REV Recreation Group: from the recent past to present

Innovative design concepts, exceeding dealer satisfaction, and effective production practices have imposed a positive future for the REV Recreation Group. Aboutcamp BtoB spoke with Mike Lanciotti, President, REV Recreation Segment, to further determine what drives the growth of its strong portfolio of RV brands

Mike Lanciotti has been President at Renegade RV since 2008. Following an acquisition of the company in 2016 by the REV Recreation Group, he continued his leadership before being appointed President, REV Recreation Segment in 2021. In that time, well-established RV brands currently under the company’s banner, including Fleetwood RV, Holiday Rambler, American Coach, Lance Camper, Midwest Automotive Designs, Renegade RV and Goldshield Fiberglass, have successfully maintained their position as key players in the RV industry.

With several new models and initiatives this year, we discussed the company’s goals and business strategies through 2023 and into 2024.

Aboutcamp BtoB: What are some of the trends in the North American RV industry that you have recognized within the last five years and how is the REV Recreation Group adhering to these trends to better serve its dealer base and consumers?

Mike Lanciotti: I think people are enjoying the outdoors more, the fact that many RVers are now working remotely from the road, and the passing of the Great American Outdoor Act by the U.S. Federal Government in 2022 are some of the most important recent trends. They all strongly support this lifestyle.

I also think the major investments in the outdoor recreation infrastructure with the purchasing of land and other natural resources, and turning them into places to camp, is another huge positive for us and the industry. Being a B2C business and meeting these trends, we continually work hard in product development. We do this by listening to consumer and dealer feed- back, which helps us identify what is popular and what consumers like, but we benchmark other demographics and design concepts in other industries. So, if we like something that the marine or private aviation sector is doing, and we feel it’s a good fit for the RV space, we work to see how it can be applied to some of our brands.

As the RV companies in the REV Recreation Group are high-end, our big focus is also on appearance. We just feel it’s just as important as overall function. Our brands will continue to be appealing to the consumer and every year we make them stronger and better.

We are also fortunate that our products have strong brand recognition. Fleetwood RV is one of the hallmarks of the industry and has been around for a long time. We work hard to sell brand identity but we fully support each of our brands. We believe they will remain strong by delivering a quality product.

Aboutcamp BtoB: In addition to industry trends, the demographics among RV buyers have changed considerably. How is the REV Recreation Group remaining competitive with the evolving younger demographic?

Mike Lanciotti: The average age of RVers is certainly much younger than it once was but what has really played into the hands of RV manufacturers in recent years is the current difficulties and high costs of air travel. With an RV, people realize more and more that they can simply pack their bags, load them up in the RV and go. More than anything, however, COVID-19 has dictated how people travel now and even how they work. They realize they can do their job remotely and also do it on the road in the comfort of an

RV. Meeting these needs by providing easier accessible WiFi connectivity and user-friendly portable electronic systems is now very important.

We made a good move for the 2023 model year with our new Fleetwood Frontier GTX 37 RT, which introduced the corner office, an industry first. We windowed it out, so people are provided with nice natural light at the desk. It’s like being in an office at home or even in the workplace. There’s a lot of interest now in that design for our class A motorhomes.

The larger coaches may not be the perfect match for millennials, but they are of interest to other long-term RVers. Class Bs are still very appealing to the younger crowd. They have many features and are very functional, but we design and manufacture all classes to provide a unit that will be a good fit for all ages.

Aboutcamp BtoB: Does the REV Recreation Group get a lot of influence from suppliers as far as providing more technology to its brands?

Mike Lanciotti: It’s interesting, our suppliers always have a new concept for us to consider and we get a lot of feedback from our dealers about this as well. Technology is a big deal. For example, when RAM came out with a huge LCD monitor the size of an iPad in the center of the console for one of its trucks, its sales increased significantly.

However, I think technology has to be easy to use and very functional. A lot