A new co-operative is bringing national dealer representation to RV aftermarket suppliers throughout North America.
Venture Co-Op said it was born from seven independent regional representatives who stated a goal to answer the question, “How can we cover the country and help suppliers get real representation?”
Founding member Rob Rapose has spent 22 years in his territory. His independent agency does a good job, he said, but providing national coverage always presented a challenge.
“It started at last year’s NTP-Stag show,” Rapose said. “I was sitting with another regional talking about how hard it is to pick up national [supplier] lines. You pick up a line, build it up and then the company wants national coverage, but we cannot offer that. We do all of the heavy lifting, and then someone else takes it over.”
Venture Co-Op was formed as a solution, he said. The group stated its members have more than 200 years’ industry experience, most coming from outside sales and inside management at the dealer level. Each representative lives in the territory they cover and has relationships with dealers in those areas, Rapose said. Some key players include former NTP-Stag staff along with Camping World representatives, he added.
“We delegate sovereign reps, and we delegate to everybody’s strengths,” Rapose said. “As we started to grow, we did not want to just stick bodies in holes. We hand-pick our lines and our people. Everybody who is a part of the group is an industry veteran with experience all over the board. It is a unique group, and I am pretty excited and proud of it.”
The co-operative offers services such as dealer and distributor-level sales representation, marketing services, regional and national show support, in-person or virtual training and dealer newsletters to a limited number of aftermarket suppliers.
“Only agreeing to carry limited number of vendors was a major point when starting the organization,” founding member Rhonda Pilto said. “As independent business owners, we have come together as a team to support vendors on a national level, so we truly have a vested interest to make sure we are successful for both our suppliers and our team. We strive to deliver the best service of what is expected.”
Rapose said the cooperative makes decisions as a cohesive group. The vendors Venture represents fit a merchandising mix that has synergy and serves dealers, he said. The co-operative stated Bend, Oregon-based Zamp Solar was the first company to jump on board.
“It is such a benefit for Zamp Solar to partner with Venture Co-Op. We get great salespeople and solid representation through the U.S. and Canada,” Zamp VP of Sales Smokey White said. “As a company, it is worthwhile to employ independent reps and the Venture team is amazing to work with. It takes individual and combined dedication, innovation and integrity to achieve the end goal.”
As a manufacturer representative team, Pilto said success is dependent on creating long-term relationships with vendor partners and customers.
Aftermarket suppliers interested in Venture Co-Op’s services can contact [email protected].
