Jason Friesen and Voyager RV is the best in Canada.
At the RV Dealers Convention & Expo industry event in Las Vegas on Nov. 8, Lake Country’s Friesen was named the Walter Paseka Memorial Canadian RV Dealer of the Year for 2023.
The award is presented every year to a candidate who has demonstrated long-term dedication to the RV industry, shown commitment to RV associations, has been recognized by customers and peers as a person with the highest integrity and credibility in both work and personal life, and someone who has made contributions to their community.
“This is a true honour, thank you all for this amazing recognition,” said Friesen during his acceptance speech. “I’m not sure I deserve this, considering how great the other nominees are but I humbly accept it, knowing that my team and staff are very deserving.”
Friesen’s dad opened Voyager RV in 1984. After starting to work for his dad’s management team in 2003, he has worked to way up as he’s now Voyager RV’s vice president.
“My dad got the ball rolling here at Voyager, started from scratch and navigated the dealership through choppy waters in the 80s and ’90s,” said Friesen. “That was really hard work, so his name should be on this Dealer of the Year award that’s for sure. My job has really been to try to build on that early success and reputation. It’s an easy job to lead when you have an amazing group of people on staff, all helping to grow the business in a way that doesn’t waver from what we believe - that customer experience should be the focus.”
Voyager RV has become a Lake Country staple for many people in the Okanagan, as it has been named a top 50 RV dealership in North America for eight straight years and a top five blue ribbon dealer in North America for the last two years.
Friesen was also part of constructing the new trades building at Okanagan College as Voyager donated $30,000 to the post-secondary institution. He also started the Voyager Cares Initiative, which has raised more than $200,000 for local charities since 2020.
“We’ll continue to try and grow the business responsibly, without wavering from our core values, and try to have fun doing it,” adds Friesen. “But we’ll also make sure to keep supporting both our industry and community, which have given my family and our staff so much.”
2024 will mark Voyager RV’s 40th anniversary.
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