RVBusiness, July/August 2019

BY SUSAN CARPENTER New RV Womens Alliance Looks to Champion Equality Our mission is and will always be to bring together a diverse group of extraordinary women and men from across the RV industry who through social and educational programs mentorship and networking opportunities are inspired and empowered to realize their individual potential RVBUSINESS GUESTVIEW W hen a few of us sat around a dinner table in July of 2018 the idea of RV Womens Alliance RVWA was born At that time we had no name or direction but we did have a guiding principle to empower and support women across the RV industry By banding together with this common goal we realized that we could accomplish much more than we could alone Thus our alliance began When we began our work in earnest we were faced with a very basic question what is womens equality anyway I would love to live in a world where everyone is treated the same no matter what their age gender color religion and sexual preference is one where we just treat each other with respect and value what talents each of us brings to the table It sounds so easy but the reality is that it takes a lot of hard work What we really want is for RVWA to be a place where our members can learn and encourage each other a place where we celebrate even the smallest wins a forum to raise awareness among our peers We want to be an organization designed around championing equality in our industry The truth is its hard for women to overcome these obstacles on their own Women can set boundaries and advocate for themselves but its difficult to go directly against ingrained company culture and still expect to get ahead In this area though male allies can help women advance This is one of the reasons that RVWA welcomes men into the alliance Change doesnt happen on its own We need those men and women willing to work at it It takes a good leader to want to change the company cultures that breeds this acceptability of inequality It is important to realize that this is everyones fight not just limited to women To this end we encourage anyone interested 26 RVBusiness J U L Y A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 to join We have often been asked why Why not limit membership to those who would benefit from it the most Because its not just women in this fight Many men have expressed that this change is way overdue and want to help and even learn We are focused on ensuring opportunity for women but the events and programming we promote are useful for furthering the career of anyone Our board is made up of many facets of the RV Industry We have representation from dealerships suppliers associations media and manufacturers There is no fee to be a member and we welcome anyone that works in the industry to join it doesnt matter what your job is In fact diversity makes membership even stronger We encourage anyone to join and become a leader and when we say leader we are not talking about executives we are talking about leaders of your field your life and your community Anyone who is willing to stand up and provide their support is a leader After nine months of hard work and planning we launched RVWA in March by having a networking event in Salt Lake City during the RV Industry Associations RVX The RV Experience trade show We really were hoping that 100 people would show up instead we had close to 200 It was truly impressive and humbling to see all these amazing people come together as one Since that initial launch we hosted our first webinar by Deborah Gardner who spoke about 10 things women need to give up to be successful We created our mentoring program on Facebook where you can be a mentor or a mentee We networked while swinging hammers at Habitat For Humanity and were excited to have our first regional event being sponsored by NERVDA in June Also mark your calendars for an event during Septembers Open House thats being planned We feel we are off to a pretty good start Of course none of this could have been possible without a handful of amazing companies that stepped up to the plate and sponsored us including Coach Net American Guardian Warranty Creative Products Group Global Link Samlex Wells Fargo RV Pro Dometic GoPower Winnebago Girl Camper CWRV Transport and TOGO Considering RVWA is a grass roots organization this says a lot about each company So why was RVWA founded Our mission is and will always be to bring together a diverse group of extraordinary women and men from across the RV industry who through social and educational programs mentorship and networking opportunities are inspired and empowered to realize their individual potential We will help enhance their career experiences and create opportunities for the next generation of women leaders This journey is just beginning and its far from over We will keep giving it our all until gender is no longer a career stumbling block in our industry The future looks bright for womens equality Since the suffrage movement great strides have been taken to close the gap The RV industry may be lagging behind that curve but that just means we have plenty of room to improve Studies show that our next generation is entering the marketplace with even greater confidence to continue to drive this change forward to a brighter tomorrow RVB Susan Carpenter has been involved in the RV industry for 29 years After completing her business degree along with certification in Project Management Entrepreneurial Leadership she began working for the family business JR Products in 1990 and in 2014 became president of the company before moving on to Creative Products Group She has held numerous board positions including president of RVAA Recreational Vehicle Aftermarket Association member of the SEMA Board Specialty Equipment Market Association Chair of SEMA Cares and president of RVWA