Meet the nominees for the 24th Annual Walt Paseska Memorial Canadian RV Dealer of the Year Award.
Rodney Friesen
Voyager RV Centre
Winfield, BC
After successful ventures in the gas station and used car sales businesses, Rod Friesen was looking for a new challenge when he and wife Dianne moved from Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan to British Columbia’s Okanagan in 1984. Settling in the village of Winfield, just north of Kelowna, he opened Voyager RV on “an old gravel pit lot with a used trailer for an office, and five used consignment motor homes.”
With vision and talent, Friesen grew the dealership quickly, adding acreage and a two-story building with service bays, a parts store and office space by 1990. He also began adding staff, starting with Reg Pixton, who remains with the dealership today as its Used Vehicle and Consignment Manager. Within a few more years the dealership employed nearly 30 full-time staff.
“By the time I joined the company in 1997 many of the technicians had already been there for 10 years and most of the salesman had been there for 5 to 10 years each as well,” said Voyager RV General Manager, Ward Fraser. “Good people will only stay with you for a long time if they are treated and compensated well. Great people will only stay with you if they see you have vision, are creating something special and truly deliver on your promises to the customer and to your team. That is the legacy that Rod has built and that is why the staff has such long tenure.”
Long tenure isn’t limited to staff at Voyager RV. Many of the brands represented by the dealership have equally long histories with Friesen.
“As a dealer partner with us since 1987, Voyager RV has been recognized as one of Winnebago Industries’ top performing Canadian dealers annually, and being named the number one performing dealer in Canada for the years of 2007, 2008 and 2009,” says Niles Whitehouse, Western Area Sales Manager for Winnebago. “More impressively, Rod Friesen and Voyager RV have been awarded Winnebago’s prestigious Circle of Excellence Award in 11 of the last 14 years. We are proud to have been their business partner for the past 27-plus years.”
“Northern Lite Manufacturing Ltd and Voyager RV have been doing business together since 1999,” notes Northern Lite General Manager, Keith Donkin, “With Voyager RV being one of the largest RV dealers in the BC interior they have achieved a solid reputation in the Okanagan Valley, and we are proud to be one of their partners.”
Jayco Regional Sales Manager, Brian Canfield, says his company’s long relationship with Friesen stems from more than strong annual sales. “Jayco and Voyager RV started their partnership back in 1997 and the relationship is still going on strongly today,” said Canfield. “I can tell you after attending countless open houses at Voyager RV I have yet to hear a single complaint about how someone was treated. Instead, I am constantly told how well they have been looked after and how professional Voyager treats them before, during and after the sale.”
Friesen is also known for giving back – not only to the RV industry, but to the community as well. The dealership has demonstrated a long history of involvement with the RVDA of BC and the OUC RV Technician training program, and supports a large number of local charities including the Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, Preston-Gosselin Kids’ Run To Cure Cancer, BC Paramedic Academy, Children’s Make-a-Wish Foundation, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and numerous local amateur sports organizations.
Kyle Kehoe
Kehoe RV
Saskatoon, SK
Kyle Kehoe grew up in a family that was deeply involved in the Canadian RV industry. Kyle’s father, Pat Kehoe, began his career in the RV business back in 1967. So when the opportunity came in 1999 for Kyle to get into the RV dealership business with his father, he jumped at the chance.
Following Pat’s retirement, Kyle Kehoe took over the President’s role at Kehoe RV in Saskatoon – the position he still holds today working alongside his business partner and brother Darryl, who joined the team in 2004.
Through the years Kehoe RV has grown and expanded steadily, and today employs 11 people in sales, service, parts, financing and management. Kyle Kehoe has held almost every position in the business including time spent overseeing sales, financing, service writing and working on the shop floor. His roll-up-the-sleeves approach is something inherited from his father.
He also inherited a strong sense of community. As a board member of RVDA Saskatchewan, Kehoe is completing his first year as a Director, and is also sitting on the Board of the RVDA of Canada. “Kyle has been dedicated to the RV Industry for the past 15 years, serving on various provincial and national RVDA boards,” says Ken Puddifant, Business Development Manager at Atlas Trailer Coach. “And outside the Industry, he supports numerous community programs.”
This includes time donated to the Canadian Progress Club, which raises money for local charities, and he has also donated generously to the Lighthouse Community Living Capital Campaign, which exists to provide emergency shelter, supported living, and affordable housing to those in need in Saskatoon.
But at the end of the day, Kehoe’s number one priority is providing superior customer service and satisfaction.
“RVing runs in our family, it’s something four generations of Wildeman’s have been enjoying since the 1970’s,” said Kehoe RV customer Johanna Wildeman. “My Father in law, Albert, purchased the first family RV from Kehoe RV in the early 70’s. Through the years, there have been many more RV’s purchased in our family, and each and every one of them have been from Kehoe RV. Each time we walk back into the store, we are greeted with a smile, handshake and customer service that goes beyond what one would expect. Kehoe RV serves its customers with good old fashioned personality – delivering quality, efficiency and innovative RV’s while offering everything we need.”
At the end of a busy day Kehoe enjoys going home to his two daughters, Saige and Caprice. Perhaps some day they will follow in their father’s and grandfather’s footsteps and become the backbone of Kehoe RV.
Craig Anstead
Paradise RV Centre
Grande Prairie, Leduc and Red Deer, AB
With more than 30 years of management background in the automotive and RV industries, Craig Anstead’s experience and expertise have set an example and paved the way for many up-and-coming managers and industry professionals. Anstead was a co-founder and partner in Western RV in Red Deer before branching off in 2006 to start his own Paradise RV dealership.
Born and raised in Edmonton, where he continues to reside with his partner, Karen, Anstead has always operated under a principal of family first, business second – values he shares with his two sons, Cody and Jared, who also work within the Paradise RV dealership network. “The way he trains and treats people that he employs says a lot about that person,” says Ray Walsh, Regional Sales Manager for Forest River Inc./Flagstaff Division. “Craig Anstead’s Paradise RV exemplifies the way a dealership should be run.”
Under Anstead’s leadership Paradise RV has grown from the three flagship stores in Red Deer to locations in both Leduc and a state-of-the-art facility in Grande Prairie. Today, the company boasts more than 75 employees, 20 service bays and over 600 new units in inventory. “Craig Anstead has been the driving force behind Paradise RV,” said Larry Luther, Ragional Sales Manager for Coachmen RV. “He is fair and honest, which is key in a dealer-manufacturer relationship.”
The secret to Anstead’s success comes from his vision to create a relaxed shopping atmosphere for his customers, a dedication to superior customer service and follow-through, and a commitment to offering the lowest price and greatest value possible in a stress free no haggle environment.
“Craig Anstead is a firm believer in participating and giving back to his community, and he has taken on active roles on numerous boards and committees,” said Dan Merkowsky, Executive Vice President for the RVDA of Alberta. “With 11 years of service and Presidency of the RVDA of Alberta, Anstead was instrumental in bringing the RVDA board back from the brink of bankruptcy to having a million in cash to the good.”
For the past couple years Anstead has raised funds for various clubs and charities, including Kids with Cancer and the Edmonton Make-a-Wish Foundation by auctioning off rides in his two-seater race car. He continues to sponsor two young girls with cancer by providing junior dragsters, full size dragsters, and supporting their operating costs so they can enjoy the experience of a lifetime and living their dreams.
Away from the RV world, Anstead enjoys relaxing at the lake with his family and is an extreme sports enthusiast. He was one of the co-founders of the Edmonton Rush professional lacrosse team and spent many years coaching his sons hockey teams and mentoring them on the Castrol drag racing strip.
Kyle Redmond
Bucar’s RV Centre
Balzac, AB
For the second year in a row Kyle Redmond of Bucars RV Centre, located in Balzac, Alberta, has been nominated as the RVDA of Canada’s Dealer of the Year award.
A veteran of the Canadian RV industry, Redmond was born and raised in Calgary, where he lives today with wife Ruby, daughters Ava and Isabella, and son William. Redmond has been involved with Bucars RV Centre since his family purchased the dealership in 1989, and has worked there on a full-time basis since 1998. Learning the old-fashioned way by investing time and working at every facet of the business, from the service bay and parts counter to sales and marketing, Redmond developed a strong dedication to customer service and staff training. Today he shares the General Manager role with his brother Jeff, and has helped develop Bucars from 10 employees in a rented facility to a present-day staff of more than 65 people working in a 40,000 square-foot, purpose-built modern dealership with 16 service bays.
Redmond has donated his time extensively in support of both provincial and national RV dealer associations. He served on the Alberta Board of Directors from 2007 to 2014, and as the Association’s President for the 2012-2013 term. He has served on the RVDA of Canada Board since 2010, and was named Chairman in 2013. He has chaired the local Calgary RV Show Committee, served on dealer councils, and is currently participating in the Spader 20 Group. “Kyle Redmond’s dedication to the industry is clearly demonstrated by his role as both President of the RVDA of Alberta and Chair of the RVDA of Canada, and the amount of time spent contributing to the goals of both organizations,” said Matt Michelson, Vice President – Portfolio Management, GE Commercial Distribution Finance Canada.
As well as his many RV industry involvements, Redmond also serves the local business community. Redmond continually supports numerous community groups at his children’s school, along with charities such as the Rotary Club, the Young Canadians of the Calgary Stampede, and the Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta. A firm believer in giving back to the community, Redmond has served as coach of his son’s hockey and soccer teams, and is actively involved in the Calgary Old-timers Hockey.
“Kyle has always been sensitive to our non-profit status and the financial demands that R&M on the buses places on our organization,” said Shelley Heartwell, CEO of The Alex, which operates a mobile health program utilizing three converted buses to bring medical and dental facilities to those in need. “Bucars RV had informally contributed much work on our fleet without asking for compensation or recognition, but this past year Kyle went one step further by fully adopting the costs of all R&M on the buses. When we received this unexpected offer, saying that his company would like to adopt the fleet and would ensure that they were maintained in excellent mechanical health, a heavy burden was lifted from our shoulders.”
Chris Stovold
The RV Warehouse Inc.
Cookstown, ON
Described as one of the hardest-working RV dealers in Ontario, Chris Stovold of the RV Warehouse in Cookstown is a long-standing member of the Ontario RV Dealers Association, having served multiple terms on the organization’s board of directors and currently working with the association’s Show Committee with responsibility for operating five large consumer shows each year. He has also been a strong voice for the RV industry, sitting on numerous committees and boards with the RVDA of Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, and numerous lobbying teams all in support of positive RV legislation or reform.
A dealer for Jayco for 12 of the company’s 14 years in business, as well as a dealer for StarCraft and KZ Manufacturing, Stovold and The RV Warehouse support the RV Care network with a commitment to safe RVing across Canada. His commitment to the recreational vehicle industry further includes representing a KOA Campground and two marinas based on Lake Simcoe.
A devoted family man, Stovold’s wife and three children have all played an integral role in the success of his business. In 1999, after only four years in business, The RV Warehouse won the Ontario RV Dealer of the Year award, and won again in 2014 for the second time. “I have known and worked with Chris since RV Warehouse opened in 2000,” said Frank Hone, President, Dealer Support Services. “He is committed to the RV Lifestyle – he has his own motorhome – and believes in giving his customers the best experience possible.”
Stovold is also known for an equally strong commitment to give back to his community. “Local business support of community events is essential to a
strong, healthy and vibrant community,” said Chris Reynolds, Innisfil Community Events Corporation Vice-Chair. “The RV Warehouse has shown its dedication and commitment to the community of Innisful through its generous support of community events.”
“Chris has helped Innisfil Community Events Corporation with numerous events over the past 15 years by supplying RVs for Innisfil Summerfest as part of his sponsorship package,” added Gord Wauchope, Chair of Innisfil Community Events and Chair of the Innisfil Celtic Festival. “He has also assisted with the Innisfil Celtic Festival since its inception by supplying RVs to be used by the entertainers as dressing rooms. Whenever Chris is asked to participate, he willingly helps with whatever is needed. He is a hard-working individual who is responsible and trustworthy, and an upstanding citizen in the Town of Innisfil.”
Gerard Dufresne
Caravanes de la Petitie National
Gatineau, QC
Gerard Dufresne is a 20-year veteran of Canada’s RV industry, with a career marked by successes and of having achieved many of his goals. Described as having a “go-getter personality” his energy and expertise have made him a respected figure within the industry.
A generous nature and entrepreneurial spirit have led Dufresne to participate in a diverse range of industry boards, associations and initiatives, including the Association des commergants de vehicules recreatifs du Quebec, and the respective boards of ACVRQ, Go RVING and RVDA Canada.
As President of Caravanes de la Petite Nation, Dufresne applies his values, innovation, and enjoyment of working in the RV industry toward goal realization. An avid believer in continuing education and training, he invests heavily in this area “in order to help each employee to become a winner,” said Jean-Francois Lussier, ACVRQ President. “He values innovation, pleasure at work, self-realization, and favours team goals and good communications.”
“Mr. Dufresne demonstrates unparalleled leadership. He is honest, direct, courageous, and is unafraid of taking unpleasant decisions to reach his professional goals,” said Guy Pelletier, Humaprise Corp. “Moreover, he has a quality rarely seen in SME executives, that is the unrelenting desire for improvement, investing substantial amounts in training.”
Indeed, Dufresne’s passion for personal growth through career development even encouraged some of his children to chose a career in the RV industry. “Gerard Dufresne has distinguished himself in the industry through his precision and strong values,” said Richard Leclerc, President, Leclerc Assurances et Services Financiers. “Respect, pleasure at work, and discipline are values which Mr. Dufresne passes on to others, and this is certainly what makes him popular with his customers.”
Dufresne is also known for his generosity outside of the business. He has donated money and a trailer to the Freres TOX Association in support of a street-level outreach program for young people dealing with addiction. He has also supported the Fondation Monderie, donating $2,500 to make a young handicapped girl’s dream of going to Walt Disney World in Florida a reality.
Each year Dufresne supports the Super Fête Marius Fournier in his native village of St-Andre-Avellin, which attracts more than 650 children. He is a Knight of Columbus and participates in the annual distribution of Christmas baskets. He has received the Retail Business Award from the Chamber of Commerce of La Petite Nation, is a member of the Optimist Club and the Regroupement des eleveurs de chevres de boucherie du Quebec.
“If I had to summarize our perception of Mr. Dufresne, I would say that he is an individual who constantly strives for improvement, who listens and who always pushes the limits of his company,” said Denis Lachaine, Preloc Auto & VR. “All of which undoubtedly make him a remarkable man.”
