The following is an excerpt from an RV Industry Association’s News & Insights profile.
When Champion Homes’ Director of Sales John Tuyo started his role two years ago, he brought his passion for park models into the RV industry.
Champion Homes, a subsidiary of Skyline Champion Corporation, builds a wide variety of manufactured and modular homes, accessory dwelling units, park model RVs and modular buildings for the single-family, multifamily and hospitality sectors. Although not all of Champion Homes’ 48 plants focus on park models, each one is capable of manufacturing them. Currently, 16 of Champion Homes’ plants focus on building park model RVs. The company is based in Troy, Michigan.
“Since 1993, I’ve worked in manufactured housing — which now, for the last two and a half years, has expanded to include park model RVs,” John says.
“I know a lot of folks in the RV and manufactured housing industries. Champion Homes is a strong company, and the previous individual in my role was retiring,” he explains. “So, the company asked me to take on the role. I travel a lot between our 16 plants that build park models today.”
Originally from Wyandotte, Michigan, John graduated from the University of Louisville. He now lives in Oklahoma with his family, who often accompany him in his outdoor pursuits. “I’ve been blessed with four children and a wonderful wife,” he says. “And I’m an avid outdoorsman. My golf time and my hunting time are extremely valuable because my kids still enjoy them with me. I also camp — I grew up camping. That was our vacation when I was young. So, camping’s in my blood, and I enjoy being part of the park model industry. It’s a spectacular business.”
As Director of Sales for Champion Homes, John’s responsibilities center on ensuring that the company’s products (as well as their quality and innovativeness) are prepared for the marketplace. He manages Champion Homes’ individual sales teams across its 16 park model RV plants. Additionally, he oversees pricing strategies to ensure the company can sustain its current performance.
“We own about 20% of all of the park model business, and we want to continue our growth— even in a tough market,” John says. “We also want to develop products that are great for the end user and great for our plants, from a production standpoint. So, I balance production logistics with market conditions. We want to make sure that, when we decide to build something, that it will be successful from both angles.”
Additionally, John’s responsibilities encompass two other crucial areas: “I also focus on the development of floor plans, and the development of additional points of purchase for our units across the country— whether it be a new community, a revamped community, or a build-out of an existing community. All of that’s under my umbrella.”
Going forward, Champion Homes continues to prioritize its growth as a company, largely through an emphasis on innovation. “We’re doing very well right now and continuing to drive park model business and keeping our name number one in the industry from a unit standpoint and volume standpoint,” he says.
He commends Champion Homes’ design team, which provides color palettes for each region of the United States. “We have a wonderful design team in North Carolina that helps me with Eastern colors, Florida colors, Northwestern colors, and Western colors. It’s a big bucket, and it’s an exciting business.”
Click here to read RVIA’s full profile on Tuyo.
