Coachmen’s Tom Corson to Retire;
Claire C. Skinner Named Chairman-elect
Thomas
H. Corson. age 69, is planning to retire effective
August 1. After the retirement Corson will remain on
the board as chairman emeritus. Corson has led
Coachmen for 33 years and has been honored as one of
the founding fathers of the RV industry.
Claire
C. Skinner, consistent with prior succession
planning, was unanimously elected to the position of
chairman-elect of the board. She will assume the
responsibilities of chairman and chief executive
officer on August 1.
Skinner
has been with Coachmen since 1983, and has served as
president of Coachmen RV Company, since 1987. She was
named executive vice president of the parent company
in 1990, elected to the board of directors in 1993
and elected vice chairman in 1995. Prior to joining
Coachmen, Skinner was an attorney with a Chicago law
firm.
Commenting
on his retirement plans, Corson said, “The,
company has never been in better health, and the
management team that will be in charge is strong and
ideally suited to take the company to even greater
heights.”
Terlep Named President of Coachmen RV
Claire
C. Skinner has appointed Michael R. Terlep, Jr., 35,
as the new president of Coachmen RV Co. Terlep has
been executive vice president of the company since
1993 and has also served as general manager of the
Indiana division since 1995. He will remain GM of the
Indiana Division and assume his new responsibilities
June 1.
Heart Interface Files Lawsuit
Heart
Interface has filed a lawsuit in Seattle’s U.S.
Federal Court alleging Trace Engineering Corp. of
Arlington, WA., intentionally used confusing and
misleading language in its product materials to lead
purchasers to believe that its products passed the
testing of Underwriters Laboratory.
Heart’s
suit also alleges that Trace’s marketing,
advertising and product labeling falsely imply that
its products conform to UL product safety standards -
specifically UL 458 for RVs and/or American Boating
and Yachting Council (ABYC) standards for boats.
According to Heart president Warren Stokes,
“There’s a very clear, disturbing pattern
of Trace pushing products that don’t meet UL
standards out onto the market. Consumers have a right
to know the truth about this.”
In
addition Heart’s lawsuit contends that
Trace’s sales in the RV and marine power markets
infringed on Heart’s registered trademark, and
that Trace engaged in unfair trade practices.
“Forcing
Trace to abide by the law is the only way we can
level the playing field and compete on an equal
footing,” Stokes said.
SMC Corp names Jay Howard president/COO
SMC
Corp said Wednesday that it has promoted Jay Howard
to the position of president and chief operating
officer, succeeding Mathew Perlot, who continues as
chief executive officer and chairman of the board of
directors. Howard, who was previously executive vice
president of the company, joined SMC in 1995.
Go RVing Coalition Reports on Ad Response
While
the Go RVing ads were designed primarily for RV image
enhancement, caller volume is an important early
indicator of their effectiveness, according to Gary
LaBella, RVIA vice president, public relations .
Through
May 5, there were 24,683 calls to Go RVingÕs 888
number. Averaged out over the 47 days on which the
ads have run on broadcast and cable TV and in print,
this comes to 471 calls per day. The single largest
day has been February 25 on which 590 calls were
received.
The
Discovery Channel has drawn the most response, based
on caller recollections. Through May 5, a total of
3,979 consumers said they saw the ad on Discovery.
its affiliate, The Learning Channel, has drawn the
second highest caller response.
Here's
how the cable networks compare:
| Discovery |
3,979 calls |
79 spots |
| The Learning Channel |
2,937 calls |
118 spots |
| Arts & Entertainment |
1,478 calls |
43 spots |
| Nick at Nite |
1,067 calls |
89 spots |
| The Weather Channel |
858 calls |
55 spots |
| The Family Channel |
676 calls |
27 spots |
| CNN Headline News |
199 calls |
9 spots |
LaBella
said, “Turner Network Television was dropped
from the schedule in mid-March because adequate
direct response advertising time was not being
provided by the network.
Kenny King Takes His Show on the Road
From
the creators of the Quartzite Sports Vacation and RV
Show, Kenny King and Mal Mallory are taking their
show on the road, this time to Albuquerque. The new
show runs concurrently with the 26th Annual Kodak
International Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. It’s
called the First Annual Albuquerque Sports Vacation
and RV Show and is scheduled to run from October 3
through 12, 1997.
King
said, “We have secured a plot of land as a show
sight directly in the path balloon watchers must
travel to see the launches.
The
event draws over a million and half people from
around the world according to Fiesta organizers. And
since these are hot air balloons, they launch early
In the morning. The rest of the day folks just hang
out.”
The
Albuquerque Sports Vacation and RV Show is located
adjacent to the long-term RV parking. Call
1-800-969-5464 for more info.
Montana Eliminates RV Program
Effective
October 1, 1997, the Montana Department of Commerce
will cease RV - inspection/plan approval and
enforcement activities for the ANSI A119.2 Standard
for RVs. New language added to the State Law says,
“A person, firm, or corporation may not
manufacture, sell or offer for sale a new
recreational vehicle unless the vehicle has been
constructed and assembled in accordance with the
American national standards institute ANSI/A119.2
standard for recreational vehicles. The department is
not responsible for enforcing the compliance of
recreational vehicles with the ANSI/A119.2 standard
as part of the state building code.
SMC Reports 16% Increase in Revenues
SMC
Corporation (Nasdaq:SMCC) released results for the
first quarter 1997 ended March 31, 1997. Net sales
rose 16% to $50.1 million from $43.1 in 1996. First
quarter unit sales increased 11% to 448 units up from
402 units in the prior year. First quarter 1997 net
income was $1.2 million, down slightly from the
record first quarter earnings of $1.3 million
reported a year earlier.
Thor Reports Improved Quarter, Six Months
Results Record Backlog
Thor
Industries, Inc. announced improved results for the
second quarter and six months ended January 31, 1997.
Sales for the quarter were a record $123,525,000, up
from $119,781,000 last year. Net income for the
quarter was $2,019,000, up from $1,964,000 last year.
E.P.S. for the quarter were up 9% to 24 cents versus
22 cents last year.
Wade
F.B. Thompson, Thor Chairman, said that order backlog
on March 1, 1997 was a record $120 million, and that
both RV and Bus backlogs were up from last year.
Winnebago Posts Loss in Second Quarter
Winnebago
Industries, Inc., reported results for the second
quarter of fiscal 1997. Revenues for the quarter
ended March 1, 1997 were $105.7 million, with a net
loss $3.7 million, or 15 cents a share. This compares
to revenues of $106.2 million and net income of $2.2
million, or nine cents a share, for the same period
last year.
Western RV Moves into Motorized
Western
Recreational Vehicles, Inc., Yakima, announcement its
intention to enter the upscale diesel pusher motor
coach market with a motorhome called Alpine Coach.
The new coach will be unveiled in July at the summer
FMCA Rally in Columbus, OH.
Monaco Records Increased Sales and Earnings
Monaco
Coach Corporation (Nasdaq: MCCO) reported first
quarter earnings, reporting operating income up
179.2% as compared to the same period of 1996, on a
75.9% increase in sales.
For
the three months ended March 29, 1997, net sales for
Monaco Coach totaled $109.0 million. Gross profit and
operating income were $15.0 million and $5.4 million
respectively. Net income and earnings per share were
$2.7 million and 57 cents per share, respectively.
Consolidat-ed gross margin for the quarter was 13.8
percent.
National RV Holdings has Record First Quarter
National
R.V. Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq:NRVH), said net sales for
the first quarter of 1997 increased 66.8% to $58.6
million from $35.1 million for the first quarter of
1996. Net income for the first quarter of 1997
increased 26.7% to $2.4 million from $1.9 million for
the first quarter of 1996.
25 Year Warranty on Solar Modules
Siemens
Solar Industries announced the extension of its
warranty coverage. For orders received after March 1,
1997, Siemens Solar guarantees its photovoltaic
modules will retain at least 80% of their capacity
over a 25 year period. This warranty is the longest
of its kind in the industry and applies to all
modules in the SM and SP lines with a minimum rating
of 45 watts.
ARVC Names Speakers for Convention
The
National Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds
has released the speaker list for its 1997 Annual
Convention, “The Road To Profit.”
Opening
the convention will be Scott McKain, who is noted for
his nationally televised program “Just Say YES!
A Step Up to Success.” McKain’s message to
convention attendees will be “All Business Is
Show Business,” a new way to look at customer
service.
Other
speakers include author and consultant Silvana Clark.
Clark is the author of “Taming the Recreation
Jungle: 100 Ways to Improve the Quality of Recreation
Programs.”
Rexhall Declares 5% Dividend
Rexhall
Industries Inc. (NASDAQ-REXL) declared a 5% stock
dividend to shareholders of re-cord on May 12, 1997.
The dividend will be paid on May 26.
Coachmen Industries, Inc. Authorizes Share
Repurchase
Coachmen
industries' board of directors authorized the
repurchase of up to one million shares of its
outstanding common stock. Shares may be purchased
from time to time, depending on market conditions and
other factors, on the open market or through
privately negotiated transactions.
Go Rving Ads Could Turn Out to be the Best
Direct Response Campaign Ever
According
to Eisner and Associates, the Go Rving ads are
pulling better than any other direct response
campaign they’ve conducted in the past six
years. Gary LaBella, RVIA vice president, public
relations, said, “But to provide independent
corroboration, we are studying how Go RVing’s
results compare to other direct response campaigns.
“From
the Direct Marketing Association, we have learned of
two comparable campaigns for big ticket items
offering free videos to toll free callers. A 1990
Alfa Romeo campaign drew 27,280 requests in 20 weeks;
in under half the time, we are just 3,500 shy of that
total. Nissan received 35,000 calls in an entire year
from a 1995 campaign budgeted at $2.7 million,
similar to our budget. We will very likely surpass
their response in just five months.
“We’ve
compiled well over 24,000 leads in 11 weeks.”
