BOULDER, Colo. — Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) President Kent Ebersole released the following statement in response to recent staffing cuts at the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior, which “threaten the safety, maintenance and overall visitor experience on America’s public lands,” according to a release.
Kent Ebersole
“The recent workforce reductions at the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior are deeply concerning, especially as these agencies are already operating with historically low staff-to-visitor ratios,” said Ebersole. “The stewards of our national parks, forests, and public lands—park rangers, maintenance crews, and visitor service staff—are the backbone of these treasured places. They keep trails open, respond to emergencies, educate the public, and ensure that millions of visitors not only experience the outdoors safely but also feel welcomed and inspired by the landscapes they explore.
With fewer staff, we risk longer emergency response times, neglected trails and facilities, and disruptions to the experiences that make these places so special. OIA stands with these dedicated professionals and urges policymakers to prioritize sustainable staffing solutions. Our public lands and the people who care for them deserve better,” he concluded.
About Outdoor Industry Association
Based in Boulder, Colo., with offices in Washington, D.C., Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) is a catalyst for meaningful change. A member-based collective, OIA is a passionate group of business leaders, climate experts, policy makers and outdoor enthusiasts committed to sustainable economic growth while protecting – and growing access to – the benefits of the outdoors for everyone. For more than 30 years, OIA has catalyzed a thriving outdoor industry by supporting the success of every member company across four critically aligned areas: market research, sustainability, government affairs, and inclusive participation. OIA delivers success for its members through education, events, and business services in the form of solutions and strategies, consultation, collaboration, and opportunities for collective action. For more information, visit outdoorindustry.org.
For those looking for signs the RV industry is headed in the right direction this year, the 59th Annual Detroit RV & Camping Show featured great attendance, record sales and a general feeling of optimism that the retail market is on its way back.
Hosted by the Michigan Association of RVs & Campgrounds (MARVAC), the five-day show took place Jan. 29 to Feb. 2 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Mich. In addition to seminars, parts and accessories and campground exhibitors, the show featured about 400 RVs from: Bish’s RV, Blue Compass RV, Funtown RV, General RV, Holland Motor Homes, Kline’s RV, National RV, Price Right RV, TerryTown RV, Vacationland, Veurink’s RV, Vicars Trailer Sales and Woodland Airstream.
John Lindley
MARVAC President & CEO John Lindley said the show was “great” and he heard nothing but positive feedback.
“Over the course of the five days we had just over 21,000 people, which is over 500 people more than last year,” Lindley told RVBusiness. “So, the traffic was great with Sunday being the day where we had most same-day growth over last year. And most of the dealers I talked to were very happy with their sales, with multiple dealers saying they had record results.”
Matt Veurink
One of those record-setting dealers was Matt Veurink of Veurink’s RV Center, who agreed that the show was great, saying it tied the record for largest number of sales at that particular show.
“It was a record show for us, so we’re very happy – tired, but happy,” Veurink said, adding that no specific segment seemed to sell better than another. “It was a little bit of everything,” he said. “We sold a truck camper, some teardrops, the Vintage Cruiser did well, a couple of toy haulers and, of course, a bunch of travel trailers.”
He added that they gained a number of leads from the show, and people who didn’t pull the trigger at the event will be by this week to finish their purchases.
Loren Baidas
The show added to what has been an already string start to the year for his dealership, Veurink said, and it only fueled his optimistic forecast for the year. “It makes you feel like we’re on our way,” he acknowledged.
“The show was very well attended,” he told RVBusiness. “There’s a lot of interest in the RV lifestyle. Sales were strong and on the same pace as last year. The start of the year is very compatible to last year – although we have had some significant weather challenges in January this year in almost every market.”
Derek Kline
Derek Kline, owner and general manager of Kline’s RV, said the traffic was good and the show was great.
“And I’d add that the buying intensity was definitely there,” Kline said. “If you include all the sales that are still in process, we probably had 20% more sales at the show than we did last year. I should also point out that only 30% of the buyers had a trade-in. Now, some of them are going to sell what they have on their own, but that’s still only about 40%. So, what that tells me is 60% of our buyers are either new to the lifestyle or coming back to it. These are all positive and good signs for what’s to come in 2025.”
Dealers are reporting a great start to the 2025 Detroit RV & Camping Show, which runs through Sunday (Feb. 2) at the Suburban Collections Showplace in Novi, Mich.
Bill Rogers, left, with keynote speaker Justin Forsett. A nine-year veteran of the NFL, Forsett talked about remaining resilient in the face of adversity. (Photos by Dayne Pillow for RVBusiness)
By all accounts, the 2025 NTP-Stag Expo was a solid success. Dealers, suppliers and NTP-Stag officials all reported good attendance, good business and good camaraderie – and all hope it’s yet another sign of good things ahead for an industry that is eager to latch onto anything that would indicate a return to better times.
Presented by Airxcel, the 2025 NTP-Stag Expo took place Jan. 20-21 at the Gaylord Rockies Convention Center in Aurora, Colo., and featured several hundred dealers and suppliers taking part in educational sessions, keynote presentations and a vibrant trade show.
Saying he was very pleased with all aspects of this year’s Expo, NTP-Stag President Bill Rogers noted that his event is the industry’s last distributor show, and many dealers will wait and take advantage of the breadth of parts and accessories on display and the special pricing available at the Expo.
“I think a lot of the customers may have been waiting to come here and see how things are going. We usually attract pretty good crowd and, obviously, we did again this year,” he said.
“I think the training sessions were really well-attended and usually that’s a good sign,” he said, adding the Marine Certification session enjoyed its largest attendance ever.
“Last year, we ran out of space and people wanted more, so that was great,” Rogers said. “The other training and certification sessions for the suppliers also was full. And I got really good feedback from suppliers on the attendance and the engagement on all the customers.”
Indeed, RVBusiness spoke with a number of dealers and suppliers that also reported positive feedback.
Piar Adams
Piar Adams, Vice President of Marketing, Aftermarket & International Sales for Airxcel, said the show was “great.”
“I would say that it met our expectations in terms of traffic which felt perhaps a little bit heavier than last year, and dealer sentiment was strong, optimistic,” he said.
“But we’ve seen that really in all of the distributor shows leading up to this one,” he added. “We were at Arrow a few weeks ago in New Orleans, and Meyer last week in French Lick, (Ind.) and both those shows were really good. The attendance was good, and early returns on sales were good, too. We also were at Tampa last week, and we had great attendance and a lot of positive things going on with consumers at that show. So, when you tie everything together, it seems like we should have a better year than we did last year.”
Monte Bates, Parts Manager for Best RV Center in Turlock, Calif., had only just arrived at the show when he spoke with RVBusiness.
“We just got here maybe an hour ago, but so far so good,” Bates said. “I’m here for some weight distributions and then some NTP in-house brands like Arcon, Husky – things like that. We don’t do a lot of ordering here, no, because we can order things when we need them throughout the year. But we do want to take a look around, too, just to see what’s out there.”
Bob Brammer
Bob Brammer, president of Stromberg-Carlson, said the Expo had a “positive vibe.”
“I think consumer sentiment is on the rise, dealers are seeing more traffic on their lots, and you can just tell that everybody’s excited to start 2025 with fresh start,” he told RVBusiness, later adding that the positive vibe has led to an increase in business for his company. “We are seeing an uptick – and for different reasons. We have certain people trying to buy ahead, maybe get ahead of tariffs. That always helps. It might be tempered in a few more months from now, but the other nice thing about that, and it happens, sometimes you go in with a conservative forecast and then things are going better than you think, right? So, it just pulls that business in a lot quicker.”
“I’m really hoping that President Trump will do something about De Minimis,” he added, “which would bring a lot more business back into dealerships and traditional RV suppliers who import, let us play a fair game, and not just have a 35% disadvantage.”
“What I like about NTP’s Expo is you get everything, right? We got people from all over the U.S. and we got Canadians. And, again, I just feel a positive vibe. NTP Stag does a great job. It’s first class, the facility’s first class, speakers are great, and you can just tell everybody feels appreciated – and we appreciate them being here and taking time away from their homes and families to come out and see what’s new and share their vibe with what’s going on.”
Rich Elliott, left, with Larry Montante, VP of Category Management at NTP-Stag.
Rich Elliott, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Progress Manufacturing, said the Expo was “great.”
“The traffic’s been good. The dealers are very optimistic,” he said. “I think for a long time we all wanted something to be better, but it wasn’t getting much better. So, the hope has kind of turned into more true optimism now. I think everybody’s really excited about 2025 and we’re expecting some good things.”
He added that, specifically for his company, the highlight is this “price revolution” that they’ve implemented for 2025 in which they’ve dropped price on both Equal-i-zer and E2 weight-distribution hitches.
“A lot of people are asking us how we’re doing that. We didn’t change anything. It’s the same hitch everybody’s used to and that they’ve loved for years and years, but we’ve lowered the price as we’ve gotten through inventory,” Elliott explained. “And with being part of the Dexter organization, we’ve really improved our processes and we’re really excited about passing that on. The dealers need that margin right now in the marketplace that we’re in. So, the lower price is one thing that we’re doing. We’re also including hitch balls. They’re now installed in the Equal-i-zer. E2 will be kind of a rolling change in 2025, but people will see that start to happen here shortly.”
Brent Clark
Brent Clark, president of Big Hoss LLC, an independent manufacturer’s rep company, was staffing the Fogatti booth – his other clients include Xponent solar awnings and Renogy power systems – and, after having spent most of his career on the OE side of the industry, said this was his first time at the NTP-Stag Expo.
“For me, it’s no different than working with OEMs. It’s absolutely still all about relationships,” he said. “And these people are a great source of information. They give you detailed feedback about a specific product and how it works or doesn’t work, and the pain points that they see every day. So, you can take that and your OEM experience and put it together and explain, ‘Well, this is why that’s doing this or that.’
“So, the Expo been a great experience for me,” Clark continued. “Obviously, the dealers appreciate the NTP-Stag organization and what they provide – both their products and their services. Plus, I learned a lot about NTP’s e-commerce business.”
Josh Palmateer of Baydo’s RV sales in Chehalis, Wash., said the Expo was a great show overall and he especially appreciated the “great educational opportunities and good deals.”
“I’ve been doing this for a little while, so there’s nothing that super stands out,” he said of the supplier-led educational sessions, “but I did like the InteractRV seminar. That was pretty good. The WFCO one was pretty decent, too. Those are the only ones that really pop out in my head anyways.”
As far as taking care of business at the show, Palmateer said he’s doing some bulk ordering as well as smaller batches as well.
“It’s a little bit of both. We do stock up here on enough weight distribution hitches, sewer hoses, toilets, vent covers and stuff like that at the beginning of the year,” he said. As far as anything new that caught his attention, he singled out the lithium batteries from Epoch. “Yeah, their lithium batteries are pretty competitive as far as price point goes, so you get a lot of battery for it.”
John Primm, left, andSara Dover
John Primm, Director of Distribution for Dometic, and Sara Dover, Dometic’s Brand Manager for RV, also had positive feedback on the Expo.
“This being the final show of the season, the turnout is great. Dealers are very optimistic about the season that’s coming up, so we’re really excited. Traffic has been good,” Primm said. “We have the ability to show them all of our Dometic products. We have the new CFX5 here. We have the new Fresh Jet here and merchandising materials and everything, so it’s been very exciting so far.”
Primm noted that dealers aren’t placing large orders at the show like they have in the past, but that’s because they know they can get most anything they need with a day or two nowadays from distributors like NTP-Stag.
“I mean, the industry has changed so much. Dealers are very excited about what they’re seeing here, but they also know that they could count on distributors to get the product the next day,” he explained. ‘So, in their minds they’re like, ‘I get three deliveries a week so I can get a customer in one day, figure out what I need, and then the product comes in the next day.’
“That’s just the way the market’s gone, right?” he continued. “So, that’s not a reflection on any of the brands, it’s just dealers being more efficient with their inventory, and taking advantage of the distributors quick deliveries.”
For her part, Dover noted the Expo – and other shows – offered everyone a chance to become reacquainted with each other, too.
“I think that’s one thing that I really saw last night and today through the show,” she said. “This is a great opportunity for our team members to interact, network, talk business, and obviously catch up with the dealers that are here. I think from the branding side of it, I’m always concerned about what we’re talking about, how we’re representing, but I’ve seen so many people walk up and just say, ‘Oh, I got to connect with so-and-so.’ That connection is priceless.
“The other thing, too, that I’ve seen that is great for the signs for the year is Tampa was an excellent show,” she added. “Consumers were out and buying, they were spending more than they did last year, and hopefully numbers will reflect that. They were excited about new things, they were excited about engaging with Dometic and our products, so I feel that 2025 is going to be really great.”
The 2025 NTP-Stag Expo, presented by Airxcel, on Monday (Jan. 20) enjoyed a rousing first full day that featured supplier-led seminars and the long-celebrated opening of the trade floor.
Held at the Gaylord Rockies Convention Center in Aurora, Colo., the two-day event concludes today (Jan. 21) with a full day of the trade show followed by a closing reception.
Once again, the Expo has attracted several hundred RV dealers and suppliers from across North America – NTP-Stag officials typically do not release attendance figures – for an event that is equal parts business and networking.
Monday’s festivities kicked off with PRO speaker Peter McGraw, a marketing and psychology professor at Leeds School of Business at University of Colorado Boulder, where he translates the genius and madness of the world’s funniest people into powerful prescriptions for professional success in his speech “Shtick to Business: From Punchline to Bottom Line.”
Following that was several dozen seminars in which supplier companies offered product and program updates for dealers.
Kevin Jastrem of Carefree of Colorado.
Among them were Aubrey Amborn, director of sales for InteractRV, who walked attendees through best practices for dealer’s websites and digital outreach efforts. Among her key takeaways was that consumers have done a tremendous amount of online research long before they ever set foot inside a dealer showroom, so the first impression is digital.
“Word of mouth is still the No. 1 way to get new business, it just looks different,” she said.
Kevin Jastrem, director of aftermarket sales for Carefree of Colorado, as well as Chad Anderson of Cummins Onan both provided updates to their companies’ respective product lineups for 2025, as did Andy Mikesell, product manager of Valterra Products.
One of those Valterra products was the E-Valve, an electric waste valve that Mikesell said has been a “winner” for the Dometic subsidiary. He predicted the E-Valve would become a standard item on RVs in the near future – much like electric awnings have mostly replaced manual awnings – and suggested E-Valves represent a huge profit opportunity for dealers in the meantime.
Andy Mikesell of Valterra Products.
Another session was moderated by Colin Van Tol, a sales rep for Go Power!, another Dometic subsidiary. Borrowing terminology from the automotive world, Van Tol explained the different components of an off-grid energy system and how they work together to allow RVers to get off the beaten path for days if not weeks on end.
“Our goal is for them to run out of water before they run out of power,” Van Tol said.
Before the trade show re-opens at 9 a.m., the Expo begins today with a keynote presentation from NFL veteran Justin Forsett, sponsored by Carefree of Colorado. Forsett will offer invaluable insights into leadership, resilience and seizing opportunities with his topic “The Huddle & and the Hustle: Leading Teams through Change, Adversity & Opportunity.” Former NFL Pro Bowl athlete turned entrepreneur, Forsett shares his dual journey of excelling in the high-stakes world of professional football and pioneering his wellness brand, Hustle Clean and how embracing setbacks is an essential step towards greater achievement.
The 2025 NTP-Stag Expo, presented by Airxcel, officially got underway with a Welcome Reception Sunday night (Jan. 19) at the Gaylord Rockies Convention Center in Aurora, Colo. The event, which concludes Tuesday (Jan. 21) brings together the RV dealers from across North America for a two-day Expo featuring a 115,000-square-foot exhibition hall and a full slate of presentations by suppliers and educational speakers.
Expo kicks off today with PRO speaker Peter McGraw, marketing and psychology professor at Leeds School of Business at University of Colorado Boulder, where he translates the genius and madness of the world’s funniest people into powerful prescriptions for professional success in his speech “Shtick to Business: From Punchline to Bottom Line.” Drawing on cutting-edge research, case studies, and his own comedy successes (and failures), McGraw reveals surprising business lessons from the masters of comedy. Attendees can then attend one of more than 30 concurrent supplier led sessions during RV and Marine Dealer University. Here they will learn directly from the suppliers and manufacturers about the features and benefits, new product innovations and how best to include their product lines into current store inventory.
Show floor then opens at 5 p.m., with hundreds of brands and over one hundred thousand square feet of the top RV, towing and marine suppliers showing new and exciting products, offering valuable deals and providing selling tools and promotions to help drive sales in dealerships and service outlets across the country.
Tuesday morning begins with keynote speaker and NFL veteran, Justin Forsett, sponsored by Carefree of Colorado. Forsett will offer invaluable insights into leadership, resilience, and seizing opportunities with his topic “The Huddle & and the Hustle: Leading Teams through Change, Adversity & Opportunity.” Former NFL Pro Bowl athlete turned entrepreneur, Forsett shares his dual journey of excelling in the high-stakes world of professional football and pioneering his wellness brand, Hustle Clean and how embracing setbacks is an essential step towards greater achievement.
“We are excited for the 2025 Expo line up that we hope will reinvigorate our dealers and suppliers,” said NTP-STAG Distribution President Bill Rogers. “We are thrilled to be back at Gaylord Rockies – a truly spectacular venue. After a couple of challenging years, we are looking forward to the Expo ushering in a more normal 2025.”
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Amid cold temperatures, the Ohio RV Supershow, presented by Progressive, officially got underway Wednesday at the I-X Center in Cleveland. Featuring about 450 RVs on display from 10 northeast Ohio RV dealers as well as a host of campground and supplier exhibitors, the show runs through Sunday and is hosted by the Great Lakes Recreational Vehicle Association (GLRVA), a non-profit organization comprised of 11 RV Dealers in Northeast Ohio spanning throughout eight Northeast Ohio counties.
“This is the perfect time for RV enthusiasts to find great deals and discover new products,” said Amy Saffle, executive director of the Great Lakes RV Association. “With our newly expanded vendor area, consumers will have access to an incredible selection of gadgets, supplies, campgrounds and essential RV equipment. Don’t miss the exciting daily seminars/talks with Cleveland’s own legendary Jeff and Patti Kinzbach as they share fun tips and advice on their RV journeys across the country.”
Of course, the RV industry has its eyes set on key consumer shows over the next few months, looking for any sign the retail market is on its way to a rebound, with the Ohio RV Supershow among those events.
Jason Hershberger, a Forest River general manager overseeing the Wildcat and Cardinal fifth-wheel lines, said everyone is hoping the Ohio Supershow continues the momentum started at a few other shows, including the South Texas RV Supersale in San Antonio where he said the partnering dealership, Ron Hoover, doubled its sales expectations.
“We also had reps down in Greensboro, and they had an excellent show down there as well,” Hershberger told RVBusiness. “It’s really too early to tell here, but there’s high hopes for the Cleveland show this year. This gives us a chance to sit back and look at production levels for the spring, because this show, if it’s strong, usually the six or seven following weekends are all strong as well.”
In order to offer a better user experience, “RV Lifestyle” has moved its online Community Forum (RVCommunity.com) to a private, subscribers-only model.
Founded in 2012, RV Lifestyle is a thriving community dedicated to RVing and travel. Its operations, which continue to be operated by Mike and Jennifer Wendland, features an RV travel blog, YouTube channel, RV podcast and RV books and newsletters.
In addition, RV Lifestyle has a Facebook Group with over 482,000 members. Actually, the Facebook Group is the driving reason for the Wendlands to launch a private, members-only forum. Facebook has become overrun with fake user accounts, trolls spewing negativity, and spammers, plus there’s growing concern over Facebook’s AI-fueled algorithms that track its users’ online habits, Mike Wendland told RVBusiness.
“The biggest pushback we have had about Facebook and all social media is the bombarding of ads,” he said. “Facebook is just insane now with AI (artificial intelligence). Literally, if you just think about a product or something, suddenly you’re bombarded with ads about it. I don’t know how that works, but that happens.”
In addition, Wendland said they would prefer to offer a forum without advertising so users can enjoy meaningful discussions and resources without distraction, and RV Lifestyle can avoid any appearance of being biased toward any one particular company.
“Moving to a paid membership model creates a more dedicated and engaged community, filtering out spammers and trolls,” he told RVBusiness. “Members who value the forum will be more likely to contribute positively, enhancing the overall quality of discussions.
“It’s like a gated campground in a digital space,” he said, adding that the new forum is easily searchable – unlike the Facebook Group.
“When you post a question on Facebook, it’s up and it’s gone,” he said. “When you try to find it five minutes later, you never will find it. They’re so big and they have so much to track that they can’t archive all their stuff.”
Starting at a modest $4.99 per month, the new forum offers three subscription levels – think of them as “good-better-best” – each with varying degrees of benefits. The forum features about two dozen different discussion groups centered around a specific topic, such as amateur radio, e-Bikes, land ownership and traveling with pets. That’s another feature not available with a Facebook Group.
Wendland was quick to point out that none of RV Lifestyle’s existing platforms will be going away, and the new members-only online forum is over and above those offerings.
“I’m really excited about it,” he said. “We’re not changing the structure of it – it’s a forum – but it’s much more advanced and it’s totally centered around RVs. And I go live on there. We now do two live streams a week with instant Q&A, with guests every now and then.
“A smaller group allows closer relationships,” Wendland continued, “with members who become true friends, not anonymous posters. It creates a real family feeling. Fun and friendships are our main goals, all set in a caring community of other RV Lifestyle enthusiasts.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: It is almost a fool’s errand to summarize this incredibly complex issue in a single article. While RVBusiness will continue to provide coverage of this ongoing topic, RVIA has been providing regular updates on this issue as they become available. In addition, RVIA will post a recording of Tuesday’s webinar on its website later this week.
Recent action in California that would severely handicap motorhome sales in that state and more than a handful of others has ignited a flurry of controversy. Making matters worse, the issue is as confusing as it is complex, with misinformation and hyperbole only fanning the flames.
Essentially, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has a goal of eventually moving California to a zero-emission vehicular (ZEV) economy. To reach this goal, CARB has enacted several regulations including the Advanced Clean Truck (ACT), which impacts chassis manufacturers, and the Omnibus Low NOx rule, which has limited the number of diesel engines that can be sold in medium and heavy-duty vehicles in California. A third action is the Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation, which will require that all medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, including motorhomes, that are sold into California be zero-emission vehicles by 2036.
This confluence of regulations could impact the availability of motorhomes in California beginning Jan. 1, but there’s so much more to this issue.
To offer as much clarity on this topic as can be had, the RV Industry Association (RVIA) conducted an hour-long webinar Tuesday. Hosted by Monika Geraci, RVIA’s director of public relations and communications, the webinar included RVIA Vice President of Government Affairs Jason Rano and Mike Ochs, who serves as RVIA’s director of state government affairs.
The first half of the webinar featured background on the issue, while the final 30 minutes was dedicated to questions from those tuning in.
Jason Rano
Calling it a “fluid and ongoing situation,” Rano emphasized that these regulations do not constitute a “ban” on motorhome sales in California, as has been widely reported by many media outlets.
As revealed during the webinar, motorhomes can still be sold and registered either through utilization of the ZEV credit market or generating a carry forward deficit that will have to be offset by credits within three years.
In either case, the ZEV credits would be obtained and utilized by chassis manufacturers. Motorhome manufacturers could secure ZEV credits and transfer them to chassis manufacturers, Ochs pointed out, but it is ultimately up to chassis manufacturers whether they implement those credits for RVs or for other medium- and heavy-duty vehicles in their fleets.
“Another important consideration is that chassis manufacturers who produce fewer than 500 medium- and heavy-duty vehicles being sold into California annually are exempted from this regulation,” Rano added. “That is one potential workaround – though, obviously, 500 chassis is not sufficient to supply all the motorhomes that are being shipped into California.”
The carry forward deficit is another potential work-around, Rano added. If chassis manufacturers don’t sell enough ZEV chassis or don’t have enough ZEV credits, they have the next three years to make up that deficit. Rano noted that three-year timeframe was an improvement as the regulation previously only allowed a one-year makeup period.
“I think it’s important to note that the makeup period begins immediately following the model year in which the deficit happened,” Rano said. “So, if there is a deficit at the end of the manufacturer’s 2025 model year, the manufacturer would have ’26, ’27 and ’28 model years to make up the shortfall, and then they would have to be made up by the end of that three years.
“So, this is an opportunity for our industry to continue to deliver and for consumers to continue to purchase and register new motorhomes,” he noted. “It’s not a fail-safe – chassis manufacturers still have to make up the credit deficit within three years – but it’s an important consideration and an important ability to continue to deliver new motorhomes into California.”
Michael Ochs
Yet another factor to this issue is there are other states that are in line to follow California’s regulations. According to Ochs, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington are set to implement the regulations beginning with the 2025 model year, while Vermont has targeted the 2026 model year and Colorado, Maryland, New Mexico and Rhode Island have circled the 2027 model year.
While these states must, by law, implement all of these regulations – it’s an all or nothing approach – they do have the flexibility of delaying the implementation. Several states, including Oregon and New York, have indicated they are considering such a course of action.
Lastly, Ochs noted that RVIA in active discussion with CARB officials. He was encouraged by an upcoming meeting that was requested by CARB.
“For those of us who have been working on CARB issues for a while, this has been somewhat of a revelation. It’s the first time I can remember CARB coming to us and asking us for a meeting so we have pledged to continue working with them to see if we can’t find a solution that is fair and equitable to all parties,” Ochs said.
CARB is also planning a public workshop sometime later this month on the Omnibus Low NOx rule, he added. This would be in preparation for the board hearing scheduled tentatively for November of 2025.
SHIPSHEWANA, Ind. – The RV Component Exposition, an event designed to connect RV component suppliers and the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of the RV industry, will be held at the Michiana Event Center (MEC) on Oct. 14-16, 2025. The MEC is located at 455 E Farver St., Shipshewana, IN 46565.
The RV Component Expo premiered this October at the MEC, hosting 48 exhibitors and 350 attendees. The exposition provides a platform for various suppliers to showcase their capabilities, driving innovation, elevating product quality, and strengthening the overall RV manufacturing world. Attendees can expect to broaden their supply chain contacts, discover new products, and find cost-saving components.
“I was surprised at how diverse the exhibitors were for a first-year show. This is an excellent way to find small manufacturers to fulfill your supply chain. I’ll encourage all of our key people to be there next year,” said Devon Miller, VP of Operations at Jayco RV.
Mike Bontrager, Director of Operations at Brinkley RV, said, “I was blown away at the amount of thought that certain suppliers at this expo put into product design. They’re very mindful of OSHA compliance on their ancillary equipment, and RVIA compliance with their components for our units. Love the innovation.”
For more information about exhibiting or attending next year’s RV Component Expo, contact Brandon Esh: 206-361-0414, [email protected]
