In 2012, the RV/MH Hall of Fame was facing mountainous challenges. The organization was trudging through $5.5 million of debt. Some said the Hall was on the verge of collapse.
Darryl Searer was not going to let that happen. In March 2012, Searer took the helm as Hall of Fame president and everything changed.
By 2019, the organization was debt-free. Today, the Hall’s net worth totals several million dollars. Searer transformed a struggling non-profit into a flourishing mecca of the RV industry. At year’s end, Searer will step down as president, concluding his nearly 13-year volunteer term.
Searer said, “When I commit to do something that I am passionate about, whether I get paid one way or the other, it does not matter. It is going to be my legacy going forward, and I think I have left it in really good shape for many, many decades to come.”
Climbing Aboard
By the time Searer became president in 2012, he had spent nearly 53 years in the industry. He had co-founded Ultra-Fab with his brothers and bought MHS Supply. He sat on the Hall of Fame Board of Directors from 1991-2008. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2008.
Searer served a term as board chairman and came out of retirement to become president for one year, which turned into nearly 13 years.
Barry Cole, Hall of Fame chairman emeritus, said Searer returned to the Hall of Fame enthusiastically, working tirelessly and without pay.
Cole said Searer resurrected the Hall, with the assistance of the board, and created an incredible facility and “the greatest Hall of Fame in the world.”
Cole said, “Darryl’s results are clear, and he is a true hero.”
Gary LaBella, Hall of Fame Class of 2005, said Searer succeeded in reversing the Hall of Fame’s future because he had experience running his own businesses.
LaBella said, “He is a financial wizard.”
Calming the Waters
Searer immediately set to work on his mission, beginning negotiations with various parties. He conversed with city of Elkhart representatives to relieve debts.
Searer approached industry members who contributed to the Hall, expecting to receive their money back. He requested they instead consider turning their contribution into a donation. Most contributions were converted to donations.
During his industry outreach, Searer pursued many manufactured housing leaders. Previously, the Hall of Fame’s manufactured housing side had been underacknowledged. Searer persuaded many MH industry members to participate in the Hall. As a result, Kevin Clayton of Clayton Homes donated $200,000 and loaned his name to a $1 million campaign over five years to help reduce the Hall’s debt. Searer took advantage of the donation and the Hall raised $1 million in four years.
Vice Chairman Joe Stegmayer has been a board member for more than a decade and was inducted into the Hall of Fame Class of 2016.
He said, “Darryl certainly carried a lot of credit for stepping up and being the person on the ground day to day.”
Searer doubled the non-profit’s income, allocating 52 cents on every dollar collected to pay off debt.
A significant piece to Searer’s plan was establishing the Northern Indiana Event Center. While the Hall of Fame already owned the building, Searer rearranged the RV museum exhibits to make space for events. Industry companies rented the area, generating more cash flow.
According to Searer, renting the space was the component that “really pulled us out of debt.”
In March 2019, the Hall of Fame was debt-free.
Searer said, “My legacy to the industry, and what people will remember me for, is taking the Hall of Fame from a negative net worth with five and a half million in debt in 2012, to where it is today.”
Cruising Forward
Once the Hall of Fame’s debt was retired, Searer pursued new initiatives to keep the organization in a positive cash flow position.
He and then-Greeneway RV owner Mick Ferkey struck a deal with Thor Industries. Thor and the Hall collaborated to improve 27 acres of space around the Hall of Fame facility. By September 2019, Thor commissioned 1 million square feet of blacktop that stretched east of the Hall, a 23,000-square-foot year round pavilion, electric, lighting and dump stations. That year, the manufacturer hosted Elkhart Extravaganza activities on the new construction.
In 2019, the Hall of Fame also debuted its Supplier’s Show. The event invites OE suppliers to exhibit as the industry gathers for Elkhart Extravaganza.
In 2023, the Hall added the 36,000-foot Champion Hall to the Northern Indiana Event Center, providing more event space. The first phase of construction was completed by 2024.
LaBella said Searer found ways to get the organization’s finances back on track and, “he also did so much else to make the Hall more beautiful.”
The Manufactured Housing Museum was constructed in 2022 to showcase the industry’s efforts. Stegmayer led the committee to raise funds for the museum’s creation.
He said, “Getting the museum is a huge step for manufactured housing, it garners more support for the Hall, and showcases how manufactured housing can address affordable housing and the general housing needs of the growing population in the United States.”
LaBella said Searer brought the Hall back to relevance and made it a “shining star in the community.”
Full Sails Ahead
After Searer volunteered more than a decade to the cause, the Hall is drastically different. The Hall of Fame’s board has committed to not go into debt again.
Hall of Fame Secretary and 2013 inductee Tom Walworth said Searer “has donated his time… and endured all the trials and tribulations and getting to where we are now, and he has done it as a contribution.”
At 82 years old, Searer said he is eager to continue traveling globally with his wife, Judy. He said he planned to spend more time on the golf course, fishing and enjoying family time. Searer has three children, 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, with a 13th on the way.
While Searer will resign as president at year’s end, he will stay aboard to lead the 2025 Supplier’s Show.
Stegmayer said, “I think the future is tremendously bright.”
