Longtime Fleetwood RV executive Elden Smith has died. The 1997 RV/MH Hall of Fame inductee was 84.
Smith joined Fleetwood in 1968 and was in charge of the company’s RV Group from 1973 until he retired. Under his guidance, the RV Group’s annual revenue grew from $39 million to more than $1.3 billion, becoming the No. 1 RV manufacturer in the country.
Smith was named president and CEO of the company in 2005. He was an RVIA chairman and served on the board of directors from 1971-96. He received RVIA’s Distinguished Achievement award.
In a 1996 interview with RV News, Smith foresaw the industry’s growth over the next 28 years. He said the RV market is sizable and offers tremendous potential, “if we understand the consumers who are in the market and what they’re looking for.”
He said the RV industry competes for leisure dollars with cruise lines, destination resorts, airlines and the home entertainment system—just as it still does today.
“So, we need to make sure that we show them the value in what we do,” Smith said. “There are a lot of very positive, ‘motherhood and apple pie’ reasons to believe in and love the RV lifestyle, but there are still a lot of things about the RV lifestyle that do not fit the lifestyles of many people in this country.”
He said being realistic about the market limitations and knowing where the RV industry’s buyers were would be essential to most effectively selling those consumers an RV.
“When our customers shop, they’re going to get multiple exposures to Fleetwood products, and we have got to come out with the best value,” he said. “There is a relative value in every segment of the marketplace, and it is a significant challenge to make sure that—year in and year out, over a long period of time—that you continue to stay in touch with the market.”
Smith believed in associations and was the longest-serving RVIA board member when he retired. He missed only one meeting in two decades—after his mother died.
“The important role of an association is to provide us with the vehicle to join together when we need to,” he said, “to respond to some unusual circumstance….That’s the primary responsibility of an association and the primary reason, in my opinion, for keeping a strong association alive.”
Smith said he was an avid golfer and collector away from work. He was known for taking his leisure activities seriously and with the same passion as his work.
“I do tend to get maybe overly interested in things. I don’t know what it is,” he said. “I have a lot of interests, and it’s one of the nice things about traveling.”
