Recreational vehicles are some of the most incredible pieces of technology in the automotive industry today, and more people than ever are taking advantage of the lifestyle and freedom they offer. Over 11 million Americans have made an RV an integral part of their outdoor experience, and the 62% growth in sales since 2001 is being driven by young adventurers, retirees, and everyday outdoor enthusiasts who crave a closer connection with nature.

This boom in popularity means that there is an ongoing need for talented employees from service to management who can meet customers where they are and bring the passion it takes to build the RV industry. These positions can offer qualified candidates flexibility in their lifestyle, excellent compensation, and a rewarding career.

However, just because there’s a lot of opportunity doesn’t mean these jobs are easy to land. Business owners expect to invest in a great hire, and that means it’s critical to find qualified candidates with the right knowledge, skills, and mentality for success.

That’s why they’re increasingly working with top industry recruiters like V20’s Evan Bergenstein. He’s made a name for himself helping some of the nation’s top RV players skip fruitless search process cycles and connect with talent that’s a perfect fit for their needs. We sat down with Evan to talk about the changing dynamics of the RV industry, and why so many companies are turning to specialized recruiting partners to grow their businesses.

Sarah: Tell us about how recruiting is changing the RV industry today.

Evan: Unlike practical markets like car sales that always have a large and reliable customer base, companies in outdoor, marine, and recreational spaces operate in a more luxury-oriented market. As a result, RV manufacturers, service providers, and dealers need people and partners who can actively help grow their industry.

That means being a qualified technician, leader, or finance expert on paper doesn’t necessarily translate directly to being a winning candidate who’s worth a significant investment. Our clients are looking for people with a passion for RVs and the lifestyle they bring who are interested in turning that into a long-term career.

It’s incredibly difficult to find that by sorting through a pile of resumes—especially in online environments—and that’s where V20 comes in. This is a new space we’re stepping into because we’re uniquely positioned as a powersports, marine, and outdoor recruiting firm to connect our clients with the right people the first time around.

Sarah: What advantages can you offer as an outdoor recruiting specialist?

Evan: One of the biggest secrets when it comes to finding great candidates in outdoor industries like RVs is that the ideal person you’re hoping to hire probably isn’t actively looking for a job. They love the industry, they’re already gainfully employed somewhere within it or tangentially, and they don’t necessarily know what opportunities might be out there to develop their career.

These are the real game-changers our clients are hoping to find, but they’re discovering time and time again that generic recruiters and online job searches simply can’t identify them. It takes a recruiting firm like us that specializes in these industries and has deep, broad connections with clients and employers around the country to dig into our database and pick up the phone.

Sarah: What does that process look like?

Evan: V20’s president Douglas M. Sexton has said time and time again that the industries we serve in outdoors and recreational spaces are driven by people, process, and product—and it all starts with people. My job begins with getting to know everything about your business, including its target market, company culture, and short-term and long-term needs and goals.

That’s where we can start leveraging our database of over 220,000 resumes and direct knowledge of the available talent pool over the last 15 years. We’re in the perfect position to call up someone we think may be a good fit who doesn’t have your job on their radar and start the conversation off with “We have an opportunity you might be interested in—have you considered X?”

In many cases, the answer to that question is “You know, I had been thinking about what a change might look like. Tell me more.”

When we finish our process, we’re going to be presenting you directly with a few candidates who are going to be as close as possible to the perfect fit for your business. We’ll have already asked the questions you really want to know about a potential hire before you even schedule an interview.

It saves you time and money, and it helps you start growing your business with the best talent available—not just the best resume that showed up.

Sarah: What positions do you help your clients fill?

Evan: RVs are extremely complicated vehicles that have a lot of bespoke and proprietary hardware. On top of that, many of them have luxury finishing that requires an artistic eye and tech-savvy awareness to sell, manufacture, and service.

We specialize in helping our dealer clients management, finance and insurance (F&I), and service managers primarily, and work with OEMs and aftermarket companies for a wide range of RV products and services in areas such as sales, marketing, product management, product development, and engineering to name a few.

In particular, technicians are in high demand these days, and if you’re someone who has the skills and wants to make a move in the RV industry, call me. With the right attitude and a desire to develop a career, I can help you make that happen.

It’s 100% confidential to work with us and doesn’t cost you anything to talk and put a resume on file. Our clients want you, we want to connect them, and we protect you professionally and personally throughout the process so there’s no risk for exploring your options.

Sarah: How do you think recruiting will change the RV industry?

Evan: The number one value we share with our clients is the understanding that growth—whether it’s your business or the industry as a whole—is fundamentally driven by the people you hire. With the right team, anything is possible, and our job is to connect you with them as quickly and efficiently as possible.

There’s risk in any hiring process, but in the industries we serve, there’s just so much more riding on getting it right. Something you learn quickly is that a candidate who only cares about their salary and benefits isn’t someone we’re going to send to one of our RV clients. We all want to make money, but it’s not enough to grow a business, compete with peers, and expand the wonderful lifestyle that RVs provide for new generations of enthusiasts.

When you get a resume on your desk from V20, you already know they’ve passed all the important tests. The questions you’ll be asking will be the ones that matter, like “Is this the person who’s going to take us to the next level?”

That’s the difference we’re working to deliver for our clients, and it’s why we’re so excited to be working in the RV space.