Chuck Williams, owner of RVTECH RV & Marine Service Center in Fort Myers, got his start in the RV industry in New Jersey while still a twenty-something. “I started going to school for training, and I passed with top honors in my classes,” he recalls. “I worked for a dealership and then eventually branched out on my own and started RVTECH. It began as a service center and then moved into being an RV dealer and doing consignment sales, and I was very big in motorhome rentals. I used to speak at the RV Rental Association at the Tropicana in Vegas, teaching rental training.”

In his twenties, Chuck also developed products to clean RVs because, he says, it just didn’t seem like most of the available products worked, and the ones that did work were destructive. He now has about twelve products, which are sold under the RVTECH name. “We continue to market to dealers and online dealers,” he says, “and they have the ability to make a full forty percent markup, so it’s great.”

Seventeen years ago, Chuck moved himself and his business to Fort Myers, drawn by the seasonal change and the Florida lifestyle. Today, RVTECH is thirty-five years old, sells pre-owned RVs and boats, and offers about seventy related services. Perhaps the best service, though, is Chuck himself. He distinguishes his business by allowing his customers – and the general public – access to his forty years of RV industry knowledge and experience.

“We offer the unfair advantage, and it’s basically ‘Ask the Expert, Talk to Chuck,’ whether they come in here, call me on the phone, or email me,” he relates. “There’s free tech support for everyone; you don’t even need to be a customer. Ask the Expert, Talk to Chuck allows me to really connect with people and teach them in their own RVs.” This hands-on approach to education is right in line with Chuck’s goal of being results oriented rather than task oriented. “I’ve got six employees, and none of my guys were hired to do a job; they were hired to produce a result, and that result is raving fans,” he explains. “If you go to the gym, you go there for a result. If you go to a comedy club, you go there for a result. How is an RV business any different? That’s our philosophy, and we deliver results in every aspect of our sales and service.”

That dedication to achieving results is apparent in how Chuck sets up his staff for success. All of RVTECH’s service bays are air-conditioned, ensuring his service techs work in a cool, clean, controlled environment that helps them deliver the highest-quality results. Another way Chuck promotes excellent results, as well as employee safety, is to make RVTECH a cellphone-free work zone. “No one walks around with a cellphone in their hand,” states Chuck. “Everyone knows: If I see that phone, you’re on your way home. Don’t get me wrong. If you have children, you better have that phone with you. If you’re waiting for a call, you better have that phone on. But people playing with their phones while they work? Absolutely not. It compromises safety, and you can’t be distracted when you’re dealing with propane, electricity, and water. Also, I don’t believe you can properly do the job I’m paying you for and produce the results we want here if you’re checking your phone every five minutes.

“I’m not going to work in the heat and neither should my guys. I’m not going to walk around with a phone in my hand all day and neither should my guys. I do believe that this code of conduct – these ethics – are truly what I stand for.” Chuck believes a poor code of conduct results from a lack of high standards, which he says is seen at many dealerships. A customer walks in, he describes, and an employee looks at the customer and then turns away. Chuck says the employee needs to smile, acknowledge the customer, and ask if the person has been helped. He adds that this code of conduct needs to be instilled in each person by a manager who has a vision and the ability to lead employees to a higher standard of customer care. 

He has been a member of the FRVTA for about fifteen years, many of those years as a mainstay vendor at the Fort Myers RV Show. He says there have been a lot of great people that he’s met along the way, particularly on the advertising side. “Jack Carver is always available to talk with me; he stops by and has conversations about the business,” relates Chuck. “The people that work at the FRVTA have always been excellent, and the shows and the people have really helped me.” 

Chuck has two important messages for his fellow FRVTA members. “One, I would like to get my product lines in your store so you don’t have to be compared with box stores. You’ll have a full forty percent markup and free delivery on orders $500+. It’s a win-win all the way around because you’re selling products to make money, not to be compared to the guy on Amazon who’s selling
an item for two bucks and you can only sell it for four. “Two, I’d like you to adopt the cellphone-free work zone. It optimizes safety and efficiency, and that’s a big deal.” 

Ultimately, all of Chuck’s standards and beliefs are intended to help customers get the most from their RVs. The best reasons to live the RV lifestyle, says Chuck, are freedom and the ability to rediscover what is simple and timeless. “RVing is a way to magnify the quality of life,” he offers. “It’s all about creating and collecting memories, fishing, playing Frisbee®, flying a kite, cooking, and exploring nature with your loved ones. I really think that’s where people truly need to be. Put the phone down. Look up at the clouds and the sun; look around at the trees. This is life the way it’s supposed to be lived.”