The Crossroads Of Engineering And Entrepreneurship: Brian Bishop On Gold Heat’s Success And Dedication

Even before starting his extensive career in the RV industry, Brian Bishop has always had dual interests in electrical engineering and business management.

Brian graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and later from the University of California, Davis with a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and Technology Management. Using his education, he eventually established his own company, Bishop Embedded Engineering, which designed and manufactured custom embedded systems for the RV market.

“I was initially looking for a company to start, because I had the tools and the business skills,” Brian explained. “Then, in 1998, a friend of mine contacted me who needed some electronics for the RV industry, so I started a company with an order in my pocket.”

Bishop Embedded Engineering was the first of Brian’s many entrepreneurial engineering ventures. Over the course of his career, he went on to fulfill a variety of leadership roles at a range of companies. This includes becoming President of Cipher Systems, Inc., a electronics product development firm; President and Founder of Convergent Industrial Holdings, a technology holding company; and Senior Director of UAS OEM Business Development for Skyward IO, Verizon's drone management company. In October 2020, he became the CEO of Gold Heat, a premier manufacturer of custom-designed electric under-floor radiant heat mats that are installed in RVs.

“I’ve been involved in the RV industry for most of the last 25 years in one way or another,” Brian said. “It’s just been a good place to be.”

Brian notes that, despite all the changes in the RV industry in the last two decades, Gold Heat has always manufactured the same product— which the company is constantly evolving.

“Gold Heat has had 21 years of continuous improvement,” he said. “Our product is manufactured, reliable, easy to install, serviceable, and we make it just a little bit better every year.” He adds that, in the last three years, Gold Heat hasn’t missed a delivery. “Our team does one thing—manufacture electric radiant floor heat— and we do it very, very well. That’s the focus of the company.”

Now, as Brian and his team move into 2023, he is confident in Gold Heat’s continued success. “We will continue to focus on being a reliable supplier to our customers,” he said. “We pride ourselves on being a true partner and working with engineering teams to determine how we can make our product easier for them to install.” In fact, Gold Heat is so dedicated that their team has maintained drawings for each product delivery it’s shipped over the last two decades, making it easier to locate and make repairs on the rare occasion they’re needed.

Along with Gold Heat’s current focus, Brian adds that his team is planning an expansion into heating additional floor surfaces. “Right now, you’ll find our Gold Heat mostly under tile,” he explained. “But with our Black Gold thin film product, we can heat floors that are made of luxury vinyl plank, luxury vinyl tile, and even sheet vinyl. We can make accessible comfort available to that many more people.”  

Brian also notes the RV Industry Association’s role in providing support and crucial industry information to members like Gold Heat. “This is our trade association home,” he says. “It exists because we as the industry need it to exist. Just its presence gives our team an awareness of the industry’s bigger picture. We pay attention to the seal reports and all of the market surveys, so we know if we’re focusing on the right areas.”

“Just recognizing that we’re a citizen of this community means we should support it,” Brian continues. “There’s a lot of things the RV Industry Association does legislatively that’s important for us. We certainly benefit from its efforts, and as a minor member we make our contribution. It allows industry leaders to go to Capitol Hill and share with legislators how many members the Association has, and we’re proud to be one of them.”