RV Dealer Profiles
Feature stories on RV dealerships, RV retail stores and RV repair shops that do the best job of managing their business and selling recreational vehicles, RV parts and accessories with an emphasis on best pratices and successful business practices. See all RV Dealer Profile Articles
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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...
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...
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...
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...
Canadian dealership proves that you can be big without sacrificing the personal touch
For years in the United States RV market, an unfortunate (and generally inaccurate) perception existed about Canadian dealerships. Many Americans believed that their north-of-the-border...
Strategic expansion proves to be a winning combination for this California-based deal
Expansion may seem an almost counterintuitive strategy in today’s economic climate, but for those dealerships able to stay in the black, it can be a sensible one. For Brent McMahon and...
A strong focus on parts and service is also a key to success.
When Guy and Joan Diandriole bought their very first trailer, a Serro Scotty aluminum-sided camping trailer in 1962, little did they know the impact it would have on their careers and the future of their three...
Product innovation, diversification and strong customer service
For a business to stay profitable and innovative through 10 or even 20 years of economic peaks and valleys is no small task. To do so for nearly 50 years, as Boyden, Iowa-based Demco has done, is truly impressive...
R’nR RV Center takes investing in the customer experience to the next level.
Twenty-six years ago, Ray Bunney, owner of R’nR RV Center in Spokane, made two fateful decisions: He got married, and he got into the RV business. Both decisions have paid off handsomely for...
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
RV manufacturer’s ‘Operation Appreciation’
(above) Army Staff Sgt. Robert Ross, his wife Kim, and three children are pictured in front of the CrossRoads RV Hampton park trailer. The Ross family was the first military family to stay in the park trailer....
The Canadian dealership has tweaked its product line and put emphasis on parts.
Knowing your market is a key tenant in business, so while dropping diesel pushers for sub-30-foot gas units and turning a showroom into a parts store may seem like desperate reactions to a...
Brakes and axles may just be the least visible components on towable products, but a German-based manufacturer is doing its best to attract more attention to them. It’s an effort the president of AL-KO Kober Corp. believes will benefit his customers and his...
Pharr RVs is located in Lubbock, Texas, an oasis in the western part of the Lone Star state. Lubbock is 350 miles from Dallas/Fort Worth, 164 miles from Abilene, 116 miles from Midland-Odessa and 117 miles from Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle. Still, as isolated...
Marquis motorized brands play an important role in the dealership’s success.
Owner David Daniel (left) and General Manager Eddie Correa are pictured next to several large Class A motorhomes on the dealership’s 5-acre lot. Despite a still...
The Noble brothers have employed strategies that allowed them to survive and thrive.
Call it careful planning or fortuitous timing, but in either case brothers Mike and Patrick Noble launched their dealership in April 2006 during the recent height of the RV market....
Dealer Trends
Dealers who attend the National RV Trade Show in Louisville, Ky., generally gave the show high marks, noting that both attendance and the number of exhibitors was up notably after 2009’s recession-stricken gathering....
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Seeing success in its parts department
Parts Manager Neva Eads and store owner Doug Johnson are pictured in front of Razorback Camper Sales in Hot Springs, Ark. The dealership draws customers from most of Arkansas and parts...
Monday, October 4, 2010
Pays It Forward
Dealer owners Mick and Lora Ferkey attribute ongoing education to the success they’ve enjoyed with their Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., dealership. They’ve returned the favor by making scholarships available for other dealers to attend this year’s...
Friday, August 27, 2010
The Hammond, La.-based dealership succeeds in F&I operations.
Dixie RV’s location in Hammond, La., is pictured here and on page 18. The dealership recently expanded with the opening of a second dealership in northern Florida...