Trip White has worked in the RV industry since he was a kid, beginning at United RV Center in 2013 at 16 years old.
He worked summers and school holidays at the business throughout high school. Trip attended college at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, which let him continue working at United RV Center due to its proximity to the university.
“Trip’s hard work, dedication and long hours have earned the respect of his peers and coworkers,” says a peer.
After graduation, Trip began full-time employment at United RV Center in May 2019, just a year before the pandemic shutdown. Peers say Trip worked tirelessly along with other management to steer United RV Center through this stressful and uncertain time.
The RV industry has faced significant headwinds over the last 18-plus months. United RV recognized the need for improvement and invested in a state-of-the-art CRM (customer relationship management) company to support its sales team in obtaining leads and more prospects. Trip spearheaded the implementation and training of this new CRM, which has driven additional RV sales.
Trip often dons an IT hat for the company. In early 2023, Trip assisted United RV’s dealer management system (DMS) software provider in moving the company’s data to cloud storage.
He also was an integral part of the successful launch of United RV’s second e-commerce RV parts site in October 2017. The objective of this AI-enhanced site is to take advantage of the growing RV aftermarket customer and their willingness to shop online. Trip has been one of the driving forces behind the growth and development of this multimillion-dollar division, which now comprises two separate e-commerce sites and sells across multiple third-party channels.
Nominating peers say that since Trip’s promotion to finance manager in 2019, the F&I department’s penetration benchmarks have risen to the top end of industry standards across all back-end product offerings.
Trip also implemented and incorporated the Route 66 Network’s F&I electronic selling menu process in the dealership, which has consistently increased the finance department’s penetration rates, peers add. Trip has attended multiple F&I trainings at the Route 66 Network’s facility in Overland Park, Kansas. He is currently serving as a member in the Route 66 Network’s F&I Council.
Trip actively works with United RV’s e-commerce consultant to look for ways to improve sales, remarketing efforts, profit margins and advertising metrics such as ROAS (return on advertising spend).
Trip was nominated and elected as a Texas Delegate Member for the RV Dealers Association (RVDA) in 2023. He has been attending RVDA since 2015. In the same year, Trip was also invited to serve on the RV dealer panel during the Kenect sponsored workshop at RVDA.
Trip enjoys spending time with family and friends and has an active lifestyle, including running half marathons, surfing, golfing and snow skiing. Trip is an avid sports fan and has season tickets to Texas Christian University football games.
Trip’s advice for upcoming leaders in the RV space:
“Stay adaptable and open to change. Success in this industry often comes from embracing new opportunities, taking calculated risks and being ready to pivot when needed.”
