Virtually everyone in the recreational boating industry knows who National Marine Manufacturers Association president and CEO Frank Hugelmeyer is. The RV industry also has an organization that lobbies for manufacturers just like the NMMA does.

To get some insight into the similarities and differences between boating and RVing, Soundings Trade Only talked with Craig Kirby, president and CEO of the RV Industry Association. It has offices in Elkhart, Ind., and Washington, D.C.

A 30-year veteran of the RV industry, Kirby took the helm of the Association when Frank Hugelmeyer left the organization to become president of the NMMA in 2019.

This interview has been lightly edited for space and clarity.

Tell us about your background.

Well, I’m from Northern Virginia. I was born and raised in the D.C. area and went to college in Virginia. I ended up going to law school, and when I finished, I started working at a law firm in the DC area. I remained in private practice until I became the RV Industry Association’s general counsel. I’m married, I have a couple grown daughters, and a fun little dog named Nahla.

I assume, given your position at the RV Industry Association, that you like to get outdoors yourself.

Yes, definitely. As a matter of fact, it reminded me of not too long ago, when our family took a cross-country RV trip. What a great time we had doing that. It’s great to get into the lifestyle that we represent, and it was just a lot of fun seeing the country and creating many memorable moments. We hope to take another one this summer. I also like to hike, play golf and would love to find time to do a little more fly-fishing.

What does the RV Industry Association strive to accomplish for its members?

Our mission is to promote and protect the industry, and we do that in a number of ways. Through Go RVing, and with our P.R. and marketing communications team, we constantly promote what’s happening in the industry and the lifestyle. Also, through our government affairs team, we look to protect the industry. The key word here is industry. It’s not just manufacturers and suppliers; it’s also dealers and campgrounds. For example, we want to make sure people have access to public lands to pursue their passions, hopefully in an RV, so they can fully enjoy the outdoors.

The boating industry has tons of components and parts manufacturers. Does the RV Industry Association represent those types of businesses?

Yes, we represent the manufacturers and component parts suppliers for RV. Also, the aftermarket industry is included, as well. We also have associate memberships, which include entities related to the industry.

What initiatives is the RV Industry Association working on right now?

First and foremost, in everyone’s mind, is the new administration and developing those relationships. Maybe continuing those relationships from before is a better way to say it, but there are a lot of new people involved. California Air Resources Board regulations, that’s an issue that’s impacting us and is a high priority. And there is some key legislation at the federal and state level that we are pursuing. And we are waiting to see what, if anything, will happen on the tariff front.

Go RVing just hired a new agency, so they will be coming out with a new ad campaign later this year that will build upon the success of the recent “Go On A Real Vacation” campaign.

I would assume some of the issues the RV Industry Association deals with pertain to access to outdoor areas?

We work on outdoor recreation issues through the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable. The RV Industry Association, along with NMMA, are the biggest financial contributors to the organization. They have done a phenomenal job on that front, and we will continue to work with them to support access to public lands and improve our National Parks infrastructure, including campground modernization and expansion. ORR had a big win with the passage of the Explore Act and will be seeking reauthorization of the Great American Outdoors Act this year.

What happens in the RV industry is often mirrored six to eight months later in the boating industry. Why is that?

Well, for many decades, the RV industry has been viewed as an economic indicator. We are usually the first in a recession, and then we are usually the first out of a recession. We are a discretionary product and when interest rates spike and consumer confidence drops, we are impacted. Sometimes we feel the hit sooner than other industries, but we also typically recover sooner than other industries.

Is the RV Industry Association preparing for any specific headwinds in 2025?

As I mentioned earlier, CARB regulations that require the RV industry to transition to electric-power motorhomes are a big issue. Right now, it’s California and five other states that will follow the CARB regulations in 2025, and then 5 more states have adopted their regulation in 2026. CARB and the other states would like to see the RV industry have an ever-increasing number of electric motorized chassis for motorhomes.

Unfortunately, they don’t exist at this point, so it’s a real challenge. The only alternative right now is to come up with CARB credits to mitigate, and there are some real challenges in obtaining CARB credits, not to mention the cost of those credits and how they will impact the motorhome price.

Tariffs are something that we’re all watching to see what happens. Obviously, China is one that we’re interested in, as we have components that do come from China. We also export a lot of product to Canada. If there is a tariff put on Canada, there could be retaliation tariffs on U.S. products, and that could have a significant impact on the industry.

There are a couple of larger issues that we’re focused on in addition to some tax issues that we’re watching. We have a dealer floor plan tax issue which corrects a mistake made in committee in a prior bill that inadvertently excludes many RV dealers from deducting floorplan interest for their towable products. We have already worked with our champions in Congress to introduce a bill this year to correct that problem.

Boat dealers are struggling with elevated inventory and high interest on floor plan financing. Is that something the RV industry is also dealing with?

Yes. Obviously, if the interest rates are going up, you can’t stock as many products. Dealers are taking a conservative approach and stocking less inventory. Dealer inventory levels are pretty good now, but we’re at the point where I have some concern that if we start to see a strong turnaround in sales that dealers are going to be short on product because of the low inventory. That said, I understand they’re trying to walk that line of having the right amount of products without knowing exactly how strong a market we are entering.

What is the cost of entry for new folks getting into RVs?

RVs are available at every price range, from under $15k to well over a million dollars, and that’s one of the real positives about the industry. We’ve done several studies that show how economical it is compared to, let’s say, a traditional vacation where you take a rental car and pay for hotel and airfare. It turns out that RVing is up to 60% less expensive than taking a traditional vacation, even with the cost of ownership. Having not just the different price points, but floorplans and features to meet a variety of needs has been a real positive for us.

Most RVs, like most boats, are made in the United States. Is there much foreign competition?

Not currently. The vast majority of the domestic market is produced here. About 1% of the production comes from Canada, and we do have Canadian manufacturer members. But overall, we haven’t seen much foreign competition. That could change at any time, and that’s something that we monitor.

Last year, 84% of RV shipments were produced in Indiana, that number fluctuates yearly but is usually around 80%. There are manufacturers all over the country though, from Washington to Florida, Iowa, Pennsylvania and everywhere in between.

Who are the big players in RV manufacturing?

While there are three companies that make up the majority of RV shipments, THOR Industries, Forest River and Winnebago Industries, we have more than 150 manufacturer members, so there are a lot of other manufacturers that are participating, too.

Does the RV Industry Association host advocacy events in Washington, D.C., like the NMMA does with its American Boating Congress?

Yes, every year we have our RVs Move America Week in Washington, D.C., which is usually held during the first week of June. We develop our policy positions, and then we hold training sessions for our members on how to best present our issues to Congress. We then spend a day on Capitol Hill and with agencies pursuing our policy positions. On that day on the Hill we typically have over 100 meetings with congressional representatives. This is one of our cornerstones events and really allows the voice of the industry and our members to be heard.

The recreational boating industry has always promoted good stewardship for the environment. What about the RV industry?

We have the same beliefs. That’s one of the things that we’re thrilled about with the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, bringing all the outdoor recreation industry together to work on those issues. We also have a Sustainability Committee that works on these issues. Spending time with family and friends in the outdoors is the number one reason people go RVing, so it is critical to our industry and the RVing community that we take care of the great outdoors.

The American Boat & Yacht Council guides standards in boatbuilding and equipment, What about in the RV space?

We follow the National Fire Protection Association 1192 standard for Recreation Vehicles, which covers plumbing, heating, cooling, and fire and life safety. Obviously, there are federal motor vehicle safety standards that come into play, as well.

Our Standards Steering Committee monitors standards and helps develop new standards as needed or due to innovation in products. New standards are adopted into NFPA 1192, compliance to which is required as a condition of membership, or standards can be adopted by our board of directors.

We also have a team of inspectors who conduct more than 2,000 unannounced inspections of member company RV manufacturing plants annually and provide educational resources and hands-on training to manufacturer members to support their commitment to comply with over 500 adopted codes and standards. If there are deviations from the standards identified during the inspector’s audit, the member company is cited and has an opportunity to correct the deviation. If the deviation is not corrected in the time provided, it can lead to the company’s membership with the RV Industry Association being revoked, which we have done.

One of the best things about working in the marine industry is the people. What about RV?

I have to say it is without a doubt the people. I laugh because I’ve been with the RV Industry Association for over 30 years, and I finally feel like I’m not the new guy anymore. And it’s because people never leave the industry. Why would you, when you’re basically in the business of creating lifelong memories for families and friends? That’s a pretty cool job. And our members are the best. They are so supportive of everything we do, and they are just fun to be around. We are really lucky to have the industry that we do.

The RV Industry Association founded the RV Technical Institute, the training program based in Elkhart, IN, five years ago. How has that been received by the RV industry?

In just five years since its founding, the RV Technical Institute has made significant strides in elevating RV technician training. Partnering with leading RV manufacturers and suppliers, the Institute developed a gold-standard curriculum and has focused on expanding its reach and impact. Key accomplishments include certifying 6,729 technicians, a record number surpassing even the 2008 surge, and establishing nearly 1,000 dealerships with at least one Institute-certified technician on staff. The Institute has also broadened its training program with Level 3 workshops, increased recruitment efforts through partnerships with schools and attendance at national conferences, and launched initiatives to attract more women to the field. Through these efforts, the RV Technical Institute is strengthening the RV service industry and enhancing the consumer experience.

Is innovation what keeps the RV industry moving forward? It certainly is in marine.

Yes, innovation is always top of mind, with some members even having specific innovation centers. One example of how manufacturers can react so quickly to meet RVers needs happened during COVID. During COVID, people wanted a workspace in their RV because many people decided work in there RV from remote locations. Very quickly, manufacturers changed RV design to include workspace for people working from their RV. Our members do an excellent job knowing their customers, developing innovative products, and adjusting to market needs.

How does the RV Industry Association protect its members against counterfeit products? There are lots of foreign knock-offs in marine.

That’s an issue we’re working on in the aftermarket. Suppliers have their components knocked off by, let’s say a Chinese company. Then it gets sent over here and it looks so much like the aftermarket or actual supplier product, but it’s cheaper and people buy it and it’s low quality. And then people have problems, and they end up actually calling the aftermarket company or supplier, saying, “Your component broke.” But it isn’t their component. It’s a knock-off.

And one of the frustrating things is that they’re able to avoid tariffs because our de minimis means that anything under $800 is not subject to the tariff. The vast majority of these components and aftermarket products that come in are under $100. It’s creating a real problem for the industry. We think that there should be a much lower level for the de minimis. To give you an example, China’s de minimis limit is $7 and ours is $800. There’s a bill in Congress that addresses it, and it may be addressed through tariffs.

The recreational boating industry, like the RV industry, saw a huge spike in sales during the pandemic. Unfortunately, lots of people who got into boating during that time got out of it. Did the RV industry experience that, too?

We ended up getting people in the industry, in the lifestyle, that had never really considered it. And our research has shown that they’ve stayed in the lifestyle, which is a very positive thing. And we have a younger and more diverse ownership than we’ve ever had in the past, so that’s something that we’re really happy about.

With the surge in ownership over the past five years, the median age of an RVer has dropped from 53 to 49. Additionally, diversity has increased significantly with our 2021 report showing RV owners were 85% white, but that has dropped to 73% in our research being released this month.

One thing that I am really excited about, and I would think this would be something the boating industry would like to see too with regard to their products, is that we found that people are using their RVs more. The median days-of-usage have increased 50% over the past 4 years, indicating that RV owners are happy with their purchases and using them as much, if not more than they expected. We like to say you can pursue your passion with your RV no matter what the passion is, from tailgating to fishing.

The increased product usage is important because one of the drivers of people leaving the lifestyle has been that people were not using their RV as much as they thought they would. So the fact people are using their RV more often is a real positive, and I hope it will keep them in the lifestyle .