The following is a profile from the RV Industry Association (RVIA).
The mission of the RV Technical Institute (RVTI) is to provide world-class training for RV maintenance and repair that will increase the RV industry’s number of trained RV technicians available to service the millions of RVs on the road. The RV Technical Institute seeks to improve the RV consumer experience, reduce repair event cycle times and aggressively reduce the RV industry’s shortage of trained technicians.
Administrative skills are critical to the continued success of the RV Technical Institute and its training program. With that in mind, the institute recently welcomed its new Recruitment Administrator Mary Smith to the team.
“I have primarily been in sales roles all of my career,” Smith said. She has worked as a sales manager in previous fields, including the funeral industry, during which time she obtained her Indiana life insurance license to help families pre-arrange their funerals. Prior to that role, Smith worked in hospitality: “I’ve been certified through the Hilton brand as a director of sales. I’ve done all aspects of event planning from catering, business meetings and blocking rooms for large conventions and traveling sports teams.
Her new role at the RV Technical Institute involves supporting recruitment staff by fulfilling administrative duties, as well as providing information on the Institute’s training sessions. “I’ll be speaking with anybody who might be interested in getting certified in our Level 1 and Level 2,” she said. “I’m excited about that — I’ll be the go-to person in Elkhart for the recruitment team.”
For Smith, the most exciting aspect of her new position has been learning how far-reaching the RV Technical Institute has become.
“I’ve lived in Elkhart for 40 years. I’ve driven past this building a million times and I had no idea of the RV Technical Institute’s magnitude and the scale of people they’ve reached with the curriculum. I’m looking forward to learning more about it. It was exciting to find out that this is a worldwide curriculum. It’s massive.”
However, Smith also finds meaning in the RV Technical Institute’s local impact on her family and local community. “Elkhart is the RV Capital of the World. It’s the bread and butter of our economy. I’ve raised my two sons here and my oldest son has worked for an RV manufacturer for 20 years and so his livelihood depends on the industry. It’s amazing how RVs keep so many people employed in Elkhart — it’s huge here.”