Earlier this month, as industry leaders gathered in Washington, D.C., for “RVs Move America” week, the decades-old RV Aftermarket Association officially folded into the RV Industry Association.
It was the culmination of a two-year trial period in which RVAA initially voted on during its Aftermarket Executive Conference in 2017. Although the association has undergone a name change – which is not the first time – the Aftermarket Committee carries on the legacy of all the sweat equity and friendship that the RVAA thrived upon since the late 1960s.
“What I enjoyed about RVAA was networking with the different people,” said Steve Johnson, buying manager at Northern Wholesale Supply. “People from different companies who were normally competitors could work together to advance the industry. That always seemed to me to be very cool. And now it’s continuing on with RVIA as well.”
Jim Barker played in crucial role in the development of the association, initially called the Warehouse Distributor Association for Leisure and Mobile Products (WDA). Meetings were held annually, where a variety of topics were discussed, and clarity was given to what wholesale distribution meant and how it differed from retail. The founding fathers first elected Indiana Trailer Supply’s Grayson Schwepfinger as WDA president in 1968.
Perhaps one of the longest champions of the association has been Susan Carpenter of the Creative Product Group. Over the decades, she, along with her father John Roba, served terms as president of the association over its iterations. Carpenter remembers attending the annual WDA meetings early on in life as an 8-year-old girl, traveling with her family.
“At the time, the Playboy Club was in full swing,” said Carpenter, laughing. “And I just remember all these women dressed up as bunnies in really high heels. … Other people would bring some of their kids, too, so we’d all play and go out into the pool. All that fun kind of stuff.”
In 1995, WDA broke away from its original purpose, geared more towards distribution, in order to broaden its reach and effectiveness. Although new membership divisions were made years earlier to have representation for suppliers and distributers of both the RV and manufactured home industries, the RVAA would have a clear focus on the RV aftermarket.
“When I reflect back, the transition from WDA to RVAA, to me, was monumental in the sense that WDA was just a network of people,” said Tom Manning, president of AP Products, a member of the association since 1982. “That transformation was a step towards trying to become an association that worked for the benefit of the aftermarket.”
Few realize that in the late 1990s, the association put to a vote whether or not to join RVIA. It lost by an overwhelming majority. However, nearly two decades later, the RVAA put it to a vote once again. This time the notion was championed by Carpenter. And in 2017, the referendum passed in a 90-9 vote.
“I’m very proud of what we were able to accomplish,” said Carpenter. “And I’ll never forget when that vote actually went through – I was sitting in my chair, and we were on pins and needles. And then to actually have it come through as well as it did … It was just so incredible.”
The benefits of transitioning into the RV Aftermarket Committee are already apparent. The aftermarket is well represented in D.C. during “RVs Move America” week. Teaming with RVIA also led to the impact and presence the aftermarket had at this year’s RVX event. Additionally, Manning adds that the data produced by RVIA will help strengthen the aftermarket in new ways.
“Look at the feedback and data that the group is generating relative to consumers experience and RV dealerships, parts and accessories, and buying habits,” said Manning. “Those are the initial beginnings of the type of feedback you’re starting to get that (the RVAA) did not have the background to develop. So, where will that lead? The sky’s the limit.”
