40 Under 40: Eric Sisk
Content Editor; RV Dealers Association; With company: 9 Years | In industry: 9 Years
When RV dealers needed reliable information during one of the industry’s most disruptive periods, Eric helped make sure they received it.
Eric joined the Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA) in 2017 as marketing communications specialist. Three years later, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, RVDA’s longtime magazine editor retired, and Eric stepped into the gap. He was promoted to content editor and assumed responsibility for RVDA’s flagship publication, RV Executive Today, while continuing to support newsletters, social media and the other communications responsibilities he already handled.
For an association updating dealers amid fast-changing conditions, clear communication is crucial.
Eric’s nominator credits him with meeting the moment. “He stepped in and rose to the challenge, which was simultaneous with the pandemic,” his nominator says, adding that Eric preserved RVDA’s communication efforts to meet dealers’ needs.
Today, Eric leads RVDA’s external communications, maintaining relationships with dealers, vendors and industry media partners and ensuring members receive timely, well-sourced content that provides dealers with actionable information. He develops most of the material used in general sessions at the association’s convention and expo and works backstage to facilitate seamless presentations.
He also sees issues and resolves them. For example, when RVDA faced rising printing costs, Eric researched printing alternatives across the country and identified a new high-quality, lower-cost provider in Arizona and lowered mailing costs in the process, too. In fact, the move reduced magazine printing costs by 20% and postal expenses by 15%.
He also manages production of RVDA’s annual convention program, coordinating material from staff members, advertisers and contributors to bring a complex print project together on deadline.
Magazine production demands coordinating deadlines, contributors, advertising, printing and distribution while maintaining quality and accuracy. Eric performs those duties while also supporting RVDA’s ongoing digital news operation.
In 2022, he was recognized for five years of service to the association and will mark a decade with RVDA in February 2027. His nine years in the RV industry have largely unfolded behind the scenes, but the work reaches dealers throughout the association’s membership.
His nominator describes Eric as someone willing to work beyond conventional hours when a publication, event or breaking communication requires it, while maintaining a high standard of professionalism.
Outside the office, Eric and his wife, India, are raising a young family that includes toddlers and a school-aged child. Much of his free time is devoted to the children’s sports and school activities.
Eric’s contribution to the RV industry keeps dealers in the know and helps them understand issues affecting their businesses. Since the pandemic, Eric has continued to refine the less visible systems behind those communications, providing useful information that arrives when dealers need it.
Eric’s advice for up-and-coming leaders in the RV industry:
One quote I’ve always liked is, “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and use those experiences to keep getting better.
What it means to Eric to be a 40 Under 40 honoree:
It means a lot to be recognized by an industry that I’ve spent much of my career learning about and working within. My role has given me the opportunity to meet and learn from so many great people while sharing stories that highlight their accomplishments and contributions to the RV industry. To now find myself on the other side of that recognition is very special, and it motivates me to keep finding ways to contribute to the industry as my career grows.
