Dr. Curtin’s annual shipment forecasts often missed the mark during the past decade...
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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...
Friday, June 10, 2011
The second Go Newmar Roadshow along the East Coast begins to wind down next week.
From May 31 through June 18, Newmar founder Mahlon Miller; President Matthew Miller; CEO and Chairman of the Board Richard Park; and Vice President of Sales and Marketing John Sammut and...
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Imagine a place where you can see vintage RVs.
The RV/MH Hall of Fame offers a library, a convention center, a place to recognize the industry’s leaders and a museum featuring plenty of antique RVs – all under one roof.
Imagine a place where you can see vintage...
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
It’s shaping up to be a busy year for the aftermarket group, with a new management firm in place and ongoing efforts to improve the state of the industry.
As president of the RV Aftermarket association since October 2008, Piar Adams has had a...
The president talks about the company’s new product mix.
Don Clark doesn’t skip a beat when asked what’s changed at Dutchmen RV in the past two years.
“There’s a renewed sense of life within these walls. People are now walking with a bounce in their...
Dealer Trends
Its population is smaller and more spread out than its closest neighbor to the south, but Canada is still quite a player in the RV industry. While the U.S. market is just starting to recover, Canadian dealers report that their strong dollar and customers’...
Friday, May 13, 2011
With only 50 units released, Airstream's Eddie Bauer targets a special camper.
With more than 160 years of combined experience, Airstream and Eddie Bauer, an accomplished Seattle outdoorsman turned premier outfitter, designer and innovator, have come together to rekindle...
Specialty distributor fills a niche in the industry with appliances and RV parts.
You could call ASI Distributors Inc. a small player in a big distribution market. You could also correctly call it a big player in a small specialty market. In either case, it fills a role like...
Distributor Trends
With the still uncertain economy and gas prices spiraling because of Middle East tension, it’s no easy feat to forecast the future of the RV market. Still, distributors tell RV PRO they are expecting an up year in 2011. Distributors note that...
Independence RV finds a winning strategy
in part by retailing new Newmar coaches.
Many dealers take the approach of carrying models from as many different RV manufacturers as possible, with the understandable goal of having something for everyone. In contrast, Independence...
West Coast RV manufacturers were hit especially hard during the Great Recession.
For a sense of perspective, consider the following: In 2004, the biggest West Coast-based players in the market, as identified by market data firm Statistical Surveys, were Alfa-Leisure,...
Monday, April 18, 2011
The new manufacturer’s sweet spot is lightweight travel trailers and toy haulers.
So, in starting his own RV manufacturing company, Echo Manufacturing, Scheetz was able to accomplish both of his long-term goals.
“I worked in the RV industry for a long time, and I...
Just as a real compliment to a fashion model is to say she has great bones, it’s critical for an RV to have a great chassis. As with a model, a lot of gilding won’t cover up for a lack of structural soundness.
Today, the biggest issue for...
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...
Friday, April 8, 2011
Mark Polk, RV Education 101 co-founder, finds opportunity where no one else had.
That is why, in the late ‘90s, when an idea to help RVers become more knowledgeable about their units came to him as he sat at his desk at a dealership where he worked as the F&I...
In 2009, shipments of fifth wheels cratered to 36,800 units – down dramatically from 57,000 units in 2008, according to statistics from the RV Industry Association. However, in 2010, shipments rebounded to 54,700 units, and RVIA is now forecasting that...
Jerry Pearo, co-owner
Hilltop Trailer Sales
Fridley, Minn.
“From a regional standpoint, we’ve had a longer winter with more snow. Therefore, I think people are a little more anxious to think about spring and the summertime.
...
Friday, April 1, 2011
NATDA President Andy Ackerman talks about his Association's goals, outlook.
NATDA President Andy Ackerman recently talked with RV PRO about the Association’s new consumer website, its efforts to secure financing for trailer dealers and the economic outlook for both...
Friday, April 1, 2011
It’s not every day that Thor Industries launches a new highline fifth wheel manufacturing operation. So when the company did just that in June 2010 with its new Redwood RV division, it turned to industry veteran and former Carriage RV President and CEO Don...
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...