The RV Doctor Speaks About Passion, Teaching & New Evolutions in RV Living In Advance Of "America's Biggest RV Show"
Learning versus teaching is always determined by the balance of the community involved. At the upcoming Hershey RV Show, billed as “America’s Biggest RV Show”, the intersection of dealers, manufacturers, technicians, consumers and those who simply love the lifestyle descend on this Pennsylvania town once known specifically for their chocolate. One of those educators who has been holding seminars at Hershey for years is Gary Bunzer, also known as “The RV Doctor”. In advance of the 2016 show, Bunzer sat down with The Buzz to discuss navigating the sea of RVs, his passion for teaching and the ins-and-outs of a changing industry.
The Buzz: Looking at the upcoming Hershey show, what do attendees have to keep in mind to get the most out of their experience from your point of view?
Gary Bunzer: (laughing) The number one thing is to wear comfortable shoes. That is typically because there are so many different RVs to look at that it is going to take a lot of walking. If [the visitor] is in the market for an RV, the best thing to do is to kind of narrow down what the family needs [such as] if they want a motorized or a towable. If they can decide that ahead of time, it will cut down on the amount of steps they have to take [to find their perfect RV]. But if you want exercise, come to the Hershey Show.
The Buzz: Many people are looking for motor homes but there are also many wanting to upgrade. In your teachings, you mention three types of motor home maintenance: preventative, restorative and crisis. Can you talk about that aspect of thinking?
GB: Absolutely. Maintenance is very paramount when it comes to RVs and most RV buyers today are well aware of that. They realize that this is a rolling house going down the road and that there are preventative maintenance procedures that must be performed. If they read through the literature that comes with any of the coaches, they will see that even the product suppliers and the people that make all the widgets that go into an RV will say “If you want to get the most out of this product then you must perform preventative maintenance”. Buyers today are so much more well informed because of the internet…and because of relationships with established dealers. If they have an RV and want to upgrade, this is the perfect place to come. The industry changes literally every year so there are always new products and developments.
The Buzz: How has the Hershey RV Show evolved over the years...from your perspective?
GB: We used to have the show in Harrisburg years ago. Now, we have been in Hershey 10 or 11 years. The perspective I saw when we made the change from Harrisburg to Hershey was that now rather than being in a farm show complex where everything was in individual rooms…it was kind of a maze in that building anyway...now all the manufacturers are on equal footing. They are all on the same level. They are all outdoors...and are all next to each other so you can literally walk 33 football fields full of RVs all on one level.
The Buzz: For the seminars you teach, you have to be up-to-date all the time on the newest trends. Can you talk about staying ahead of the curve?
GB: Absolutely. We have our national trade show every year in Louisville, Kentucky every year [the RVIA National Trade Show] and that is a must stop for anybody within the trade. There are no consumers allowed at that show. [At Hershey] we also have two industry days. The trade days are on Monday and Tuesday and then the five remaining days of that week are the public days where the consumers come in. So to keep up with all the changes, as far as myself, I have to maintain a relationship with the manufacturers and all the suppliers on a yearly basis…because new products are released at varying times for strategic or other reasons. You have to stay up-to-date with this stuff in order to incorporate that into the seminars. As I have been presenting seminars at Hershey since 1989, I have never repeated the same exact seminar twice. I always update every time because there is always something new every single year. The manufacturers have to up the ante so it's up to us as technical educators, trainers, authors and writers to get an edge on that and see [and understand] these things before they happen.
The Buzz: What is the most important thing to remember as an educator of people who have RVs who believe they know exactly how things work?
GB: That is a very good question and very insightful of your part. How do you present material to the consumer? There might be RVers in that room who have been RVing longer than I have been in the industry, which is 40+ years. [But] there is something new you can learn every single day. My goal, whenever I make a presentation regardless of the topic, [is that] it has to be relevant to my readers and to the people who follow me electronically. I have a phrase I say at nearly every one of my seminars and that is “Thank goodness for the aftermarket!” because no matter what the name is on that coach, there is always a way to improve either the lifestyle use of it, the technical aspects of it or the longevity of extending its life. They are some brilliant minds that [continually] think up [new] aftermarket products. If there is a product out there that makes the RVer’s lifestyle easier or makes taking care of [the coach] easier...then that is worthy information that I can include in a seminar. Obviously, we don’t want to make every RV owner a professional certified RV technician but we do want them to enjoy the lifestyle and get the biggest bang for their buck.
The Buzz: Can you talk about the biggest difference between the consumer and the industry days…
GB: For the industry days, we’ve developed a series of seminars that are developed specifically or the RV dealer and trade people. For instance I am giving two classes specifically for RV technicians…professionally certified technicians...on how to perform certain tests and things of that nature. Also during trade days you can actually see officials from each major brand. All the major manufacturers are represented during public days by their dealers. But during trade days, they will actually have factory people there…people that the trade people can talk to...so it is important dealers come to the two trade days on Monday or Tuesday. [That way] they can directly interface with the factory personnel. Maybe it's the CEO they want to talk to. Maybe it’s the warranty manager. [The industry days] are where the dealer can take advantage of it. Then on public days, it is all about selling RVs and about sharing the joys of the lifestyle. It is a little different mindset on Monday and Tuesday compared to the rest of the week.
The Buzz: Your passion for the RV industry started off year ago working at your dad’s business in Sarasota, Florida. Can you talk about your passion in becoming the “RV Doctor” but also the time, experience and wisdom required.
GB: Another great question. I developed a passion for teaching. I did this in the military. I [first] was a military teaching instructor for civvies...and I really enjoyed it. I learned in the military [that] a lot of people can talk and a lot of people can teach but teaching only happens when learning takes place. That is the true sense of the word “instruction”. When you see those little light bulbs go off in people's heads when they get it...when they finally get the point...it is just a sheer joy for me as a educator to see that happen. It really pleases me. And [it is also thanks to] my dad who, years ago, taught me the trade with his mobile home business that we had down in Florida. I was able to take the training of being an instructor and just simply couple it with the technicalities of recreational vehicles. So it has been a great joy and certainly a passion. I’ll probably do this for the rest of my life. I don’t see myself retiring from it since I get such joy and satisfaction out of it.
Tim Wassberg
A graduate of New York University's Tisch School Of The Arts with degrees in Film/TV Production & Film Criticism, Tim has written for magazines such as Moviemaker, Moving Pictures, Conde Nast Traveler UK and Casino Player. He enjoys traveling and distinct craft beers among other things.
Make Sure To Stay At:
Twin Grove RV Resort & Cottages, which has a rich history as a country park that dates back to 1930. Twin Grove has 212 RV sites, 43 Cottages, 18 cabins, 4 Family Lodges, 22 tent sites and 2 yurts and is a 105 acre destination resort campground nestled in the rolling mountains of central Pennsylvania.