Jayco dealers were invited to tour its manufacturing lines, meet with Jayco employees and receive product training this week.
The event was called the Marketing and Skills Training for Excellence in RV Sales (MASTERS) dealer training.
Dealers stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn and the Inn at Saint Mary’s in South Bend, Indiana, immediately across from Notre Dame. They were shuttled to the Jayco Middlebury, Indiana campus. Half of the dealers trained on Tuesday, Dec. 5, and Wednesday, Dec. 6. The other half are scheduled for this Tuesday and Wednesday. Around 400 dealers total will take part in the event.
Jayco President and CEO Ken Walters said, “The level of enthusiasm was really high. They love the plant tours, the detailed product training and the chance to interact with not only the sales and product teams, but the full operations, manufacturing, quality, engineering and purchasing (teams).”
Dealers met with personnel from service, warranty, management and pre-delivery inspection (PDI) departments. An estimated 100 employees worked as trainers.
“It’s a good opportunity for us to show people what we are about at Jayco,” Walters said. “(we are) more than just product.”
Training also covers marketing, resources, customer experience management, materials, manufacturing processes and tools.
Jayco Vice President of Sales Nic Martin said, “Our dealers make a significant investment to send their people here and we don’t take that lightly. We intend on arming them with all the tools they need to share the Jayco story when they return home to their respective dealerships.”
The two-day gathering concluded with a graduation ceremony at the Gillespie Conference & Special Events Center in South Bend. Training certificates were presented to dealers at the ceremony.
Online training is available for those who cannot attend the in-person event. More than 2,600 dealer partners completed the online course in 2022.
The in-person MASTERS event has occurred for nearly 20 years, while the online version has been available for the past few years.
“We are proud to continue the legacy of developing and nurturing these relationships,” Walters said. “We are really proud of our campus, our facilities, but most proud of our people.”
