WIXOM, Mich. — Road trips and weekend getaways in RVs boomed during the pandemic and one Metro Detroit-based dealership says demand for the homes-on-wheels shows no sign of slowing, even as gas prices reach all-time highs.
Needing to staff up for the busiest season of the year, General RV is conducting a two-day hiring event that began Tuesday. Nationwide, the company needs to fill 300 positions, including jobs at four Michigan locations, said Loren Baidas, president of General RV Center.
To woo prospective employees, the company is offering sign-on bonuses of up to $1,000 and $500 bonuses for those who refer someone who takes a job with General RV. Its hiring event continues from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday at its locations in Wixom, Clarkston, Brownstown Township and Mount Clemens.
“Since the pandemic, we’ve struggled to fill all of our positions,” he said. “There’s a need for a couple things. One is we’re growing as a company. The dealership is growing. There’s been significant, more interest in RVs, RV sales since the pandemic. We’re seeing a nice response from that.”
According to a survey released by the RV Industry Association this past fall, 72 million Americans plan to take a trip in an RV this year, up from 61 million the year before.
Stephanie Waldron of Edmore, near Mount Pleasant, visited General RV's Wixom lot Tuesday morning, buying an RV to replace a smaller camper her family parks at their seasonal lot in Barryton, about 30 miles north of their home. The family's new camper: a 2013 Coachmen Freedom Express Travel Coach. Waldron paid a little over $20,000 for the 34-foot-long travel trailer.
"We needed something bigger for the kids," she said. "We ended up buying one with a bunk house."
Waldron, who bought her family's previous camper three years ago, said she's noticed an increase in visitors camping with their RVs.
"It gives the kids something to do," she said. "It gives us family time.".
Baidas said there's some concern over gas prices. On Tuesday, the average gas price in Michigan was $4.22 a gallon for regular unleaded, close to an highest recorded average of $4.26 on Thursday.
"We've seen higher gas prices in the past," he said. "In talking with our consumers, they will just go a little less far. They'll choose a weekend Up North in Michigan instead of down in Tennessee. ... Instead of going Up North, they would choose a campground within a half hour, an hour to be able to save that money by doing it that way. They adapt really well."
The hiring fair comes on the heels of the Detroit RV and Camping Show held last month at the Suburban Collective Showplace in Novi, which reportedly had its third-highest attendance of more than 27,000 visitors.
"There's a lot of excitement in the air," said Katie Boley, associate recruiter for General RV Center. "New product knowledge out there and we have a couple months before we really ramp up for the warmer weather. So it's the perfect time to come in and immerse yourself in the dealer operations and be able to hit the ground running for the warmer weather. We definitely have an influx of business during the summer."
General RV Center is hiring for positions including those in finance, parts, sales insurance and administration. Pay starts in the range of $15-$20 an hour. Baidas said the biggest need is for skilled techs to do repairs on the coaches. Amid the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the business closed for six weeks after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered a halt to most in-person work.
Baidas said the business asked all of its employees to return when the order was lifted, but some did not.
“Then at that point when we did come back, the market was so robust and grown so quickly we’ve been looking to add personnel ever since,” he said. “We’ve never been able to catch up 100% since the pandemic.”
———
