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SERVING CANADA’S RV INDUSTRY SINCE 1971 VOL 51 NO 2 RVRV Dealer CANADA’S FOREMOST RV INDUSTRY MAGAZINE W www.rvldealernews.com 268 - 44 Crawford Cres., Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 Publications Mail Agreement #43638025 TM TM TM TM JASON FRIESEN Voyager RV Winfield, BC 2022 CANADIAN 2022 CANADIAN RV DEALER OF THE YEARRV DEALER OF THE YEAR NOMINEESNOMINEES 33rd annual Walt Paseska Memorial Award CHARDELL BRYDON Jerry’s RV Trailer Sales & Service New Minas, NS MURRAY SULLIVAN SMP RV Houston, BC ROLAND GORESKI Campkin’s RV Centre Whitby, ON Canadian Association Updates Jayco / Lippert SEMA Concept RV Winnebago Rolls with Ironman Lionel Sanders Solar Options for ’23 RVs PLUS: New Products New RV Models Industry News NEWSNEWS ORVDA TORONTO FALL RV SHOW BACK TO PRE-COVID ATTENDANCE! RVDN Cover51-2.indd 1RVDN Cover51-2.indd 12022-11-08 9:00 AM2022-11-08 9:00 AM• Creditor Life, Disability & Critical Illness Insurance • Mechanical Breakdown Plans • Appearance Protection Products We provide protection to Canadian families for when “what if?” becomes “what now?”. F inancial G r oup 320 Sioux Rd, Sherwood Park, AB T8A 3X6 Trevor Smolski Director - Business Development 780-819-3271 • tsmolski@firstcanadian.ca Justin Sood Director - Business Development 416-400-4418 • jsood@firstcanadian.ca Phone: 780.467.9575 • Fax: 780.467.4016 • Toll Free: 1-800.561.3242 Untitled-1 1Untitled-1 12022-04-13 9:57 AM2022-04-13 9:57 AM3 Volume 51 Number 2 | RV Lifestyle Dealer News contents28 23 34 23 COVER STORY: 2022 Canadian RV Dealer of the Year - the nominees are… The 33rd Annual Canadian RV Dealer of the Year Award will be presented at the RVDA Con/Expo in Las Vegas – we profile the four nominees in this special feature article. IN THIS ISSUE: 6 Transitions Appointments, promotions, and milestones from the personalities who energize the North American RV industry. 9 INDUSTRY NEWS: Leading Edge RV Technology at SEMA Jayco and Lippert have teamed up to create a spectacular concept trailer for the SEMA Show – we take a close look at the Baja Sur trailer… INDUSTRY UPDATES 12 RVDA of Canada Report Eleonore Hamm brings us up to date on the issues of interest to Canadian RV dealers. 14 ACVRQ Update 16 ORVDA Update 17 RVDA of BC Update 18 CRVA Update 22 CCRVC News 28 RV Shows Back to Pre-Covid Attendance! A special report from the ORVDA Toronto Fall RV Show 32 Winnebago Partners with Canadian Ironman Lionel Sanders 34 First Look - New RVs for ‘23… 40 New Products Exciting new items – PLUS Solar options for your customers… 46 RV Shows and Events Calendar Looking for late-breaking news of interest to the Canadian RV industry? Check out the RV Dealer News website – www.rvldealernews.com Contentspub page.indd 3Contentspub page.indd 32022-11-08 9:02 AM2022-11-08 9:02 AM4 RV Lifestyle Dealer News | Volume 51 Number 2 TM TM TM TM RV Dealer NEWS CANADA’S FOREMOST RV INDUSTRY MAGAZINE AD PUBLISHERS MESSAGE Back in Action! It’s an exciting time for the Canadian RV industry, as live shows bring the “good life” to RV enthusiasts and new prospects across the country. Autumn RV Shows in BC, Ontario, and Quebec have enjoyed attendance approaching pre-pandemic levels, and participating dealers report strong sales for new and used RVs. The stocking levels at Canadian dealerships are getting close to opti- mum numbers, although many dealers report a high number of 2022 mod- els on their lots, that will have to be cleared before significant 2023 inven- tory can be stocked. Despite this, there is an air of optimism across Canada as we emerge from a very challenging period. This issue of RV Dealer News features the nominees for the 33rd Annual Walt Paseska Memorial Canadian RV Dealer of the Year Award. It has been our privilege to be the presenting sponsor for this award since its inception in 1989. I would like to thank the team at RVDA of Canada, who supervise the award selection process, and the five previous winners who serve on the award committee. While the pandemic has thrown many hurdles across the RV road to adventure, it has provided a very sig- nificant new marketing opportunity… millions of prospective RV customers across North America have discovered our RV Lifestyle Magazine website, www.rvlifemag.com where we have averaged more than 2 million page views per month throughout 2021 and 2022. Website readers enjoy access to 50 years of expert articles, and we have maintained a website bounce rate of 5% or lower every day since June 15, 2021. This is exceptionally strong performance for any website, especial- ly in a niche market. We are proud to include hundreds of outlinks from our website articles to RV industry sites, making www.rvlifemag.com one of the most effective web portals in the RV community. We will soon commence our 52nd year of service to the Canadian RV industry, and the North American RV enthusiast community. Why not take a minute to reflect on how you can pro- mote your dealership, your products, and your services to our trade and consumer audiences… Contact Norm Rosen or myself for insights on how to reach new customers through our multi-media RV channels… print, dig- ital editions, YouTube videos, social media – we cover all the bases with expertise spanning more than 50 years in the RV industry. 2023 will be an outstanding year for the RV industry – let’s work together to bring “the good life” to record numbers of North American families! Bill Taylor, Publisher VOLUME 51 NUMBER 2 Publisher William E. Taylor Associate Publisher Melanie Taylor-Wallis V.P. Special Projects/Editorial Director Norm Rosen Technical Director Garth Cane Production Coordinator Giselle Bansal ADVERTISING SALES Norm Rosen Melanie Taylor-Wallis Todd Taylor ADMINISTRATION William E. Taylor President Melanie Taylor-Wallis Group Publisher Norman Rosen VP/Special Projects Nancy Mueller Accounting EXECUTIVE OFFICES Toronto: 268 - 44 Crawford Crescent., Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 Tel: 905-844-8218 Fax: 905-844-5032 Montreal: Tel: 514-856-0788 Fax: 514-856-0790 Vancouver: 1745 Rufus Drive North Vancouver, BC V7J 3L8 Camping Canada’s RV Lifestyle Dealer News is published by Camping Canada Magazine Ltd. Reproduction of any mate- rial appearing in this magazine in any form is forbidden without prior consent of the publisher. Advertising rates available on request. Camping Canada Magazine reserves the right to refuse any and all advertising and disclaims all responsibilities for claims or statements of facts made by its advertisers or independent columnists. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #43638025 Undeliverables to: 268 - 44 Crawford Crescent., Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 MONTREAL, QUEBEC © 2022 CAMPING CANADA MAGAZINE PRINTED IN CANADA aaaa Contentspub page.indd 4Contentspub page.indd 42022-11-08 9:02 AM2022-11-08 9:02 AM6 TRANSITIONS the five co-owners of Brinkley RV. “Jerimiah’s passion and wealth of exper- tise will help us support our dealers and get our message to our customers.” Jerimiah has joined the team in their plant in Goshen, Indiana. The market- ing department will transition to one of the new buildings currently under con- struction located on Brinkley RV’s new 252-acre campus on the northeast side of Goshen. About Brinkley RV Brinkley RV is a manufacturer of pre- mium fifth wheels and travel trailers dedi- cated to the ultimate customer experience that is built on trust. The company was founded by industry veterans who spent the last 20 years building some of the most successful RV brands and compa- nies. They are now designing and build- ing the next generation of RVs and are poised to revolutionize the camping expe- rience. Learn More at BrinkleyRV.com MICHAEL TERLEP ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM COACHMEN RV After 38 years of service to Coachmen, more than 14 of which have been under Forest River, Michael R. Terlep has announced his planned retire- ment at the end of this calendar year. He has served as President of Coachmen RV for the last 27 years. Michael Terlep started with Coachmen March 15, 1984, after grad- uating from Purdue University. His first position was a Sales Coordinator. Throughout his career with Coachmen, he held several managerial and leadership positions. Mr. Terlep stated that his decision to retire was a very difficult one, as the better part of his life has been Coachmen and Forest River. The many valued relationships he formed over his long career are his highlights. “Co-Workers of present and past, Dealers, Customers, Suppliers, Industry associates … so many really good people and cherished relation- ships,” Terlep added. “Over the last 27 years as President of Coachmen, we have certainly faced some challenges and opportunities. The RV Lifestyle Dealer News | Volume 51 Number 2 BRINKLEY RV Brinkley RV welcomes Jerimiah Borkowski as Director of Marketing. Brinkley RV is a recreational vehicle manufacturer of premium fifth wheels and travel trailers founded by five indus- try veterans who spent the last 20 years building some of the most successful RV brands and companies. Jerimiah brings a well-rounded and extensive skill set to Brinkley with over 20 years of marketing experience in the RV and marine industries. Most recently, as Director of Marketing for Bennington, North America’s #1 selling manufacturer of pontoon boats. Jerimiah was a key participant in all facets of the operations, including brand strategy, branding, prod- uct marketing, PR, owner community management, and product development. Borkowski spent the previous sixteen years as the Director of Communications, contributing to Thor Motor Coach’s suc- cesses as they grew to North America’s #1 selling brand of motorhomes. As Director of Marketing Jerimiah will oversee the Brinkley RV brand, promotion, advertising, online & social media strategy, content creation, commu- nications, lead management, and press & media relations while supporting the Brinkley RV Dealer-Partners. “I couldn’t be more honoured to work with the industry’s top leaders, engineers, and artisans on the Brinkley RV Team,” says Jerimiah Borkowski. “I’m looking forward to helping build a brand focused on elevating the status quo.” “We are thrilled to welcome Jerimiah,” said Bill Fenech, one of greatest opportunity that we were ever presented was becoming part of Forest River. Under Forest River, Coachmen regained its status of respect as a worthy competitor and trusted business partner.” As President of Coachmen, Michael Terlep oversaw all Coachmen, Viking, and Shasta Divisions, as well as the Forest River Park Model Division. The Coachmen Team is as strong as it has ever been and a clear succes- sion plan is in place, as Bob Dumm will assume the role of President of Coachmen RV effective January 1, 2023. Bob Dumm currently serves as the General Manager of Coachmen’s laminated Trailer Divisions and has been part of the Coachmen leadership Team since 2009. “There is no doubt in my mind that Bob Dumm is the right indi- vidual to succeed me in my capacity. In many regards, I believe that the change will be good for Coachmen and the overall Company.” Terlep added. Terlep intends to travel with his wife of 34 years, Sheila, and spend more time with his growing family. Terlep added, “I simply want to take the opportunity to truly focus on being a better husband, a better parent, a better grandparent, a bet- ter friend and a better Catholic. Walking away from something I love will not be easy, however walking toward some- thing that I love even more will make it easier”. Forest River, Inc., is one of America’s leading manufacturers of rec- reational vehicles, pontoon boats, cargo trailers and buses. W JERIMIAH BORKOWSKI MICHAEL R. TERLEPKingstar.indd 1Kingstar.indd 12022-11-02 12:00 PM2022-11-02 12:00 PM8 RV Lifestyle Dealer News | Volume 51 Number 2 StrombergCarlson.com COMING TO CANADACOMING TO CANADA T-ChockT-Chock FOR TANDEM AXLESWITH CHOCK & ANTI-SLIP MATSTABILIZE YOUR BASE Base Pad Base Pad Peak Peak Simplify the leveling Challenge! Stabilizes the floor of your trailer Base Pad Base Pad Leveler Leveler JBP-C300 Single Pack JBP-C302 2 Pack n Adds up to 4” lift n Supports 30,000 lb n 11” long, 7” wide 4-1/4” tall n Light weight material – like bullet proof glass n Locks tires in place n Fits tires spaced 2” to 17” apart n Rust-resistant coating n Handled included on all models JBP-T217.1 Single Pack JBP-T217.2 2 Pack n Blocks scissor or stab jacks n Light weight high strength plastic n Finger holes for easy handling n 3500 lb capacity n 5" x 8" stabilizer pad 10-1/4" x 12-7/8" footprint 8" tall or 14" stacked JBP-813.1 Single Pack JBP-813.2 2 Pack JBP-813.4 4 Pack JBP-813.5 5 Pack PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA NEW Industry news 51-2.indd 8Industry news 51-2.indd 82022-11-08 9:04 AM2022-11-08 9:04 AM9 Volume 51 Number 2 | RV Lifestyle Dealer News INDUSTRY NEWS Jayco® h as announced a collaboration build with Lippert® on a concept RV for the upcoming Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association® (SEMA) Show. The Jayco Baja™ Sur concept travel trailer will appear in the Lippert booth 58095 in the SEMA West Hall Trucks, SUV and Off Road exhibit at the Las Vegas Convention Center from November 1st – 4th, 2022. “Lippert is excited to partner with Jayco to bring this really cool con- cept RV to the SEMA show this year,” stated Jarod Lippert – Vice President of Marketing & Public Relations for Lippert. “There’s no better way to high- light all the products that Lippert and all of its brands provide for the towing experience than to demonstrate on an actual RV. With more and more outdoor enthusiasts coming to the show to check out the overlanding displays and all of the other mobile lifestyle products, we’re sure that this will be a hit for the more than 100,000 attendees. We’re appre- ciative of Jayco’s partnership and look forward to a successful show!” http://rvldealernews.com/wp-content/ uploads/2022/10/Sema-Trailer.mov The Baja Sur is a concept travel trailer built by Jayco in conjunction with Lippert, which has been designed to be rugged on the outside and provide coastal inspired comfort on the inside. Upfitted from a Jay Feather® Micro 199MBS base unit with a laundry list of accessories and enhancements to provide the next level of capability in this 23’ 2” unit and weighing less than 5,000 lbs., the Baja Sur can be pulled by mid to full-sized SUVs or trucks and still allow for a generous carrying capacity and the ability to sleep up to 8. This RV demonstrates how a buyer or existing owner can accessorize their stock RV to fit their individual lifestyle and taste without breaking the bank. “This concept build has been the cul- mination of months of hard work by both Jayco and Lippert,” commented Trey Miller – Vice President of Marketing for Jayco. “Seeing the rising popularity of the Overlanding segment at SEMA pro- vides a natural crossover to recreational vehicles, which are experiencing their highest popularity in history. Whether it is a highly capable towable unit or a 4 x 4 Class B Van, RVs are quickly becom- ing a fixture in Overland adventure trav- el.” For a fully detailed article on the Jayco Baja™ Sur concept travel trailer and all of the components and acces- sories utilized from Lippert, CURT®, Furrion®, Ranch Hand® and the other LCI® brands, please visit https://www. jayco.com/lippert_sema/ About Jayco Started in 1968 and headquartered in Middlebury, Indiana, Jayco makes and markets towable and motorized Recreational Vehicles under the Jay Flight®, Jay Feather, White Hawk®, Eagle®, Octane®, Talon™, Seismic®, North Point®, Pinnacle®, Redhawk®, Greyhawk®, Melbourne®, Seneca®, Alante®, Precept®, Swift®, Terrain®, and Embark® brand names. Jayco is a subsidiary of THOR Industries, Inc. (NYSE: THO), the world’s largest manufacturer of recreational vehicles. For more information, call 1-(800) RV-JAYCO or visit www.jayco.com. Jayco Partners with Lippert on SEMA Show Concept RV Industry news 51-2.indd 9Industry news 51-2.indd 92022-11-08 9:06 AM2022-11-08 9:06 AMNext >