RV Industry News
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| June 2004 | Volume 29 - Number 11 | |
RV Industry News | ||
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Country Coach Announces
Guaranty RV Centers
During the course of 2003, Guaranty delivered more than 135 Country Coach Motorcoaches to customers all across the country. This is a 13 percent increase over the previous year and the tenth consecutive year this dealership has sold more than 100 Country Coaches. "We have great respect for Guaranty RV", notes Country Coach Senior VP of Sales and Service, Jim Howard. "Selling and servicing highline Motorcoaches requires a high level of commitment to understanding the product and, more importantly, how it can serve the customer's needs. The professionals at Guaranty continually invest the time and resources to match their customers with the right motorcoach. Guaranty's professional approach to the RV business is a good fit with Country Coach's commitment to building the world's finest motorcoaches." Country Coach top honors for salesperson of the year went to Damon Rapozo, a Country Coach specialist at Guaranty. Guaranty is Country Coach's oldest continuous Country Coach Dealer and can be found at four locations including Junction City, Oregon, Coburg, Oregon, Gilroy, California and Indio, California. As a full line dealer, Guaranty RV Centers carry the Country Coach Inspire, Allure, Intrigue, Magna, Affinity and Lexa Motorcoaches. Blue Ox® Campaign 1st Round Huge Success
Jay Hesse, President of Blue Ox, has deemed the campaign a success. “We have had a tremendous response to our partnership with Ward Burton and NASCAR in general. Race fans from all over the country have responded by calling, e-mailing, and visiting their local RV dealerships to voice their support for Blue Ox. We’re proud to be a part of an industry with such a loyal fan base.” The March race was a weekend to remember for years to come. The weather was perfect, the track unbelievable. Serious NASCAR fans will tell you that if you can only attend one race in your lifetime, the one that you want to go to is Bristol. Rich in history, and built for excitement, the track opened for its first race on July 30, 1961 with 18,000 people in attendance and 17-year old Brenda Lee singing the National Anthem. The halfmile track hasn’t changed much, but the landscape around it and the seating capacity sure has; the March 2004 race drew 160,000 NASCAR fans to this tiny hamlet in the Northern Tennessee hills. It’s the fans’ favorite track. Highlights of the weekend included: qualifying on Friday and Saturday; Busch race; Nextel Cup race; a reception with Ward Burton Saturday evening on top of the drag strip; track tours; suite tickets; accommodations at a 3 Star hotel; and transportation to and from the track for 90 guests all furnished by Blue Ox. The company sponsored the Blue Ox Campground with an abundance of signage, banners flew promoting Blue Ox, highway signs were prominent, public address announcements were made on race days, and the company logo was printed on all campers’ vehicle passes. Supporting their new “Count on it” promotion were new displays and merchandising showcasing the Blue Ox nameplate and quality towing products. Due to unfortunate circumstances, Ward didn’t make it to victory lane on Sunday, but to Blue Ox fans he is most certainly a winner. Not only did he stop by the Blue Ox suite to sign autographs and chat with the guests on Saturday during the Busch race, but he also joined the Blue Ox staff at their booth for a 2-hour autograph signing session open to the public. Saturday night at an exclusive, by invitation only, reception, Ward signed autographs and conversed with the guests. Jay Hesse said, “As we continue to expand our RV and towing product lineup, it is important that our customers and fans understand our commitment to this industry. NASCAR provides us an excellent opportunity to keep our name at the front of the pack and be there when they need us.” Every NASCAR race can have thousands of RVers who travel to the track in their motor homes and trailers. Many of them are towing vehicles and are already Blue Ox customers. We want to make Blue Ox the preferred brand for loyal NASCAR enthusiasts. As summer approaches, Blue Ox is readying for the August Food City 250 Busch Series and the Sharpie 500 Nextel Cup Races. “We’re experiencing a great amount of interest by our distributors, dealers, and consumers for August. Everyone wants to attend the night race”, according to Hesse. Spartan Announces Increase of Diesel Chassis Sales to Newmar
"Our ability to adapt quickly and meet our customer's needs allows for a complete integration of the chassis and motorhome," said Richard Schalter, President of Spartan Chassis. "This brings us to a pivotal point in our business relationship with Newmar, and we are excited about this growth opportunity." Spartan said the increased business with Newmar Corp. is expected to add approximately 20 percent more units to Spartan's current RV chassis business beginning in the third quarter of 2004. John Sztykiel, CEO of Spartan Motors added: "Spartan Chassis' focus on becoming the most desired brand and the lowest total cost producer is enabling them to penetrate markets where they have not been competitive in the past." Dometic Earns CSA/UL
Certification for 120V Dometic Corporation announces its A&E Systems brand LAO3 RV patio awning has been safety certified by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL). The certification makes the LAO3 the RV industry‚s first North American safety-approved, 120-volt AC motorized awning. CSA and UL are internationally recognized agencies that test and certify the safety of products manufactured in North America. The certification covers the awning’s exterior mechanical components, the interior mounted control unit and the wiring that connects them. A wireless, handheld remote control unit is included with the LAO3. More Growth for Coachmen
The new facility will be utilized to build some of the upcoming Coleman® by Coachmen® RVs, pursuant to the licensing agreement announced in January by Coachmen and The Coleman Company. Coachmen will take possession of this newest facility in July. Following a period for building modifications to accommodate the new product lines, the Company will then begin hiring and training approximately 100 new employees, with more to be added as future needs dictate. “This announcement is exciting, because it signals the growth and momentum Coachmen has right now,” said Michael R. Terlep, President of the Coachmen RV Group. “The timing of this announcement is also meaningful, because it comes exactly 40 years from the date that Coachmen Industries, Inc. was founded, back in April 1964.” “We can’t think of a better way to celebrate our forty years of success than by announcing an expansion that will lend itself to the next forty years,” commented Claire C. Skinner, Chairman and CEO of Coachmen Industries. “It is especially gratifying to be able to make this move in our home state of Indiana, and we are grateful to the Indiana Department of Commerce for all of its assistance.” “Coachmen’s decision to invest in Indiana is great news," said Indiana Lt. Gov. Kathy Davis, who leads the state's economic development efforts as director of the Indiana Department of Commerce. "By choosing to expand in the RV Capital of the World, Coachmen is reinforcing the idea that one of the surest ways to strengthen the state's economy is by building on the strengths we already have. The state will continue to partner with local communities to showcase these strengths as we work to bring more businesses and more jobs to Indiana." Commenting on the new line of Coleman® products, Coachmen‚s Terlep said development plans are well underway. “This is a very important project, so we are doing everything possible to make sure that we address the needs of the market. We‚ have conducted marketing and planning sessions with dealers, as well as other focus groups surrounding the products. The initial product designs are nearly complete, and we look forward to introducing these exciting new products this fall.” Spartan Increases Chassis Production for Fleetwood RV Spartan Motors, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPAR) announced that its subsidiary, Spartan Chassis, will be the exclusive supplier of custom diesel chassis for Fleetwood RV's Heritage, American Eagle, Tradition, Revolution, Providence and Excursion models, beginning August 1, 2004. Fleetwood RV is a division of Riverside, Calif.-based Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: FLE) and is one of the nation's leading Class A motorhome manufacturers. The increased business with Fleetwood is expected to add approximately 40 percent more units to Spartan's current RV chassis business during the 2005 model year, which begins August 1, 2004. "Our collaboration with our customers and our ability to meet their unique needs in every phase of development, design, execution and support enables us to be a preferred chassis supplier," said Richard Schalter, President of Spartan Chassis. "We're excited to be Fleetwood's partner as they capitalize on their great 2005 product lineup and a strong RV market," added John Sztykiel, CEO of Spartan Motors. "Spartan Chassis is creating opportunities in the RV market because of their commitment to being the most desired brand at the lowest total cost." WholesaleTrader.com’s On-Line Repo Auctions Under Way. History was made on Thursday, April 29, when WholesaleTrader.com launched the RV industry’s first on-line repo auction. In fact, it was the first on-line auction for all three of the industries served by the nationwide dealer network: RV, powersports, and marine. During that first electronic auction, 107 vehicles were listed on www.wholesaletrader. com , for bidding by the dealer-network’s members around the nation. The auction lasted for five days. “Our programmers had been working for nearly a year to create the electronic auction feature of our site,” said Mark Taylor, the company’s Marketing Director. “So you can be sure there was some fingernail-biting around here when the April auction started. It was the first ‘road-test’ of that part of the site, and I’m glad to say it worked beautifully.” Interviewed immediately afterwards, Taylor reported that more than 80% of the vehicles attracted bids on the “dealers-only” site. Sales themselves were lower than anticipated, he said. “Our dealer-members were just learning how to use the Repo Auction feature of our site,” Taylor explained. “In some cases, they delegated the bidding to other employees, who seem to have played it safe by bidding far below the vehicle’s bare-minimum ‘reserve’ value. “They’ll get the hang of it, though,” Taylor went on. “We’ll be auctioning off the remaining vehicles in a few days. We expect the dealers to grow a lot more confident as our auctions continue.” (Several more auctions may have taken place by the time this issue comes out.) WholesaleTrader.com is a history-making venture in itself. It’s the first electronic network that lets dealers in these industries exchange inventory with each other, on-line. The site “went live” at the beginning of March. Since the site launched its first ads in this and other publications, hundreds of dealers, across the nation, have joined the new on-line network. They use it to unload excess vehicles to other dealers, at wholesale prices, and to buy needed vehicles from those nationwide listings. The company says that some dealers have found they can actually sell from the inventory of other dealers, when a customer wants a vehicle the dealer doesn’t have in stock. WholesaleTrader.com has also arranged deep discounts with many shipping companies, so dealers may find it cheaper to have units shipped to them than to send an employee to pick them up. “We knew that the first dealers to join the network would be the larger, more aggressive ones,” Taylor said. “They’re profit- driven, so they quickly see the benefit in sharper management of their costly inventory. They can quickly slash their floor-planning costs by unloading excess inventory promptly, and by filling inventory gaps on an as-needed basis instead of feeling they have to be overstocked to satisfy possible future demand.” He says more of the smaller dealers are now signing up for the service. “At a time of year when many dealers need to replenish their inventories, they find our Repo Auctions a great way to do that,” he asserts. “They get to see a good number of vehicles, and they can bid on them without leaving their dealership.” The on-line repo auctions are planned to be held every few weeks, throughout the industry’s busy season. Dealers may participate by obtaining a password at the Website itself, which is www.wholesaletrader. com, or by phoning the company at 800- 858-6780. Wallace Gift of $5 Million for Cancer Research Center Largest Ever A $5 million gift from Don and Erika Wallace of Tampa to the Comprehensive Breast Cancer Program at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute is the largest gift ever to a single clinical or research program at the Cancer Center. Don Wallace is the CEO and President of Lazydays RV SuperCenter in Seffner, Florida. “The Wallace’s history-making gift will help enable our doctors and researchers to provide the highest level of care possible to breast cancer patients throughout Florida,” says William S. Dalton, Ph.D., M.D., Moffitt’s Center Director and CEO. “Moffitt already is known for surgical, technological and clinical innovations, and this gift will allow us to achieve ever higher levels of serving cancer patients throughout Florida and the world.” "We're blessed to be able to make this gift to Moffitt, and we hope this gift and the announcement of it will raise awareness about Moffitt's breast cancer program and the capital campaign currently under way,” says Don Wallace. The gift is a contribution to Moffitt’s $87 million "Today the Tower, Tomorrow the Cure" capital campaign. The Wallaces are chairing the “Awareness Phase” of the campaign, which supports the translational research made possible by the construction of buildings devoted to research as well as to cancer care. Translational research involves putting laboratory discoveries to practical use quickly in the realm of patient care, and Moffitt's Tower Project represents one of the most important endeavors ever undertaken in the fight against cancer. Don and Erika Wallace are now devoted to philanthropy and improving the community in which they live. They provide enthusiastic support to a wide range of other local organizations -- from children’s charities to the arts. Don currently serves on eight (8) charitable boards including the Moffitt Foundation’s Board of Directors and Erika serves on the boards of The Spring, a domestic violence shelter and ChairScholars, a scholarship program for disabled students. In addition, the Wallace’s set an example for others by giving generously to many community organizations including:
In 2001, the National Cancer Institute awarded Moffitt the status of a Comprehensive Cancer Center in recognition of its excellence in research and contributions to clinical trials, cancer prevention and cancer control. Additionally, Moffitt is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a prestigious alliance of the country’s leading cancer centers and is listed in the U.S. News & World Report as one of the top cancer hospitals in America. Moffitt’s sole mission is to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer.
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