Industry Perspectives
-
RV News
HUD Seeks Comments on Proposed RV Exemption Rule
On Jan. 26, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a request for comments on its Regulatory Review of…
Read More » -
Harvey Evacuees Boost RV Sales at Houston RV Show and Across Texas
Sonia and John Barrow have lived in their 35-foot trailer since Hurricane Harvey pushed a foot-and-a-half of water under their…
Read More » -
RV News
Test Methods for Formaldehyde Emissions Finalized
On Feb. 7, a final rule on Formaldehyde Emission Standards for Composite Wood Products was published in the federal register. The…
Read More » -
New Bill to Reverse Iowa’s Sunday ‘Blue Laws’
Don Strolo owns RV lots in several states across the country. But Iowa is the only one that forces him…
Read More » -
Peak Outdoors Opens in Utah, Eyes Manufacturing
Peak Outdoors is now open for business located south of Mount Pleasant on Highway 89 in Utah, offering RV repairs,…
Read More » -
South Bend-Elkhart Region Sets Goals for 2025
The South Bend – Elkhart Region in Indiana unveiled its new Regional Economic Development Strategy on Tuesday. This story originally…
Read More » -
U.S. Committed to Three-Country NAFTA Deal, Despite Split Proposal
The U.S. is stressing its support for renegotiating a three-country NAFTA agreement after comments from an American lawmaker suggesting it was considering…
Read More » -
Suspect of Fatal Stabbing Arrested
Police on Tuesday night arrested a suspect in the fatal stabbing that took place at Patrick Metals, a Mishawaka, Ind.,…
Read More » -
National RV Consumer Survey Seeks Questions
Representatives from BowStern Marketing Communications has announced its team has begun writing the 2018 RV Consumer Survey. Headquartered in Tallahassee,…
Read More » -
NAFTA Negotiations May End in March
Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. said Monday he believes NAFTA negotiators can reach an agreement in principle by the end of March.…
Read More » -
Neighbors Object to Lippert Project
Looking out over the vast expanse of farmland that surrounds his home on County Road 36 early Saturday afternoon, Stephen…
Read More » -
RV Roof’s FlexArmor is Paving the Way for Expansion
In an RV, rot and mold can linger above an RVer like a dark cloud overhead. With it, unforeseen dangers…
Read More » -
RV News
Alliance Coach Breaks Ground for New Facility
Alliance Coach held a ground-breaking ceremony for construction on its new RV sales center on State Route 44 in Wildwood,…
Read More » -
RV News
RV Industry Inventor Keith Ott Dies at 77
Keith E. Ott, 77, of Elkhart, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 30, at Elkhart General Hospital. He is credited, according to…
Read More » -
Brunswick Sees 9 Percent Growth in 2017
Brunswick Corp., parent company of distributor Land ’N Sea, reported its revenue grew 9 percent during fiscal year 2017, and…
Read More » -
RV News
U.S. Senate Candidate Tours Keystone RV
One of six Republicans who intend to run in the May 8 primary for the party’s U.S. Senate nomination lunched…
Read More » -
Community: College Baseball Stadium to be Named After RV Dealer
Pearl River Community College (PRCC) in Poplarville, Miss., has decided to renovate its baseball stadium, a complete makeover that will…
Read More » -
Goshen Approves Annexation Incentives for LCI
The Redevelopment Commission approved economic incentives Tuesday during a special meeting which grew heated as residents questioned why they were…
Read More » -
RV News
Community: Campers Inn RV Sponsors Hockey Team
Campers Inn RV recently announced it is sponsoring the inaugural season of the Jacksonville Icemen in Jacksonville, Fla., a professional…
Read More » -
RV Values at Auctions Mixed but Stable
Black Book reports that the average selling price for motorized units was $46,135, which is down $583 (1.2 percent) from…
Read More » -
January New Vehicle Sales Expected to Match 2017’s
U.S. new-vehicle sales this month, fueled by higher incentives, are expected to roughly match the levels of January 2017, but…
Read More » -
Thefts Reported at Dutchmen Mfg., Gateway RV, and Jellystone Park
A staff member of Dutchmen Mfg. reported to Elkhart County police Monday scrap wire was stolen from the business, 72440…
Read More » -
Sandhills Publishing Launches RVUniverse.com
Sandhills Publishing has announced the launch of RVUniverse.com, an online marketplace connecting buyers and sellers of new and used RVs.…
Read More » -
NAFTA Negotiations May End Soon
Important decisions about NAFTA’s future are now in the hands of the Trump administration, as American negotiators turn to their political…
Read More » -
RV News
Industry Ships More Than 500,000 Units in 2017
RV wholesale shipments finished 2017 with 504,599 units up 17.2 percent compared to the 430,691 units shipped in 2016. RVIA’s…
Read More » -
RV News
Photos: The 2018 RV Leadership Conference
The RV Leadership Conference took place Jan. 14-15 in Tampa, Fla., where attendees engaged in an assortment of educational workshops…
Read More » -
RV Resort Proposed for Colorado Town
During a work session Wednesday night, Alamosa, Colo., city councilors appeared receptive to a proposal to locate an RV resort…
Read More » -
Video: RVIA Looks Back at 2017
The RV Industry Association recently released a video overview of 2017. RVIA reports that members throughout the industry made a…
Read More » -
Oregon Ends State’s Option for Movable Tiny Houses
A major change to Oregon’s building codes has effectively ended the state’s acceptance of movable tiny houses. This negatively affects…
Read More » -
New National Park Service Acting Director Named
The U.S. Department of the Interior named Dan Smith as the new acting director for the National Park Service (NPS)…
Read More » -
Jellystone Debuts on Top 200 Franchisee List
For the first time, Jellystone Parks recently appeared on Franchise Business Review’s Top 200 list of award-winning franchise opportunities. It…
Read More » -
NAFTA Talks Pressured to Move Forward
U.S. Commerce Sec. Wilbur Ross thinks Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used his speech at the World Economic Forum on Jan.…
Read More » -
RV News
KOA Adds Cape Charles/Chesapeake Bay Resort
Kampgrounds of America has added the Cape Charles/Chesapeake Bay KOA Resort in Virginia to its 500-plus campground KOA system in…
Read More » -
RV News
Trends: FBI Warns on Avoiding Fraudulent Online Vehicle Sales
As an update to I-111414-PSA, released Nov. 14, 2014, the FBI is issuing additional information and warnings regarding the fraudulent online…
Read More » -
Yamaha Initiative Celebrates 10 Years
The Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative celebrates its 10-year anniversary in 2018. Having contributed more than $3.5 million in funding and…
Read More » -
ICE Detention Center Plan Abandoned
A prison management company has canceled plans to build a $100 million ICE detention center in Elkhart County, Ind., according…
Read More » -
RV News
Council Adopts New Leadership, Goals
The Great Outdoors Month Council in January approved a new Executive Committee. Executive Committee members are: CHAIR: Frank Peterson –…
Read More » -
2017 Boat Sales Could Top 269,000
Preliminary figures show that more than 263,000 new boats were sold in 32 early-reporting states in 2017 as the recreational…
Read More » -
RV News
ORIR Targets Wildfire Fighting Costs
The Outdoor Recreation Industry Roundtable (ORIR) has expressed its strong support for the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act legislation introduced in…
Read More » -
Indiana Cracks Top 10 in Forbes Best States
Forbes recently released its annual ranking of the best states for business. Indiana cracked the top 10 coming in at 10th…
Read More » -
RV News
RVIA to Replace National RV Trade Show with New Event
During the 2018 RV Leadership Conference earlier this week, the RV Industry Association’s Board of Directors unanimously determined that a…
Read More » -
RV News
RV Health Offers Virtual Clinic to Industry
RV Health is a telehealth program for RVers on the road meant to act as a primary care physician. Monthly…
Read More » -
Michigan Jellystone Park Receives Highest Network Assessment Rating
The Frankenmuth Jellystone Park in Michigan has won a national award for achieving the highest assessment ratings in the 80-unit…
Read More » -
Community: RV Show Raises Money for Homeless
The annual 2018 Camping and RV Show of the North recently took place in Gaylord, Mich. This story originally appeared…
Read More » -
RV News
ORIR Meets to Discuss Policy Priorities
The Outdoor Recreation Industry Roundtable’s (ORIR) Government Affairs Committee met yesterday afternoon to discuss the coalition’s collective legislative priorities and…
Read More » -
Trade Complaint Filed Against U.S.
Prepare for a tense moment in Canada-U.S. relations — with hard bargaining on NAFTA on the horizon prompting nervous glances at Donald…
Read More » -
RV News
Leadership Conference Details Released
RV industry leaders are converging in Tampa, Fla., on Sunday to kick off the 2018 Annual RV Leadership Conference at…
Read More » -
RV News
Longtime RV Executive Lovell Martz Dies at 80
Lovell K. Martz, 80, residing in South Bend, Ind., passed away peacefully at home at 12:25 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9,…
Read More » -
Vehicle Sales in Mexico Take Huge Hit Due to NAFTA Uncertainty
Mexican auto sales cratered in December and ended 2017 down 4.6 percent from a year earlier as rising inflation and…
Read More » -
RV News
Yamaha Marine University Initiatives Ramp Up
Yamaha Marine Group announced that it will put more resources behind Yamaha Marine University in 2018 with more programs focused…
Read More » -
RV News
Frank Pontius of Forest River Cargo Division Dies at 59
Frank W. Pontius, 59, of Elkhart, passed away Monday, Jan. 8, at Elkhart General Hospital. This obituary appeared in the…
Read More » -
Gov. Holcomb Details Education Goals
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said he wants to re-enroll 25,000 college dropouts in school, double the number of state apprenticeships…
Read More » -
RV News
RV Trader’s Heather Chandler Makes ’40 Under 40′
At the National RV Trade Show, hosted in Louisville, Ky., the RV Industry Association released its inaugural “40 Under 40”…
Read More » -
RV News
Peer-to-Peer RV Rental Company Enters U.S. Market
Campanda.com, a peer-to-peer RV rental company, recently set up its U.S. operations in Cambridge, Mass. Campanda offers RV owners to…
Read More » -
Oak Hill Capital Partners to Acquire Safe Fleet
Safe Fleet Holdings has announced that it will be acquired by Oak Hill Capital Partners. Under the terms of the…
Read More » -
Harvey Evacuees Eagerly Await FEMA Trailer Move-In
Thousands of families in need of temporary housing following Hurricane Harvey continue to face red tape and delays. This story by…
Read More » -
RV News
Don McNamara of Giant Recreation World Dies at 75
Donald Lester McNamara, founder of Giant Recreation World, passed away Jan. 1. He is survived by his wife Barbara, his…
Read More » -
RV News
Skyline and Champion Home Builders Combine
Skyline Corp. and Champion Enterprises Holdings, recently announced that they will combine their operations. Under the terms of the agreement,…
Read More » -
RV News
RV Hall of Fame Names 2018 Inductees
The RV/MH Heritage Foundation board of directors has announced the names of those who will be honored and inducted into…
Read More » -
RV News
Cummins Expands Reach of Tech Education
Cummins has announced that it will join forces with more than 10 Memphis-area education and industry partners to launch TEC: Technical Education…
Read More » -
Firefighters Injured Battling Cana Cabinetry Fire
More than a dozen fire departments responded to a fire at a local manufacturing plant of Cana Cabinetry, sister company…
Read More » -
RV News
nuCamp RV’s Cirrus 920 Wins ‘Truck Camper of the Year’
Readers of Truck Camper Magazine have selected nüCamp RV’s 2018 Cirrus 920 truck camper as the best truck camper of…
Read More » -
RV News
Flexsteel CFO Plans Retirement
Flexsteel Industries has announced that Chief Financial Officer Timothy E. Hall will be retiring from Flexsteel Industries on June 30…
Read More » -
Record Decline for Car Segment
This week’s Black Book Market Insights report shows cars overall dropping in value by a record of minus 0.78 percent.…
Read More » -
RV News
Camping World to Acquire Outdoor Gear Retailer
Camping World Holdings has announced plans to purchase Erehwon Mountain Outfitter, a leading Midwest specialty retailer of outdoor gear and…
Read More » -
RV News
RVshare Names Jon Gray as New CEO
RVshare, which was founded in 2013, recently announced that former HomeAway Chief Revenue Officer Jon Gray has joined the company as CEO.…
Read More » -
California RV Bandits Arrested
Two Solano, Calif., men celebrated the new year in jail following arrests in connection with a stolen RV. On New…
Read More » -
Without NAFTA, Analysts Fear Auto Disruption
A world without the North American Free Trade Agreement would be sure to disrupt the auto supply chain in Canada…
Read More » -
Marine Manufacturers Rally Against Chinese Aluminum Import Duty
The National Marine Manufacturers Association was among the groups that testified against a proposal to impose a 60 percent import…
Read More » -
RV News
GasBuddy Foresees Higher 2018 Gas Prices
Motorists will be digging a bit deeper for the second straight year as the yearly national average will rise 19…
Read More » -
RV News
17 Percent Growth Expected for 2017 RV Shipments
After a record-setting 2016, with more than 430,000 units shipped, the industry is once again poised to break records for…
Read More » -
Elkhart County Experiences Population Increase
There is a little less elbow room in Elkhart County this year, as the latest U.S. Census population projections indicate…
Read More » -
Registration Fees Increase in Montana
Drivers registering their cars and renewing their licenses in Montana should expect to see an increase in price in 2018.…
Read More » -
Florida Keys Campgrounds Slowly Reopen
Campgrounds in the Florida Keys are starting to reopen for RVs. Key Largo and Key West were least impacted by…
Read More » -
Snowbirds Flock to Arizona RV Parks and Resorts
The snowbirds have come back to many of Arizona’s RV parks earlier and in larger numbers than last year, according…
Read More » -
Unifor Leader Says NAFTA Deal Won’t Happen
The North American Free Trade Agreement “is going to blow up in 2018.” That blunt assessment comes from the equally…
Read More » -
RV News
Rep. Ross Earns RVIA Award
Rep. Dennis A. Ross (FL-R-15), co-chair of the House RV Caucus, will be honored with RVIA’s National Legislative Award on…
Read More » -
South, West Boost November Boat Sales
Helped by strong sales in California, Louisiana and Georgia, sales of new recreational boats rose 6 percent industrywide in November,…
Read More » -
RV News
RVIA: Tax Reform Should Help Industry
On Wednesday the House and Senate gave final approval to a tax reform bill which, according to the RV Industry…
Read More » -
High Interest in Boat Brand Sale
Brunswick Corp., parent company of distributor Land ‘N’ Seas, says it has had a “robust” response from strategic and financial…
Read More » -
Ohio Park Honored by Jellystone
Richard and Nancy Felber’s campground has only been part of the Jellystone Park network for four years, but the Felbers…
Read More » -
RV News
Christmas Gas Prices Highest Since ’13
GasBuddy is projecting that average Christmas Day gas prices will be their highest since 2013. However, there is some good…
Read More » -
Arizona RV Park to Open in Fall 2018
Construction will begin in January on Gila Bend, Ariz.’s second RV park, a 70-site resort on 20 acres that will…
Read More » -
RV News
Community: Spartan Donates $75,000 to Regional Health Park
Spartan Motors presented mid-Michigan regional health park, AL!VE, with a $75,000 donation yesterday to support its wellness programs. The donation, presented by Daryl Adams, Spartan…
Read More » -
Community: Tents for Troops Seeks Donations
Charlie Curry of Tents for Troops reminds those in the RV industry that the Castle Rock, Wash., organization is accepting…
Read More » -
VIDEO: Keystone RV’s CEO Matt Zimmerman
For episode four of ‘In the Know,’ we meet up with Keystone RV CEO Matt Zimmerman at the National RV…
Read More » -
RV News
Pioneer Supplier Robert Pickrell Dies at 80
Robert E. “Bob” Pickrell, longtime Elkhart, Ind., and Naples, Fla., resident, passed away at his home Tuesday, Dec. 12 after…
Read More » -
RV News
AAA Predicts 107.3 Million Holiday Travelers
AAA forecasts 107.3 million Americans will take to planes, trains, automobiles and other modes of transportation during the year-end holiday…
Read More » -
RV News
Community: FEMA to Help More Harvey Evacuees with RVs
Many storm victims are still without a home nearly three-and-a-half months out from Hurricane Harvey. But there are some positive…
Read More » -
RV News
Community: EasyCare Supports Military Members
EasyCare has announced its support for Tents for Troops at the 2017 RV Dealers International Convention/Expo at Bally’s Las Vegas.…
Read More » -
Videos
The Top Tech Challenge in Action
Watch three professional RV technicians battle it out for prestige and $10,000 at RVIA’s inaugural Top Tech Challenge. For more…
Read More » -
RV News
Outdoorsy Expands to Canada
Peer-to-peer RV rental company Outdoorsy has launched in Canada, opening offices and employing Canadians in customer service, marketing and bilingual…
Read More » -
Natural Fiber Composite Market Predicted to Grow
According to a new market report published by Lucintel, the future of the natural fiber composite (NFC) market looks attractive…
Read More » -
RV News
Jellystone Parks Win Multiple National and Regional Awards
The Jellystone Park in Bremen, Ga., has received a national award for achieving the highest assessment scores in the 80-unit…
Read More » -
Bernie Sanders Supports Trump in NAFTA Changes
Donald Trump is being encouraged to stay strong in NAFTA negotiations by people who aren’t normally his allies. This story by The…
Read More » -
RV News
Community: Lazydays Employee Foundation Donates $18,000 to Local Children
The Lazydays Employee Foundation Tucson chapter recently awarded $18,000 in donations to five non-profit organizations that provide services to local…
Read More » -
RV PRO Survey: RV Industry Overwhelmingly Upbeat on 2018
RV industry professionals had a great 2017 and are equally optimistic in their outlook for 2018, based upon a survey…
Read More » -
RV News
Minnesota Opens First Rebranded Gander Outdoors
The Lakeville Gander Mountain location in Minnesota, which closed earlier this year, will reopen as the first Gander Outdoors store…
Read More » -
Indiana Businesses Commit to Creating 30,000-Plus New Jobs
Indiana Gov. Eric J. Holcomb recently announced the end of a record-breaking year for economic development with the Indiana Economic…
Read More » -
LCI Plans to Add Wave of Robots
Lippert Components announced that it plans to add at least 100 additional robots to its factory floors over the next…
Read More »