The following is a News & Insights report from the RV Industry Association (RVIA).
Forest River Corporate General Manager Leo Akins is a longtime RV industry expert whose vast knowledge includes codes and standards, pre-delivery inspection, quality assurance, corporate functions and much more.
His interest in the RV industry started a few decades prior. Leo’s family has roots in both the Midwest and the skilled trades — two factors that eventually led them to the RV world. “My family is originally from the Chicago, Gary, and Portage areas, and they worked in steel mills or similar industries,” he says. “In the mid-1970s, we moved to Goshen, Ind., and my stepdad started working in the RV industry as an accountant for Shasta RV. So, we were always around the RV industry.”
“When I was 15, I began working for MarkLine. I was too young to operate some of the tools, but I could carry plywood and other things, and I was just happy to be there. I had fun and I worked the summers full time. Even when I went back to school, I’d work there before school and after school.”
Eventually, Leo worked for Cobra-Van American before eventually being hired at Forest River, where he initially worked on the Corporate Quality Assurance team. Gradually, he climbed Forest River’s corporate ranks, and has held his current role since 2011. “I’ve done everything from sweeping floors to being a corporate general manager,” he reflects.
Leo’s primary responsibility in his current role is to oversee six divisions that span the entire company: Corporate Standards Managers, Pre-Delivery Inspection, Regulatory, Corporate Testing, Corporate Engineering, and State Plan Approval Processes. “All of those teams answer through me, and then I report to our Founder and President, Pete Liegl,” he explains. “I also have other day-to-day functions that I handle on a corporate level. We wear many hats at Forest River!”
Leo expertly wears these hats, maintaining in-depth understanding of the operations and responsibilities of each of his divisions: “Our Corporate Standards Managers, who report to Matt Gingerich, inspect all Forest River plants located in Indiana, Michigan, and along the West Coast, Texas, and Georgia while keeping in mind compliance, corporate standards, federal regulations, and things of that nature,” Leo explains. “Our Corporate Pre-Delivery Inspection program, which is run by General Manager Kevin Smith, takes a percentage of the products that are built in the plants, and they receive functional testing. This operation runs five or six days a week every week.”
Meanwhile, Leo adds, the Regulatory division tracks information from the National Highway Safety Transportation Administration and handles all recall and regulatory management. This division is managed by Head of Compliance Mike Becker, who is also the Chair of the RV Industry Association’s Standards Regulatory & Safety Compliance Subcommittee.
Additionally, Leo oversees the Corporate Testing Division, a complete testing facility run by Director of Corporate Testing Doug Yoder. “We’re building it from the ground up,” Leo says. “It’s been running for about a year and a half now. I’m always amazed by the work that they do over there.”
Leo also supervises the Corporate Engineering department, which he currently runs himself. “We have tremendous support from all the engineering managers throughout the corporation. We’re looking to build a world-class engineering division.”
He has also begun overseeing the State Plan Approval Processes division, which reports to Director Chastity King. The department addresses dealer, state, and sales licensing.
When looking ahead to the future of Forest River and the wider RV industry, Leo remarks that it’s crucial to continue adapting to the marketplace, the needs of the customer, the needs of the dealer, and to drive meaningful innovations.
One example of meaningful innovation is the continued advancements in electrification. “There’s a lot of developments coming related to electrification, and even though it might be in a different form than what we think of today it’s still moving the needle,” he says.
Likewise, Leo notes that there continues to be improvements in RV components, such as the frames, flooring, wall coverings, appliances, axles, air conditioning systems, and more. “We live in a neat time because technology and innovation are moving quickly. And a lot of these advancements are entering our industry.”
In addition to technological advancements, Leo is also looking forward to the innovations and unique perspectives of the RV industry’s up-and-coming generation: “They think differently than I do, and I love seeing what they come up with. I like watching the younger people grow into their roles and contribute. I always consider who we should mentor and invest time with. I’m excited about this next generation and I want to make sure they inherit an industry that we cared about.”
In addition to his roles at Forest River, Leo has long been involved with the RV Industry Association. “I started with the Education Committee and my involvement grew from there.” Currently, Leo is on six of the Standards’ Subcommittees: Electrical, Fire & Life Safety, Heating, Plumbing, Regulatory & Safety Compliance, and Vehicular Components. Leo serves as Chairman of the Fire & Life Safety Subcommittee; he is also part of the Canadian Coalition and the Standards Steering Committee.