RVs Move America Week 2024 is starting strong with an awards ceremony that took place during lunch on Monday, June 3.
The RV Industry Association (RVIA) annually recognizes individuals, companies and organizations for outstanding contributions to the advancement of the RV industry with the presentation of awards honoring exceptional service and achievements in the areas of RV standards, education and government affairs.
The first honor, the Distinguished Service to the RV Industry Award, was presented to Sherman Goldenberg, partner and publisher of G&G Media Group, during last month’s RV Industry Power Breakfast. The award, which is the association’s highest honor, recognized Sherman as a true champion for the RV industry and highlights his remarkable journalistic career.
There were two recipients for the National Legislative Award. Indiana State Representative Rudy Yakym was honored for his work as RV Caucus co-chair and his advocacy for the passage of the Travel Trailer and Camper Tax Parity Act in the House. Yakym is also co-sponsoring the bipartisan EXPLORE Act — a landmark legislative package tailored to bolster outdoor recreation and RV camping.
The National Legislative Award’s other honoree is Wisconsin State Representative Scott Krug, who has been a stalwart champion for the RV-specific manufacturer-dealer agreement bill throughout the past several years. The legislation was signed into law earlier this year.
The recipient of the National Service Award was April Klein-Carroll, who will receive her award during the Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, June 6. She is being recognized for her enthusiastic commitment to improving the customer experience around warranty repairs, service and parts processes. She also champions the need for RV service technician training and recruitment through her work at Lippert and her volunteer efforts with the RV Industry Association and the RV Technical Institute (RVTI).
The National Education Service Award recognizes an individual who has been instrumental in the development of educational programs in the RV industry. This year’s recipient was Don Clark of Grand Design, who has supported industry education programs and technician training throughout his career. He was a driving force in the creation and launch of the RVTI and is one of the founding members of the organization.
During Clark’s tenure as a board member, he and his company provided numerous teaching aids and equipment to the RV Technical Institute and its students. Additionally, Clark assisted the institute with strategic planning, attended recruiting and training events, and is always promoting the importance of training and certification throughout the industry.
The Distinguished Achievement in RV Standards award honors an individual who has contributed to the enhancement of RV standards in the industry. The award was presented to Ryan Hyer of Testing Engineers International. Hyer has been a key member of the RV Industry Association’s Technical Subcommittees since 2008 and has contributed a considerable amount of expertise and guidance to the group.
Hyer has served on and provided technical input for the Standards Steering Committee, Electrical Technical Committee, Plumbing Technical Committee, Fire and Life Safety Technical Committee and the Heating Technical Subcommittee. He has also served on the National Fire Protection Association 1192 Standard and the National Fire Protection Association Code Making Panel 7 for the National Electrical Code. Furthermore, Hyer served on numerous Canvass Consensus Committees for the American National Standards Institute/RV Industry Association’s six standards during development and revision cycles. He has been a benefactor to various task groups for all Technical Subcommittees. Hyer’s work and commitment to improving safety by serving in the development of standards, enforcement positions and policies has greatly assisted the association’s efforts in this critical area.
Monday’s final award was the David J. Humphreys RV Industry Unity Award, which recognizes an individual who continuously strives to encourage the multiple constituencies of the RV industry to work collectively for the growth and betterment of the industry.
This year the award was presented jointly to the late Dan Pearson of PleasureLand RV and Bob Wheeler of Airstream for their outstanding work as co-chairs of the Go RVing Coalition.
Wheeler served as co-chair from 2013 through 2023, and Pearson joined him in 2017. Under their leadership, Go RVing continued to introduce and educate consumers about the benefits of RV traveling and camping through this national advertising campaign, which has amassed billions of impressions and public relations efforts with some of the nation’s top media brands including the Today Show, Fox & Friends and the Food Network.
During their tenure, there was a greater focus on expanding Go RVing’s outreach and messaging to reach a more diverse audience. Groundbreaking research included the Go RVing RV Owner Demographic Profile and the Go RVing Path to Purchase Study. Additionally, Go RVing partnered with Pixar and Disney around Toy Story 4, in which an RV was an integral part of the story.
However, first and foremost, Wheeler and Pearson steered the Go RVing effort through the anxious times early in the COVID pandemic and launching the acclaimed Go on a Real Vacation campaign in 2020.
“There is no better example of what industry unity can achieve when working together than the historical success of the Go RVing partnership between manufacturers, suppliers and dealers. This spirit of cooperation and unity is personified in Dan Pearson and Bob Wheeler,” RVIA said.
Pearson’s award will be presented to his family, friends and colleagues at PleasureLand RV later this summer.
The RV Industry Association would like to thank Forest River for sponsoring Monday’s lunch.
