On June 6, the RV Industry Association (RVIA) Board of Directors approved a new, revised version of the organization’s bylaws.
This is the final step in a multi-year effort to make the board smaller, more nimble and better able to lead the industry in the years to come, RVIA said.
In 2019 the RVIA board had at least 24 members: 9 RV manufacturers, 2 park model RV manufacturers, 5 suppliers, 5 at-large members, 2 appointed members and the immediate past chair. Not only was this too large for effective meeting participation, but consolidation within the RV industry was making it harder to recruit candidates for all the positions. To address this, the board created a Governance Committee to revise the association’s bylaws and streamline the organization.
“In November 2021 we proposed a comprehensive reorganization of the Bylaws to make them easier to use and reduced the size of board to a more nimble 17 members; with 6 RV manufacturers, 1 park model RV manufacturer, 5 suppliers, 4 appointed members and the Immediate Past Chair,” said Bob Parish, vice president of Wells Fargo DF and chair of the Governance Committee, who has led this project since 2021. “The additional appointed seats were intended to be used to bring new skill sets and perspectives to the table. The board also established a 3-year transition period to ensure that existing directors could complete their terms without losing their valuable experience.”
As the board worked through the transition, though, two unexpected issues with the new system arose. First, additional consolidation in the industry continued to shrink the pool of appropriate candidates. But even more critical, the large member companies that are the greatest contributors to the RV industry economy and the most significant financial supporters of the association were not being properly represented on the board.
“We found that the new system left many of the industry’s most important voices on the sidelines,” Parish said. “So earlier this year the Governance Committee drafted several bylaws tweaks and adjustments to address these issues.”
The newest bylaws edition, dated June 6, 2024, establishes an 18-member Board of Directors. There will be 5 Standing Directors, drawn from the 3 largest RV manufacturers based on their cumulative seal sales in the past year and the two suppliers in the highest association dues category. There will be 10 Elected Directors: 5 RV manufacturers, 1 park model RV manufacturer, and 4 suppliers competing for positions. Two Appointed Director seats will be used for balance and inclusion. The Immediate Past Chair will continue to serve.
“We are confident that the new RV Industry Association Board structure that takes effect on Jan. 1, 2025, will fairly balance and address all the interests that make up our great industry going forward,” said Parish.
RV Industry Association members can access the 2024 edition of the bylaws here.
