RVDA of Canada Update
A Special Report for RV Dealer News from Eleonore Hamm, President, RVDA of Canada.
RVDA of Canada Board
The RVDA of Canada held its Autumn board meeting on November 6, 2023, in Las Vegas, NV. This meeting serves as our annual meeting.
The 2023-2024 RVDA of Canada Executive is as follows:
Chair: Dale Hopkins, RV City, Morinville, AB
Vice Chair: Jim Gorrie, Classic Trailers, Headingley, MB
Treasurer: Ken Dobson, Leisure Time Sales, Quispamsis, NB
Past Chair: Josée Bédard, Roulottes Chaudière, Levis, QC
During our meeting, the Board approved a new endorsement program with Insider Perks for a website AI Chatbot program. We also reviewed some draft figures from our updated Economic Impact Analysis which will be released shortly.
RVDA and RVDA of Canada Honour 16 Manufacturers with Quality Circle Awards
16 manufacturers/brands were honoured with the Quality Circle Award for earning the highest ratings in the 29th annual Dealer Satisfaction Index (DSI) survey. The awards were presented during the Spotlight on Excellence Luncheon on November 7 at the RVDA Convention/Expo.
The towable RV manufacturers/brands receiving awards were (in alphabetical order by manufacturer): Airstream; Alliance RV (Avenue, Paradigm, Valor); Brinkley RV; House); CrossRoads (Zinger, Volante); East to West (Ahara, Tandara, Alta, Della Terra, Silver Lake); Forest River (Flagstaff travel trailers, fifth wheels and Shamrock expandables; Rockwood travel trailers, fifth wheels and Roo expandables; Sandpiper, Sierra, Cedar Creek, Riverstone); Grand Design (Imagine, Momentum, Reflection, Solitude, and Transcend); Gulf Stream Coach (Vintage Cruiser, Vista Cruiser); Highland Ridge (Open Range, Mesa Ridge); Jayco; Keystone (Cougar, Montana, High Country); KZ RV (Durango, Durango Gold, Venom, V-Series, Sportsmen, Sportsmen Sportster, Sportsmen Classic, Spree Connect, Spree Escape); Starcraft; and Venture RV (SportTrek, Status).
The motorized RV manufacturers/product categories receiving awards are (in alphabetical order): Airstream; Jayco; Leisure Travel Vans/Triple E; and Pleasure-Way.
The brands/manufacturers receiving the Quality Circle Award were rated by at least 15 dealers and scored 4.25 or above on a 5-point scale in overall dealer satisfaction. When rating their brands/manufacturers, dealers were asked to express, confidentially, their level of satisfaction on four core issues: Reliability/quality; Parts; Warranty, and Sales.
DSI responses were received from 473 dealership locations in the U.S. and Canada providing 2,188 brand ratings, an average 4.6 per dealer.
See the full report at the RV Lifestyle Magazine website:
RVDA Convention/Expo On-demand content is now available
RVDA of Canada members can access the on-demand content at no charge as a member service at www.rvda.org/convention through January 31. Those who attended the live event in November 2023 can use their current convention credentials to login. Those who didn’t attend can register in the convention mobile-friendly web portal.
In addition to the educational opportunities, dealers will have access to vendor booths featuring videos, catalogues, brochures, and new products, and promotions. There are also online networking opportunities, discussion boards, and the ability to interact with other attendees virtually.
Workshops available on-demand include:
- Put the ‘Advise’ in Advisor: Lessons from Master Advisors
Speaker: Valerie Ziebron, President, VRZ Consulting - How to Build a Powerful RV BDC – Key Ingredients for Guaranteed Success!
Speaker: Joni Stuker, President, Owner Connect - Cultivating a Top Performing Shop
Speaker: Valerie Ziebron, President, VRZ Consulting - Company Culture Part II: Running a Successful Business Development Centre
Speaker: Paige Bouma, Chief Sales Officer, RV Trader - Tips for Cash Flow Management and Floor Plan Financing for RV Dealers
Speakers: Brittany Richards, Breanne Eagles and Kim Linbarger, Moss Adams - Where Did Customer Loyalty Go? Lead Development & Client Retention
Speaker: Jered Sobel, President, Sobel University
The live 2024 RV Dealers Convention/Expo returns to Paris Las Vegas, November 11-15, 2024.
George Goodrick Emerging Leader Award
Travis Bromley of Transcona Trailer Sales in Winnipeg, Manitoba was presented with the 2023 George Goodrick Emerging Leader Award at the RVDA of Canada reception during the RVDA Convention/Expo in Las Vegas. The George Goodrick Emerging Leader Award recognizes and encourages early-career professionals who have demonstrated exceptional commitment, passion and promise of leadership to the Canadian Recreation Vehicle industry.
Travis’ journey into the RV industry began back in 2003 when after school and on weekends you would find him washing and detailing RVs & boats at the family’s dealerships. In 2009, after graduation, he began working in the Parts Dept, and in 2012 he went on to develop his skills as a Service Writer. In 2015 he became the Sales Manager and has slowly become the new face of Transcona Trailer Sales.
Travis recently identified a void and an opportunity to better communicate digitally with their client base and brought forward the use of a text-based communication tool. It has created better dialogue with their customers and feedback from the clients has been extremely positive and far preferred it over emails. This initiative created an internal Transcona family that brings the entire digital dealership to the client.
Travis became involved with the RVDA of Manitoba in 2016 by joining the association’s RV Show committee. Travis took on the chair of the RV Show committee in 2020 and has been involved in promotion of the industry in Manitoba ever since. Travis was instrumental is the creation of the 2023 Mid-Canada RV & Marine Sale which merged two shows together to produce a show that would appeal to a wider audience thus exposing more people to the RV lifestyle. In 2021, Travis joined the RVDA of Canada board as the director from Manitoba.
True to Travis’s upbringing, his line of sight is not just on the smooth operation of the dealership, but he also takes his Social Responsibility seriously. He is always looking for ways that Transcona Trailer Sales can work for the betterment of the community. As such Travis always creates a fund-raising component when hosting sales events or open houses and recently, a dealership BBQ saw all proceeds go to their local shelter.
While George Goodrick’s family could not be present for the award ceremony, Ruth Ann Goodrick noted that Travis’s journey in the family business reminded her so much of George’s; starting out in the family business doing all those same things to work his way up to where he was. The Goodrick family congratulates Travis on his drive and successes.
Government Relations
The goal for this past summer was to build-on the momentum gained during the successful Parliament Hill Day that occurred in April. MPs that RVDA of Canada members met in Ottawa were not only happy to meet local business owners, but they were also willing to continue that relationship in the riding and within the community they represent.
We decided to start a grassroots wave of outreach in early July to all MPs that had a RVDA of Canada member located in the constituency. Some meetings occurred in the offices of the Member of Parliament while the majority of them took place in dealerships during work hours. These discussions allowed the MP and staff to learn about the operations, learn about the people involved in the dealership and observe the economic dynamism surrounding these small businesses.
While members were given leave-behind documents to share with the local MPs, we wanted these interactions to be as organic as possible. Relationship building with elected officials is the heart of our long-term advocacy strategy and these grassroots interactions contribute immensely to the development of lasting connections with potential Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries.
Summer outreach meetings:
- MP Lloyd with Trailblazer RV – Alberta, Aug. 3rd
- MP Motz with ArrKann Trailer & RV Centre – Alberta, Aug. 16th
- MP Soroka with Rocky Mountain / Edward’s Garage Limited – Alberta, Aug. 3rd
- MP Caputo with Fraserway RV LP – British-Columbia, Aug. 29th
- MP Bezan with Stylings RV – Manitoba, Sep. 13th
- MP Small with Adventure Sales and Service – Newfoundland, July 25th
- MP Baldinelli with Niagara Trailers – Ontario, Aug. 29th
- MP Epp with Sturgeon Woods Campground / Marine & RV Sales – Ontario, Aug. 26th
- MP Ferreri with Dee Jay Trailers – Ontario, Aug. 29th
- MP C. Lewis with Sunparlour Trailers / Renaud RV Sales / Rochester Place Resort / Ontario, July 26th and Aug. 2nd
- MP L. Lewis with Hitch ‘n Go RV Inc – Ontario, Aug. 31st
- MP Shipley with The Hitchhouse – Ontario, Aug 2nd.
- MP Kram with Affordable Trailer Sales – Saskatchewan, Aug. 22nd
- MP Redekopp with Woody’s RV World – Saskatchewan, Aug. 22nd
- MP Scheer with Village RV – Saskatchewan, Aug. 2nd
We were delighted with the number of meetings that took place over the summer. The regional representation was good, and some MPs were able to meet multiple dealerships within the same time span.
https://youtu.be/S_GJ1ggJPUg?si=hgzU6Whqmk5RaKjn
Trouble Shooter Clinic
Registration is open for the Montreal Trouble Shooter Clinic, to be held from March 19 to 22, 2024 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Pointe Claire Montreal Airport West. The total cost of hosting this training event is estimated to be over $100,000 including audio visual equipment; training equipment brokerage and freight; translation and interpretation services. We’re seeking sponsorship from LCI and manufacturers to support this training.
Training will be offered by: Dexter, Dometic, Garnet Instruments, Firefly Integrations, Truma and Xantrex.
2024 Skills Canada National Competition
https://www.rvda.ca/skillscanadanationalcompetition
The 2024 Skills Canada National Competition will be held in Quebec City on May 30 and 31, 2024, at ExpoCité. In the spirit of highlighting and showcasing Canadian manufacturing, ProLite will be offering a trailer for display. As a true RV industry collaboration: dealers, aftermarket suppliers, manufacturer and training providers are invited to be a part of this RV Career showcase.
As a national skilled trades competition in over 40 skilled trades and technology areas, this event attracted a record 13,000 participant over the 2-day competition in Winnipeg, MB. With a mandate to promote skilled trades career exploration, this event offers a great opportunity for youths and adults to learn about the many exciting prospects of working with RVs while helping them imagine the possibilities in different paths.
Through hands-on activities, we hope to reach many students and teachers in helping them discover the joys of working with tools and career opportunities available in the RV industry. The committee is seeking bilingual volunteers to be a part of this event.
For more information on RVDA of Canada projects, please contact:
Eleonore Hamm,
President
Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA) of Canada
Suite 145 – 11331 Coppersmith Way
Richmond, BC V7A 5J9
tel: (604) 718-6325
