Red Wagon Distribution bought Canadian company RV Lighting, Inc.
RV Lighting sells Eco-LED brand LED light bulbs, LED light strips, LED fixtures and lighting accessories for RV OEMs and the RV aftermarket.
RV Lighting, Inc. did not have a U.S. warehouse and was challenged in efficiently distributing their products, Red Wagon Distribution President Georgiann Voissem said. Red Wagon moved all RV Lighting operations from Canada to Michigan after the acquisition.
Red Wagon Distribution hosted a booth at the September RV Supplier Show at the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Indiana. At the Open House, Voissem said she walked through new RV models and noticed many overhead coach lights were not dimmable.
“With our wireless wall switch, it can take that fixture or bank of fixtures and make them dimmable up to seven levels, as well as turn it off and on without having to run any wires to it,” Voissem said. “The interest in that (switch) was off the charts, especially on the OEM side. They save work and BOM by not having to run wires to a toggle switch, and they can put that the wireless wall switch anywhere in the coach within 30 feet of the controller.”
Once installed, the switch enables any fixture with pulse width modulation (PWM) capability to be dimmed to seven levels.
“The supplier show was magnificent,” Voissem said. “The conversations were deep, and they were informative.”
Voissem launched Red Wagon in 2012 to provide RV dealers with products outside usual distribution channels, such as private-label toilet paper and holding tank treatments. Sales of both products increased exponentially during the pandemic, she said.
Red Wagon acquired Compass Chemical, a supplier of RV holding tank treatments, in 2014. Voissem said she changed the holding tank treatment formula to an all-natural bacteria-based product and started using essential oils for the fragrance instead of chemicals.
“So, it is truly an all-natural product,” she said.
In 2020, Voissem acquired DSC, a detergent and floor-care and car wash solution supplier. The acquisition facilitated Red Wagon’s holding tank treatment growth.
Red Wagon also makes spare tire covers.
“We are in the process of rebranding and adding all of the RV Lighting to an updated website, www.RedWagonDist.com,” Voissem said. “We hope to have that completed by the end of November.”
The company has outgrown its 15,000-square-foot facility in Muskegon, Michigan. Voissem plans to invest in at least a 20,000-square-foot facility in the next 12 months.
Red Wagon Distribution’s corporate office is in Fenton, Michigan, with production in Muskegon, Michigan. The company has 35 employees.
