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One of the highlights of attending the National RV Trade Show in Louisville this past December was meeting Gary Labella, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the RVIA (Recreational Vehicle Industry Association). Shortly after meeting Gary, I told him that the truck camper industry had strong feelings about the RVIA and the Go RVing campaign due to a perceived lack of support. I also told him that I believed there was an opportunity for a story with the RVIA that could help set the record straight and encourage more participation with the RVIA from the truck camping industry. On the spot, Gary agreed and we set up an interview with the RVIA President, Richard Coon.
The one condition to the interview was that it would be an email interview. While I strongly prefer an in-person or phone interview, I agreed. I then contacted our truck camper industry leaders and invited them to send their own questions for Richard and the RVIA. Many of the questions that follow are questions from the truck camper industry itself. As you will see, these questions often mirror the strong feelings I had expressed to Gary in Kentucky.
I would like to thank Richard Coon, Gary Labella, and Bill Baker of the RVIA for making this interview possible. It is my hope that this interview, the first Truck Camper Magazine story for 2009, will renew communications between the greater truck camper industry and the RVIA/Go RVing campaign. Let's move forward.
TCM: Tell me about your earliest memories that involve RVs. Take us as far back in time as you can.
Richard: Well, this memory doesn’t necessarily involve RVs, but it did lead me to RVing. When Susan and I were first married, one of the first things we did was go on a camping trip because she had never been camping. So we took our sleeping bags and air mattresses and went camping in Gooseberry Reservoir in the Wasatch Mountains. I’ll never forget waking up at 6:00 am the next morning with the sun coming up over the mountains and a quarter-inch of frost covering the tarp we had over us. I turned to my new wife and told her it was her job to throw the fishing line in the water. As you can imagine, that was the end of roughing it... strictly RVing from then on. We took our first child out in a pop-up camper when she was six months old and continued to take all our kids RV camping throughout their early years.
TCM: How did you get involved in the RV industry?
Richard: I left Ford Motor Company and went to work for Onan in 1974. Onan was selling generator sets to RV OEMs and I became a distributor development manager for the RV industry. I stayed on the consumer product side of the business with Cummins – Onan until coming to RVIA.
TCM: How did you come to work for the RVIA?
Richard: While working at Onan, I had become involved with RVIA, participating on various committees. I was serving on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee when RVIA’s long-time President, Dave Humphreys, announced he was retiring. I had been at Onan for thirty years, heading up the RV business, and I wanted to retire on a high note with my last four years there having set records. So, I just felt it was the right time to make a change and I threw my hat in the ring for the RVIA job. It is just about the best thing I ever did.
TCM: Is there anyone at the RVIA who owns and uses a truck camper? If yes, please tell us who and what they like to do with their camper. If no, please tell us what types of RVs RVIA staff do own?
Richard: There have been quite a few staff over the years who've owned RVs, including truck campers. Perhaps the best known is former RVIA President Dave Humphreys, who owns a truck camper that he uses quite often. He is a model airplane enthusiast and travels to events and shows in his camper. But, just about every RVIA staff member has had the opportunity to use RVs thanks to our members, who make several units available to us through RVIA's vehicle loan program for media and political contacts. Staff are also able to use these units, which is a great benefit and helps us represent the industry and the lifestyle more effectively. We've had truck campers in this program and they were very popular with staff.
TCM: Can you tell us specifically what RVIA does to promote truck campers?
Richard: Go RVing features truck campers as part of its industry-wide marketing initiative to promote the RV lifestyle among consumers. Truck camper images and information are showcased in the national “What Will Your Discover? Go RVing” ads and on the GoRVing.com website for consumers. Truck campers are also featured in Go RVing’s free consumer DVD, which consumers can order or view online on the Go RVing website. Visitors to the Go RVing website can also experience a 360 degree tour of a truck camper and be put in touch with dealers who sell truck campers. Participating Go RVing dealers and manufacturers can also use beautiful Go RVing photography shot on location at campgrounds around the country, and receive the names of consumers who've given us permission to refer them to our trusted industry partners for more information.
In addition, RVIA promotes truck campers through its public relations program. Photos and information about truck campers are a part of RVIA’s media kit. Earlier this year, adventurer Brian Brawdy, who travels the country in a “green” Lance truck camper, was hired as an RVIA spokesman. Brawdy has drawn much interest to truck campers, receiving attention from high profile national media outlets like the New York Times, which printed a story on Brawdy’s travels and a large photo of his camper on the front page of its Escapes section on November 7th.
TCM: Why should a truck camper manufacturer that only sells a few hundred truck campers a year join the RVIA?
Richard: I believe that regardless of production or business volume there are many advantages to becoming an RVIA member. One of the primary benefits for manufacturer members are the inspection reviews done six times a year by a trained RVIA standards professional to help in the compliance with the many manufacturing standards that apply to RVs. To me, that is an invaluable service, especially to a smaller manufacturer.
In addition, there are also monthly standards bulletins from our Standards Department to help keep members up to date on regulations affecting the industry.
RVIA membership also gives access to a wealth of industry data and information like our monthly marketing reports, the industry shipment forecast newsletter RV Roadsigns, industry-backed research, and our association newsletters RVIA Today and RVIA Today Express. Member companies also have lower rates on exhibit space at our trade shows.
And, finally, becoming a member provides a platform to become involved in the association, to join one of our standing committees, and to take part in setting the course for the association. We are a member-driven organization and we’re always interested welcoming those who can volunteer their time, talent and expertise. Consumers can be confident that RVIA members are dedicated to their profession and industry excellence.
TCM: Why should a consumer look for the RVIA seal before purchasing a truck camper?
Richard: As members of RVIA, manufacturers must display the oval-shaped RVIA seal on vehicles they produce. The manufacturers who display this seal are self-certifying compliance with more than 500 safety specifications for electrical, plumbing, heating and fire and life safety established under the NFPA A1192 Standard for Recreation Vehicles.
Manufacturers are subject to periodic, unannounced plant inspections by RVIA representatives to audit their compliance. Those who fail to maintain an acceptable level of compliance can be expelled from the association, which prohibits them from displaying the RVIA seal on their products.
Now, from a consumer standpoint, I think the RVIA seal is something that gives them confidence that the manufacturer is subject to a program helping them understand and maintain compliance with more than 500 safety specifications. And, from the manufacturer viewpoint, I believe that is tremendously helpful to be reviewed on an ongoing basis throughout the year by trained standards professionals.
TCM: Does the quantity of truck campers sold annually affect how the RVIA and the Go RVing campaign considers the truck camping segment for promotion and advertising support?
Richard: Obviously, we understand that the different RV types appeal to different RV buyers. We care deeply about all the market segments, and feel we do a good job of promoting all types of RVs, including truck campers. Generally speaking, we probably show more motorhomes and travel trailers in our ads than other types of RVs but that speaks to their market volume. We are well aware that truck campers and folding camping trailers… while not having the market volume of other vehicles types… are very important to the industry as entry level vehicles and as vehicles popular with outdoor enthusiasts, and we promote these units heavily both through Go RVing and our public relations efforts.
TCM: What is the RVIA doing to help the RV industry secure access to wholesale and retail financing?
Richard: RVIA, in conjunction with our government affairs consultants, member companies, and stakeholders in the recreation industry, has explored various programs and legislative/regulatory initiatives the association could undertake to lessen the current economic crisis for our members and the industry. Of the possibilities, three specific actions have been selected for immediate legislative/regulatory action.
First, credit markets are not functioning normally, dampening vehicle sales from a shrinking pool of willing buyers. The Treasury Department recently announced plans to use TARP funds to infuse capital into specialty lenders and nonbank institutions to improve the availability of car loans, student loans, and credit card loans. RVIA has asked Treasury to include RV consumer and dealer floor plan loans in this liquidity facility.
Second, part of a stimulus plan to be considered next year permits the deduction of sales and excise taxes for new car purchases. RVIA has begun to ask Congress that this proposal be modified to include RV purchases as well, or alternatively, request an incentive for the purchase of diesel motorhomes that operate on B5 and/or B20 biodiesel.
Third, to help ensure the availability of credit, the US Treasury Department should require that banks and nonbank financial concerns receiving TARP funds use this newfound liquidity to actually make consumer and business loans available. Action is needed, perhaps stronger than mere urging, to require that a portion of the remaining TARP funds be used for consumer and business loans. Economic recovery depends heavily on a rebound in consumer confidence, and consumers who are credit worthy and that encounter barriers to financing purchases will make this rebound more difficult.
In addition to these efforts, RVIA is pursuing several initiatives that do not require legislative or regulatory intervention. Among these initiatives is the concept of a Recreation Loan Guarantee Insurance Corporation that could provide private insurance on RV loans similar to Private Mortgage Insurance on home loans if needed for a consumer to qualify for a loan. Also, as qualification standards for RV loans become more stringent, more borrowers are finding themselves qualified only for sub prime loans, so RVIA is reaching out to sub-prime auto industry lenders to get them more familiar and comfortable with the RV industry.
TCM: There are twenty-five members of the 2009 RVIA Board of Directors. Who on that board represents the truck camper industry? Is that enough members to have an influence on board votes?
Richard: We have Board members from several companies that make truck campers, including Thor, Forest River, and Lance Camper. I think that is pretty fair representation. In my experience as a Board member and as RVIA President, the Board is very open to hearing and discussing issues and making decisions that are in the best interest of the industry. I would urge representatives from truck camper manufacturers to become involved in RVIA and serve on our committees to let their voices be heard on the issues that are important to them. We have a big-tent approach and welcome those who want to help set the direction for the association. That would be another reason for those who may not be members of RVIA to join... to become part of the discussion.
TCM: How can we get a new truck camper in the Go RVing Hall at the RV/MH Heritage Museum?
Richard: That would be up to the RV/MH Heritage Museum and Hall of Fame. They are responsible for selecting the vehicles that are showcased on the Go RVing Hall, and I understand the staff is in discussions with a truck camper manufacturer about including a truck camper in the display for the upcoming year. It would be great to have truck camper in the Go RVing Hall.
TCM: If the focus of the RVIA is to support the domestic RV industry, what is RVIA’s position on supporting Chinese RV manufacturers including CenTech Specialty Vehicles/iCamp?
Richard: The focus of RVIA is to support its members, and we do that regardless of country. For many years, we have had many Canadian as well as European manufacturer and supplier members. At our last Board of Directors meeting, we invited Jeff Hanemaayer of Roadtrek Motorhomes, a Canadian manufacturer, to serve on our Board of Directors. CenTech is a member of RVIA and we will support them just as we would any other member.
TCM: How much is the RVIA membership identification seal for a truck camper and what does that seal fee cover?
Richard: Truck camper manufacturers pay $50.05 for each RVIA seal and that covers the cost of the seal and helps fund RVIA and Go RVing programs.
TCM: What is the RVIA doing to encourage states to title truck campers?
Richard: One of our primary roles as an association is representing the interest of our membership and the industry with state and federal government on a wide variety of issues. Last year, we were successful in working with the state of Idaho to require truck campers to be registered, titled and tagged. I believe that brings the total number of states with titling and/or registration requirements to about a dozen. We’d like to see the number of states with these requirements increase because it does help with financing these units, and when there is the opportunity for such legislation in other states, we’ll do all that we can do to help make sure it is successful.
Publisher's Response: Camper Title Concerns
TCM: If the truck camper industry and community wanted to correspond with the RVIA, who would be an appropriate contact and email address?
Richard: I would suggest visiting our website – www.rvia.org – and clicking on the “Contact Us” selection under the “About RVIA” tab. This lists the extensions for our various departments so that you get in contact with someone best able to answer your specific question. You can also always call our main number (703-620-6003) to explain your issue or question and you’ll be put in touch with someone who can best help you.
For more information about the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), visit their website at www.rvia.org
For more information about the Go RVing campaign, visit their website at www.gorving.com
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