RV Learning Center and RV Safety Education Foundation Team Up to Distribute Revised RV Weight
& Tire Safety Handbook

The RVDA Education Foundation’s RV Learning Center and The RV Safety Education Foundation have teamed up to distribute the RV Weight & Tire Safety Handbook again in 2005.

Written by RV safety expert John Anderson, the 90-page handbook is divided into six sections covering RV weight definitions, tire care, explanations of hitches and ratings, and much more.

“This important handbook is an ideal reference manual for service advisors, technicians, salespeople, and others at the dealership who need to provide their customers with accurate weight and tire care information,” said RVDA Education Foundation Chairman Rick Horsey of Parkview RV Center in Smyrna, DE. “The RV Learning Center is pleased to work with the RV Safety Education Foundation to provide this important service to the industry and consumers.”

The RV Learning Center is underwriting production costs of the handbook, which will be distributed to technicians participating in the RVIA Trouble Shooter Clinics. The handbook is also available for $24.95 through the RV Learning Center. Visit www.rvlearningcenter.com for an order form or call the RVDA member services hotline.

Jeff Kurowski Joins RVDA

The national RV Dealers Association (RVDA) is pleased to announce that Jeff Kurowski will perform contract work for the association as a field representative.

Kurowski will assist in communicating business trends and industry issues affecting RV dealerships to members and work on marketing communications projects for RVDA-endorsed products and services.

Kurowski is an experienced journalist, who served previously as senior editor of RV Business magazine, an executive editor of Boating Industry magazine, and as a business news reporter for the South Bend (IN) Tribune.

Kurowski earned a Masters of Business Administration degree from Indiana University at South Bend and a Bachelors of Arts degree in journalism from Indiana University- Bloomington.

Jayco Pledges $7,500 to RV Learning Center
 Dealership Education

Jayco, Inc., recently pledged an additional $7,500 to the RV Learning Center, bringing their total contribution to $12,500.

“There has been a great deal of discussion in the past several years regarding the need for our industry to improve the overall customer experience, in order to attain increasingly higher levels of customer satisfaction,” said Derald Bontrager, President and Chief Operating Officer of Jayco. “This includes providing a quality buying experience and appropriate after-sale services. Jayco is pleased to support the activities of the RVDA Education Foundation’s RV Learning Center because it helps raise the bar for professionalism in our business. We applaud the leadership of RVDA for their vision.”

Chairman of the RVDA Education Foundation Rick Horsey of Parkview RV Center in Smyrna, DE, said "Jayco has been a long time supporter of industry education and I am thankful for their newest pledge of support for the RV Learning Center's work."

This contribution is part of an ongoing campaign by the RVDA Education Foundation to support the RV Learning Center. Dealers and their business partners are asked to contribute to the Center, which is dedicated to providing dealers and their employees with new and innovative ways to operate RV dealerships; sharing proven methods and practices; and encouraging the highest professional standards for dealerships of all sizes. RV Learning Center education programs will include distance learning, live workshops, online products, publications, and certification for RV dealership personnel.

RV Technician Training: Distance Learning
 Program Continues Strong
 

Since the initial rollout of the RV Technician Training Program via Distance Learning over the Internet by Northampton Community College in partnership with the Pennsylvania RV & Camping Association and Bunzer Consulting, in the spring of 2004, enrollment has grown from an initial five students to 16. “This has been an energetic semester to say the least,” says Gary Bunzer, renowned “RV Doctor” and sole instructor of the program.

Enrollment has steadily grown from the initial five students, to ten during the summer sessions, and then finally to 16 for the fall session. The goal of the distance learning program is to prepare students for a career in the RV industry at any dealership or service facility by providing them with the knowledge of basic troubleshooting, repair and maintenance procedures. The knowledge gained through the successful completion of the program prepares students for RV Technician testing provided by the Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), leading to official Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) / RVDA certification.

The program is geared toward individuals interested in the technicalities of recreation vehicles and who wish to make a career move into a field where there exists a national shortage of qualified technicians. “Quite a few of the students are already employed in the RV industry while attending training, some have their eyes set on opening their own facility after the training is complete, and a handful of them are currently employed in other industries,” says Bunzer. A few students currently in the airline industry are looking for a different career due to the expected layoffs in that industry in the coming months. Students who successfully complete the program have the potential to be employed anywhere there are RVs – high volume megadealers and independent non-selling service facilities alike are always looking for high-quality service technicians. Proactive students may even consider self-employment a viable option.

The RV courses are administered three per semester using the widely accepted Blackboard learning platform. The Discussion Board feature of the Blackboard technology is where most of the “conversations” take place, seven days a week. During the recently completed RV Electrical Systems course alone, there were almost 300 individual posts to the Discussion Board. The courses also utilize textbooks published by RVIA and are further supported by online lecture notes and articles written by the instructor. Completion of all online course requirements is mandatory, as is satisfactory completion of all hands-on requirements conducted and monitored by field Mentors.

According to Bunzer, “the most difficult aspect of this program is getting the dealers and service centers interested in participating.” Initially, when contacted by Bunzer, dealers and service centers expressed interest and a willingness to participate, some quite excitedly. A few students, however, have encountered attitudes of indifference or had difficulty in obtaining an appointment when they approached the Mentor to schedule a session. Thankfully, most students have been connected with outstanding Mentors who have been enlisted to assist the instructor. One owner of a service facility in the San Diego area is so excited about the program that he will be enrolling all his new-hires in the future and has opened his service shop to anyone in the program who wishes to visit and to perform additional study. Bunzer’s hope is that “we can have large dealerships and service facilities in other areas follow this lead.”

Overall, Bunzer remains greatly enthused about the program and firmly believes it is indeed a viable alternative for interested individuals located anywhere. Current students are interspersed throughout many states, including California, Montana, Michigan, Alaska, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Connecticut, Washington, Ohio, and Virginia. The key elements that are making this type of training successful appear to be the 24/7 availability of course material, the ability for students to work at their own speed within each course, as well as the rapid and frequent interaction between students and the instructor.

RV Learning Center Offers New Sales
 Training Publication:

The Selling Cycle by Jan Kelly

The RV Learning Center has just released The Selling Cycle – a publication for RV sales professionals who want to increase sales and improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Written by RV Learning Center Faculty member Jan Kelly of Kelly Enterprises, the 29-page publication is divided into 12 sections and outlines the RV sales process from start to finish. From prospecting for new customers to providing a world-class delivery, Kelly offers tips to successfully navigate through each step of the RV selling cycle.

The publication is available for $25 for RVDA members and $40 for non-members. Visit www.rvlearningcenter.com for an order form. The RVDA Education Foundation is a tax exempt organization as described in section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions may be tax deductible as charitable donations.