Dave Burroughs, general manager of Cruiser RV, will retire at the end of the month after spending 12 years as part of the Cruiser RV and Heartland RV families. For the last six years, he’s served Cruiser RV as a territory sales manager, product manager and general sales manager, using his experience and expertise to manage teams of salespeople and help develop new RV models.
Burroughs grew up in northern Indiana, surrounded by people in the RV industry. His in-laws sold RV supplies and building products for many years, giving him a baseline familiarity with the camping industry. In 2002, when he was looking for a career change, he began working at Woodland Park in Middlebury, Indiana as an RV sales trainee. Over more than two decades in the RV industry, he’s used his decades of knowledge to grow both Heartland RV and Cruiser RV.
“For years, Dave has been an integral part of our company,” said Kyle Miller, director of sales for Cruiser RV and DRV. “He’s given us years of hard work and dedication, and his experience, knowledge and personality will be missed. We wish all the best for him as he embarks on his well-deserved retirement.”
In his role as GM, Burroughs said what he may have enjoyed most was developing new RV models.
“I enjoy the product development side of my job, from conception to manufacturing – and then seeing it sell is very satisfying,” he said. “Developing new floor plans is not something you can do on your own. Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside some very talented and creative people who share my passion for creating and manufacturing the best possible RVs.”
He said he’s also enjoyed his time training and mentoring new team members: “I’ve never liked the ‘sink or swim’ approach to training sales staff. I believe if you feed, encourage and provide the proper tools for people, they will become superstars. I have some great dealer relationships, but I’ll miss the people I work with the most.”
John Jones, senior general manager for Cruiser RV, said: “Dave has been a big part of our leadership team and Cruiser RV’s success over the years. He’ll be greatly missed in the halls here at Cruiser, and we’re thankful for the years he dedicated to growing both Heartland RV and Cruiser RV. We wish him well as he enjoys his retirement surrounded by family and friends.”
When asked what he’ll do after he retires, Burroughsk said, “My wife and I are going to be the grandparents in the stands at our grandkids’ events. Being involved in their lives is very important to us. We would also like to do a little traveling and camping. We have vacationed for years in Fort Meyers, Florida, and love spending time in that area so we might be snowbirds for part of the winter. But my main goal in retirement is to spend time with my wife, our kids and our grandkids.”