptions, 28 manufacturers and suppliers involved in or conducting RVTI training and 35 authorized learning partners – an entity that has a contractual agreement to use RVTI curriculum.

“The exciting part of that is, we signed our first high school this year in Colorado, and one of my right-out-of-the-gate strategic initiatives was to get the program into high school and specifically career technical education,” he said.

RVTI also has a prison that has now pushed almost 175 certified techs, into RV dealerships.

“And as we stand here today, there are 6,152 certified technicians across the country. Put in comparison, that’s about double what it was when we started five years ago. So very happy with that, but a lot of room to grow,” he said.

Obvious benefits of training are less turnover, happier repeat customers, fewer lawsuits and improved RECT.

RVIT delivery of training in person, online and through its network of learning partners ensures that, “there is nothing out there that prevents you from getting your person trained.”

The cost, subsidized by the RVIA, makes the training affordable, he said.

Currently, 75% of what’s being taught is not happening in Elkhart, and RVTI is working to expand even more, with more locations in its future.

“Texas, Florida, California, those are our target points. We’re going to continually expand in those areas using third parties such as high schools, Navarro College in Texas, and this is going to be there obviously to support the dealer networks but also grow the mobile tech business, which is so very popular,” he said.

Also, “high schools and career centers, career technical training, we’re going to continue to push on that hard and heavy. We have about 10 more high schools across the country right now looking to come online with us to teach this program. I would encourage any of you that live in your communities that have an aggressive or innovative career technical center or high school, just let me know. We’ll come in, we’ll do all the heavy lifting, and hopefully get you a nice pipeline of technicians for the future out of the high schools,” he said.

National branding, we’re going to do some national branding similar to like the ORV is talking about the career field of being a tech, both mobile and dealer. We’re going to put some money behind that using a few influencers, which all of you have kids out there and that kind of deal, everyone wants to be an influencer, so that shouldn’t be hard to find.

Cornwell whose organization operates as a sister association of the FRVTA, representing RV park owners and operators and others in the outdoor hospitality industry, characterized the industry as strong.

“It’s been growing steadily the past 10, 15 years. Obviously with COVID, just what you experienced with the RV sales, on the campground side, everything boomed. So ’21, ’22 were peak years. Those levels have, numbers have leveled off a little bit, stabilized. We’re seeing a little slight downturn in 2024, but that’s what we expected. We have a lot of our parks that are concerned a little bit, but you just say, ‘Look what you did in 2019 prior to COVID,’ and they’re still way up. So it is all good.”

Cornwell said Florida has more RV parks than any state in the U.S., with 1,260 parks and 225,000 campsites. Since 2019, the FRVCA estimates 65 parks have been built, adding 20,000 sites to the inventory.

“There are a lot of parks, a lot of inventory, a lot of RV sites, not really a shortage. I think we can meet the demand of all the RVers out there,” he said. “But admittedly some of the problem is all these parks are not parks that your customers will want to go to. We’re very aware of that. If we chip that number down to quality RV parks and campgrounds, it probably cuts that 1,200 figure down to around 700 and the site number is around 125,000.

He added that well-maintained parks have not seen as much of a downturn. “It’s the parks that are not being run properly or may not offer the amenities that the others want, are having a little harder time filling the park up,” he noted.

His organization is sees how the quality of campgrounds can affect RV sales.

“If you have a camper who can’t go to a site then that obviously creates an issue for the dealers, and the more quality campgrounds out there, the more RVs you’re going to sell. So we’re all very aware of that, and that’s something that we obviously try to encourage by educating our members, new park owners and developers. You have to increase your standards, have larger sites, properly maintained grounds and offer all the amenities that the campers need and want,” he said.

He said growth for parks that offer long-term stays has increased significantly while there has been a dip in short-term stays.

“Campers right now are wanting the security of being able to have a place they can call home, don’t have to worry about getting a site every year. That has been a trend that’s very interesting,” he said.

Parks that offer good amenities, are well-maintained, are doing very well. They have not seen the downturn.

Today’s campers are becoming more price conscious, and rates are coming down, Cornwell said, after being inflated by the pandemic boom in camping.

One of the biggest challenges his organization faces is local government regulations.

“In some areas of the state, unfortunately, RV parks are more or less frowned upon. They don’t understand who we are and what we do. They look at it as like a mobile home park in many situations,” he said. “We have to educate them on what the RV industry is all about, how it can benefit the community and why you need to have it as part of your asset which you offer to not only new residents but for visitation as well.”

He has talked to people who have been trying for years to get a park open but are being held up by “the size of a retention pond or an easement or whatever the case may be.”

Insurance costs also are a significant hurdle in Florida, Cornwell said, and the FRVCA is exploring formation of a captive insurance program.

He ended his comments by encouraging communication.

“I would love for our parks to communicate more with their local dealers, form programs that they can help promote each other, send new RV buyers to local campgrounds, have a day or two for on-site training, how to hook it up, how to use the vehicle. I think that would be extremely beneficial, helping customer service. And then also that campground can get new business and there could be promotions going back and forth between the dealer and the campground owner and operator,” he said.

Break Out Sessions on Saturday included a recap of Friday’s mock trial and “How to Stay Out of Court” with Harold Oehler, of Oehler Mediation.

Also:

• “Red Flags Rule & Steps to Protect the Dealer from Identity Theft with Ejola Cook of Ecook Consulting, LLC

• “Florida Sales and Use Tax : Avoiding Surprises” with H. French Brown of Jones Walker

• “2024 Changes to Florida’s LP Gas Laws and Q&A” with Richard Kimsey of the Florida Department of Agriculture

• “Navigating the Online Highway with Traeanne Reynolds of Greentree Business Consulting

• “Integrating AI to Enhance Sales Management and Training Processes with Stephen Hudson & Greg Gutkowski of AI Tsunami Group, LLC

Event sponsors were:

• Bronze – General RV, Keller Marine, Thor Motor Coach, Highstreet Williams and Stazzone Insurance

• Silver – FRVTA Region 1, FRVTA Region 3, M&T Bank

• Gold – Brown & Brown Dealer Services, FRVTA Region 7, Grand Design, Jayco, New Frontier Products, NTP-Stagg, Wells Fargo

• Platinum – Bank of America, Forest River, FRVTA Region 6

The post FRVTA Calls 44th Convention in Orlando a ‘Great Time’ first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

ORLANDO – The Florida RV Trade Association (FRVTA) convention got underway today at the Renaissance Hotel Orlando at Sea World with FRVTA Executive Director Dave Kelly welcoming those in attendance, introducing his staff and thanking sponsors.

Kelly then introduced Harold Oehler, of Oehler Mediation, who presented a sequel to last year’s popular mock trial event. This year, “The Dealership Strikes Back” mock trial showed what happens when the dealership does everything right.

Prior to the convention opening, Kelly told RVBusiness that attendance is down a bit from last year.

“We kind of expected it the way things are, but we had a great reception last night and we have a good room full of people this morning for our general session.” he said. “People come to have a great time. They get a lot of useful information.”

He said travel and conventions can get put on the back burner for a lot of businesses during slower economic times.

“It’s the election year. It’s interest rates. We’re hoping that if they drop the rates maybe that will start spurring things,” Kelly said. “Someone said the biggest fear people have is uncertainty. Right now, we’re uncertain who’s going to be the president, we’re uncertain about the market, we’re uncertain about the economy.”

But regarding the conference he said, “We have some great speakers and great breakouts, and I think the people that are here are really going to enjoy it and get something out of it.”

On tap following Oehler’s presentation were updates from all facets of the RV industry including RV Dealers Association President Phil Ingrassia, RV Industry Association Vice President of Government Affairs Jason Rano, RV Technical Institute Executive Directory Curt Hemmeler and Florida RV Park and Campground Association President Bobby Cornwell.

Event sponsors are:

• Bronze – General RV, Keller Marine, Thor Motor Coach, Highstreet Williams and Stazzone Insurance
• Silver – FRVTA Region 1, FRVTA Region 3, M&T Bank
• Gold – Brown & Brown Dealer Services, FRVTA Region 7, Grand Design, Jayco, New Frontier Products, NTP-Stagg, Wells Fargo
• Platinum – Bank of America, Forest River, FRVTA Region 6

RVBusiness will have full coverage of the annual FRVTA conference on Monday.

The post Florida RV Trade Association Convention Underway in Orlando first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.