Dr. Curtin’s annual shipment forecasts often missed the mark during the past decade...
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Thursday, May 10, 2012
Dr. Curtin’s annual shipment forecasts often missed the mark during the past decade.
Since Curtin took over as the industry’s primary forecaster in 2002, his RV shipment projections have been within 5 percent of the end-year results only three times. His forecasts fell...
Friday, February 3, 2012
Indiana-based manufacturer makes bold venture into ultra-light travel trailers.
By all accounts, Travel Lite has enjoyed considerable success in its truck camper manufacturing business, experiencing growth rates that company officials peg at 40 percent a year for the past...
Friday, February 3, 2012
Despite softening sales, the niche market maintains a dedicated following of RVers
While U.S. sales of Class B motor-homes have softened a bit, manufacturers maintain that growth is not far off.
Indeed, demographics favor a growing boom.
Year-to-date through September (...
The 35-year-old Florida-based dealership seizes an opportunity
The 35-year-old Florida-based dealership seizes an opportunity to open a new store in Tucson, Ariz.
When an RV dealership grows from two travel trailers and $500 in cash to a sprawling 126-acre site with 200...
Friday, January 6, 2012
RV PRO exclusive Q&A interview with Weekend Warrior founder Mark Warmoth.
Day and Homburger previously owned Extreme RVs, which manufactured toy haulers in Caldwell, Idaho. Extreme RVs also shuttered operations in 2008, but the two men retained ownership of the Caldwell...
Dealer had record sales in 2011 on the strength of Keystone RV's Cougar fifth wheel.
Dave Barry, owner of Barton Lake RV, says both his business and the Jellystone campground, operated separately by his parents and family, rely upon each other in different ways. But, it...
Friday, January 6, 2012
Stag-Parkway's ongoing education program, Stag PRO, is growing in size and scope.
Stag launched its dealer training program, known as Stag PRO (which stands for Professional Retailing Organization) with great fanfare at its 2010 dealer conference in San Antonio. At the...
Friday, December 30, 2011
Ally Financial promotion aims to attract dealers to online vehicle auction service.
RV dealers wanting to buy and sell used inventory online now have an additional option, SmartAuction, by Ally Financial.
Ally, formerly known as GMAC Financial and previously a division of...
Friday, December 30, 2011
Despite lower attendance, manufacturers and suppliers generally pleased with show.
While attendance numbers at the recent 49th Annual National RV Trade Show in Louisville, Ky., dropped by about 6 percent compared to 2010, exhibitors who spoke with RV PRO report they were...
Friday, December 30, 2011
Manufacturers introduced several new models at the 49th Annual National RV Trade Show
Welcome to RV PRO’s first-ever “Best of Show” story highlighting standout new motorhomes, fifth wheels, travel trailers and truck campers displayed at...
Thursday, December 8, 2011
The Florida-based dealership prospers selling motorhomes in a challenging market.
Bright as the Florida sun, receptionist Amanda at North Trail RV in Fort Myers, Fla., answers the phone with a jolt of energy, “It’s a great day at North Trail RV. How may I direct...
Thursday, December 8, 2011
The company known for its chassis is making a bold foray into the aftermarket.
Success in business is often due to a rare combination of traits: The dispassionate search for facts of a scientist, the intuition of a psychic and the nerves of a gambler.
Frequently, there...
Manufacturers of diesel motorhomes see some reasons to be positive.
There’s no way to sugarcoat it: The Great Recession and its aftermath were brutal on motorhome sales, especially for diesel pushers.
A look at the numbers, courtesy of Grand Rapids, Mich.-based...
Friday, December 2, 2011
Some RV industry segments manage to thrive while others struggle.
Not all economic downturns are equal. Even in the RV industry, which tends to bear the brunt of challenging market, some segments manage to thrive while others struggle.
Take the RV replacement parts market,...
Friday, December 2, 2011
Anyone who says there’s nothing new in RV interiors must be sleeping.
Anyone who says there’s nothing new in RV appliances and interior products has clearly been asleep for the past several years.
Suppliers interviewed for this article tell RV PRO they are constantly...
Going once, going twice, and then, “Sold.”
Many RV dealers frequent auctions, looking for bargains they can retail to customers. So, RV PRO recently asked dealers nationwide which auction companies they use, which auction events they attend, what they purchase at those events...
With prices for elements used in the construction of RVs at near record levels, exper
The prices for some commodities have climbed so high that it’s become worth the risk of jail time for thieves trying to cash in.
Commodities, it seems, are the latest cash crop....
Monday, November 21, 2011
The Colorado-based manufacturer of rugged RVs serves a devoted clientele who want to
Bill Swails is a world traveler and lover of rugged outdoor adventure, so back in the late 1990s when he wanted an RV that would allow him to pursue his passion for exploring, it dawned on...
Pasco, Wash.-based dealership prospers amidst challenging market conditions.
Sometimes entrepreneurship can lead to the unexpected. For proof, look at Chief’s RV Center in Pasco, Wash., and its founder and owner, Ron George.
“Always, in my life, I’ve been...
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Give this year’s sales of Class C motorhomes a grade of “B.”
Sales of the motorhomes for the fi rst seven months of the year are up compared to 2009 and 2010, and are coming into parity with larger Class A units.
Give this year’s sales of Class C motorhomes a grade of...