RV News Jan 2022

RV News The Voice of the RV Industry

January 2022

Small Dealership Thinking Big +

Manufacturers Take Aim at Travel Trailer Myth . . . . . . . . . . 8 Supplier Prepared to Jolt RV Electrification Progress . . . . 20

Industry Group Tackles Supply Chain Snarls . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Motorhome Brings High-End Features Down to Size . . . . . 56

Contents VOL 46, ISSUE 1 | JANUARY 2022

TOP STORY

40 Coastal Common Sense 40 DEALER PROFILE

Brothers in Wilmington, North Carolina, use inventory management planning to boost sales and provide expansion opportunities.

INSIDE

8 Travel Trailer Myth Debunked

RV manufacturers discuss the facts behind lightweight travel trailers’ recent sales growth.

8 TRAVEL TRAILERS

20 Freedom Electrified

Mission Critical Electronics CEO Kevin Moschetti is positioning the supplier to be an RV brand leader in electrification.

30 The Cost of Business

Shipping costs and delays soared in 2021.

Representatives are working with RVIA to find legislative relief in 2022.

20 OE/AFTERMARKET SUPPLIER

48 Human Connection Returns

Attendees celebrate in-person discussions and opportunities to touch and feel aftermarket products at the annual Keller Marine & RV show.

56 Short and Sweet 48 2

AFTERMARKET DISTRIBUTION

RV News | January 2022

The highlight of Freighliner Custom Chassis Corp.’s 2022 model year rollout is a shortened 35-foot Type A motorhome made by Forest River.

rvnews.com

Departments

RV News The Voice of the RV Industry 685 S. Arthur Ave., Unit 6 Louisville, Colorado 80027 (720) 353-4003 rvnews.com PUBLISHER

Dana Nelsen dana@rvnews.com (720) 353-4003 Ext. 7889 EDITOR IN CHIEF

Chris Freeman

chris@rvnews.com (720) 353-4003 Ext. 1064 DIGITAL EDITOR

Heather Willard news@rvnews.com (720) 353-4003 Ext. 1065

72 THE BEST OF

60 OE SUPPLIER

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Ben Dupre

ben@rvnews.com (720) 353-4003 Ext. 1062

60 In Sync with Transit

Ford is updating its Transit chassis for the 2022 model year, touting upgraded capabilities communications and a new entertainment system.

ART DIRECTOR

Jim Nissen

adproduction@rvnews.com (720) 353-4003 Ext. 1063 CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS

Dana Nelsen

72 The Best Of: Displays and Plan-o-Grams

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Aftermarket suppliers showcase the best Displays and Plan-o-Grams the companies ever made.

Diane Bishop, Wendy Sheaffer, Jered Sobel, Ron Wheeler Subscription requests, address changes should be sent to dana@rvnews.com.

UPCOMING TBO CATEGORIES:

FEBRUARY Freshwater & Sanitation MARCH Hitches & Towing APRIL Summer Camping Accessories

IN EVERY ISSUE

ADVICE

Letter from the Editor . . . . . . . 6 Advertiser Index . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Add Horsepower to Your Hiring Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Watch Out for Claim Jumpers! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Build Processes to Keep Top Performers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Send letters to the editor and feedback on the publication or website to chris@rvnews.com.

RV News magazine ISSN 0193-2888 is a trademark and copyright of DRN Media Inc., 685 S. Arthur Ave., Unit 6, Louisville, Colorado 80027. www.rvnews.com 2022 DRN Media Inc. All printed rights are reserved.

RV News magazine is published monthly by DRN Media Inc. 685 S. Arthur Ave., Unit 6, Louisville, Colorado 80027 (720) 353-4003. ©

POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to DRN Media Inc. 685 S. Arthur Ave., Unit 6, Louisville, Colorado 80027. Any and all items submitted to RV News magazine become the sole property of DRN Media Inc. Submitted items and any and all content within RV News magazine or on its website cannot be reproduced, republished or reprinted unless written consent from the publisher is given. Advertisers and/or their agencies assume all liability jointly and severally for advertisements that appear in the printed and online editions of RV News magazine.

Editorial content, including columnists and opinion articles do not necessarily represent perspectives or opinions of RV News magazine, DRN Media Inc., or its staff, owners or principles.

ON THE COVER Rex & Sons RV is run by the Creech family: (L to R) son Travis, father Rex and son Jonathan.

4

RV News | January 2022

RV News is published by DRN Media Inc.

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Letter > FROM THE EDITOR

We are Not Yellow

M

y friends and I grew up in a suburban area just beginning to experience development.

As such, there were numerous empty lots and just started houses to explore when I was young. Adventure was a mere construction site away.

Exploring these areas at night after the construction workers had called it quits was exciting.

Being the nightly adventure’s point person, though, carried some hazards in our young minds.

To ensure the same person did not always bear the bulk of the risk, we drew straws to decide who would lead each night. We referred to the short straw winner as our “canary in the coal mine.”

Until the 1980s, canaries were used by the mining industry, specifically coal mines, because their feeble constitution made it so they would die long before a human being would suffer from the same unseen dangers. Our exploration point person was our “canary.”

Usually, nothing happened, but we were thoughtfully prepared either way. I bring this up because starting in early 2021, I felt a little like the RV industry’s canary.

RV News’ staff were one of the first ones in 2021 to hit the road and travel for business again.

Travel Observations

Like exploring those childhood construction sites, traveling to industry events was exciting. Would the unseen and unknown cause casualties? What would we see when we arrived? Last year began with an attitude of high adventure.

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RV News | January 2022

We traveled to Florida in January for the NTP-Stag show, Elkhart, Indiana for the Elkhart Extravaganza, Las Vegas to attend the RVDA Convention/Expo, followed by trips to the Keller Marine & RV and the Northern Wholesale Supply distribut ion shows… just to name a few.

As the year concluded, I am happy to report 2021 was no coal mine.

There were no cave-ins and no dead birds. Last year was a cherry topping five years of growth and success for the RV industry.

I believe our 2021 travels and what we experienced are indicative that 2022 will be more of the same and will likely be even better.

The RVDA convention focused heavily on marketing and sales education. With so many dealerships expecting a transition toward normal business, presenters placed a premium on reinforcing marketing and pre-pandemic sales tactics.

If RVDA is any indication, it is a strong sign 2022 will match or exceed 2021.

We saw similar signs at the recent distributors’ shows.

Representatives from Keller Marine & RV and Northern Wholesale Supply said the events were among the best in their histories. Keller said dealer/retail store attendance topped 300 people, with 120 vendors on hand. Northern Wholesale Supply said show attendance rose 20% over its last in-person event in 2019. The distributor reported show sales nearly doubling from the previous year, with 117 vendors/exhibitors on hand.

Chris Freeman

Signs to Follow

The distributors’ show numbers are notable because they are leading indicators of national business optimism. Soaring orders foretell business conditions for suppliers. Although retail store representatives were cautious to avoid getting caught with too little parts inventory, distributor representatives said attendees did not appear to be over-ordering.

Distributors and retailers expect continuing business growth in 2022. I agree with them.

Arrow Distributing and NTP-Stag’s events are just around the corner as I write this. We will see if elevated orders seen at the end of 2021 carry over to the beginning of 2022.

Confidence throughout the industry regarding 2022 is apparent. Throughout 2021, many speculated demand would ease by mid-2022. Restocking inventory would occur in the fall of 2022.

Instead, there is consensus around strong demand continuing into late 2022. Are you prepared?

If not, take another look at the healthy, happy canaries and get to work. We certainly are.

Th anks for reading,

Chris Freeman Chris Freeman Editor in Chief

rvnews.com

Trends > TRAVEL TRAILERS

Collin Spickler is the product manager for Forest River’s Wolf Pup brand. The brand is the 2021 top-selling travel trailer with a box 18 feet or under.

Travel Trailer Myth Debunked One aspect about lightweight travel trailers prevailed during the past two years.

Manufacturers say that the prevailing narrative may not be the correct one.

By RV News Staff | Photos by Stillson Studio

S

ince the pandemic began, stories littered media outlets about new buyers seeking smaller, lighter travel trailers. These new buyers allegedly drove spiking growth in an RV segment entry-level RVers typically occupy.

Retail registrations compiled by Statistical Surveys Inc. (SSI) reveal the expansion of the sector’s growth.

Overall travel trailer registrations from January through August 2021 grew 15.4% over the same period in 2020.

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RV News | January 2022

For travel trailers with a box 18 feet, or under, (SSI tracks RV lengths but not weights in registrations) registrations increased 39.4% over the same eight-month time frame in 2020, more than doubling the total travel trailer segment’s market growth.

Jonathan Gust, product manager for Keystone RV’s Hideout travel trailer brand, said new buyers played a significant role in the lightweight sector’s recent growth.

“When the new buyer came in to

look for something, they wanted something easy to tow and on a smaller budget because they didn’t know if the RV lifestyle is something they want yet,” he said. “That has driven opportunities for us in the single-axle world, and I think it is why we have seen growth.”

Yet new buyers alone do not account for the segment’s proliferation. SSI data indicates the largest manufacturer market share increases in the segment from 2017 to 2021 belonged rvnews.com

to newer manufacturers InTech RV and Sunset Park & RV. From 2019 to 2021, however, the largest category market share increases included older, larger manufacturing companies: Forest River, Keystone RV, Coachmen RV and KZ RV. Manufacturing representatives said the segment growth was underway long before the pandemic drove new buyers to the industry. The trend prompted manufacturers to respond by boosting allocated manufacturing capacity, which in turn pushed more lightweight travel trailers onto dealers’ lots. Additionally, manufacturers said a significant number of experienced RVers traded down to single-axle trailers—an almost unheard-of event—as the quality of single-axle builds improved and new features were added.

“We have seen such a shift in our thought process,” said Collin Spickler, Forest River product manager for the Wolf Pup brand, “because our buyers are not just people starting out.”

Travel Trailer Retail Registrations 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%

39.4%

15.4%

growth from 2020

growth from 2020

Travel trailers 18 foot and under

All travel trailers

Manufacturers ranked by Greatest Retail Growth in the Lightweight Travel Trailer Segment (2019-2021)

Following the Trend

According to SSI, 44 RV manufacturers built and sold 10 or more travel trailers 18 foot, or under, in 2017. Two years later, still pre-pandemic, the number increased to 55 companies, a 25% increase.

Through August 2021, 70 companies built and sold 10 or more travel trailers in the category. Retail registrations grew 40% over 2019 and 59% over 2017.

NuCamp, meanwhile, has built RVs in the segment for more than 15 years.

The teardrop manufacturer placed third in manufacturing 18-foot-andunder travel trailers, according to SSI. The company’s totals fall just ahead of InTech RV and Dutchmen RV. NuCamp’s Tab teardrop model is the second-leading brand through August 2021, placing ahead of Keystone RV’s Hideout and behind Forest River’s Cherokee Wolf Pup. Scott Hubble, NuCamp CEO, said the company’s reputation for building a quality product and providing top customer service resonated with consumers in 2021. NuCamp’s warranty claims came in slightly above 1% and are dropping, which he said is rvnews.com

1

2

3

4

Forest River

Keystone RV

Coachmen RV

KZ RV

Top 5 manufacturers of travel trailers 18-foot-and-under

1

2

3

4

5

Forest River

Keystone RV

NuCamp

InTech RV

Dutchmen RV

January 2022 | RV News

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Trends > TRAVEL TRAILERS a testament to the quality of the build.

Tab has been the RV manufacturer’s top seller since 2017.

In the past two years, Hubble said the company implemented two new strategies that altered its operations.

First, beginning in late 2019, NuCamp underwent an infrastructure overhaul. Hubble said the company had a solid foundation with talented, hard-working staff but saw “something was just not as good as it could be.”

Christian Ellis is a sales representative for the Forest River Wolf Pup line.

We were already working on evolving the product. The timing was right.”

– Jonathan Gust

Associate Lenny Svara Jr. installs an awning.

Associate Gerald Miller adds an exterior label during his final finish.

The executive team began targeting each department, focusing on operations and efficiencies to improve RV builds. Rather than hire outside consultants, the executive team conducted its own examination, re-identifying the vision/marketing strategy, the research and development processes, and the interface between prep and manufacturing lines. Executives evaluated whether electrical, plumbing and wood preparations should be done in buckets off the manufacturing line or as RVs came down the line.

“We looked at every core thing happening,” Hubble said. “It was like a slow burn. We had to get our act together at the top first before we involved the rest of the departments.”

Most growth since 2017

(L to R) Austin Heuchan and Brian Yoder apply exterior graphics to a Wolf Pup travel trailer.

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RV News | January 2022

1

2

InTech RV

Sunset Park and RV

rvnews.com

Trends > TRAVEL TRAILERS Changes included adopting new technology and using a recently replaced enterprise resource planning system (ERP). The transformation, Hubble said, increased efficiencies and discipline in the company’s process.

NuCamp also changed its sales efforts and restructured dealer relations. During the past 18 months, the company terminated a third of its dealer body. Today, the manufacturer has 60 dealers encompassing 100 locations around the country. Hubble said NuCamp now has the right dealers selling its teardrops.

NuCamp began manufacturing teardrops from a 3,000-square-foot plant in 2005. Today NuCamp builds teardrops in a 150,000-square-foot plant.

It is our desire to be a true partner with our dealers, and not just have someone we are doing business transactions with.”

– Scott Hubble

NuCamp’s Tab interior includes a split bed/seating area. The area converts into a queen size bed or a U-shaped dinette.

NuCamp opened its headquarters in Sugarcreek, Ohio, to take advantage of the skilled Amish labor force specializing in cabinetry.

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RV News | January 2022

“We want to be extremely intentional with who we do business with,” he said. “It is easy to say, ‘We prefer quality over quantity,’ but it actually is easy for me because it is true. It is our desire to be a true partner with our dealers, and not just have someone we are doing business transactions with.”

NuCamp’s primary market is the Pacific Northwest – with the greater Phoenix and Austin, Texas, areas also placing near the top. Hubble said expanding the dealer footprint would not necessarily result in additional sales.

“We are getting units in the hands of people that view our relationship as a greater element than the sale.

Th at ultimately helps improve our sales numbers,” he said. “I don’t believe we would sell 2,000 units through 200 dealers, but I do believe we could sell 2,500 through 60 dealers, if we have the right 60.”

NuCamp plans to add to its dealer body, Hubble said. Although the manufacturer cut ties with about 30 dealers rvnews.com

during the past two years, it also added two new dealers. Hubble said NuCamp is happy to grow its dealer base exclusively where it makes senseFinally, more than any other department, the company expanded its marketing division. NuCamp’s website receives an estimated 2 million visitors annually, and its social media presence includes about 150,000 followers on Facebook, 100,000 on Instagram and another 25,000 on Pinterest. The web and social media combination provide an extensive digital audience engaged with the brand.

“We do not leave marketing strictly up to dealers,” Hubble said. “We will market directly to these people and help make them educated buyers.”

The manufacturer also expanded its national physical presence. NuCamp hosts an annual rally at its headquarters in Sugarcreek, Ohio, but sponsored several other rallies around the country in 2021 to reinforce the company’s status with consumers,

rvnews.com

NuCamp’s Tab is the 2021 second-best selling travel trailer with a box 18 feet or under.

Hubble said. NuCamp intends to increase its rally presence in 2022.

“We are committed to delivering that five-star customer experience and the highest quality products,” Hubble said. “We are always looking to welcome more people into our community.”

Prepared

Wolf Pup launched in 2013, but Forest River’s heightened focus on single-axle travel trailers became apparent in 2017 when it built a dedicated facility in Elkhart, Indiana, to boost manufacturing.

January 2022 | RV News

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Trends > TRAVEL TRAILERS Before the company built the new facility, Wolf Pup was restrained by shared production space with other larger travel trailer models/brands.

Spickler said focusing solely on single-axle manufacturing made a major difference.

“The production emphasis is very different,” he said. “The workers would have to build different size cabinets, slide outs…everything really. A singleaxle trailer is not as complicated to make, because it does not have some of those items.”

Encompassing more than 100,000 square feet, the new facility enabled Forest River to bump up Wolf Pup manufacturing capacity years before the pandemic drove new buyers into the segment. Spickler said capacity has not increased since the pandemic began because run rates were already nearly at max.

“We have been humming along, about since we started,” he said. 2021 Wolf Pup trailers are also made in Oregon. Spickler said when the Oregon

InTech RV’s Flyer Pursue includes an RV queen bed and MaxxAir Vent Fan. facility began making Wolf Pup trailers, the West Coast workforce was excited about the brand’s growth potential.

Since then, the facility has grown, he said, largely due to plant managers’ overwhelming energy.

“Scott Lilly and his team out there are doing a phenomenal job,” he said.

The brand launched with a 16BHS

floorplan. The 7-foot-wide, 3,000pound single-axle trailer remains in the Wolf Pup line today, eight years after its introduction. Spickler said Wolf Pup designers tweaked other floorplans over time, but the 16BHS remained because the model has become a dealer’s lot staple.

“I think everyone does a variation of it,” he said of the floorplan, which features two bunk beds, a queen bed in front and a dinette table. “It is an absolutely phenomenal floorplan.

Flyer was the first InTech RV travel trailer built. The company launched the brand in 2017.

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RV News | January 2022

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Trends > TRAVEL TRAILERS

Keystone RV ’s Hideout travel trailers are 8 feet tall and 81 inches wide, both larger than many single-axle trailers.

(L to R) Keystone RV Product Manager Jonathan Gust and District Sales Manager Joe French.

Hideout interior upgrades include a microwave and bathroom sink.

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RV News | January 2022

It gives consumers with two kids the ability to sleep everybody, but it’s still light enough that you can pull it with basically anything. It has a nice kitchen, a separate bathroom, and no slide. So, it is great for people starting out or people downsizing.”

Consumers downsizing to a Wolf Pup was an unexpected development, Spickler said. In previous years, downsizing to RVs many view as an entrylevel product would never happen.

As Wolf Pup’s features improved and RVers’ diverse uses evolved, moving to a single-axle travel trailer resonated with some consumers.

Spickler cited various reasons behind the mindset change. First, he said, was space availability. Singleaxle trailers enable RVers to reach areas inaccessible by larger travel trailers. He cited the Bureau of Land Management areas his family travels to, where larger fifth wheels and travel trailers cannot be set up.

Another reason is the proliferation of pets RVers bring along. Spickler said on his last family trip, three out of every four campers brought their pets—dogs, cats, even birds.

Consumers without children can instead bring pets and access practically any camping area they desire with a smaller, amenity-rich trailer, he said.

“Everybody thinks a single axle is for the guy who is just starting out in RVs, and that is a lot of it,” he said.

“It also is people who are trying to right-size their RV for where they want to go. New buyers did help, don’t get me wrong, but guys in bigger units downsizing to a Wolf Pup was huge.”

Spickler said he expects Wolf Pup will remain in production with similarly sized travel trailers moving forward. He said the 16- to 18-foot size range is where he found the greatest success, calling the length his “sweet spot.”

He also highlighted a new potential consumer growth segment: electric vehicle owners.

“EV vehicles are coming. You are going to have to market trailers to consumers with tow vehicles like that,” he said. “Those EV vehicles might have rvnews.com

towability, but they will not have long range. They cannot take a 30-footer cross country. Now, that is going to be a new Wolf Pup-targeted market.”

Fast Growth

InTech RV built its first RV, the Flyer, in 2017 in a 46,000-square-foot facility, where the line is still built today. In 2017, InTech sold only 110 RVs, according to SSI. From January through August of 2021, the manufacturer sold 1,449 travel trailers, each 18 feet or less in length. The total represents a 1,217% growth rate, the largest in the category during the four-year timespan.

Keith Fishburn, InTech RV sales manager, said selling units was a slow buildup during the first year-and-ahalf, as InTech introduced itself to RV consumers. After 2018, however, InTech’s dealer network quickly expanded from 15 to about 100 dealerships across North America. Fishburn said the larger dealer body helped InTech move to the next level.

The manufacturer refined its Flyer line, an all-aluminum chassis and cage front carried over from motorsport trailers InTech had built since its founding. Soon after, the Luna teardrop launched, which pushed the company forward, Fishburn said.

“Luna got a whole lot of attention in another market,” he said. “We still stayed in the lightweight category, but it was more of a mainstream trailer, and RV dealers were interested in that product.”

Capacity grew over time to four lines. The current facility has peaked.

Orders are backlogged through December 2022.

Built Better

Keystone RV ranks second in total 18-foot-and-under market share through the first eight months of 2021. The manufacturer is second only to Forest River in category growth since 2019.

Keystone RV’s Hideout brand is the third-leading category seller in 2021 through August, according to SSI. Gust cited the manufacturer’s focus on making the Hideout brand as rvnews.com

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17

Trends > TRAVEL TRAILERS much like a tandem axle as possible for the results.

The differences began in the design.

Gust said many single-axle trailers are 7 to 7.5 -feet wide and 76 to 78 inches tall. Hideout RVs are 8 feet wide and 81 inches tall, providing a more comfortable, RV-familiar trailer space, he said.

Keystone designers added features while keeping the overall weight within single-axle expectations. Gust said the brand’s additional interior height added weight but not enough to hinder designers.

They added counter space and other creature comforts single-axle trailers rarely provide.

“We have a sink in the bathroom,” Gust said. “I know that sounds silly, but if you look at many single axles in the market, they have just one sink, and it is located in the kitchen.”

Adding microwaves became a differentiator. Hideouts also include solid exterior steps as standard equipment.

“It has become almost standard in the industry, but for single axles, is almost unheard of,” he said. “We thought it should be standard because it is such a valuable feature. You use it every day.”

Finally, Hideout’s new solar package features a 200-watt solar panel and inverter.

“Seeing a solar package on a very value-driven product…you did not see

Companies with at least 10 annual travel trailer sales measuring 18-foot-and-under 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

44

55

70

2017

2019

2021

solar on anything five years ago, other than an ultra-high-end RV,” Gust said.

Although smaller manufacturers focused entirely on the single-axle segment, Gust said, in the past, larger manufacturers often considered single-axle trailers an afterthought.

“For some of us in the larger-volume products, we just had to get the length and weight down,” he said, “because it was an entry-level, beginning product.”

Hideout is no longer considered in simply “entry-level” terms, he said.

Top 3 brands of travel trailers 18-foot-and-under

1

2

Forest River Tab by NuCamp Cherokee Wolf Pup 18

RV News | January 2022

3 Hideout

by Keystone RV

Designers moved pre-pandemic to add quality and features to make the vehicle like its tandem axle brethren.

“We were already working on evolving the product,” Gust said.

“The timing was right. Demand was growing, but it was not growing at the level it did when Covid hit.

“We are trying to make the singleaxle world much more comfortable, because people do not want to give up their Grand Cherokee or Tahoe,” he said.

“Why aren’t we making their single axle as close to a tandem axle as we can?”

Gust said the fewer required OE SKUs needed to create Hideouts made building them easier when parts availability became challenging. He said compared with a 32-foot bunkhouse requiring 800 SKUs, his single-axle model might need only half as many parts.

“So, I did not have to get as many parts or pieces to assemble them,” he said. “That gave us the ability to ramp up…and demand was so high.”

Gust agreed that experienced RVers were downsizing to single-axle vehicles.

“As we continue to evolve the singleaxle world, we see people coming down to single axles, because they are so convenient,” he said. “It was already evolving and Covid hit, and so many new buyers who were not in the RV industry came in. The timing worked really well for us.” rvnews.com

Feature > OE/AFTERMARKET SUPPLIER

Freedom Electrified

Mission Critical Electronics (MCE) expanded Xantrex’s product catalog before acquiring ZeroRPM to grow the brand’s electrification capacity. With an energy solutions Dream Team assembled, CEO Kevin Moschetti discusses how Xantrex is evolving and what MCE sees in the RV industry’s future.

By RV News Staff

W

hen a breakthrough innovation hits the market, one person’s genius is rarely the cause. Although history loves to tell stories detailing singular “Eureka!” moments, true evolution is a considerably slower burn. Intersections between multiple human endeavors create both teamwork and competition, catalyzing innovative thought.

The RV industry is no exception.

From motorhomes to travel trailers, iterative improvements required many minds spanning many decades.

Recently, such collective brainpower compounding in real time resulted in a new RV product.

Freedom eGen Max, which launched in April 2021, was a collaboration between Xantrex and idle mitigation expert ZeroRPM. The lithium-ionpowered system is a hybrid solution for off-grid RVing. By integrating with the RV’s engine and electrical system, Freedom eGen Max can automatically charge the battery while

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RV News | January 2022

simultaneously providing climate control through factory vents.

Eliminating a generator and idling engine without sacrificing ondemand power presents consumers with several immediate benefits, said Kevin Moschetti, CEO of Mission Critical Electronics (MCE), Xantrex’s and ZeroRPM’s parent company.

Benefits include reduced emissions, less fuel consumption and quieter operation.

We see ourselves as providers of clean energy solutions and an enabler of the electrification trend.”

– Kevin Moschetti

Moschetti said Freedom eGen Max’s wider implications are where the technology’s potential really shines.

Kevin Moschetti was named Mission Critical Electronics CEO in 2017. rvnews.com

rvnews.com

January 2022 | RV News

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Feature > OE/AFTERMARKET SUPPLIER

Mission Critical Electronics conducts an executive meeting in the company’s boardroom. Participants are (L to R): Dale Tompkins, president, vehicle power; Wolfgang Hombrecher, chief financial officer; Moschetti; Richard Gaudet, president, marine power (on TV); Justin Purkey, vice president of administration and integration; Mark Kroh, president, network and industrial power; and John Hoeft, vice president of operations.

In addition to improving in-cabin comfort, Moschetti said Freedom eGen Max enables RVers to disconnect from sometimes unreliable shore power and think beyond crowded campsites.

Armed with greater electrical autonomy, campers can confidently explore off-grid locations more sustainably, he said, highlighting a key word in the product’s name: Freedom.

“That is what drives it—the freedom it gives the RV owner or operator to do what they want to do, go where they want to go and have the comforts and conveniences which are really behind their purchase of an RV without being tethered to a plug,” Moschetti said.

As for OEMs, he said they see the product eliminating rooftop AC units. Building RVs without rooftop ACs would change and simplify the process, he said.

“Plus, it frees up real estate on the roof for more solar,” Moschetti said.

Though Freedom eGen Max opens the door, the product represents just one link in a much larger technological chain emerging from MCE’s growing brain trust. Since acquiring Xantrex, the company hired new talent, updated facilities in both Elkhart and Vancouver, British Columbia, and thus expanded its solar and inverter offerings.

ZeroRPM’s addition enabled MCE to manufacture lithium batteries on American soil. More important, Moschetti said, the acquisition brought key expertise in-house regarding battery management and integrated systems.

“In the first half of 2021, 20% of our business across the MCE portfolio came from products launched in the past three years,” he said. “Twenty percent is a really high (Product Vitality Index) number in our kind of manufacturing world, and so we take a lot of pride in that—how we are continuously developing new products and investing in our capabilities.”

Problem-Solving Opportunities

(L to R) Hoeft and Moschetti discuss testing plans.

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RV News | January 2022

Moschetti said MCE’s accelerated product development is largely due to the world’s rapidly evolving rvnews.com

power needs. Consumers continually add more electronic devices to their arsenals. Vehicles are constantly gaining more sensitive, power-hungry instruments.

Additionally, he cited two major macro trends impacting the marketplace: changing consumer demographics driving increasing energy demand and the electrification trend gaining speed and muscle.

Moschetti referred to the recent California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Small Off-Road Engine regulation as evidence. The ruling includes an amendment designed to phase out newly manufactured gas and LP-powered RV generators by 2028 in California.

Headquartered in Huntington Beach, California, MCE manufactures and supplies electronic power products across several brands. The company focuses on what it deems “critical system applications” in three markets: specialty vehicle, marine power and network/industrial power.

Concentrating on power generation, storage, conversion and connectivity, MCE manufactures power converters, battery chargers, inverters, distribution panels, circuit controls and installation accessories.

Despite the company’s inverter offerings for stationary applications, Moschetti said MCE’s mobile solutions represented a product portfolio gap.

The December 2018 Xantrex acquisition filled that need and marked MCE’s RV industry entrance.

“Schneider Electric, who used to own the Xantrex brand, was looking to divest,” Moschetti said. “We were very interested in the company—the people, the capability and the markets they were in. It was just a really great fit for us.”

Founded in 1983, Vancouver-based Xantrex boasts a long-standing history in the RV industry. The company’s Freedom 458, which launched nearly 30 years ago, was the industry’s first microprocessor-controlled inverter/ charger combination unit. As a flagship product, the 458 spawned many iterations, including the new Freedom eGen Max. rvnews.com

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Feature > OE/AFTERMARKET SUPPLIER Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

(R to L) Moschetti often walks through the company’s California plant to oversee manufacturing, here noting the wiring connections assembled by Khoa Nguyen, electro-mechanical assembler.

Moschetti talks with Anthony Lopeman, production and quality control manager, about manufacturing at Mission Critical Electronics’ plant in Costa Mesa, California.

(L to R) Bobby Long, manufacturing engineer; Donnie Nichols, documentation specialist; and Riley Moore, product engineer; inspect an Xantrex Freedom Air systems air conditioner.

24

RV News | January 2022

Moschetti said MCE invested in Xantrex after the acquisition because the parent company is genuinely interested in growing the brand in the mobile market. To support the company, MCE integrated Xantrex into its Vehicle Power Division, led

by President Dale Tompkins, who works with John Kalbfleisch, Xantrex VP of operations/general manager.

According to Mitul Chandrani, Xantrex director of marketing, growth under MCE has been swift, and considerable. He said inverter and inverter/charger sales nearly doubled in 2021. “(They) are outpacing the growth of the RV market, in terms of the number of units built, by 100%, which is an outstanding achievement,” he said.

Additionally, Xantrex’s 6,600-square-foot Elkhart, Indiana, warehouse added 196 pallet positions in December, expanding racking space by 40%. The facility’s staff increased by 40% in 2021. Aaron Sprunger, a sales application engineer focused on RV OEMs, joined the team in August. The company also added Vicki Simmons, OEM sales manager, to work under Senior RV OEM Sales Manager Bob Tooker. Brandon Mantz joined the team as an RV aftermarket sales manager leading RV distribution and the dealer network.

Moschetti said everything begins with the applications engineering, project management and sales teams, as they are the closest to the customer. When MCE conceives growth, the company starts with the voice of the customer, either the OEMs or the end-users buying RVs. “We want to stay close to them, to learn what problems they are having and develop solutions to address those needs,” he said. “Th is is a really important market to us…and we are excited to be here.”

Moving forward, MCE plans to grow its talent pool and product investments. The company is expanding RV solar options and recently rvnews.com

moved its Vancouver-based operations to a new facility. Chandrani said the new location is about 25% larger and boasts more modern amenities.

Moving Forward Together

Moschetti said Freedom eGen Max is a key component to sustaining MCE’s recent momentum because he believes the system is a “clear solution” in the clean energy space. He sees the technology as critical to the RV industry.

“All the auxiliary equipment that goes onboard a specialty vehicle— whether it is a fi retruck, RV or utility work truck—those needs are so complex and diverse. It will be difficult for the chassis manufacturers to come up with universal solutions, so electrification will be slower,” Moschetti explained. “Th at is why solutions like eGen and eGen Max are really valuable.”

Freedom eGen and Freedom eGen Max replace traditional gas and

rvnews.com

propane generators with a lithiumbased battery solution. Moschetti said the systems not only offer a cleaner and greener power alternative, but they also ensure heavier loads can run longer. Power replenishment can come from multiple charging sources, including solar, grid power when available and a high-amp, dedicated alternator when the motorhome is running.

The company considers Freedom eGen Max to be an “advanced and enhanced” version of Freedom eGen, as it further extends capability by interfacing with both the engine (to eliminate idling) and the air conditioning system (to provide automatic climate control).

“There is nothing with this level of integration on the market,” Moschetti said.

The cornerstone to Freedom eGen Max is ZeroRPM’s idle mitigation technology. Once a vehicle is in park, ZeroRPM’s system automatically shuts down the engine and provides

Brett Foust, lead production technician, prepares to conduct a charge/discharge test on a lithium-ion powered air conditioner used in ZeroRPM and Xantrex’s eGen Max system.

January 2022 | RV News

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Feature > OE/AFTERMARKET SUPPLIER

Moschetti led acquisitions of Xantrex in 2018 and ZeroRPM in 2021.

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RV News | January 2022

continuous power to onboard electronics and HVAC equipment. When a vehicle is supporting extended stationary use, the system turns the engine on and off to recharge the batteries as needed.

Before MCE’s July 2021 acquisition, ZeroRPM’s strength was in the work truck, government and emergency vehicle markets. Moschetti respected the company’s work and its anti-idling technology. When he met ZeroRPM’s founder, Lance Self, and the two became friendly, networking gave way to partnership.

Th rough a technical and distribution agreement, MCE offered ZeroRPM’s patented products to its market.

Shortly thereafter, Moschetti and Self decided to bring ZeroRPM into the MCE family.

The acquisition strengthens MCE’s presence in the vehicle electrification space by providing new production capabilities and technical know-how, Moschetti noted. With ZeroRPM on board, MCE’s growing lithium battery business can better control its inventory by manufacturing its own batteries. The company can also tap into ZeroRPM’s extensive knowledge of battery management and integrating systems.

Combined with Xantrex’s RV market expertise, Moschetti said “the brainpower is impressive.”

He cites how a recent effort between ZeroRPM and Xantrex led to a new lithium battery range, which Moschetti calls an “unmatched” market-leading solution. The Xantrex Lithium Ion Iron Phosphate battery is designed to withstand harsh operating environments, like those found in mobile and marine applications.

According to the company, the battery lasts up to 6,000 cycles compared with traditional lead-acid or AGM batteries, which typically last 400–500 cycles.

Users can view real-time operation data via an optional remote panel or through the Xantrex mobile app. UL certification is currently in process, and RV-C capability is being finalized.

More important, Moschetti said, MCE packages these new batteries to stack atop one another in any rvnews.com

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Feature > OE/AFTERMARKET SUPPLIER

Rita Schiehl, lead production technician, uses a torque wrench to secure bolts onto the electronics tray used inside Xantrex’s lithium-ion batteries. direction while remaining safe and functional. Since RV storage space comes at a premium, parallel stacking options ensure a more flexible OEM installation, he noted.

Thinking Ahead

The collaborative spirit is also helping to turn Freedom eGen into “a family of products with a range of capabilities,” Moschetti said.

Freedom Air, a lithium-based air conditioning system designed to improve cabin cooling, was recently introduced to the aftermarket.

Long refrigerant pathways, like those found on diesel pushers, rely on a rear engine-mounted compressor. Cooling the cab “from 40 feet away” is inefficient and often results in diminished output, according to the company. Freedom Air installs next to forward vents, decreasing pressure loss. Additionally, the system offers an engine-off AC option by powering the factory air system via an auxiliary power supply. Consumers can use this option to save fuel, supplement factory air conditioning or simply provide cooling relief if the rooftop AC unit fails.

MCE is focusing R&D on connected solutions. Moschetti said users want the ability to check battery status or solar output from a phone app. Xantrex Gateway (PN 808-0888), set to debut in 2022, will provide that capability.

The subsystem solution serves as a central hub, he explained, where all electrical system components connect 28

RV News | January 2022

and “talk” to one another. Xantrex Gateway can interface over RV-C or Wi-Fi and connect with a smartphone application so users can view, monitor and configure products within the Xantrex ecosystem. In addition to end-user gratification, Moschetti said the subsystem also better serves RV OEMs who need simple, all-in-one integrated solutions.

I’m really excited about the future of (lithium) technology, for users to have that level of battery power available. It creates a lifestyle opportunity they didn’t have before.”

– Kevin Moschetti

Looking forward, Moschetti said MCE plans to keep pulling this thread – integrating products and technology with a vehicle’s key systems; integrating complete solutions with OEMs’ manufacturing and distribution processes; and integrating different schools of thought to create revolutionary solutions.

“I think that’s one of the things that really differentiates us in the marketplace,” Moschetti said. “We’re not

trying to be a cut-rate, low-cost feature provider. We’re the company that wants market-leading capability and features and market-leading quality, reliability and responsiveness in terms of delivery.”

He said connected capabilities will remain top of mind but evolving the company’s solar/solar charge controller offerings is on the agenda.

“Another real critical part of the future is 48-volt power,” he said. “As power needs go up, 48-volt solutions are far more efficient for meeting those high-power needs.”

MCE currently offers 48-volt batteries and inverters, including Freedom EX 4000, a 4-kilowatt inverter/ charger/converter launched last year.

Rather than discussing the impact MCE will have on the industry five years from now, Moschetti said he will focus on the working partnerships MCE creates.

“I like to think of the MCE family as an extension of our OEM partners’ operations, whether that is in our engineering team helping to solve their problems, our production capabilities helping serve their operations or our own product management and sales team operations bringing voiceof-customer information back home.

That’s how we see ourselves: being more tightly integrated with our OEM and distribution partners, and more closely connected with the RV owners and operators to make sure their needs are met.” rvnews.com

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Trend > SUPPLY CHAIN COSTS

The Cost of Business Industry experts say systemic supply chain problems are costing companies millions of dollars.

By RV News Staff | Photos by Stillson Studio

W

est Coast ports repeatedly made headlines in Q3 as the federal government struggled to unsnag supply-chain issues hampering U.S. manufacturing.

At one point, California’s Los Angeles and Long Beach ports had 150 container ships sitting in the Pacific Ocean waiting for their cargo to unload.

“There are 140 ships backed up, and on each ship is a minimum of 19,000 containers,” Way Interglobal CEO Wayne Kaylor said. “It is affecting all industries.”

Because the overwhelmed West Coast ports drew national attention, port backlogs have recently eased. In early December, the estimate of ships waiting offshore to unload was 40.

Delivery delay causes include an unexpected surge in consumer demand, diminished offshore manufacturing capacity following spring 2020 shutdowns, Covid-related worker shortages, and more.

Kaylor has 35 years of experience managing offshore shipping and

30

RV News | January 2022

delivery. He said the delivery process pre-2020 was predictably consistent.

Receiving product via ship departing an Asian port took about 30 days—18 days on the nautical trip and another seven to 10 days by rail to Elkhart.

Starting in mid-2020, delivery times tripled to 90 days or more.

In fall 2021, Kaylor estimated his company was waiting on the delivery of 350 containers. As a result, Kaylor said he started routing containers to new U.S. ports outside the congested southern California region and worked to move containers by rail to new locations outside Chicago. Way Interglobal then pays to truck containers from the Midwest rail yards to Elkhart.

“The rail yard in Chicago is backed up with shipping containers,” he said.

“They have had one of ours since May. We got it two weeks ago.”

Like Way Interglobal, Patrick Industries also manufactures products overseas and ships them to Elkhart.

Scott Warren, Patrick Industries’

rvnews.com

rvnews.com

January 2022 | RV News

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Trend > SUPPLY CHAIN COSTS

Mike Custer, Way Interglobal vice president of operations, has empty trucks waiting to ship products to customers from its Elkhart, Indiana, warehouse.

32

RV News | January 2022

rvnews.com

director of quality, said shipping alternatives may not ensure fast delivery. He said he has seen agreements between suppliers and trucking companies fall apart unexpectedly.

“Even if you have trucking lined up, even if you have everything set up, we are getting trucking companies coming back to us, even though we had a commitment with them, and they will say, ‘no, somebody gave us a higher bid,’” Warren said. “That is it. They will just go pull another load and not pull ours.”

The rail yard in Chicago is backed up with shipping containers. They have had one of ours since May. We got it two weeks ago.”

Way Interglobal associate Dustti Oswalt manages shipping orders.

– Wayne Kaylor

Time Is Money

The cost to transport materials and products soared as backlogs grew.

The Drewry Supply World Container Index as of Dec. 9 found spot container rates from Shanghai to Los Angeles averaging $10,138, a 148% increase over prices in December 2020.

“We have gone from shipping rates of about $4,000 to $25,000 or more,” Kaylor said, “and the service got worse as the prices skyrocketed.”

As containers stalled in California ports or Chicago railways, Way Interglobal incurred storage charges as supplies sat idle.

“From January through August, we have paid probably $3 million in storage charges,” he said. “There was a big chunk again in September, and we do not even know about October yet.”

Warren said costs compound with each section of the delivery route, increasing expenses. After all costs are tallied, he said suppliers face difficult cost-benefit decisions.

“The issue becomes a rail issue. Then the issue becomes a trucking issue— the last 100 miles of shipping to the final destination. Prices there have rvnews.com

Way Interglobal shipping coordinator Julie Cast schedules a delivery.

Way Interglobal forklift operator Loren Curtis II loads ovens on a truck to ship.

January 2022 | RV News

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Trend > SUPPLY CHAIN COSTS

Way Interglobal’s warehouse and shipping leadership team is comprised of (L to R) Mathew Herbes, plant manager; Chris Hoffman, operations manager; Custer and Mike Evans, plant manager. also doubled and tripled,” he said.

“So, it is not just shipping containers.

The whole supply chain has doubled or tripled in most cases, to the point where the product coming in is not worth what you paid for the shipping.”

Kaylor said containers’ costs dropped late in the year but remained five to six times pre-2020 prices.

While many OE suppliers and manufacturers absorbed price increases to avoid passing along commensurate increases to consumers, Warren said, the strategy could only last so long.

“We are all absorbing those costs as much as we can, but we are also passing it on,” he said. “At the end of the day, it is going to get to the consumer. That is going to slow the industry down. There is going to come a point in time where inflation will catch up with us. There are costs we can only do so much with.”

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RV News | January 2022

Product Deliveries Back Up

Transportation delays are affecting product categories across the board, Warren said. Steel, aluminum, fabric, furniture are all impacted.

You are ordering items for next September that you are hoping are going to be what people want at that point in time.”

– Scott Warren

“I think everybody understands we are all in this together, and we are all feeling the same pinch,” he said. “Some of our lead times have gone from 12 weeks to 36 weeks.”

Warren said model-year changes will occur in fewer than 36 weeks, causing significant turmoil in suppliers’ ordering and manufacturing plans.

“You are ordering items for next September that you are hoping are going to be what people want at that point in time,” he said. “It makes us a little more stringent on decisionmaking and what kind of inventory we need to carry.”

Kaylor said both suppliers and OEMs reported uncertain manufacturing timelines because of murky delivery dates. Delivery bottlenecks are causing “massive infrastructure problems” for the RV industry, he said.

OEMs built as much of an RV as possible with available materials in 2020 but then waited to finish the vehicle until they could procure missing parts. Last year manufacturers parked 100s to 1,000s of partially completed RVs on grass lots until they could be rvnews.com

Trend > SUPPLY CHAIN COSTS finished. The practice continued in late 2021, according to Warren.

“OEMs are building units that are waiting on parts. They are putting them in the yard. They wait for the part to come in, so then they have to shut production down to go back out and catch those items up,” he said. “It doesn’t do them any good having them sit on a lot here in Elkhart.”

Pleas for Help

Herbes oversees shipping operations at one of Way Interglobal’s two plants.

Average delivery times to warehouses managed by Hoffman tripled in 2021.

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RV News | January 2022

To advocate for supply-chain problem relief, the industry turned to RVIA’s governmental affairs team. When delivery issues reached a crucial status in 2021, RVIA’s advocacy team went to work.

Samantha Rocci, RVIA senior manager of government affairs, undertook trade issues in 2018. She said although some RVIA members were very responsive regarding trade issues, the association lacked an effective way to quickly reach a cross-section of membership to gain information and feedback.

Early in 2020, she started conversations on forming an RV trade advisory panel (RVTAP). An RVIA member mentioned another association’s highly successful trade group. The group was created in part by RVIA consultant and lobbyist Dan Neumann, vice president, government affairs Sorini, Samet & Associates LLC. The advisory panel’s goal, Rocci said, would be to foster two-way communication, ensuring members most interested in trade policy would be provided details about ongoing advocacy work. In addition, members would provide up-to-date information on international trade-related issues affecting their businesses.

The pandemic delayed the panel’s launch until January 2021. Rocci formed RVTAP at RVIA’s January Public and Legislative Affairs Committee meeting. Warren became the panel’s chair. Key members were then assembled. Warren testified before the International Trade Commission and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) about RVIA’s lobbying on the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). rvnews.com

“From there we put out a call to the industry looking for their trade people,” she said. “We had 30 or 40 responses, which we then whittled down to around 19, which represent a cross-section of our industry.”

RVTAP members conduct a monthly call, offering details on each company’s ongoing trade experiences. Rocci, Neumann and the advocacy team use the panel’s observations to advocate for change, help and relief.

“The experience is absolutely incredible on those calls,” Rocci said. “The trade experience is vast.”

Details, Details, Details

“We had members saying, ‘We have been talking about GSP forever, and it is a real priority, but we can’t get stuff off the dock. That is our big problem right now,’” Neumann said.

“What has been really great about RVTAP is it allowed us to get some clarity about issues most important to members, almost in real time.”

When you can come in with data— not just, ‘Containers are expensive,’ but instead, ‘We are seeing containers at $40,000, $50,000, $60,000’—their eyes light up.”

– Samantha Rocci

Warren said RVTAP members have made substantial progress on issues since the initial spring meeting. Before RVTAP’s creation, RVIA members felt uncomfortable discussing trade issues involving their company in a group setting.

“In the beginning, we did not have a lot of interaction,” Warren said. “In the last couple of meetings, it has grown leaps and bounds…getting information, having good communication.

Building that trust in the group has made a significant difference.” rvnews.com

(L to R) Samantha Rocci, RVIA senior manager of governmental affairs, and Dan Neumann, Sorini, Samet & Associates LLC vice president of government affairs, and RVIA consultant and lobbyist.

Avenues to Ease the Liquidity Crunch R

VIA’s governmental affairs team is working to provide RV industry companies liquidity as they deal with soaring supply-chain costs and delivery delays.

Among those efforts is work to renew the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program. GSP eliminates trade duties on thousands of products. The program’s goal, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), is to provide opportunities for the world’s poorest countries to use trade to grow their economies.

Because GSP governs tariffs on lauan wood imported from Indonesia, the program is important to the RV industry. Tariffs on lauan started in 2015, but in 2019, USTR granted a duty-free Indonesian-imported lauan waiver.

GSP expired at the end of 2020, revoking the lauan tariff exemption.

Currently, lauan tariffs cost the RV industry an estimated $1 million per month.

“Even if we can’t unkink the supply chain, where can we get some liquidity going,” said Samantha Rocci, RVIA senior manager of governmental affairs, “that is where we look at getting programs like the Generalized System of Preferences reinstated.”

Dan Neumann, Sorini, Samet & Associates LLC vice president of government affairs (an RVIA consultant and lobbyist), said GSP is not as flashy an issue as port congestion, but the liquidity drain GSP causes could easily be fixed.

“We have been delivering a really forceful message that this is a priority for the RV sector,” he said. “When you are adding a tariff, you do not need to be paying on top of all the other logistical nightmares you are dealing with, it does not matter where the savings emerge. Liquidity is liquidity in 2021. Every dollar saved counts.”

Another potential liquidity boost could come from tariff exemptions levied on Chinese products under Section 301. Section 301 China tariff exclusions expired at the end of 2020. In October, USTR extended 549 exclusions. It also created a process to determine more than 1,500 others.

“We are trying to get another Section 301 exclusion process going again, which would involve some savings,” Rocci said. “We are trying to find those dollars wherever we can.”

January 2022 | RV News

37

Trend > SUPPLY CHAIN COSTS

Neumann and Rocci meet with Stephen Simonetti, a senior policy advisor to Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) on Capitol Hill.

Rocci said government officials hearing the stories of RVTAP members and gaining access to live figures perked ears among their Washington contacts.

“When you can come in with data— not just, ‘Containers are expensive,’ but instead, ‘We are seeing containers at $40,000, $50,000, $60,000’—their eyes light up,” she said of Capitol Hill staff. “Because that is something they can pass along. We are getting updates on those numbers increasing—supply issues continuing to pile up, not only in the ports but also rail and freight.”

“Everybody in Washington having a meeting on supply chain or freight this year is talking about freight prices and port congestion at a very high level,” Neumann said. “Every industry says, ‘It is a huge issue for us.’ We have been able to go to individual members of Congress and say, ‘This is what companies you know were paying this week for shipping to your district.’”

Neumann said the actual numbers and dollar figures in representatives’ states/districts have been incredibly helpful for congressional members.

“The fact folks in Scott’s district are now paying $40,000 for a container on the spot market vs. $2,500 pre-Covid… you can take that to senators and 38

RV News | January 2022

representatives,” he said. “Suddenly, legislation looking at port congestion becomes a lot more powerful to those offices.”

Every industry says, ‘It is a huge issue for us.’ We have been able to go to individual members of Congress and say, ‘This is what companies you know were paying this week for shipping to your district.’”

– Dan Neumann

In September, RVIA set up the monthly RVTAP call with a Commerce Department official participating. The Commerce representative spoke for about five minutes, Rocci said, before diving into a 25-minute question-andanswer session with RVTAP members.

Neumann said RVTAP’s members told the official about systemic issues

needing resolution outside the California ports congestion issue.

“From containers in Asia to a truck pulling up at Patrick Industries, we have problems every step of the way,” he said. “Sometimes ‘A’ is causing ‘B,’ but sometimes ‘B’ is independent of ‘A’.”

RVIA’s work pushing members’ stories up to Capitol Hill opened legislators’ eyes to rail and trucking domestic problems, as most attention focused on shipping from China.

“A lot of voices in Congress were not even looking at the domestic angles before we started raising it,” Neumann said. “Our hope is we will be able to get some focus on that.”

In the future, RVTAP will work on concerns other than shipping and delivery backlogs, participants said. Trade issues such as GSP’s renewal, Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum from the European Union, and exemptions from various China Section 301 tariffs are on the docket.

Warren said he expects the industry to gain prominence advocating for trade issues because of RVTAP. “We feel like we have a voice,” he said. “They are going to hear more from us. I wish we would’ve been able to start in 2020. We would have been much further along.” rvnews.com

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Feature > DEALER PROFILE (L to R) Travis Creech, operations manager; Rex Creech, owner and president; and Jonathan Creech, general manager, lead the executive team at Rex & Sons RV.

40

RV News | January 2022

rvnews.com

Coastal Common Sense Rex & Sons RV put their 1.25-acre RV dealership on pace to gross $10 million in annual sales this year by mastering inventory management. Encouraged by the dealership’s growth, owners began plans to open a new facility in 2022.

By RV News Staff | Photos by Michael Cline Photography

A

s for most businesses, the past 18 months were anything but ordinary at Rex & Sons RV. While RV shortages sent shock waves through dealerships, Rex & Sons RV tapped the used market to bolster inventory, General Manager Jonathan Creech said.

“We bought a lot of units off the street and had the sales guys out looking for inventory, the No. 1 and No. 2 sellers in our database,” Creech said. He estimates the dealership purchased about 80 used units in the first nine months of 2021.

“For 23 years, I never bought anything off the street, not one thing,” he said. “We would save what

rvnews.com

little bit of capital we had for tradeouts, but this year, I was paying a bit more than wholesale, and if there was room to the top, I would buy (a used RV), give it what it needs and market it.”

Creech described the most popular used floorplans he sought were “familyfriendly units,” such as Coachmen’s Catalina Legacy Edition 293QBCK bunkhouse model. Single slide out RVs were a focus.

To narrow the team’s efforts, the dealership used its Topline Software Solutions’ dealer management system by aftermarket distributor NTP-Stag.

Initially developing the DMS for the automotive industry, Topline claims the product is a “dealer-friendly, intuitive interface for RV dealerships.”

Rex & Sons RV has used the platform to manage the company’s internal operations since the late 1990s. The system contained a wealth of consumer

January 2022 | RV News

41

Feature > DEALER PROFILE data that the dealership leveraged to target used vehicle repurchases. Creech said the software is a perfect fit for Rex & Sons based on the dealership’s budget and lot size.

Currently, Rex & Sons RV operates on a small 1.25-acre lot with 1.5 service bays and an 8,000-square-foot facility located near a busy state highway, situated just a few minutes from the Wilmington, North Carolina, Atlantic Coast. The modestly sized dealership’s growth mirrors the American colonial spirit of the town it calls home.

(L to R) Travis Creech and Jonathan Creech review blueprints for the dealership’s new facility.

Conditions are great, and it is a good time to keep that momentum and synergy going, with the RV industry being as popular as it is.”

– Travis Creech

Rex & Sons RV did more than survive an unusual year—it thrived.

The dealership’s typical $8 million annual gross sales climbed to $8.8 million through Q3 2021, putting the business on a $10 million annual pace.

The increased revenue cleared a path to a much-desired expansion.

“Conditions are great, and it is a good time to keep that momentum and synergy going, with the RV industry being as popular as it is,” said Travis Creech, operations manager and Jonathan Creech’s brother.

Finding New Solutions

Salesman Paul Erdman also works as the inventory manager at Rex & Sons RV. 42

RV News | January 2022

Pre-pandemic, the Creech brothers ensured continual inventory turnover by reclassifying what defines aged inventory. Many dealerships mark a unit as aged after 90 or 100 days. Rex & Sons RV used a similar practice, Jonathan Creech said, but over time realized clearing used inventory earlier was more profitable.

The dealership switched to a 60-day aged inventory time frame. At 61 days, management would explore price rvnews.com

Dave Bracey, parts manager, conducts inventories part quantities in Rex & Sons RV’s retail store.

Service tech Ryan Adamczyk begins a water heater repair.

Brown washes down an RV before delivery. rvnews.com

Detail specialist Sammy Brown.

(L to R) Bracey and Emily Tilghman, warranty administrator/customer service representative.

Salesman Brett Mabry speaks with a customer on the phone about their new RV purchase.

January 2022 | RV News

43

Feature > DEALER PROFILE

Service tech Alex Horne conducts a pre-delivery inspection.

Rex & Sons RV won its first Flying W award from Winnebago in 2021.

Tilghman is one of two of the customer service representatives at the dealership.

Adamczyk diagnoses a faulty air conditioner.

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RV News | January 2022

Brown prepares an RV for consumer pickup.

(L to R) Travis Creech helps a customer shopping for essential RV accessories. rvnews.com

adjustments, a widened target sales demographic or special marketing to sell the vehicles.

Because of the main property’s small size, Rex & Sons RV stores excess units off-site.

“We have a couple of overflow lots we rent when we cannot house what we have coming in. I have not had anything at any of those lots,” Jonathan Creech said. “March will be two years, and we still pay rent there just in case.”

Fewer units in stock eliminated past aged inventory capitalization, delivering another blow to the Creech’s former business model. Shifting gears, the brothers focused on bolstering the dealership’s relationships with manufacturers and local customers to keep vehicles moving off the lot.

As for most dealerships, connecting with longtime and new customers is central to Rex & Sons RV’s business operations. The Creech brothers found building value into their available vehicles and services had more importance as the industry recalibrated.

Rex & Sons RV focuses on matching customers with the right trailer rather than making a sale based on current inventory, Jonathan Creech said. The Creechs said doing so was trickier in the present tight market, but they are confident building customer trust now will pay off when shoppers are ready to upgrade or sell.

“We have been in it long enough now, where we have sold units to the kids of the parents we sold to in previous years,” Jonathan Creech said. “Back when I was 17 and Travis was 20, some of the customers we sold to now have their own children. We are still front of mind after all those years, since we are a small community.”

In the current inventory climate, Travis Creech said communicating with partners has been crucial to finding solutions to weather 2021.

“Manufacturers know what they are able to build and what they cannot,” he said. “I advise others to communicate with manufacturers to determine each’s top five products and whichever division those units are from.”

“We took on Winnebago towables, but we have not had our first piece of rvnews.com

inventory yet and probably will not get it until February of next year,” Jonathan Creech said. “But we ordered some good, quality products that will later be great trades three to five years out.”

Rex & Sons RV also successfully navigated September’s Elkhart Extravaganza cancellation.

“We still rented a car and made our rounds. We visited everyone we do business with back in September,” Creech said. “We already had our plane ticket and a rental car before the show got canceled, so we just kept going.”

I advise others to communicate with manufacturers to determine each’s top five products and whichever division those units are from.”

– Travis Creech

During the visit, the dealership partnered with Shipshewana, Indiana-based Sunset Park RV Manufacturing, adding the manufacturer’s Sun-Lite travel trailers to Rex & Sons RV’s inventory.

Always Growing

Successful inventory management was not the only recent bright spot.

The company also bought a 7-acre lot about 11 miles north of its current Wilmington location. If all goes according to plan, Rex & Sons RV will open the new location in October 2022—the business’s 25th anniversary.

Johnathan Creech said the company will close on the property in February.

He noted they have long awaited the expansion, as the brothers spent nearly four years seeking the perfect site.

“We repositioned ourselves so when the time came, we would be able to act on it,” Jonathan Creech said. “It just took a while.”

He said because the new lot’s previous owner already obtained essential permits, preparing the site progressed

faster than usual. Water and sewer permits were in hand, so the location needed only minor modifications to fit the Creech’s planned use. The new facility will include a 20,000-square-foot building with an eight-bay service shop.

“We are turning down more service than we take in,” said Travis Creech, noting the existing service bays function like a pit stop because of the limited space.

With the additional real estate, Jonathan Creech said Rex & Sons RV will take on heavier-duty repair jobs. The new service area will include heating/air conditioning. Both brothers said they hope such amenities will make the workspace more attractive to potential service techs.

Adding more capacity and technicians, Travis Creech said, will reduce Repair Event Cycle Time. Jonathan Creech estimates the new property will double sales during the first year.

The brothers have yet to decide whether to keep both locations running.

“We have had multiple locations before,” Travis Creech said. “For about four years, we had another location up in Raleigh, North Carolina. Right now, we are just excited about the new campers for the new headquarters.”

Although the Wilmington location attracts substantial consumer attention, the Creech brothers said heavy traffic from nearby roadways makes moving bigger trailers and motorhomes around the small lot and adjoining streets challenging.

The brothers said the new location is farther inland with more space to rearrange units. The bigger lot is also closer to Interstate 40, a major eastwest highway. Travis Creech said being situated near the interstate simplifies local access and makes for a convenient stop for cross-country travelers.

Education All Around

Improving the service area’s efficiency has always been a constant challenge, Travis Creech said. To address the issue, the dealership used education. Rex & Sons RV was one of 86 businesses to win Winnebago’s 2021 Flying W Award for motorhome service excellence.

January 2022 | RV News

45

Feature > DEALER PROFILE

(L to R) Travis, Rex and Jonathan Creech manage an 8,000-square-foot facility on 1.25 acres today. They will build a 20,000-square-foot facility on 11 acres in 2022.

Jonathan Creech credits the recognition to ongoing technician training.

“When dealing with our partners like Winnebago, Forest River, inTech RV or Lippert, we participate in as much training as possible, whether that is virtual learning or on location,” he said.

“As a service tech, you must educate yourself as much as possible—not just about the RV but also aftermarket parts and accessories, so you are aware of the latest upcoming technology and what is happening at the manufacturers’ level.”

Jonathan Creech said getting service techs up to speed on continually changing technology has been a pain point for many dealerships.

Service technicians are extremely busy juggling current workloads, making time for education difficult.

With the new location and additional staff, Jonathan Creech said he hopes they can do more RV manufacturer and supplier visits as well as more online training.

At Rex & Sons RV, all service techs receive certification training through the RV Technical Institute. The Creechs 46

RV News | January 2022

said the educational investment keeps the department informed of advancing technologies. Travis Creech serves as the North Carolina RVDA president and an at-large RVDA delegate. He said the company’s Route 66 network affiliation is also central to the staff ’s training.

Employees regularly attend the buying group’s sales and service webinars.

When dealing with our partners … we participate in as much training as possible, whether that is virtual learning or on location.”

– Travis Creech

The Creech brothers put great stock in passing along training information to consumers. Travis Creech said his dealership starts every customer conversation based on consumers’

desires, rather than what the dealership prefers to sell. Discussions cover basic information such as how experienced customers are with RVs, how often they intend to use the unit and where they plan to camp. The conversation continues during the PDI with an RVIA/RVDA-certified technician who answers other questions.

After the walk-through, staff accompanies the customer to the parts department, pointing out any useful or needed items. Employees explain how to use each part or accessory.

Before customers leave, Creech said they are introduced to the dealership’s customer service employees. The brief meeting ensures consumers know exactly who to speak to when they need future help. To reinforce the buying and delivery experience, Rex & Sons RV offers virtual tours. Creech said the business has provided virtual service long before Dropbox and YouTube made the tactic popular.

“Back in the day when there was VHS, it was easy to just make a copy (of the PDI) real quick for your customer,” he said. rvnews.com

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Mike Keller, owner of Keller Marine & RV since 1986, begins his keynote address at the 2021 event.

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RV News | January 2022

rvnews.com

Feature > KELLER MARINE & RV SHOW

Human Connection Returns Keller Marine & RV’s show attendees and exhibitors are sweet on the resumption of in-person trade show activity based on attendance at its recent show.

By RV News Staff

W

hen RV aftermarket parts managers congregated in Hershey, Pennsylvania— the birthplace of the most iconic chocolate bar in U.S. history—many were likely seeking a sweet deal.

More, however, were searching for something richer: to reconnect with well-known supplier vendors; other like-minded, fanatically loyal legacy Keller retail store customers; and, of course, their favorite Keller Marine & RV sales rep.

Repair shop, retail store and RV dealer employees flooded the floor the Monday evening before Thanksgiving.

Attendees said they sorely missed previous show connections during the past 24 months, when COVID-19 ravaged business/personal travel plans.

Hundreds of exhibitors and RV retailers traveled to the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center on Nov. 22-23 to attend the 2021 Keller Marine & RV East Coast Show. The event returned to an in-person format after the distributor held it virtually in 2020.

In an opening keynote address, Keller Marine & RV President Mike Keller encouraged attendees to enjoy the first evening by enjoying Music

rvnews.com

Bingo, drinking beverages and reconnecting with old friends and past business associates.

Keller said elevated buying during the show indicated many dealers were preparing to heavily stock their stores, more so than in years past. He cited global supply chain concerns and low dealership inventories as reasons why dealers placed larger orders.

I think this year compares pretty well to the 2019 show.”

– Peter Wyant

“I think the biggest concern for dealers right now is getting product,” he said. “The world can consume more than it can produce right now.”

Returning to face-to-face discussions and interactions, Keller said, was a prime driver.

“I think the product is not what dealers miss, and sometimes it is not even the presentations,” he said. “It is the interactivity between the reps and themselves and creating that

relationship. So, if something does go wrong down the line, or whenever, you have someone you know and can talk to. The show’s greatest aspect is that.”

He said the show’s sales, tracked through an online client, were performing well as the company transitioned away from the exclusively virtual 2020 show.

“Overall, of course, the numbers are really good,” Keller said, “but just the attitudes of the dealers are really positive—they are intrigued by the new products. There are not as many new products as some years, but there are so many new people from the last time there was a show, so they are getting to meet people they have never met before.”

Busy Show Floor

The show featured dozens of large exhibits, including multibooth spaces occupied by Blue Ox, Reese, Demco, Lippert and a marine supplier, Airhead.

Keller Marine & RV provided a professional video crew to document and highlight each booth’s products.

The videos, which include descriptions of new offerings and updated items, were featured in the virtual January 2022 | RV News

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Feature > KELLER MARINE & RV SHOW

Sam Wiseman, Horizon Global Northeast U.S. sales manager, demonstrates the Reese 20K gooseneck hitch. The hitch offers continual 90-degree turn radius while towing.

buying show for customers who could not attend in person. The virtual show started on Cyber Monday and extended through Dec. 10.

Charles Lockwood, Eastern regional manager at Blue Ox, said the show was excellent, but he was looking forward to seeing the total sales numbers once additional digital orders were tallied and included at the extended virtual show’s conclusion.

I think the product is not what dealers miss, and sometimes it is not even the presentations.

It is the interactivity between the reps and themselves and making that relationship.”

– Mike Keller

Director of Sales Michael T. Keller and Keller Marine & RV representatives listen to Ed Minor, Thetford/ Norcold regional account manager, describe Titan Tote’s new features.

50

RV News | January 2022

“There is a lot of people that probably did not show up, so we expect that we will probably see orders after this,” he said. rvnews.com

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Feature > KELLER MARINE & RV SHOW

More than 300 dealers walked through the exhibit floor at the 2021 Keller Marine & RV Show.

Roger Hawes of Beckley’s RV Rentals reviews CKI Solutions’ bedding display.

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RV News | January 2022

Lockwood said reactions to new products like the Blue Ox clamshell hitch ball converter and TrackPro weight distributing hitch were strong at the show.

“It is just a matter of whether the industry can keep up with the demand,” he said. “That is going to be the hardest. However, I think we are positioned as an organization—the way we operate and the way we do business—that we will be in a good position to provide our customers with products when they need them.”

Peter Wyant, a parts director at Wilkins RV, was placing orders for the New York-based dealer network at the event. Dealer management tasked him with bringing back firsthand experiential show knowledge, from proper handling of the products to product samples, for all store managers in the Wilkins RV dealer chain.

He, like many dealers, arrived late on the first day and walked the show floor to get a feel for the scope and depth of aftermarket products and exhibitors. He returned on day two to rapidly place exhaustive orders before heading home for Thanksgiving.

“I think this year compares pretty well to the 2019 show,” Wyant said.

“The one thing I am not sure about is rvnews.com

(L to R) Mike Rivias of Long View Recreational Vehicles speaks to a Lippert representative about its line of Alpha sealants.

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January 2022 | RV News

53

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RV News | January 2022

Attendees celebrate after winning a round of music bingo at the opening night reception of the show. the timing of it…Thanksgiving week?

I think they had some vendors that did not show up who we were looking forward to seeing, but other than that, the show is really nice, and Keller is doing a good job with it.”

Wyant said, because of the timing, his team could not send everyone the dealer chain normally does.

“We probably will participate in the virtual show. Because of it being in a holiday week, we were kind of limited in who would be coming,” he said. “I can kind of do things for the other stores, but I do not like to do that without the other managers’ input. I’ll take a lot of this back to them and make my suggestions and recommendations but let them make their own decisions.”

Vendors echoed the trend. Ken Day, JR Products regional sales manager, has been attending the Keller show for about 25 years. He said he took more orders on day two than during the first night, when show hours were shorter.

“I have had quite a few sales, quite a few more today than yesterday,” he said.

Day said year after year Keller Marine & RV’s biggest show benefit remains the educational offerings and relationship building.

“If they are in the RV industry, and they want to learn what is new and

exciting in the industry,” he said, “then they need to come to a show like this.”

State of the Industry

In Keller’s show opening and retailer welcome speech, he said the RV market has shifted. More than ever, it is tailored around the desired experience of camping and outdoor adventure.

Keller drew comparisons to the marine market, where the desired experience might be bass fishing or wakeboarding.

If they are in the RV industry, and they want to learn what is new and exciting in the industry, then they need to come to a show like this.”

– Ken Day

“I feel the future in this business will be whoever realizes they are selling the experience and they are not selling a camper,” Keller said. “Because people are thinking that they sell campers, but they really do not. They sell a vehicle to rvnews.com

an experience. If you realize that, you are going to custom tailor your vehicles to that experience.”

He noted OEMs are heading in a similar direction, building customizable vehicle floorplans to satisfy current RV market trends.

“You are not just going to give somebody a camper and say, ‘Hey, I hope you like it. I hope it works for you,’” Keller said. “You’re going to say, ‘Oh, you want to have a mobile office. Well, I have a package that puts an extra desk in here and is Wi-Fi enabled and solar equipped, so you can have your office anywhere.’”

He said demand outpacing supply is driving today’s purchasing decisions.

Keller’s retail customers must be mindful of the anomaly when making strategic stocking decisions.

“People are like, ‘If I can get it, I need to get it…because I can sell it.

I can sell far more than I can get,’” Keller said. “This is the first time since the 1970s that this has been the case.

The market that they are in is one that dictates, ‘If I can buy it, I am buying it.’

We have this show early for a reason, so our customers get first pick of the limited aftermarket inventory that will be available in the market. At Keller, you can buy it.” rvnews.com

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800.348.3505 www.centurychemical.com January 2022 | RV News

55

Feature > OE SUPPLIER

Short and Sweet Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp.’s new 2022 model year chassis underpins one of the shortest new Type A diesel motorhomes in Forest River’s lineup.

By Diane Bishop

F

reightliner Custom Chassis Corp.

(FCCC) is shortening one of its premier motorhome chassis offerings in the 2022 model year. The company said the smaller chassis retains the company’s high-end features.

FCCC’s new chassis will underpin a new 35-foot Forest River Charleston Type A motorhome. The 2022 coach will debut at the Florida RV SuperShow in January, with FCCC’s chassis on display alongside the finished Charleston.

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RV News | January 2022

The Charleston and Berkshire 34B are the only 35-foot Type A diesel motorhomes in Forest River’s lineup. Three features combine to set Charleston apart in the smaller diesel category.

FCCC’s chassis includes all-wheel disc brakes, a compression brake and a 15,000-pound hitch. FCCC Account Manager Steve Barbour said the Charleston is the only motorhome its size he is aware of with a 15,000pound hitch as original equipment.

The hitch is supplemented by Freightliner’s factory-installed BrakeSync system, which includes an air connection, rear-mounted air coupler and connections to the OptiView dash.

“Combine these three features— the brakes and the hitch—and you have a coach that is very gradable,” Barbour said.

The brake combination helps drivers quickly slow the diesel-powered rvnews.com

Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. raised-rail XCR chassis underpins the 2022 Forest River Charleston Type A motorhome.

Bryan Henke is Freightliner’s manager of product marketing. He has been with the company since 1997.

motorhome. Disc brakes require less effort than drum brakes to stop a motorhome; the compression brake, or Jake, works with the engine to provide resistance and increase vehicle drag.

“It can climb the mountains and come down very easily,” Barbour said.

“The Charleston offers a lot of control and capability in a shorter profi le.”

Power to Spare

The motorhome is built on FCCC’s raised-rail XCR, which provides a front-to-back flat floor. The raised rail frame increases basement storage heights to maximize pass-through storage. The Charleston features a side engine radiator for easier engine access. The side radiator has a variable-speed fan that automatically adjusts fan speed to reduce noise and decrease power loss.

The chassis’ 224-inch wheelbase rvnews.com

It can climb the mountains and come down very easily.

The Charleston offers a lot of control and capability in a shorter profile.”

– Steve Barbour

is powered by a Cummins L9 engine.

The engine is the largest among Freightliner’s XC chassis options, with 450 horsepower and 1,250-footpounds of torque, and pairs with an Allison 3000 MH transmission. The six-speed fully automatic transmission increases power during shifting, as opposed to manual or automated manual transmissions, which lose power with each shift.

The cab contains Freightliner’s DriveTech, OptiView and RoadWatch packages. DriveTech provides automotive-like steering wheel controls, OptiView features an all-digital display, and RoadWatch includes adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation, electronic stability controls and lane-departure warnings.

Because FCCC designs and fabricates chassis specific to each RV manufacturer, Barbour said transitioning Freightliner’s high-end features to a smaller chassis was not difficult.

“Most of those features were designed and already configured within our product lineup, so it was kind of a matter of picking and choosing what we wanted to do in creating this Charleston,” he said.

“There are some custom things that we did for Forest River to create this. It fit perfectly in our product lineup.”

January 2022 | RV News

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Feature > OE SUPPLIER

Forest River’s 2022 Charleston Type A motorhome has three slides, a full bath and a standard king bed.

The Charleston’s GVWR is 40,000 pounds. The coach’s V-Ride rear suspension supports 24,000 pounds, and the ZF independent front suspension rates at 16,000 pounds.

Freightliner said despite supply-chain shortages, it had no problem sourcing items for Charleston’s chassis.

“Due to the size of our corporation—Freightliner is a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America—and the volume of products that we purchase and produce, it does give us a lot of leverage and priority with our suppliers,” said Jeremy Buckmeier, FCCC RV and commercial bus product manager. “Our suppliers have done a very good job of taking care of us. We are getting the chassis produced, and we are ready to start putting them on a production line.”

Charleston Brand’s Return

Forest River designed the Charleston for RVers who want to move up from a Type C motorhome and crave Type A amenities without adding length, the company stated.

Building a motorhome under 37 feet with towing capability and an expansive basement gives the customer a better experience, said Tim Cunningham, Forest River national sales and product manager.

Forest River does not anticipate supply-chain shortages hindering 58

RV News | January 2022

Charleston’s availability. Cunningham said, to maintain the customer experience, the company will use discretion to determine which dealers will offer the unit.

“We are going to be a bit picky about what dealers carry it so the customer has the best experience,” he said. “We are not going to build 100 in the first couple of months.”

I think between FCCC and Tim really listening to retail customers and what they are asking for, this Charleston is going to hit a nice, sweet spot in the marketplace and satisfy a lot of consumers.”

– Jeremy Buckmeier

Buckmeier said Forest River and Freightliner executives believed the market would support a smaller, highend coach. Typically, shorter wheelbase Type A motorhomes were viewed more

as entry-level rather than luxury RVs, he said, but many RVers now are looking for shorter models with highend features and amenities.

“I think between FCCC and Tim really listening to retail customers and what they are asking for,” Buckmeier said, “this Charleston is going to hit a nice, sweet spot in the marketplace and satisfy a lot of consumers.”

The Charleston brand was Forest River’s flagship Type A motorhome until 2016. Charleston’s reintroduction will create a step up from Forest River’s Berkshire XLT motorhome, Cunningham said.

“Customers are going to be able to experience and explore national parks and find more camping areas accessible because of the size and performance abilities,” he said. “In the Charleston, they are getting all the nice benefits that typically are not found until they get into the 40-footers. It’s all the enjoyment of a big motorhome in a compact, user-friendly coach.”

The RV is the culmination of multiple years of research, Cunningham said, and Forest River designers are excited to take the next step.

“We have obviously been doing our due diligence,” he said, “so the Charleston capitalizes on all the great features and benefits that Freightliner can provide with what we do well at Forest River.” rvnews.com

Freightliner Custom Chassis’ state-of-the-art RoadWatch RV safety system surrounds you with a shield of control and confidence. From proven stability and traction controls that keep you locked to the road, to innovative collision mitigation technology to help you maintain a safe distance from other drivers, RoadWatch delivers total safety on the way, without getting in the way.

See all the ways RoadWatch keeps you safe at FCCCRV.com/RoadWatch or visit MyRVAdvisor.com to find the ideal RoadWatch-equipped coach for you.

Feature > OE SUPPLIER

In Sync with Transit Ford’s 2022 Transit has new communication and entertainment system upgrades. The manufacturer also included a new driverfriendly push-button start and reverse brake alert options.

By RV News Staff | Photos by Stillson Studio

F

ord introduced two new RV-specific packages to its 2021 Transit gas chassis, in addition to its traditional motorhome prep package. The updated version incorporates exterior enhancements, driver comfort and safety features.

The major 2022 chassis change is an upgrade to a new Sync 4 communication and entertainment system.

Andrew Walker, Ford Pro brand manager, Transit and Transit Connect, said Sync 4 offers drivers double the computing power of Sync 3. Now, navigation, music and vehicle smartphone connections are faster and easier.

“We have gotten a lot of positive feedback from RV builders that these packages (the Motorhome Prep, RV Prep and Adventure Prep) have been well received and make it easier to build recreational vehicles their end-user customers want,” Walker said.

All three RV prep packages include Sync 4. The system offers SiriusXM

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RV News | January 2022

with 360L, combining satellite and streaming radio features. HD Radio’s digital signals for traditional over-theair radio stations are provided as well.

Navigation and intelligent adaptive cruise control functions round out the two new packages. A 12-inch center touch screen display enables users to control all features.

When you head out on an adventure, features like these help ease your mind.”

– Andrew Walker

“It includes enhanced multitasking to display different features at the same time on the large screen,” Walker said. “For example, if a customer wants to keep their navigation route on the screen while changing songs, they can choose to display the radio or other

TK rvnews.com

Midwest Automotive Designs Plant Manager Brian Stout oversees the company’s Patriot Type B motorhome manufacturing in Elkhart, Indiana. rvnews.com

January 2022 | RV News

61

Feature > OE SUPPLIER streaming music services in a smaller window under the nav.”

The system uses conversational voice recognition to access internet search results, providing drivers and passengers information such as the closest campsite or nearest restaurant.

Sync 4 also holds the chassis’ digital owner’s manual.

“Instead of fl ipping through dozens of pages,” Walker said, “the digital owner’s manual will include in-depth information on vehicle features, streamable how-to videos and more, all through a searchable database.”

Ford offers a new 2022 Transit front seating option, with two passenger seats next to the driver seat.

We have gotten a lot of positive feedback from RV builders that these packages (the Motorhome Prep, RV Prep and Adventure Prep) have been well received and make it easier to build recreational vehicles their end-user customers want.”

– Andrew Walker

Jake Stephenson, director of sales at Midwest Automotive Designs, reviews the front cab of a Patriot motorhome.

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RV News | January 2022

The upgraded adaptive cruise control does more than set cruising speed and/or adjust parameters for monitoring vehicle distances ahead.

The latest version has a function to stop the RV if the vehicle ahead comes to a sudden stop. Cruise control helps the RV stay in its lane and monitors roadside speed limit signs to adjust the Transit’s cruising speed to match the posted speed limit.

“We continue to improve Transit and our other vehicles,” Walker said, “based on customer feedback and improvements in available technology.” rvnews.com

The Adventure Prep Package requires the Sync 4 upgrade with navigation and adaptive cruise control.

Adventure Prep also features standard HID headlamps—high-intensity discharge bulbs—which are brighter than standard headlights.

Because HID headlamps contain xenon gas, they sometimes are referred to as xenon lights.

Ford offers the Motorhome Prep Package for the Transit cutaway chassis and the RV Prep Package for Transit cargo vans. Manufacturers can order the Adventure Prep Package on either Transit cargo or crew vans.

Driver Operation Upgrades

Transit’s newest 2022 comfort feature is the cab seating configuration.

For the fi rst time, Ford is offering front-row, dual passenger seating next to the driver’s seat. Walker said a small console resides between the driver and passengers. The seating

rvnews.com

arrangement is available on cargo van and cutaway chassis. The seating can be combined with any of the three RV-specific packages.

The new Transit also offers its first push-button start.

“This feature enables the key to communicate with the Transit wirelessly,” Walker said, “saving the driver from the hassle of digging out the key from a pocket or backpack to lock/ unlock and start the van.”

Automated reverse brake assist is new as well. The optional feature is available on cargo, crew and passenger vans.

During the daytime, in clear weather, reverse brake assist can detect a stationary object, a vehicle crossing behind or a pedestrian/cyclist crossing at the van’s rear. When the system detects an object, it audibly alerts the driver.

“What’s more, reverse brake assist can bring the vehicle to a complete stop if the driver doesn’t react in

Midwest Automotive Designs associate David Sampson attaches foam-backed Austin synthetic leather to the Patriot’s ceiling.

January 2022 | RV News

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Feature > OE SUPPLIER

Two 2022 Transit RV packages include blind-spot assistance.

time,” Walker said, “emitting audible and visual warnings before the brakes apply.”

In a crowded and distracted world, Walker said, drivers can use a little more confidence on the road.

Ford’s answer is a new optional high-resolution rear-view camera.

Transit includes the full Ford Co-Pilot360 Technologies suite.

The system has automatic emergency braking, a lane-keeping system, forward collision warning, post-collision braking and automatic high-beam headlamps.

The RV Prep and Adventure Prep packages feature blind-spot assistance to alert drivers of vehicles in blind spots while driving and in reverse.

“When you head out on an adventure,” Walker said, “features like these help ease your mind.”

Future Type As and Cs

Midwest Automotive Designs associate Heather Morgan.

Midwest Automotive Designs Ford Brand Manager Andrew Walker. associate Denise Contreras.

(L to R) Midwest Automotive Designs associates Jayden Riffly and Danny Galvan install vinyl trim.

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RV News | January 2022

Ford does not plan major changes to 2022 gas Type A and C motorhome chassis, which were both enhanced two years ago. The automaker typically does not make annual chassis upgrades.

Walker said the Ford E-Series chassis is the industry’s most popular Type C platform, and the F-53 chassis is the top seller in the gas Type A segment.

“We can’t comment on future product decisions,” he said, “but we always consider input from the RV builders to ensure a seamless transition for their bodies from one model year to another.”

Ford Transit’s electric version will be another potential RV manufacturing option. The E-Transit, created for commercial customers, is scheduled to reach automotive dealerships early in 2022. The vehicle has a targeted range of 126 miles on low-roof van variants.

“We have seen interest from our RV modifiers,” Walker said, “but applicability for RV customers is likely to be limited until improved highway charging infrastructure is available.” rvnews.com

Advice > PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

Add Horsepower to Your Hiring Process A

ny hiring decision can be a gamble, and a lot can complicate the process or go wrong between receiving resumes, interviewing applicants, making an offer, and assessing the first 90 days of employment. When dealing with people, always expect the unexpected.

Many times, I have been shocked by a candidate’s actions. Once, after confirming the 10 a.m. interview time via phone and an accepted calendar invite, the candidate called me at 9:30 a.m., asking when he could “stop by.”

After I confirmed we had a 10 a.m. meeting, he was still 10 minutes late.

The example is a mild one among head-scratching weirdness.

Often, hiring managers make hiring decisions based only on a candidate’s resume, while others rely on their biased opinions plus the little they can garner during phone/in-person interviews.

Much the way diesel engines provide more power, better torque and towing capacity than gas engines do, job candidate tests add more decision-making power to the selection process. Diesel engines last longer, and the primary goal of hiring top talent is to retain them.

Nothing is worse than losing a top employee who gets the job, enjoys the job, and is competent to

do the job. Using data to understand employees will go a long way toward keeping your top talent from leaving.

Sure, retaining staff takes more work, but all good things do.

Take Out the Guesswork

Will the applicant work well with the individual mix at your dealership? Is the candidate a team player, or will they work better on their own? Does the candidate have grace under fire or a short fuse? Does your top sales management candidate truly possess the assertiveness to lead your sales team, or will they cave to every crazy demand?

When the position for which you are recruiting could benefit from a specific personality type, focusing on the traits you need makes sense.

Do not miss a valuable opportunity to gain insight into a candidate that is difficult to discern via a resume, especially when so many resumes contain more fiction than truth.

Compatibility with your business’s needs and values is one employee success predictor. Compatibility data can help determine whether the person fits in with your company culture.

Although you do not want all

workers marching in lockstep, they should mix well.

For example, when hiring a leader, you might seek an assertive, resilient, fast-paced person who is comfortable motivating people.

Doing so ensures tasks will get done while maintaining staff engagement. Conversely, if you are seeking a service technician, assertiveness may not be as important.

You likely are pursuing someone detailed, compliant and analytical.

The only way to improve reliability and boost your hiring success is by using as much data as possible to evaluate each candidate. No single tool should suffice in your process. An interview is powerful but not as powerful as using a phone screen, two or three interviews, job shadowing, skills testing, assessments, reference checking and background checks.

The more you know, the better you will feel about your selections.

Using a single method to hire is like trying to power a Type A motorhome with a moped engine.

Communication Style Is Important Some people work well by tackling the limited information they are

given. Others require more detailed, thorough instructions. Some will not act on requests unless they see and understand the reasons to do so.

Some jobs require an ability to work boldly, even when information is scarce, while others require an ability to stop progress to collect and confirm information.

Think about the difference between a salesperson and a service technician. Service technicians cannot afford to guess when working on a customer’s engine.

Salespeople, however, might guess a consumer’s RV preferences using clues ascertained as they walk the lot with the customer, even if the potential buyer is uncertain what they want.

By understanding a candidate’s communication style and dependence on structure, you can decide if the person best fits the open position. Likewise, knowing an employee’s preferred way to work and to receive information keeps operations running smoothly. Employees can then have a quantifiable impact on efficiency and productivity.

The test is no substitute for employee training. However, determining a candidate’s ability to understand concepts and deal with complexity can better your odds of finding someone who will respond well to training.

Every candidate claims to have problem-solving skills. The vast majority are correct. However, you need to ascertain how well they solve problems. By doing so, you will immediately know if you are working with a sharp thinker.

Take Personal Bias Out

Sometimes, you just click with a candidate. You wish the applicant would be the right fit because you can see yourself socializing with 66

RV News | January 2022

rvnews.com

them. Knowing the person would be fun at happy hour is different from knowing they are best suited for the job.

Hiring managers can lose objectivity, though, when they start to connect on a personal level before determining if a candidate is suited for the position.

Grammar Matters

Poor grammar can be a pet peeve.

In most settings, poor grammar is unprofessional. Most important, grammar errors can cause confusion, delays and costly mistakes.

Everyone peppers speech with some slang, but written communication must be as close to flawless as possible.

New hires must be skilled grammarians if they have access to the company’s social media accounts.

Otherwise, the employees may make share-worthy mistakes, which you want to avoid.

OEM

For the employee changing your message boards, good spelling is essential. Spelling, verb usage and punctuation also matter when working with delivery manifests, accounts payable or inventory sheets.

Using language in the right context is crucial. Correct grammar and language point to logical thinking and the ability to explain situations clearly. As a result, candidates with strong language and grammar skills are more likely to communicate effectively with team leaders and members. Examining candidates’ language skills provides insight into how they will represent the brand to customers or clients.

Harnessing Data’s Power Using the candidate data tests is just as critical for smaller businesses as for large corporations.

Smaller businesses might find the

data even more crucial because the chance for friction within a smaller workforce is greater.

Also, a smaller company may feel the cost of hiring someone unsuited for a job more acutely. Data can show how applicants compare with your top employees and even other potential candidates. In some cases, the information might lead you to invite a potential hire to a second interview, which could

prevent a costly hiring mistake.

Optimizing your workforce means taking advantage of the right tools and data. Let’s face it, you will never wish you had less information when hiring and managing your team.

Wendy Sheaffer Chief Product Officer, The Omnia Group, Inc.

Wendy Sheaffer is a subject matter expert in using Omnia’s eight columns as a tool to make more-informed hiring and development decisions and effectively engage staff. She works directly with clients and Omnia staff to provide a deeper understanding of how to use personality data to meet business goals, assessment tools and concepts.

800.525.7117 | wsheaffer@omniagroup.com

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January 2022 | RV News

67

Advice > BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Watch Out for Claim Jumpers!

T

he California Gold Rush began in 1848 with the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill. The finding led to eight years of incredible change and turmoil. Chaos ensued as the word got out.

We may not be in a gold rush today, but the RV Rush of 2020 shares many similarities. How long the boom will last is yet to be seen, but we have surpassed year two. I know many dealers lie awake at night wondering how the past and current changes will impact their business.

The California Gold Rush lasted seven years. It lured more than 300,000 prospectors to the west coast. Local service companies, suppliers and residents were overwhelmed in the mid-1800s.

Know the feeling?

The question is, are you protecting your claim, or as with the prospectors of old, is your claim about to be jumped?

Why do I believe some RV businesses are in jeopardy? Here are three reasons.

First, when a market grows so quickly, the long-term moneymakers are the service providers.

A year or so after the Gold Rush, prospectors had panned all the easily accessible California surface gold. To mine what remained required hard work, and many fortune seekers went belly up.

Where do you think the term “panhandler” came from?

Service providers, however, still had plenty of customers as prospectors continued to spend money. So, look around and take note. Are you seeing new stores and bigger competitors with larger service/parts departments? Did you think this was accidental?

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If you cannot manage all your recent new customers on the parts/service side, someone will quickly jump your claim and snatch up those consumers.

Look closely at your operations.

Determine where your dealership’s weaknesses might be, which is likely in the parts/ service department.

Second, RV manufacturers allocating inventory deliveries will not be fair. I know you realize this, but you must manage inventory levels as strongly as possible. Back during the Gold Rush, the more miners who worked a claim, the stronger the competition became.

Similarly, if your competitor has significantly more inventory than you, where are your customers and new prospects going to go? The big dealer groups know that receiving more inventory makes jumping others’ claims easier. If you are losing the inventory battle, get aggressive and actively build used inventory levels.

Third, technology and equipment were among the biggest transformational changes that occurred during the Gold Rush. Technology altered the landscape from riverbed panning for gold to sophisticated mining operations. The same happened in the 2020 RV Rush.

Recent technological advancements in marketing have been significant. Well-funded RV business operators are increasing marketing budgets by more than 50% in many cases. Dealers unprepared for this expanded outreach will wake up one morning to find someone else working with their past customers.

If history repeats itself, like it always does, you will find many competitors eyeing “your claim.”

The hard-earned position you created may soon be in jeopardy.

The business you nurtured, protected and grew will soon have more pressure than ever.

The competition is carefully surveying your gold and calculating whether you are up to the challenge they bring. Do not get caught sleeping or leave your claim unprotected.

Many Gold Rush miners did and quickly found how easily someone could jump their claim.

Protect Yourself

Here are some ideas to contemplate. First, assume competitors

are plotting against you as we speak. Your rivals are planning right now how to dominate your market. They are counting on you being slow to move. They see most opponents procrastinating due to inventory level uncertainty. Your procrastination is part of their business plan.

When inventory certainty returns, you will be fighting an uphill battle. Plan for the most competitive year ever. The move for market share is on. You need to stake, work and protect your claim. rvnews.com

Second, like any successful prospector, you need to protect and fight to keep your claim. Build a strong fence.

Your customers will need to service their RVs, buy parts and trade in. Create a plan to make doing so easy for them. How will you let consumers know what you have and why they need you? What will be their biggest frustration next year, and do you have their solution?

Begin by planning a monthly communication strategy. The only way consumers will know you value them is if you tell them. Treat them like precious gold.

Third, be proactive and fight. Do not simply lay down.

Do not be surprised someone is coming for your business. Prepare for the competition. When you feel the actual assault, in many cases, it’s too late to act. This is not a fight of the fittest—victory is determined by who cares the most.

rvnews.com

Your competitors are counting on caring more and fighting harder than you do.

A strong offense makes a strong defense. Consider jumping competitors’ claims. Investigate tactics like geo-fencing, mobile capture, conquest email, hashed files and good, old television. Start spending well before you feel your inventory justifies doing so.

Fourth, online retailers will soon invade again, like midnight riders sweeping through your camp. The internet price-player wave has returned, bigger and smarter than ever. The car business taught remote dealers how to steal consumers using marketing, advanced technology and the right processes. Monitor their pricing.

Understand which products people will drive great distances to buy.

Certainly, I would start with fifth wheels and motorhomes.

Prevent online retailers from

claiming the top spots in your paid search campaigns. Many online retailers see this as low-hanging fruit. They will buy your dealership’s name and branded keywords in paid search to gain a top ranking, so closely watch this tactic.

History repeats itself. During the Gold Rush, claims only became invalid when not actively worked.

Do not wait a day longer to put your business and marketing plans in place. One final thought: Just because RV interest grew does not mean your business will. You need to fight…like your gold depends on it!

Ron Wheeler Wheeler Advertising

Ron Wheeler is founder and principal at Wheeler Advertising. Ron has been a speaker at RVDA for more than 30 years and at NADA for more than 18 years. He has spoken on topics ranging from dealership branding to RV effectiveness, social media and digital marketing. He began his RV advertising career more than 30 years ago. Ron was RVDA Convention and Expo chairman for six years and also sat on the RV Hall of Fame board. His company works with RV dealers in more than 30 states and into Canada.

800.678.7822 | wheeleradvertising.com

January 2022 | RV News

69

Advice > SALES MANAGEMENT

Build Processes to Keep Top Performers I

n November, I spoke at the RVDA Convention/Expo about how to retain top performers at your dealership. Let’s take a deeper dive into some ideas I addressed at the convention.

First is hiring and retaining quality people who have the right character traits. During my class, we covered numerous attributes such as communication, listening skills, staying current with techniques, dressing and behaving professionally, having a game plan, showing a positive attitude and more. All are equally strong traits, with none more important than the other.

Top performers have all these characteristics, but if one is missing, the consequences of that core trait’s absence can be glaring.

As an example, consider a salesperson with an outstanding attitude who is a notoriously poor listener.

Despite their other strengths, such salespeople will consistently fail to help your customers.

The Opportunity

When you are creating a list of desired core traits, one characteristic that may not immediately

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come to mind is a respect of the opportunity given.

Long-term top performers respect the potential their position provides. They strive to maximize the opportunity’s results. This often-overlooked employee trait is rarely evaluated or considered during the hiring process. Managers often ignore the characteristic’s absence when a candidate appears extremely talented.

Many managers have experienced past employees who, despite checking all the boxes on core traits, failed to transform the position into a career. They left for other opportunities when things became tough (whether that is a dramatic market shift or a personal issue).

Rather than trying to hire the perfect salesperson or manager who believes your job is similar to any other position available, seek out and hire a person with strong moral character who you can develop into a long-term performer. Remember, you can train someone to make a better follow-up phone call. You cannot train someone to care enough to follow through on their commitments.

Putting in the Time

Top performers want the opportunity to work and will strive to excel.

Show job candidates the upside your position offers, and you will attract top performers to work at your dealership.

They will work harder because the effort will result in making more money. You must teach them how to make more money, and then give them the resources to consistently follow through.

The challenge is most managers were not $200,000-per-year sales performers before becoming managers. Having never been top salespeople themselves, some managers struggle to meet their top performers’ needs because they do not recognize what those needs are.

In addition to learning their managerial job, managers must also learn and master the jobs of employees who report to them.

Managers need the same training as the salespeople they oversee to recognize when staff are performing tasks correctly. Managers must know and be able to fix incorrect behaviors, if necessary. These skills

come from attending the same training the sales staff does.

As an example, managers log and track sales behaviors/tasks to gather the information required to compile accurate numbers. Those numbers indicate the remediation areas where struggling employees need help to improve.

Top performers want a good coach who will push them further than the performers push themselves. Logging and tracking statistics and behaviors help coaches do that. Consider professional baseball players who, at some point, were taught to swing a bat really well. When they arrive at the major leagues, they still want a batting coach, despite knowing how to hit. The batting coach does not teach them how to swing but how to recognize the need for a swing’s approach angle adjustment.

Professional baseball players rarely spend time editing game films and using protractors to scrutinize their swing. That is their coach’s job.

Top performers want a coach to have accurate data to determine where they are and how to improve.

Avoid showing them the store’s

rvnews.com

average numbers because the information will anchor them down.

Do you want an average employee or a top performer?

Amazingly, people will quickly gravitate toward the average. Do not allow them to accept what “normal” is. Share the top numbers in the industry with you best performers. Show them what they are capable of!

Roger Bannister is famous as the first person to run a mile in under four minutes. Before Bannister broke the record, the four-minute-mile barrier was considered physically impossible. And yet, on a rainy day in 1954, with winds up to 25 mph, he did the previously unthinkable.

If not for the crowds and people tracking Bannister’s time, no one would have believed his story.

Because the hard data was there, the record was recorded and released to the world.

The most amazing part is Bannister’s record was broken 46 days later. As soon as people knew the barrier could be broken, others did it. More than 1,400 people have now broken the four-minute mile.

Show top performers how to navigate previous performance barriers, and they will find a way to break through them all.

Top producers in any field train every day. They might set aside an hour a day for disciplined and targeted training. In addition to dealership-mandated training, top performers read trade publications, owner’s manuals, forums, manufacturer and dealer websites, as well as do service walks and more. Top performers are always looking to improve. They are not afraid of and are willing to do the work. They will build target market plans, prospect and host customer events. If a prospective employee failed to do this work for another dealer, they likely will not do it for you, either.

This is work ethic—something you can often spot in an interview.

Because top people demand tools and accountability, they will be the ones interviewing you. They will rvnews.com

demonstrate their worth with action.

Some people talk about how great they are. Look instead for those who demonstrate behaviors in the interview and “walk the talk.” They will ask you questions about pay structure and earnings caps, opportunities the dealership will create for them, and most important, about professional development.

Pay Attention to Top Performers

Top performers want to be kept informed and have resources directed to them. All too frequently when I’m training staff at a dealership, dealers want to fully focus their energy to develop the bottom three salespeople. While this is good, because we should always strive to raise base expectations by developing individuals and holding them accountable, we should not, however, sacrifice time with the top three performers to do so.

Managers often will leave top performers alone because they are not getting headaches from them.

Those performers, however, will slowly develop habits hurting them.

Make a goal to continuously uncap your top three performers.

Consider the time you spend with the bottom three performers, repeating the same lessons so the teachings sink in. What if you spent the same amount of time developing the top three salespeople’s skills to yield a bigger return over time?

Another key issue is how your sale staff handles leads. If you replace your bottom performers’ sales results with those of your average salespeople, how much more productive would the store be? Remember, each deal is more than the original deal; it is repeat business, referral business, F&I, parts, service and online reviews.

Could you justify keeping the bottom performers if you had three average people to do their duties?

Perhaps the biggest reason to avoid allocating resources for top

performers to bottom performers is the impact the investment has on longevity. Bottom performers either will take advantage of the opportunity and become better salespeople or they will wash out

Case Studies

Top performers are developed and kept because you coach them to make more money than they can walk away from.

With the accurate logging and tracking I mentioned earlier, you should be able to create a base acceptable minimum (BAM) line. If you cannot justify keeping someone who sells less than an acceptable monthly minimum of RVs, you need to act at month’s end. You must determine whether this is a quality person to retain and continue coaching or simply let them go.

Here are two case studies.

One is a mountain-state salesperson who is an upstanding individual, the kind you would trust with your kids. He learned all the necessary skills, yet he was not performing well. Our conversation centered around having him refocus on his work quality. I had a five-day comprehensive sales course coming up the next week, so his manager took him off the floor for a full week in the middle of the summer.

When the salesperson returned, he had the focus and skills to perform well for the remainder of the year.

The next summer, he did not take the subsequent development step.

So, the dealership sent him back to refocus and develop his skills.

The salesperson is in his 19th year with the dealership and has never performed at average or below since.

Case study two is a coastalcity salesperson who also has high-character quality. He was a national top three volume salesperson for a major car line before joining the RV industry. Although he was a really good person, he had terrible habits.

His manager sent him to a comprehensive sales class eight times during his first 18 months.

He developed an incredibly strong foundation and skill set so that after the additional training, he posted top performer numbers each of subsequent seven years.

True top performers are thankful for the opportunity to develop and grow. Bottom people say, “I cannot afford to take time off to train.”

What those bottom people are really saying is, “I cannot afford to take time off my unproductive schedule to train.”

Top producers do the work to get results. Market-driven performers sometimes appear as top performers, but they rarely respect the opportunity enough to stay at the top, despite the market.

Look for the next person to break your store’s “four-minute mile.” Focus your energy on uncapping long-term top performers and hire the next person who recognizes and will strive to break those impossible barriers.

Jered Sobel President, Sobel University

Jered Sobel serves as president of Sobel University, a company providing training for management, salespeople and consumers across North America. He is best known for designing the industry standard onboarding sales training manual and co-authoring the consumer guide to purchasing an RV. Among his previous work experience are roles as a dealership salesperson, a general sales manager and hiring dealer staff.

253.565.2577 | jered@sobeluniversity.com

January 2022 | RV News

71

p p r e A c r i ation e l a e D E v en t 2 0 2 2 We Can Barely Contain Ourselves

January 24 26 Contact your Camco representative for details.

Visit our event online or in person at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas.

www.camco.net

The Best Of Displays and Plan-o-Grams I n THE BEST OF aftermarket product section this month, we turn our attention to merchandising. The displays, plan-o-grams and point-ofpurchase items shown here represent the best in the category.

Displays engage consumers and lead to purchases. Displays effectively move high-profit items or churn outdated and obsolete inventory. Plan-o-grams relate products used in conjunction with each other and create additional impulse buys.

+

Suppliers continue to create new, eye-catching plan-o-grams to spur simultaneous product and accessory purchases. Many displays include brochures, flyers and other literature to help consumers easily understand product benefits. Retail stores can order merchandising materials through suppliers or distributors. Many displays are available free with qualifying product purchases.

TBO Index

Samlex America

Adjust-A-Brush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Advantage PressurePro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Blue Ox. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Camco Manufacturing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Coleman-Mach, an Airxcel brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Dicor Products, an Airxcel brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 GasStop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Gen-Y Hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Hughes Autoformers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 MORryde International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 NTP-Stag Private Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Progress Mfg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Redarc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Roadmaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Samlex America. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Stromberg Carlson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Suburban, an Airxcel brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Thetford. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Valterra Products dba TireMinder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Walex Products Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Want To Be Featured In The Best Of? Call (720) 353-4003 to find out how your company can be included.

Upcoming TBO categories: FEBRUARY Freshwater & Sanitation

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MARCH Hitches & Towing

Samlex America’s Dealer Success Program is a multi-faceted merchandising program. The program helps dealers recommend a solar power or inverter power solution matching a consumer’s RV lifestyle. The program includes a solar-sizing guide, free point-of-purchase displays, brochures and sales team product training. An additional program provides Samlex Solar Kit sales incentives. samlexamerica.com

Walex Products Co.

Walex’s freestanding display measures 73 inches tall by 27 inches long and 12 inches deep. The display includes five shelves and six hooks to hold various Walex products.

Packages and bottles containing Ovation Air Freshener, Porta-Pak, Bio-Pak, Assure and Elemonate can be featured on the display. Qualifying orders may result in a free display. walex.com

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January 2022 | RV News

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The Best Of > DISPLAYS AND PLAN-O-GRAMS

Valterra Products dba TireMinder

The PGM401 TireMinder plano-gram provides consumers various tire monitoring items in a single stand-up display. The PVC display measures 3 feet by 2 feet by 1 foot. Atop the display is four dummy units: a TireMinder A1AS tire pressure monitoring system, a TireMinder i10 tire pressure monitoring system, a standard transmitter with valve stem and a flow-through transmitter with valve stem. The plan-ogram outlines placement of 14 products. A literature stand and flyers are included. tireminder.com

Stromberg Carlson

Stromberg Carlson’s leveling and stabilizing products are featured in the company’s two-gondola display. The display measures 96 inches wide by 52 inches tall and 22 inches deep. The display includes informative signage atop the display. Free two-sided signage is available with each display ordered. The display holds levelers, jack pads, chocks and stabilizing/leveling kits.

StrombergCarlson.com

Advantage PressurePro

The FX tire pressure monitoring system shelf/counter display also can be set up as a freestanding display. The display includes information on FX’s three tire pressure monitoring system kit types.

Starter and premium version displays are available. The freestanding display measures 53 inches by 16 inches by 13 inches. The display is free with a display kit order. pressurepro.us

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RV News | January 2022

Progress Mfg.

The Equal-i-zer hitch display is a stand able to display two hitches. An 11-inch by 17-inch brochure holder and a spot that holds five DVDs is mounted above the hitches. The display enables sales personnel to demonstrate the Equal-i-zer hitch’s four-point sway control. Displays are free with qualifying Equal-i-zer hitch orders. Hitches are sold separately and are not included with the display. equalizerhitch.com

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Suburban, an Airxcel brand

The Advantage Water Heater plan-o-gram provides space for products and accessories for water heaters from 6 gallons to 16 gallons. The 3-foot-wide plano-gram stacks 5 feet tall with a shelf divider in the display’s middle. The display includes an 8-inch base. The plan-ogram includes a header card with space to host tankless or direct-fit upgrade water heaters.

Accessories such as access panel kits, water heater doors, vent caps, anode rods and control center displays can be featured. airxcel.com/rv/suburban

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MORryde International

A new 4-foot-wide TV mount display includes a 4-foot header card, a MORryde vinyl backer graphic, two header clips, six backer clips, two shelf strips and a TV mount feature bar. The display hooks into two vertical rails on a standard gondola or shelving. A bottom shelf provides space to hold boxed TV mounts. The feature bar displays five mounts. Plan-o-grams are available upon request; TV mounts are sold separately. morryde.com

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January 2022 | RV News

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The Best Of > DISPLAYS AND PLAN-O-GRAMS

Roadmaster

Redarc

Roadmaster’s 096 single-sided display showcases Americanmade tow bars and accessories.

Measuring 45 inches by 21 inches by 87 inches, the 096 display communicates a dealer’s experience and ability to install towing systems. The display is free to qualifying dealers and includes signage and two display-only tow bars. The Nighthawk tow bar is illuminated on the display to draw consumer attention and create interest. roadmaster.com

The Tow-Pro Elite POP display holds as many as nine brake controllers.

Countertop displays, shelf talkers and aisle blades are available to merchandise the brake controller. Interested parties can contact their local sales rep to place display orders. redarcelectronics.com

Blue Ox

Dicor Products, an Airxcel brand

Dicor’s cleaning care line plan-o-gram includes a 4-foot-wide plan-o-gram and a standalone brush display. The plan-o-gram includes three shelves to display various sizes of exterior cleaning products. Cleaning brush heads can be hung atop the display. The standalone display features an image of Rudy and holds 12 extension poles. dicorproducts.com

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RV News | January 2022

The new DS-Hitch Tower floor display showcases adjustable ball mounts. The display is 19.63 inches tall and can hold as many as four ball mounts.

The adjustable ball mounts are available in four sizes, with 2-inch and 2.5-inch receiver options.

Interested dealers can contact their regional sales representative or visit Blue Ox’s Dealer Portal for more information. blueox.com

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Camco Manufacturing

Camco’s Curved Leveler two-tier freestanding floor display measures 66.5 inches tall by 21 inches wide and 15 inches deep. The stand holds eight Curved Leveler two-packs. The freestanding display can be located at the end of an aisle or by the checkout stand to encourage consumer purchases. camco.net

NTP-Stag Private Label

The Aqua Pro 5.5 Universal Water Pump POP display is a countertop stand. The stand is made from durable metal and includes a vinyl graphic sticker and printed styrene backer card. The card outlines specs and product benefits. The stand holds one Aqua Pro pump (sold separately). The stand has predrilled holes and all hardware is included. aquaproproducts.com

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January 2022 | RV News

77

The Best Of > DISPLAYS AND PLAN-O-GRAMS

Hughes Autoformers

Hughes’ end cap display includes a header board providing large graphics and product benefits. Dog sign clings and a brochure display package with Power Watchdog surge protector products on three-shelf or four-shelf end caps. Free point of purchase items available include dog sign aisle invaders, floor clings, an LED flashing dog sign, header boards, stickers and sales sheets. hughesautoformers.com

Gen-Y Hitch

The Gen-Y Hitch Executive Display stand is a heavy-duty stand holding one Executive hitch. The steel stand is made in the U.S. Brackets on the stand can hold a monitor and a catalog holder. Qualifying dealers can receive the display stand free; make inquiries to your local sales rep. genyhitch.com

Coleman-Mach, an Airxcel brand

Coleman-Mach Climate Control Accessories are featured in the company’s new 3-footwide plan-o-gram. The display features three shelves and stands 5 feet tall, with an 8-inch base. The display includes a header card and enables dealers to showcase Coleman-Mach’s standard and MERV 6 air filters, air purifiers and airspace heaters. New retail-oriented packaging provides a focal point to catch consumers’ attention. airxcel.com/rv/coleman-mach

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RV News | January 2022

Adjust-A-Brush

The 4-foot display includes a detailed plan-o-gram with ample space to display handles and brushes. The display includes a header card. Handles and brushes are sold separately. The display holds eight different handle sizes and provides space to hang eight brushes. adjust-a-brush.com

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Thetford

The Titan Tote display update kit revamps an existing Thetford display to include a new Titan Tote selling tool. The display showcases unboxed 2- or 4-wheel Titan Totes atop the display or within the side panels. Room is provided for additional Titan Tote product boxes.

The kit includes a header, a front and two side panels. thetford.com/products/ evacuation/titan-tote/ When an RV center becomes a

S¬FE T PLUS STEERING CONTROL Authorized Service Center, customers know theyʼre in an establishment that values safety and service in the RV owner experience.

GasStop

GasStop’s ACME and POL shipping container includes 20 units.

The container transforms into a counter or shelf top display. The display holds 10 devices, with 10 units as backfill. The shipping container/display measures 18.5 inches by 12 inches by 8.5 inches and weighs 19 pounds when fully loaded. The design enables clear point of sale brand messaging from most visible case surfaces and individual product clamshell packaging. gasstopusa.com

P¬RTS •New Sales increase by 5-10%

SERVICE •Increase Revenue by $1,000 per ticket •Certified Tech Training

PROFIT •Generate 40% margins

FIN¬NCE •Conversion Rate is 30-45% •By adding an enhanced steering and safety product, you are creating dealership brand ambassadors for life.

Financing a Safe T Plus Steering Control adds merely a few dollars per month for your esteemed clients.

H¬PPY CLIENTS •Share their positive experience •By putting a quality product that clients feel the immediate positive enhancement, they will tell 1-5 people. Leading more new potential clients and future ambassadors to your store SAME DAY

SHIPPING AVAILABLE!

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ENGINEERED AND MANUFACTURED IN THE USA

January 2022 | RV News

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Coming in February • Type C Motorhomes • The Monthly Dealer Profile

• RV/MH Hall of Fame Inductees • Steering, Suspension and Ride Control • Northern Wholesale Supply Recap • Freshwater and Sanitation Products

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Advertiser Index Advantage PressurePro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Bauer Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Blue Ox Towing Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Camco Mfg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Century Chemical Corporation . . . . . . . . 55 Dave Carter & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Days Corp dba Equalizer Systems . . 1,54 Dometic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Forest River Corporation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Gen Y Hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Grand Design RV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Heng’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Icon Technologies Limited . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC Intech RV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 LaVanture Products Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Lippert Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 80

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Lippert Dba Curt Mfg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC Marshall Excelsior Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 MTI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 NSA RV Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 NTP-Stag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC Pace Intl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Pinnacle Appliances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Tri-Max . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Truck System Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Rieco-Titan Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Robert Weed Plywood Corporation . . . 39 Social Knowledge Dba RV Life. . . . . . . . . 63 Southwire Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Stromberg Carlson Products . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Ultra-Fab Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 United Safety Apparatus dba Safe-T-Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 United States Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 rvnews.com