Breaking out of your comfort zone to pursue personal — and professional — growth was the theme of the talk at the RV Women’s Alliance breakfast Tuesday morning during Open House Week in Elkhart, Indiana.
Rachel Lindvall, director of leadership development at Lippert, and Bill Coughlin of the Lippert corporate leadership development team, spoke to the dozens of women — and male allies — gathered at the RV/MH Hall of Fame on how we sometimes have to reach out to people who are different from ourselves to expand our network.
“We often go to the thing that’s comfortable but it’s not what’s growing us,” Lindvall said.
Coughlin pointed out that leadership doesn’t come with a title — you can be a positive influence no matter your position at your company, and “people want to follow people who see the world through a positive lens.”
The breakfast included an exercise that led attendees to network with people they didn’t know, exchanging email addresses and finding out what connects them. Attendees were asked to bring feminine hygiene products with them as well in lieu of a ticket, and the items were donated to Racheal Heger’s “I Support the Girls” organization. The sanitary napkins and tampons will be donated to 300 organizations in Indiana; I Support the Girls works with women in need worldwide, however.
“It’s a matter of dignity,” Heger said. “It’s a never-ending need.”
THOR Industries on Economic Outlook, Innovation
When Matt Zimmerman, THOR Industries RV group manager, took the stage at Open House at lunchtime Tuesday, he immediately stated that the company recognizes how important affordability is to the RV consumer.
“We recognize the environment we are in,” Zimmerman said.
But his attitude was positive as he addressed the packed crowd at the Peter B. Orthwein Pavilion, stating it was the first year in a couple of years that he was able to point to decreasing interest rates and inflation rates as a good sign for the industry. He said this will hopefully lead to more discretionary income for consumers to come in to dealerships and purchase an RV.
Zimmerman also spoke about the ways THOR Industries has been working to make the customer experience better for the consumer, and more efficient for dealers. He referenced the RV Partfinder collaboration, which allows users to search for all THOR parts and cross-reference for all THOR subsidiaries. He encouraged all dealerships to sign up for the platform.
THOR BI (or Business Intelligence) was also introduced Tuesday. The tool will allow dealerships to glean insights into the market data needed to make informed decisions on which models to stock, when to make those inventory purchases, and more.
THOR Industries COO Todd Wofler followed with information about the company’s innovation efforts, highlighting the company’s work with Harbinger to bring the first hybrid Class A motorhome to the market, which is expected to be available next year. The hybrid Class A was available for test drives at the THOR display at Open House.
nuCamp’s New T@B 360
A new teardrop coming to the market in early 2025, the nuCamp T@B 360, features two star-gazer windows that open on the front and back of the unit. The clam-shell version also includes a kitchen at the back with a two-burner cooktop and sink.
Available with two twin beds or one full bed, the T@B 360 also has a larger tub at the front with 8.4 cubic feet of space, hose storage and a propane door. The MSRP for the T@B 360 clam-shell is expected to be similar to the standard T@B 360, which is priced at approximately $46,000.