Created with GIMPThe RV Industry Association has done a profile of Mike Conway, national accounts manager for Southwire, which provides electrical parts and accessories to multiple industries, including RV’s. In it, Conway discusses the changes in the industry and how his company is positioning itself for long-term success in the RV world.
Southwire National Account Manager Mike Conway is all about power: protecting electrical power, providing off-the-grid power, finding new sources of power, empowering employees and partnering with RV industry powers.
His quest for power began at a young age. As a high school senior at Elkhart Christian Academy, Conway had his first taste of power as the manager of a local Blockbuster. Around the same time, he also learned the power of persuasion, convincing one of classmates to go out with him and later, to become his wife.
It was in 2005, during a break from education at Bethel College, that Conway first entered the RV industry. His family had enjoyed RVing in Upper Michigan, so he already had an affinity for RVs. Working at an OEM to earn enough money to return to school, he learned to do repairs, final finishes and RV prep on travel trailers and fifth wheels.
He returned to retail store management after college, but when his retailer closed all its stores in 2010, he found himself back in the RV business, this time in charge of production at a manufacturing company. There he learned to trouble-shoot and developed an expertise in electrical systems. In 2012, he moved into sales and technical support for SM Osgood, and it was there that he came to appreciate the power of listening to customers.
“I love getting the voice of the consumer. It gives us clear direction so we can decide who we want to be as a supplier to the RV industry,” says Conway, who joined Southwire in 2017. Having empowered himself with the mastery of management, repair, electrical and sales skills, it was not a surprise when he was promoted in 2020 to national account manager, overseeing the sales into RV and electrical safety markets. On the manufacturing side, this division provides transfer switches, power reels, custom cables, junction boxes, strain reliefs, GFCIs and cable ties, and tools on the tech and service sides.
At the recent Hershey RV Show, he was able to listen to many of the record number of consumers who attended. He was stunned, he said, by the number of people who were first-time buyers, but who had clearly been doing lots of research.
“They knew they needed electrical protection – especially for going off-grid,” says Conway, who notes that it’s important for him to know what they intend to use their RVs for. “This helps me understand the solutions they need now and in the future.”
Click here to read the RVIA’s full profile of Conway.
