Travis Pryor

LITTLETON, Colo. – A team from the RV Technical Institute (RVTI) visited Littleton High School’s EPIC Campus on Tuesday, April 15, to get a first-hand look at RVTI’s long-term plan in action.

The Denver suburb’s campus offers vocational training for high school students who are interested in careers outside of the college track. Among courses offered are Level 1 RVTI certification courses.

“It overwhelms me with excitement that, as we approach year six of RVTI, that the long-term strategic goal of the true hub-and-spoke model is at work,” RVTI Executive Director Curt Hemmeler told RVBusiness after the visit. “I’m excited about EPIC being the first one to launch. This is a great partnership launching this and credit goes to Windish RV for kind of starting communications. Credit goes to Justin Rickett (RVTI senior manager for recruitment) who kind of said, ‘Hey, we’ve got something here’. And a big thanks goes to Grand Design and Don Clark who just donated a trailer to the school through Windish RV for the students to work on. This is exciting stuff.”

Assistant Principal Cathy Benton said EPIC’s purpose is to provide career track education for students who might not be interested in or financially able to attend college.

The school offers training in numerous trades.

“We’ll have an amazing future with it,” she said. “We feel like we’re opening up another doorway for students for their career.”

One student who went through the program recently was hired by Windish RV as a Level 1 certified technician.

Henry Schnelle already has started work at the Denver dealership.

“I went through the construction pathway training and then on to an electrical apprenticeship preparation class,” Schnelle said. “From that class, they brought us the opportunity to do a work-based learning internship. That’s when I first saw Windish RV as an opportunity.”

He said he enjoyed working with electricity and enjoyed carpentry but wasn’t sure either of the trades was what he wanted to do full time.

Working as an RV technician offered him the opportunity to keep his hand in different trades while being able to earn a good living.

“It makes me feel good about my future and possibly being able to afford a house within the next 30 years,” he said with a laugh. “But it looks like there’s a lot of room for growth in the industry and not like I’m going to be getting laid off or replaced by anything anytime soon. It seems like a good stable career that’s something I actually find interesting.”

Hemmeler said the RV industry can be something of an example to the trade profession world by taking advantage of programs like EPIC at a time when human resources can be scarce.

He said he credits the industry for investing in education to the point where RVTI can operate at a deficit so that students can explore career options outside of traditional pathways.

“In the past our industry has not valued the training and certification methodology like they should – that’s just the reality of it,” Hemmeler said. “But going forward, the youth of the future, they need the certification and there’s technology and things coming out that are very dangerous in high tech. Getting people certified in our industry, they get to support and promote and encourage certification from all aspects, whether it’s just a tech training or supplier training or OEM training. We need to have that certification in play.”

From a practical standpoint for parents of potential students, achieving a Level 1 or even Level 2 certification is far less expensive than sending their students off to college only to find they aren’t interested.

“We sometimes call it the parents’ savings program because the kids can come here and figure out what they don’t want to do before they spend years on tuition,” Benton said.

Dealers who would like more information about supporting such a program in their area can contact Rickett at [email protected].

The post RV Tech Institute’s ‘Hub & Spoke’ Hits Stride in Colorado first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

The RV Dealers Association (RVDA) and RV Industry Association (RVIA) continue their efforts to gain approval for the bipartisan Travel Trailer and Camper Tax Parity Act (H.R. 332) as a Senate companion bill is expected to be introduced soon.

The Travel Trailer and Camper Tax Parity Act was first introduced in the House of Representatives in January by U.S. Reps. Rudy Yakym (R-IN) and Dina Titus (D-NV).

“Indiana’s Second District is the home of the ‘RV Capital of the World,’ an essential part of our local economy” said Yakym. “I am proud to reintroduce this sensible and bipartisan legislative solution along with Congresswoman Titus that will support the continued growth of the RV industry and ensure Americans can enjoy the natural beauty of our nation through RV travel and outdoor adventures for generations to come.”

“Many families and tourists across the country find the best way to explore our nation’s national parks and beautiful natural landscapes is from an RV,” said Titus. “This bipartisan legislation would help RVs stay competitive with other elements of the recreation industry and allow even more people to explore our country in this unique way.”

This latest activity comes at a time when Congressional leaders will be debating new tax legislation over the next few weeks.

“RVDA and RVIA are working together on this legislation as we have for the past several years,” RVDA President Phil Ingrassia told RVBusiness. “This year we have invested in an online portal that makes it easy for industry members to support the legislation. They simply enter their information and then basically point and click to send a note to their representatives. We’ve had more than 70 dealers use the portal to contact representatives.”

At question is a drafting oversight in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, ensuring that RV dealers can fully deduct interest on floor plan financing for all RVs, including non-motorized towable trailers, which constitute 88% of RV sales.

The current bill would enable all RV dealers to fully deduct the interest on floor plan loans for travel trailers.

Currently, interest on floor plan financing for travel trailers is subject to a 30% limitation based on earnings before interest and taxes for dealers with more than $29 million in annual sales, unlike motorhomes.

Earlier this year, the House version of the bill picked up an additional seven Republican sponsors.

In the past, when legislation was supported by the RV industry, it usually also was supported by other parties interested in outdoor recreation such as marine and powersports.

This particular issue, however, only affects towable RVs, so the industry is largely advocating for the change by itself.

“It’s really important that we activate on this issue as an industry because there isn’t that other vocal support,” Ingrassia said. “It’s a very narrow issue. It’s up to the RV industry to educate Congress on this issue and we really need dealers to help and even if dealers are under the $29 million annual revenue threshold, if they grow, it could impact them. We’ve seen very strong growth in annual revenue and sales and we want that to continue, so we need to get this fixed.”

Dealers who would like to send a letter to their representative or who plan to meet in person are encouraged to visit http://bit.ly/4j6mdsD to access a form letter or to familiarize themselves with talking points.

The post Industry Advocacy Needed as Camper Parity Bill Progresses first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

Pollak Towing is a name most parts specialists are probably familiar with.

After all, the company has been around for more than 100 years conducting research and development and manufacturing different trailer connection components.

But Pollak, based in Long Island City, N.Y., might not be so well known as an aftermarket supplier.

Pollak made its name as a provider of OEM parts for most American pickup manufacturers and for large construction vehicles and off-road heavy equipment like bulldozers.

All the while, though, Pollak products have been available in bulk for RV back shops as replacement parts for vehicles coming in that are used for towing the RVs.

Now Pollak is making more of an effort to reach the aftermarket customer with its products and is working through distributors to increase its market presence with new point-of-purchase displays and deals to move the products from the back shop into the front-and-center of the parts and accessories store.

A newly developed plan-o-gram is designed to help dealers draw attention to the products, but Pollak Aftermarket Sales Manager Stephen Tacchi said it is important for dealers and customers to know there is nothing new or second-rate about the products.

“It’s not a new product. It’s a new product in the aftermarket, but it has been introduced and it is an OEM product on really literally millions of vehicles,” he said.

The aftermarket products are produced on the same lines as the OEM products and undergo the same rigorous testing to ensure quality.

The only difference is in the way the products are presented to the consumer.

“The average consumer goes under a vehicle that needs to replace the part and pulls off the connector and he looks at it on the back – it says Pollak,” Tacchi said. “So, he walks into the shop and says, ‘I need one of these.’ That’s the best of both worlds when you have someone come in and asking for a specific product.”

So far, Pollak’s visibility in stores is limited, but with the new marketing efforts, Tacchi said the Pollak intends for the plan-o-gram to help drive the retail business.

Aaron Shaffer, director of marketing services for Standard Motor Products – Pollak’s parent company – and his team developed the plan-o-gram to display 19 products and help consumers understand the use for each.

“We’re not the first people to build a program like this; other folks have done it for sure,” Shaffer said. “I think maybe an advantage of being not the first is that we were able to start from scratch and re=imagine the product offering.”

“What we’re trying to provide for the RV market is a package that is easy to read, easy to understand so you can find the part you need fast and the best on the market,” Tacchi said.

Included on that plan-o-gram offering are three of the most-popular items Pollak sells in its Pollak Pro series.

The Pollak Pro RV Trailer End Harness (10-117V) features a seven-blade, trailer-end RV plug with an 8-foot harness. The harness features a single-swipe design with an over-molded trailer end. A heavy-duty jacket protects wires from harsh environments, and non-rusting vinyl construction offers long-lasting durability. Each harness is wired to RV industry standards and designed for all RV and vocational electric brake trailer-tow applications. (Crosses to Pollak Aftermarket 14-227)

The Pollak ProFlex 7-Way Blade and 4-Way Flat Connector (7WB-182PF) features a 7- and 4-way molded design and non-rusting vinyl construction. ProFlex Connectors are designed to plug directly into the OEM wiring system or the Pollak 11-998 (4-foot U.S. car harness), and feature a flexible design that allows users to easily switch between trailers with different connectors. Each connector is wired to RV industry standards and includes a mounting bracket for easy installation.

The Pollak Pro 7-Way Blade RV-Style Socket (7WB-110V) is an OE replacement or for new applications, and plugs into the OE U.S. car harnesses or the Pollak 11-998 (4-foot U.S. car harness). It features a self-cleaning design, duel stainless steel spring, a seal in the lid, and heavy-duty four-hole mounting. Non-rusting vinyl construction offers long-lasting durability. Each Socket is wired to RV industry standards with a schematic on the lid. (Crosses to Pollak Aftermarket 11-893)

Anyone seeking more information about Pollak products can contact their distributor representative or visit http://PollakTowing.com.

The post Pollak Towing is Making Strides in RV Aftermarket Sector first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

DENVER – The weather finally cooperated for Denver’s Great American RV Show with sunny days and a grand finale day that was cooler and overcast – just right for sending an RVing crowd indoors from March 27-29 at the Colorado Convention Center.

The previous two years featured spring snowstorms that kept the crowd sizes down.

But with a show that featured about 30% more vehicles and vendors than 2024, show Owner/Chief Event Architect Hague Atkinson got the kind of crowd he was hoping for.

Friday’s crowd included Colin Jongsma and his family from Wellington, Colo. With his wife and two older children looking through units, including a Grand Design bunkhouse model in the Windish RV Center display, Jongsma toted around his youngest daughter.

The family – which embodies the target RVing demographic – are first-time would-be buyers and said they wanted to make sure they were getting good looks at several different towables in their price range.

“I don’t think we’ll end up buying this weekend, but we’re looking for something around the $30,000 range,” he said. “We wanted to come to the show so we could get a look at as many options as we could.”

Whitney Holtz, president of Windish, said she was pleased with the possibilities presented by families like the Jongsmas who are looking to join the RVing lifestyle.

“We hope to attract families who are serious buyers,” she said. “It can sometimes take them six months to a year to find their right unit, so this is a great place to start.”

This year’s show featured an overland section with rugged vehicles and a number of vendors displaying camping products.

Atkinson said the vendors he spoke to reported a good deal of success, with three of them selling out of the products they had on sale before the show closed Saturday.

He said the addition of the overland displays was a hit with the Colorado crowd that is known for its off-grid adventures.

“The one thing we’re trying to become is a well-rounded mix so it’s not just campers and not just trailers, it’s not just motorized or overland, but just like anything you want a complete menu,” he said. “I think we accomplished that this year even better than we did last year.”

Justin Slusser, West Region president for Blue Compass RV, said he agreed that the changes to the show had brought in a new level of shopper this year.

“The buyers we’ve seen have a strong confidence and are really high quality,” he said. “There has been great interest for 2025 and this has been a successful show.”

Contributing to the variety at the show were a number of new vehicles and first-time exhibitors.

Perhaps tops on the list of standout new vehicles was the Airstream 2026 Interstate 19X LE Outland Edition Class B.

Built on a Sprinter 2500 AWD chassis, the Outland is an Airstream through and through right down to its shiny silver exterior and even the riveted look of an Airstream trailer.

Regional Director of Sales Mark Inkrote said the model on display was one of only three in existence so far and that the Outland will have a limited manufacturing run.

Also on display was the Grand Design Lineage FW, which debuted at the 2024 Hershey Show.

The manufacturer’s first motorized RV is built on the Sprinter 4500 chassis.

First-time exhibitor Nomad RVs out of New Jersey exhibited a pair of motorized models, highlighted by its Euphoria Class C.

Built on a Sprinter 3500 AWD chassis, the rugged vehicle features ample interior space, a Starlink satellite internet system and a host of other features.

Atkinson said another show is scheduled in Denver from July 31 to Aug. 2, giving campers another opportunity to shop with some sneak peaks at 2026 models.

He said he is excited to see more people getting involved in RVing and hopes to continue to grow the Denver shows.

“We’re seeing in the industry that so many people love the concept and convenience and the chance for a ‘digital detox’,” he said. “It helps families get away from the screens and the computers and really reconnect. You have to unplug to reconnect. People at the show are scheming and dreaming about what they want to do. They are finding the fit.”

The post Fair Weather Brings Serious Shoppers to Denver RV Show first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

Like most businesses, RV dealerships have a strong desire to support good causes in their communities.

They also wouldn’t mind if they could save some money on expenses for necessary services like telephone, Internet and computer systems.

As described during a webinar by RVDA partner Purpose in Expenses on Wednesday, it is possible to achieve both goals thanks to CEO Jamie Bianchini’s work with companies like Verizon and Microsoft.

Rather than contracting with the companies for service, clients of PIE secure the services through the network. Every service creates a new recurring donation to the dealership’s favorite nonprofit organizations every time a payment is made.

Providers pay PIE each month for clients the company brings in. PIE donates 50% of revenue to those nonprofits, allowing the dealerships to increase their giving levels without increased expenses.

Bianchini said the company was born out of two charity events he embarked on.

First, he was part of an effort to provide bicycle rides for people all over the world called Peace Pedalers. He was able to secure funds for buying bicycles and getting to the different countries through a system similar to what drives PIE.

In 2014, he and his wife went on an RV tour to promote their book about Peace Pedalers called “A Bicycle Built for Two Billion” using the same funding method.

“In 2020, a lot of nonprofits in our community lost their funding from corporate partners because that is when COVID hit,” Bianchini said. “My wife and I decided to try to teach people what we had done with Peace Pedalers and create a movement to actively teach people to use expenses to fund impact.”

Bianchini had developed an interest in the RV industry during his book tour and also developed a relationship with Care Camps, a nonprofit that provides outdoor experience for children suffering from cancer, which at that time was connected with KOA.

He said he admired the culture that surrounded RVing and in 2023 approached Beaver Coach Sales & Service in Bend, Ore., about joining the PIE clients.

“They were already making a lot of donations as part of their culture,” he said. “We eliminated their costs for phone and internet and created donations out of that. We have transparency so there are a lot of spreadsheets where we show you this is our revenue and these are our donations. The staff was proud to be a part of the program.”

The major benefits of the program are it creates increased donations to nonprofits without the dealership having to write a check. The price and support from the service is the same or better and it helps the business embrace its culture and improve on its brand.

Janae Cruikshank, controller at Beaver Coach, said the dealership’s relationship with PIE has helped it build on the kind of community support that already existed.

“It’s been a privilege to not only save the money internally, but that we can support the organizations that we choose to in our community,” she said. “It’s been a great partnership. We’re really thankful for the opportunity.”

Executive Director Gwynn Sullivan of Care Camps said donations coming in from PIE clients have made a big difference in Care Camps’ ability to meet its goal of spreading joy hope and healing through the power of the outdoors.

“I recently had the opportunity to visit with Lewis RV Center (Oklahoma City),” she said. “They signed on as a partner with PIE and they are donating their contributions to us. I’ve gotta say, when I first walked into Lewis RV Center, there was already a vibe. There was a culture that they had naturally created there of just wanting to give back It was really inspirational to me.”

Bianchini said he is offering a no-obligation analysis for RVDA members to see where they might benefit from obtaining services through PIE and being able to increase donations to nonprofits.

For information, dealers can contact PIE through www.purposeinexpenses.com/contact.

The post RVDA Partner Firm Turns Dealer Expenses Into Donations first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

Canadian RV dealers, OEMs and industry insiders tuned in to a Zoom conference Thursday (Feb. 6) to learn the latest about efforts by the RV Dealers Association (RVDA) of Canada and the Canadian RV Association (CRVA) to try to keep business on an even keel should tariffs be enacted by the Trump administration in early March.

On Feb. 1, the U.S. announced that tariffs would be put in place on Canadian goods, oil, natural gas and electricity. However, after a productive phone call between President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the tariffs were postponed for 30 days.

But leaders of the Canadian RV industry aren’t just sitting back waiting for them to happen.

As announced during the webinar – which was moderated by RVDA of Canada President Eleonore Hamm and CRVA President Shane Devenish, who were joined by economist Charles Bernard – actions are being taken to try to stress to members of Parliament the importance of the RV industry to the Canadian economy and the fact that dealers are reliant on a consistent supply of RVs from the U.S.

To that end, the associations have drafted letters to all ministers of Parliament.

There are a handful of RV manufacturers in Canada, but they mostly produce Class B motorhomes and they don’t produce enough to supply all of the dealers in Canada.

Bernard, lead economist of Impact Public Affairs, which represents the industry and auto industry in Ottawa, said the 30-day postponement has given the industry ample time to bring its efforts to bear in lobbying the government.

He said that the tariffs are set to come in two waves. The first wave of Canadian retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products covers a variety of goods that could be included in an RV. The second wave, set to come 21 days later, would include RVs themselves and actually could hit dealers twice with a tariff on a refrigerator and a separate one on the RV.

“The delay gives us 30 days of preparation and engagement to build our key messaging and try to learn more about the details of these tariffs,” Bernard said. “These 30 days also give Canadian officials a chance to get back to the table with the Americans and get agreements on other items.”

He said there are a lot of positive words being sent from Canadian officials to the Americans to create the kind of environment where they can get clarity about what is expected for the next few months instead of going month by month.

While the entire group stressed they are working to keep RVing viable in Canada, they also don’t want to be seen as an opposing player of a Canada-strong approach.

Still, the industry needs to make sure Parliament knows it is a key employer that is reliant on imports from the U.S. to properly succeed.

Hamm said she has already had several meetings with members of parliament over the past week.

She also said the industry’s letter has been sent to Minister of Finance Dominic LeBlanc and other ministers involved with finance and international trade and tourism.

“We want to ensure that they understand … that they understand the economic impact of the RV industry, how many jobs we have like 141,000 jobs and what we contribute $16.2 billion (Canadian) to the GDP and how important it is to keep that going,” Hamm said. “Because obviously, if the dealers are not strong, the campgrounds start to become weaker and the tourism industry is affected.”

Hamm said that 95% of the product for Canadian dealers comes from the U.S., so the one area where it seems that government may be willing to listen is if there’s an industry that cannot source convenient product.

“That really is what we’re going to be pushing is that we do not have the Canadian infrastructure in place the manufacturing in place assisting the dealer network in Canada,” she said.

In addition, dealers can apply for a remission, which is an exemption from tariffs because of undue hardship.

Hamm said industry leaders are looking into seeing if the exemptions can be applied for by an association or if dealers have to apply individually, but some dealers have already done so on their own.

“We’re going to be monitoring and following up with them to see if there are some successful remission exemptions that go through, because then that would be obviously some precedent that’s set for dealers,” she said.

She encouraged all dealers to work with their provincial RVDAs and to take advantage of the letter that has been drafted to send similar letters to their provincial leaders. There has been some turmoil recently in the Canadian government with Trudeau losing popularity and a declining approval level that could potentially lead to early elections.

Devenish said that during Trump’s first term, RVs weren’t targeted by the Canadian counter-tariffs. But this time around, products from Republican states like Indiana are in the bullseye.

“That’s kind of why we’re seeing the Canadian government look to include recreational vehicles in their counter tariffs,” he said. “When we got wind of this, we had a lot of conversations with the RVIA who completely supports us in this and may have been engaging in some ‘back channel’ conversations with certain congressmen and senators.”

Hamm said the associations would be forwarding a two-page letter that dealers can personalize with their own information and send to their ministers of Parliament to help spread the message.

The associations plan to hold another Zoom conference before the tariffs are scheduled to take effect.

The post Canada RV Groups Stress Consistent Message on Tariffs first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

Members of the RV industry relaxed a little Monday afternoon as President Trump announced a 30-day pause in levying 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and 10% on oil, natural gas and electricity from Canada.

All of this came after a phone call between Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that tackled immigration and fentanyl smuggling concerns Trump had hoped to settle.

In a post on social media site X, Trudeau said, “Canada is implementing our $1.3 billion border plan — reinforcing the border with new choppers, technology and personnel, enhanced coordination with our American partners, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl… we will list cartels as terrorists, ensure 24/7 eyes on the border, launch a Canada- U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering. I have also signed a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl and we will be backing it with $200 million.”

In response, Trump amended Saturday’s executive order to state tariffs would not take effect until March 4 and that the situation would continue to be assessed in the meantime.

“As president, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of ALL Americans, and I am doing just that,” Trump said on Truth Social. “I am very pleased with this initial outcome, and the tariffs announced on Saturday will be paused for a 30-day period to see whether or not a final economic deal with Canada can be structured.”

Those in the RV industry who were contacted were somewhat relieved, but with so much uncertainty still in the air, they also were cautious about believing everything was solved.

“I know it could hurt the RV business if it goes on too long,” said Bob Brammer of Stromberg Carlson. “On the other hand the package that was passed and hopefully will stay intact will definitely benefit myself and the dealers and distributors who handle our accessories like they do – anybody else that goes through two step distribution. It would help us compete against e-commerce. That’s really my focus. They don’t pay tariffs and we do pay tariffs. That’s just not right.”

Brammer said both countries are proud of their cultures, and rightfully so, but there likely will be anxiety until the situation gets resolved.

Eleanore Hamm, president of the RV Dealers Association of Canada, said the organization will keep its members informed as well as it can to the evolving situation.

But she said she is much more upbeat than she was Saturday.

“It is excellent news because obviously the economic impact on both sides of the border by the tariff would be devastating. So, we really pleased that the conversation has continued at the political level,” she said. “And hopefully in the long run, we can avoid the tariffs altogether.”

Hamm said RVDA of Canada will hold a webinar Thursday for its members to keep them in the loop as to what the association is working on. Those interested in viewing the webinar can click here. (Scroll to the bottom for more information.)

She said advocacy is taking place in Ottawa to ensure Parliament is aware of the economic impact of outdoor recreation and the impacts a 25% tariff would have on dealers who are reliant upon U.S.-made RVs coming into the country.

“We don’t have the manufacturing capability in Canada to supply the product,” Hamm said, while acknowledging Canada’s Class B manufacturers. “So it’s not like there’s an alternative.”

Phil Ingrassia, president of the U.S. RVDA also pointed to the fluidity of the situation while acknowledging that Monday’s actions seem to be a step in the right direction.

“There’s a a lot of unknowns at this point, but it gives it gives it a little bit more time to negotiate before any tariff would go into place,” he said. “They could potentially obviously impact dealers pricing situations if prices go up on imported components and materials that manufacturers need. Some of van campers from the Canadian manufacturers would likely be impacted. We’re monitoring the situation and I certainly want to work with our industry partners at RVIA and RVDA of Canada to provide the best information we can to the dealers.”

Shane Devenish, president of the Canadian Recreational Vehicle Association, said the CRVA “highly welcomes” the announcement yesterday that the Canadian and U.S. governments have agreed to postpone the implementation of tariffs for 30 days following productive discussions between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Donald Trump.

“The CRVA would like to express its appreciation to both administrations for the decision to engage in meaningful dialogue that works towards a resolution that avoids any unnecessary economic disruption,” Devenish said in a statement issued this morning (Feb. 4). “We strongly support these continued discussions to ensure that fair trade policies can remain in place to benefit businesses and consumers on both sides of the border.”

The RV Industry in Canada and the United States has “thrived under decades of mutually beneficial free trade policies,” Devenish continued. “The North American RV industry’s ability to provide our families with outdoor enjoyment is critically dependent on fair and stable trade policies to maintain production, sales, and investment.”

Trade barriers, if implemented, would significantly impact consumers, limit product availability, and reduce industry competitiveness, he added.

“We are optimistic that governments will use this extension period productively to explore equitable solutions that address the concerns of the US and Canada, which do not place undue burden and stress on our businesses and consumers,” Devenish said. “The CRVA remains committed to working with our industry partners, policymakers, and stakeholders to ensure that the interests of RV manufacturers, dealers, and owners are represented in any future trade negotiations.”

At Go Power!, a division of Dometic, plans are being made in advance just in case a settlement isn’t forthcoming.

“We were actively preparing our U.S. inventory levels prior to these announcements and are in a good position right now,” said Mark Spilsbury, RV Division manager, Go Power! “While the talks of tariffs and updates to trade policies are ongoing, we are actively evaluating our supply chain and the impacts on our business. Our priority is, and has always been, to ensure that our customer’s experience is top-tier, and this is no exception.”

RVDA of Canada, CRVA to Host Webinar

Join the RVDA of Canada and the CRVA for an important webinar on the upcoming U.S.-Canada tariffs and their impact on the RV industry. With the U.S. set to impose a 25% surtax on Canadian imports and Canada responding with similar measures – all of which has been placed on a 30-day delay – these changes could significantly affect businesses across the sector.

The webinar is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. PT, Thursday, Feb. 6. Presenters include Hamm, Devenish and Charles Bernard, a lead economist for Impact Pubic Affairs.

Key Topics

• Breakdown of the new tariffs effective February 4, 2025
• Products impacted, including RV appliances and components
• Canada’s response and potential future tariff expansions
• Business implications
• Advocacy efforts and steps RVDA of Canada is taking on your behalf

For any questions, email [email protected].

The post RV Industry Takes a Breath, But Tariffs Threat Still Looms first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

BOSTON, Mass. – The New England RV Supershow proved to be resilient this weekend as dealers, vendors and customers pressed on through a winter storm that dropped about 5 inches of snow and left icy conditions on area roads.

Despite the conditions, attendance for the Friday-through-Monday show held at the Boston Convention Center was estimated to have increased 30 to 40% from last year.

Two dealers in attendance were able to break away from cleaning up their booths to give RVBusiness an update on the proceedings Monday.

“It was great,” said Megan Failor, event marketing coordinator of Pete’s RV. “We had a lot of families coming back for repeat visits from the past two years and we sold a lot of motorhomes and fifth wheels.”

Failor said she counted a number of customers from New Hampshire among those who bought new RVs.

“Even with the snow, people were out in force today, and the ones who came were serious buyers,” she said.

Failor said the New England RV Supershow was the dealership’s fifth already this year and Pete’s plans to participate in about 60 shows this year. The next will be in two weeks in Hartford.

Frank Roberts of Longview RV said the show had been “fantastic”.

“The buyers were jumping in the boat we had so much good luck fishing,” he said with a laugh.

Roberts said the weather turned out not to be too bad, but he was glad the New England Patriots were not in the NFL playoffs or else the show might have lost out on some attendance.

“Evidence is showing the buyers that RVing is fun and the customers seem very, very upbeat,” he said.

Roberts confirmed that his attendance numbers were higher as well.

Dealers in attendance included Blue Compass, Longview RV, Airstream of Southern New England, Campers Inn, Webb’s RV, Pete’s RV Center, Seacoast RVs Inc. and Cold Spring RV.

Seminars ran throughout each day and vendors also displayed RV accessories and campground information.

The post Boston Show Attracts Consumers Despite Snowy Weather first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

TAMPA, Fla. – Performance Brokerage Services set a record with 94 transactions in 2024 helping dealers find buyers for their businesses.

But in recent months, those transactions have slowed and the values achieved have softened as well, according to Jesse Stopnitzky, director of Performance’s RV division.

“The financial statements that we review indicate 2024 may be even worse than 2023 in terms of profitability,” he said. “As such, we have a smaller buyer pool. Given the challenges surrounding the retail environment and the economy, many dealers are focusing on internal optimization as opposed to external growth.”

Stopnitzky, addressing an online audience during Wednesday’s State of the Buy-Sell Market webinar, said part of the holdup on any sort of recovery is a still looming sense of uncertainty.

Dealers realize the prices they benefited from during the pandemic are long gone and have found no sense in trying to predict or time the market to figure out the perfect time to sell.

National groups are still on the lookout for quality acquisitions that fit their long-term growth objectives. Performance is still conducting deals on what Stopnitzky calls “respectable levels” and regional groups are still looking for “tuck-in” deals that they can incorporate into their portfolios.

Although he said the company doesn’t typically deal in predictions, he expects a significant increase in buy-sell activity in the coming year.

Brad Stanek, a financial adviser with the Stanek-Haack Group at Morgan Stanley, urged dealers to take advantage of a better, but not outstanding, economy to grow.

“There should be some wind at our back as a small business owner. There should be some more friendlier tax policies, deregulation and maybe a few interest rate cuts are out there as well. Time will tell,” he said. “What I want you to keep in mind about the economy, at least in our opinion, it isn’t going to be there to bail out the dealership. You can’t expect that the economy alone is going to drive more buyers to your dealership and drive up your business in a remarkable way. It’s up to you to step in and take what is a reasonable but not great economy and turn that into a win through actions you take to grow your business and the value of the dealership. You control it, and I’ll take that any day of the week.”

Stopniztky cautioned dealers to have their team in place and to fully understand the value of their dealership before entering into any buy-sell discussions.

He said that over the past 30 years of history, the industry has not experienced the kind of uncertainty it has since just before the COVID outbreak up until now.

“Our evaluations help to determine which areas of the business underwent systemic and sustainable growth and which areas were attributable solely to COVID,” he said.

The third member of the panel, Raul Rodriguez, senior vice president of Blue Compass RV, told dealers his group is still looking to buy, but is being selective.

Blue Compass is one of the fastest growing dealership groups in the country.

“We’re very focused on quality and premium products,” said Rodriguez. “We’re very strategic in our process and how we think about acquisitions. It’s not just about adding dots across the country, it’s about adding businesses that fit from a market, brand, facilities, culture management perspective. It’s got to fit all of those criteria before we even get to a valuation discussion.”

Rodriguez said he could see Blue Compass doubling in size over the next three to five years on a prudent basis.

The dealership currently operates 100 stores in 33 states and Rodriguez said it has attempted to align itself with high-quality businesses that offer premium products.

Rodriguez also echoed Stanek’s take on the 2025 economic outlook.

“We don’t see a gargantuan leap coming this year, but we certainly expect some recovery,” he said. “I think that will lead to in general more transactions. But just having a realistic look at your sustainable earnings and when you will get there is a big part of the valuation discussion.”

Stanek urged dealers not to cut staff in order to secure a higher profit when selling their dealerships because less staff means less service and a decline in quality.

“You’ve got to make long-term decisions and act as if you were not going to sell even when you are committed to potentially going to market and selling,” he said.

Aged inventory arose as a major issue in deals that ended up not being consummated over the past year.

Stopnitky said in many cases potential buyers were not willing to take on the cost of the inventory.

“We strongly, daily, encourage clients to continue selling through their aged inventory, which everybody’s working on, and the unfavorable or used inventory,” he said. “This can become a serious point of contention between buyers and sellers. It can be a deal-breaker.”

Rodriguez said having a dealership’s “house in order”, including inventory and books and records, goes a long way toward clearing the way for a deal to be made.

“I can’t emphasize enough that if you don’t have your inventory in order there might not be a discount big enough to allow a transaction to work,” he said. “We’ve walked away from plenty where the focus of moving the level of aged inventory that was on hand was just too much of a distraction from running the business. I would say that as an industry we’re much, much better off than we were 12 to 18 months ago.”

The post Continued Uncertainty Keeping Dealerships from Breaking Out first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

HANCEVILLE, Ala. – Millican RV America has been a successful mom-and-pop dealership in Hanceville, just off Interstate 65 for more than 25 years.

But recently the dealership was shaken to its core when owner Tom Millican passed away in November and then sales manager Leonard Greene passed in July.

Millican’s widow, Connie, knew she was at a crossroads. The dealership had a great location, but had operated out of a simple double-wide trailer for its entire existence.

So did she want to close the business or sell it to another entrepreneur? Or did she want to invest in the future and build on the property her husband had put in a lifetime’s work leveling the ground and making the dealership profitable with a loyal following?

Thanks to a mutual acquaintance in the industry, Millican was put in touch with Tim Hopkins, an industry veteran. After much consultation and planning, Millican hired Hopkins as the store’s general manager and decided to build a new facility in place of the double-wide and see how much she could grow the business.

“I found out about Tim and we talked and decided it would be a good match. And here we are,” Millican said. “My plans are to build and grow the company and continue to grow. We have about a total of 8 acres here on I-65.”

Hopkins said that the location of the dealership is critical to the potential growth.

He said the site has 100% visibility from the nearby interstate and really couldn’t be a more positive location.

He credited Tom Millican for being ahead of his time when he bought the property and for the amount of work he put in leveling it out and making it suitable for an RV dealership.

In addition to the new facility, Millican’s is taking on several new Forest River lines and a couple of Keystone lines that already have been added to the inventory

“Even with the construction, we’re placing the units to get ready for our spring business,” Hopkins said.

Part of the new building will be dedicated to bringing the service part of the business indoors.

The current configuration only has two outdoor service bays.

“Her son Keith is the service manager and he’s known nothing but to work outside,” Hopkins said. “We’re going to have two indoor service bays and a gift shop with the parts department.”

Plans are to migrate everything into the new building as soon as it’s finished so the current double-wide trailer can be removed and additional parking space added.

Being able to get more attention from the interstate could add to the customer base.

Hanceville is a community of just over 3,000 people north of the much larger Birmingham.

Hopkins describes the town as hard-working people with a median household income of about $50,300.

He said a number of large manufacturers have moved in in recent years and created decent-paying jobs for the community.

Both Hopkins and Millican said they are excited for the future.

“For me, this is a personal victory for a family,” he said. “To then watch it take off with the right staff, the right inventory and the right building – they’ve been at this for a long time and this is a huge step for them.”

“This will be better all the way around,” Millican said. “It will be better for sales people and the service techs. It should increase our sales. It just excites me to know the future looks bright.”

Hopkins particularly looks forward to a growth in walk-in customers.

He said the indoor service and the parts shop are things the dealership has never had before and that the new building will have rows of inventory that will capture consumer attention.

“It’s a golden opportunity for this store to rise and shine,” Hopkins said. “To be honest, it never has. It’s always been kind of a second-row player. With bringing in some new brands and building this facility, it’s going to be a game-changer.”

The post Millican RV in Alabama Looks to Turn Tragedy into Triumph first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.