About 'Uncle' Bernie
I have camped most of my life. As one of 5 children, we tented as a family for many years.
I always loved the process of getting ready and setting up the campsite. Mom would make a separate list for each of us to prepare folding chairs, the grill, Coleman stove and lanterns, tarps, poles stakes, shovels, hatchet, axe, other tools, sunscreen, first Aid, pots, pans, plates cups, utensils, plastic ware, food, beverages, and lots of snacks.
Dad would make sure that each of us had specific tasks to perform when we arrived at the campsite. I was in charge of digging the trench around the tent and collecting lots of kindling to start the fire. The trench digging is a whole other story.
Although Mom and Dad kept us quite busy fishing for bass, trout and collecting crawfish for dinner, It was always a fun and exciting challenge. Little did I know, my folks were just trying to save a few bucks on meals. And of course, teach us valuable life lessons. Although the food seemed somewhat exotic at the time, it likely help lead to my interest in the culinary arts, especially cooking while camping. Those are some of the most memorable times of my life.
I always was very curious about RVs. It seemed so mysterious as to what was really going on inside those campers. I was always too shy to ask someone to look inside their camper. So, the mystery continued until Mom and Dad decided to buy a pop-up trailer. It was wonderful but on the small side so, the 3 boys were still in the big tent outside. While Dad, mom and my 2 sisters stayed in the camper. Even so, it was always a treat when they let us messy boys with dirty feet go into the trailer for even just a few minutes. Once the wrestling and the leaping from one bunk to the next commenced, the fun was over. We never could understand why…
After tenting and trailering myself for several years, I got married and sold the trailer to pay rent. In the winter of 2009, I saw that the local RV dealership, Campers Inn RV, was looking for help in the sales department. It took me several months, several calls, and applications before they would consider an out-of-work chef to even get an interview, never mind, get hired to work there as a salesperson at an RV dealership.
Lucky for me, I was interviewed by my, soon to be good friend, Joe. He was a kind and entertaining soul who had an incredible passion for food. Food! I can talk about food all day and all night! So, Joe and I became fast friends. Shared many lunches together while he mentored me in the art of RV sales. I worked hard and became successful in doing so. It completely changed me, and my wife’s lives from then on. God Bless him and God Bless the RV industry!
That was 15 years ago, and I think of Joe every day. As I mature in the RV industry, I continue to learn more about RVers (the end users), RV manufacturing, component development, and how social media positively affects the perception of the public regarding RVing. In doing so, I see there is still great need for education, innovation, and overall product and service quality improvement. This is where RV Game Changer comes in.
Let’s be honest, in just the last 5-7 years or so, the RV industry has made great strides to help improve the end user’s experience with their RV. New features, options, and technology have made RVing pleasurable and easier to learn and enjoy. Then the “Covid Impact” on the industry was both wonderful and challenging. It was great that many more people from every demographic group learned to appreciate the benefits of RVing. On the other hand, the demand was so high and supply and labor resources were so stressed, the industry was challenged to maintain an acceptable level of product quality during those times. The same end user who had just learned RVing is wonderful and safe for their family, ended up having many ‘not so fun’ experiences with their RV.
So, why not create a platform where all aspects of the RV industry can communicate their best practices with one another and the end user. Where we stop pointing fingers of blame and start sharing information that will benefit the RVer. Their voices should be heard so we can learn and improve. We all know, when the RV families are happy, the reviews and referrals will increase. Therefore, it will help grow and perpetuate this wonderful recreational lifestyle called RVing.
This is “RV Game Changer”!