RVBusiness, July/August 2020

BY GARY GERARD The Show Must Go On RV MH Hall of Fame Set To Host Class of 2020 Induction Ceremony Despite the lingering effects of the pandemic the RV MH Hall of Fames Annual Induction Dinner celebrating the Class of 2020 will be held as scheduled on Aug 3 at the Northern Indiana Event Center in Elkhart Ind organizers announced mid May Noting that Indiana should not have restrictions on crowd size by the time the event is held RV MH Heritage Foundation President Darryl Searer congratulated the honorees in advance saying All of them have had or are having outstanding careers and are richly deserving of this high honor Searer also lauded the work of the nominating committee for the diversity of the nominees both geographically and by industry segment encompassing suppliers manufacturers dealers and association executives With biographies courtesy of RV MH Heritage Foundation the Hall of Fame inductees from the RV industry include Mark Beecher RV Retail Finance South Dakota Mark Beecher started two major lending programs for the RV industry via John Deere Credit and Bank of the West in South Dakota He launched both operations from infancy to huge operations ranking in the top four in the industry Along the way he developed numerous relationships with manufacturers dealers and members of both the National Recreation Dealers Association RVDA and RV Industry Association RVIA He also pioneered numerous innovative lending programs such as the VIB pre approval program 240 month terms for larger loans lucrative participation and bonus programs and back end programs He also was heavily involved in RVDA and RVIA Without his creative mind behind John Deere Credit and Bank of the West the committed maintained the industry might not have enjoyed the sales success it has seen over the past 28 years An avid ambassador for the industry Beecher is also living the RV lifestyle as the proud owner of a 42 foot diesel pusher motorhome travelling the U S and Canada Garth W Cane RV Service Technician Professor Cobourg Ontario Garth Cane has contributed tirelessly to the Canadian RV industry and the community for more than 65 years serving as a sales associate RV service tech RV tech trainer RV TV host magazine tech editor and RV seminar presenter at RV shows and rallies throughout North America A professional engineer Cane was highly instrumental in the creation of the RV Apprenticeship Program and the first professor to teach the RV Apprenticeship Program at Mohawk College in Ontario Cane also serves as a board member on the Recreation Vehicle Safety Education Foundation which provides professional and objective RV education with a focus on consumer safety and lifestyle enhancement Cane has been semi retired for 20 years but he continues to serve as one of the finest ambassadors of the RV lifestyle 38 RVBusiness J U L Y A U G U S T 2 0 2 0 David Fought RV Manufacturer Indiana David Fought studied to be an engineer and began as a draftsman at Starcraft RV in 1970 By 1991 when Starcraft RV was sold to Jayco Inc he had worked his way up to vice president of operations Along with partners Fought ventured out with an idea founding SunnyBrook RV where they built and marketed his light aluminum superstructure that revolutionized the towables sector After selling SunnyBrook in 1996 Fought started another successful RV company called DRV and then purchased Cruiser RV His vision for lighter weight products and fully loaded high end luxury convenience and comfort features lives on today in Cruiser RV In January 2015 Fought sold Cruiser and Doubletree RV to Thor Industries Inc There are several aspects that set Fought apart from others not only in the industry but also as an individual says the committee adding He goes the extra mile and puts forth effort every step of the way He is a leader by example a hands on role model and his work ethic is a good representation of true character Jeff Pastore RV Dealer Ohio Mentioning that the four most important things in his world are faith family friends and the business Jeff Pastore has been with Hartville RV Center Inc since it opened in 1972 At that time Pastore was just 10 years old but began helping out in small ways around the dealership and learned the ropes As time went on each year he took on more and more responsibilities He worked part time at the dealership while in high school While he was attending Kent State University he worked at the dealership full time all while earning his degree in business marketing Pastore is now the vice president and general manager of Hartville RV Center He has been a dedicated volunteer in service to the RVDA for more than 20 years serving as chairman and taking on many other committee assignments including tirelessly serving as the chair of the Mike Molino RV Learning Center He always has the dealer in mind when it comes to decisions that are made He guided dealers through one of the most difficult times in RVDA history leading the association through the steps needed to keep going with calm confidence Pastore also takes time to mentor those who need the advice and wisdom he can offer and he has exhibited incredible honesty and integrity in every aspect of life and business Dave Schutz Supplier Indiana Many people have had successful careers in the RV industry but not many have had successful careers and demonstrated so much breadth of service to the industry for so many years as Dave Schutz the nominating committee noted As senior vice president RV OEM Sales North America for Dometic Corp his high character long and successful career