The RV Technical Institute (RVTI) recently added a new technical trainer, Tyson Watkins, to its team.
Although new to RVTI, Watkins is very familiar with the RV industry.
“I started working on RVs when I was 11 in 1991,” Watkins said. “My grandfather had an RV repair business that he ran for Champion Homes. He would take their warranty units and repair them at his home. I would go to my grandfather’s house and work with him, and he taught me how to take them apart because at first that’s what I was interested in. It progressed into making repairs as well.”
He continued to work on RVs throughout high school and, after graduating, found ways to continue forging his path through the RV industry despite the lack of formal RV service technician training at the time.
“I started trying to get into certain trades that would help me progress through the RV industry, and I took classes,” he said.
Watkins has worked as a technician for a range of companies, including Heartland RV, Thor Motor Coach and Keystone RV, and he also has experience in customer service and conducting pre-delivery inspections, among other roles.
“I’ve worked on everything from chassis to final finish, audits and warranty repair,” he said. “I’ve also worked on motorhomes, travel trailers, fifth wheels, pop ups and campervans.”
His connections to the industry run much deeper than his grandfather’s repair-at-home business.
“My entire family works in the RV industry,” Watkins said. “My mom works in codes and standards, my dad builds RV doors, my sister and brothers manufacture RVs. My children have been raised off the industry. I live in Elkhart, the RV capital of the world, and I’ve grown up here since I was little. Everything I do is attributed to the RV industry.”