Redwood Owners Group:
I’ve served on the ROG Board since 2017 and President since 2019.
Tracy and I lived in Fort Smith, Arkansas until we retired in 2016 and began our fulltime RV lifestyle/adventure in our 2015 Redwood 38RL. We have a son/daughter-in-law and three grandchildren and another son/fiancée, all in Northwest Arkansas, and we usually spend our summers in Bar Harbor, Maine and winters near Orlando, Florida.
This year presented some new challenges for us personally when Tracy was diagnosed with breast cancer in March. As a result, we are now stationary in Southern California for the foreseeable future until her treatments are over. As such, I will be resigning as President of the ROG at the end of this term to be as attentive as possible to her needs, but have agreed to continue serving as the Webmaster.
2023-2024 ROG Board of Directors
The Board of Directors are Redwood owners who volunteer to serve the Redwood Owners Group in the capacity of a director. All board positions are two-year terms and are eligible for re-election. Those who serve as your 2023-24 Board members are:
Paul Bridges, President (2022-2024)
Dennis Harmening, Vice President (2023-2025)
Eileen Lurker, Secretary (2022-2024)
Jeff Robinson, Treasurer (2023-2025)
Liane Klobe, Rally Manager (2023-2025)
Libby Webb, Director (2023-2025)
John Andersen, Director (2023-resigned March 2024)
Jeff Webber, Director (2023-2025)
Larry Gibson, Director (2022-2024)
Ken Wilcox, Director (2022-resigned January 2024)
Bill Blaes, Director (appointed to Ken Wilcox’ position)
Jim Griffard, Director (appointed to John Andersen’s position)/p>
I’m deeply grateful for these directors who serve the members of the Redwood Owners Group.
In May the Board of Directors selected the following officers for the 2024-25 year:
Dennis Harmening, President (2024-2026)
Jim Griffard, Vice President (2024-2025)
Jeff Robinson, Treasurer (2024-2025)
Eileen Lurker, Secretary (2024-2026)
Membership
As of May 2024, the voting membership of ROG consisted of 251 members, a drop of about 30 members since last year. Our membership consists of 15 Lifetime, 29 Charter, and 207 Regular Members. In addition, there are 3 Industry Members.
We continue to gain new members but are seeing a higher-than-usual decline of long-time members, many due to changes in lifestyle or brands. While we think we have the email-to-Spam problem solved now, we think this has probably contributed to lack of renewals. The board has also discussed many times the difference of numbers in our Facebook group (2,300 members) which is free, compared to ROG membership. We also know that the monthly Roundtables and the National Rally contribute to new membership.
2023-24 Accomplishments
- Roundtables. ROG hosted nine Redwood Roundtables between August 2023 and May 2024. These monthly Zoom meetings are a time when owners can learn from experts as well as other owners. Our thanks to Jeff Webber for organizing the Roundtable sessions on the second Thursday of each month at 8:00 Eastern time. Sign-ups are posted on the ROG Facebook page and website. This past year, Roundtable topics were:
August – Correct Track/Comfort Ride Suspension
September – Seasonal Maintenance
October – Cleaning Holding Tanks
December – Troubleshooting Owner Issues
February – Travel Planning
March – Batteries and 12-volt Systems
April – 2024 Rally Update
May – RV Backup and Dashcam Systems
June – 2024 Rally Update
Owner Liaison/Assistance. ROG has provided owner assistance when other forms of resolution have not been effective. - Keystone Learning Labs. In light of the change in practice for Redwood/Keystone technician availability at the Rally, The board worked with Keystone to provide a value-added educational format for owners to learn the systems that make our RVs function. The 2024 Rally will be the first Learning Lab.
- Hosted tables at the Hershey, PA and Tampa, FL RV Shows, promoting Redwood and the Redwood Owners Group. We know that our presence resulted in the sale of several Redwoods at each show.
Annual General Meeting
The AGM will be held Thursday, July 18, at 11:30 pm EST, in person, at the National Rally. It will last less than an hour and we will conduct the official business of ROG. All of the business items will be conducted by online ballot, so the results will be announced and there will be an open time for discussion, suggestions, and questions.
Other than the Board of Director elections, we will also vote on the proposed amendment to the bylaws which eliminates mandatory term limits for board members, added in 2021.
As always, we welcome suggestions and input from our owners. We only exist to support each other – Owners Helping Owners.
A Reminder of Our Mission
The Redwood Owners Group (ROG) is a non-profit organization designed specifically to provide Redwood RV enthusiasts with knowledge, expertise and ideas to enhance the ownership experience for all current, former, prospective and potential owners of Redwood Luxury Vehicles manufactured by Crossroads RV/Redwood of Topeka, Indiana.
Respectfully submitted,
Paul Bridges
President, Redwood Owners Group