FriesenLocal entrepreneur Jason Friesen and Voyager RV Centre were this year’s recipients of the “Walter Paseka Memorial Canadian RV Dealer of the Year” award for 2023, announced on Nov. 8 as part of the annual RV Dealers Convention & Expo event in Las Vegas.
The award is presented annually to a candidate who has demonstrated long-term dedication to the RV Industry, shown commitment to the RV associations, been recognized by customers and peers as a person with the highest integrity and credibility in both work and personal life, and who have made contributions to their community, the association said.
In his acceptance speech, Friesen thanked his family and the dealership staff, who share his philosophy of always putting the customer first. “This is a true honor, thank you all for this amazing recognition. I’m not sure I deserve this – considering how great the other nominees are – but I humbly accept it, knowing that my team of staff are very deserving!”
After growing up around the RV industry (his father Rod opened the dealership in 1984) and heading off to college, Friesen officially joined Voyager RV’s management team in 2003 and has been vice president and acting dealer principal since.
“My Dad got the ball rolling here at Voyager, started from scratch and navigated the dealership through choppy waters in the 80s and 90s,” Friesen said. “That was really the hard work, so his name should be on this Dealer of the Year award, that’s for sure. My job since 2003 has really been to try to build on that early success and reputation. It’s an easy job to lead when you have an amazing group of people on staff, all helping to grow the business in a way that doesn’t waver from what we believe – that customer experience should be the focus.”
Voyager RV said it has always been supportive of the RV industry associations, which is a big factor in the eyes of the panel that votes. Voyager RV’s current general manager, Ward Fraser, has sat on the board of the RVDA of British Columbia for 14 years, is currently president of the RVDA of British Columbia, and is also currently on the RVDA of Canada board as well.
“Ward has been vital to Voyager’s success as our GM but has also been a rockstar for our entire industry in both BC and Canada,” Friesen said. “He’s a massive part of us winning this Dealer of the Year award, that’s for sure!”
This coming year, Voyager RV will be celebrating its 40th anniversary. Friesen sees more of the same for the dealership in the future.
“We’ll continue to try and grow the business responsibly, without wavering from our core values, and try to have fun doing it! But we’ll also make sure to keep supporting both our industry and community, which have given my family and our staff so much,” he said.
