The RV Industry Association (RVIA) announced Thomas Ramsay as its new senior director of standards administration and technology.
RVIA’s Standards program is its greatest member benefit, the association said in a recent release. The Standards Department maintains a professional team of full-time inspectors who promote safety by monitoring adherence to the standards adopted by the board of directors for the construction of RVs and park model RVs. The team conducts more than 2,000 unannounced inspections of member company RV manufacturing plants annually and provides educational resources and hands-on training to manufacturer members to support their commitment to comply with these adopted codes and standards.
Originally from San Diego, California, Ramsay attended the University of Illinois, where he majored in agricultural and biological engineering. “Then I got a job at Thor Motor Coach, and I was there for almost 10 years,” he said.
During his time at Thor Motor Coach, Ramsay became a design engineer, working with all sorts of different systems of RVs. Eventually, he transitioned into a compliance engineer role, working with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards regulations.
In his current position as the RV Industry Association’s senior director of standards administration and technology, Ramsay works with all of the technical subcommittees and the Standard Steering Committee to help draft and work on codes for the industry. He also participates in the national committees, such as the National Fire Protection Association.
Ramsay’s role includes maintaining American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accreditation and enhancing standards education for members. “Right now, we’re completing an ANSI audit,” he explained. “Every five years, ANSI audits our revision process for all the standards that we maintain through their accreditation procedures. We gather all the documentation that we’ve met all their policies as we go through code changes and they review all our processes.”
His passion for the RV industry stems from a genuine love for the outdoor lifestyle and a desire to help others experience the freedom of the open road, RVIA said. “I grew up going camping, so I’ve always enjoyed it,” Ramsay said. “During my wife’s and my honeymoon, we ended up going to the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness area up in northern Minnesota and backcountry canoeing. We own a camper now, and we go RVing about five times a year.”
For Ramsay, the most rewarding part of his role with RVIA is ensuring safety across the sector. “I enjoy being part of the industry as a whole, and working for the betterment of the whole sector, and its safety,” he said.
