[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 99 (Wednesday, July 6, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1227]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  RECOGNIZING THE WORK OF GARY LaBELLA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE DONNELLY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 6, 2011

  Mr. DONNELLY of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to an 
outstanding American citizen who has made significant contributions to 
northern Indiana's economy through his work on behalf of the 
recreational vehicle industry, Gary LaBella.
  For more than three decades, Mr. LaBella was instrumental in 
enhancing the recreational vehicle (RV) industry's image, contributing 
to the RVIA and the industry's success. The efforts he led in the 
marketing of RVs has helped unify this industry and transformed the way 
consumers think about RVs in this country, now and for the future.
  Known for his creativity, Mr. LaBella launched an aggressive 
industry-wide marketing program that earned high acclaim throughout the 
travel and recreation communities. Under his direction, RVIA and 
industry partners launched the Go RVing national advertising program in 
the mid 1990s, which is often referred to as one of the most successful 
programs in the industry's history.
  In 2010, Mr. LaBella organized a celebration for the RV industry's 
Centennial, culminating with a widely attended June party on the 
grounds of the RV/Manufactured Housing Hall of Fame and Museum in 
Elkhart, Indiana. Elkhart is often referred to as the heart of the RV 
manufacturing community and the RV Centennial Celebration focused on 
saluting the workers who made the industry great.
  RV Business, an industry trade journal, saluted Mr. LaBella in 2010 
as one of the industry's 100 most influential executives of all time. 
Mr. LaBella received a similar honor in 2005, the year he was inducted 
into the RV Hall of Fame. At a celebration of his career on December 1, 
2010, many of the speakers echoed the sentiment that Mr. LaBella 
perhaps is one of the most influential individuals in the industry's 
history. Mr. LaBella, a graduate of Utica College of Syracuse 
University who joined the Reston, VA-based RVIA in 1978, has received 
an ``Outstanding Achievement Award'' from RVIA, and in 2010, he 
received both the Chairman's Award from the Recreation Vehicle Dealers 
Association and the prestigious Spirit Award from the RV/MH Hall of 
Fame. In his farewell to the industry before an appreciative audience 
of 1,200 at the Louisville, Kentucky trade show, Mr. LaBella said he 
was leaving the stage with ``two overriding emotions--pride in what we 
all accomplished together to elevate this industry's image, and 
happiness that I leave RVIA with only friends.'' Today I rise on behalf 
of the citizens of Indiana's Second District, to salute his character, 
his personal achievements and his contributions to the RV industry.

                          ____________________