Located right in the heart of Elkhart, and right in the middle of the RV capitol of the world, lies a dealership that has set the standard for quality and professionalism to serve the thousands of RVers who visit the area each year.

Richard Akers, president of the $40 million dollar Hart City RV Supercenter, is proud of what his 44-person team has built in Elkhart.

Akers, a close personal friend of Virgil Miller, built his company on the same religion, culture, and respect found at Newmar, which also happens to be his best selling line of RVs. Virgil's picture is prominently displayed just outside the huge 16,000-square-foot indoor showroom that showcases many of the Newmar products in an ideal, pressure-free, sales environment. The company does not open on Sunday's so that their employees can attend church and spend time with their families.

Dick Akers said, "This new facility, opened in 2000, has positioned us as the preferred dealer to work for in the Elkhart area. We have a waiting list of qualified people to choose from and have built the best sales and service team in the area."

Hart City has been Newmar's Number 1 dealer for 11 of the past 12 years. Chris Huffer, vice president of sales, says, "Our commitment to give everyone a fair price and top-notch service during and after the sale, plus Newmar's commitment to quality has made us reach this plateau."

The company was founded in 1982 and Akers bought out his partner in 1991 when they were doing $14 million in sales. As fate would have it, and Akers is quick to point out that it wasn't his management or marketing skills, the very next year the company doubled in sales to $28 million dollars. Akers noted, "It was just a combination of good timing, good luck, and an industry explosion that all just happened at once. We learned real quick what rapid growth could do to a company and managed to handle it with very little added staff."

The indoor sales facility is located right next to the large service center with seven bays for service and four for pre-delivery inspections. Just outside the doors are 18 hook-ups for customer convenience while their units are in for service.

The large 16-acre complex, acquired in May 1999, provides the company with additional land for expansion as the dealership continues to grow.

Hart City has been Newmar's Number 1 dealer for 11 of the past 12 years.

Richard "Dick" Akers, president Hart City RV Supercenter, in Elkhart, IN, gives a lot of credit to Newmar and its quality products for helping him build his dealership into a $40 million operation.

Hart City's indoor sales facility is located right next to the large service center with seven bays for service and four for pre-delivery inspections.

Hart City also has rental units available for those who want to try the RV lifestyle before purchasing a new unit. At the present time they rent Class C units and lightweight travel trailers. They will soon be adding Class A units to the rental fleet.

While Newmar has been their major product line for many years, they expanded the lineup to include Monaco motorized units and Keystone towable units last year. They were the 14th largest Monaco dealer in the country in just their first year of marketing the product line. Dick said, "Our goal this year is to make it into the top ten with Monaco, and I think we can do it. I wanted this line for several years but could not get it until Holiday World, the local dealer, ceased operations.

Dick noted that, "30% of our business comes from within 100 miles of Elkhart. The other 70% comes to us through the Internet and visitors to the many factories in the area. There are a lot of people who want to buy their unit close to the factory and pick it up here. They don't want 1,000 or 1,500 miles on their new motorhome when it finally arrives at a local dealer. They want to put that first 1,000 miles on their new investment.

"We are the premier dealer in Elkhart and have enjoyed considerable success through the years. Despite the success of the RV industry recently, several dealers in the Elkhart area actually closed. There were thirteen dealers in the area just two years ago and now we are down to eight. Unfortunately, some of them suffered from poor management in good times."

Locally, Dick is part of a group that is planning an RV resort that would be part of a larger theme park, entertainment complex, and museums just off the Interstate. Dick's involvement is just with the campground, which would be an upscale resort designed to help attract new visitors and tourists to the area. Akers noted, "We have 21 million people living within 100 miles of the Elkhart area, and that doesn't count the tourists who would travel to the area."

The RV resort and development is in the early planning stages by the Troyer Group. Museums that might be part of the project would be musical instruments, railroads and a car museum.

Akers would love to see the proposed RV/MH Heritage Museum on the site if the project gets funding. The museum is already planning construction on a site they have recently purchased at another location along the Interstate.