Former OIA head Frank Hugelmeyer named RV industry group’s leader

Frank Hugelmeyer, who served 14 years as head of the Boulder-based Outdoor Industry Association, has been named president of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association.

The RVIA board of directors approved hiring Hugelmeyer during its meetings held May 31-June 4 in Washington, D.C. Hugelmeyer will take the helm of the Reston, Va.-based RVIA on July 13 to work during the transition with Richard Coon, who is retiring from the position after 10 years. Hugelmeyer will officially assume the RVIA presidency Oct. 1.

RVIA board chairman Derald Bontrager, president and CEO of Jayco Inc., who led the search committee, said, “Frank’s proven track record of success in for-profit companies, and most recently as president and CEO of the Outdoor Industry Association, make him ideal for leading RVIA into the future.”

Hugelmeyer was the president and chief executive of OIA from 2000 to 2014, working with the world’s premier outdoor brands and business executives in the areas of recreation economics, public lands policy and consumer trends. Since November, he has been president of Recreation Influence Strategies LLC, a Denver-based management consulting firm, working with companies including The North Face, Patagonia, Timberland, L.L. Bean, REI and Amazon, along with numerous governmental agencies, nonprofit groups and foundations.

In addition, he has served on a wide variety of boards and advisory groups, including the Outdoor Foundation, National Forum on Children and Nature, Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Western Governors’ Association Recreation Task Force and President Obama’s Partnership for America’s Great Outdoors.

The RVIA represents approximately 400 manufacturers and component suppliers producing 98 percent of all RVs made in the United States.

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