RVDA Reacts to
Affinity-Camping World Deal
Suspends Top Quality Dealer
Award
The Recreation
Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA) board of directors
has voted to suspend the Top Quality Dealer Award for
one year, following the Affinity Group’s
announcement that it was acquiring Camping World.
The award had been a
joint presentation by RVDA and the Affinity
Group’s RV Business magazine. RVDA President
Mike Molino said, "Suspending the award for one
year will give RVDA members time to reassess how it
should be presented and what organizations should be
involved in the selection process,".
Affinity Group, Inc.,
the parent company of T.L. Enterprises which
publishes RV Business recently announced plans to
acquire Camping World, a company that sells RV -
Aftermarket products and, in some locations, services
RVs. Since RV dealers also sell Aftermarket products
and service RVs and these functions are criteria in
selecting the award winner, RVDA became concerned
about continuing the award in its current format.
Elden Smith to Retire
Fleetwood Announces
Management Changes After almost three decades of
service with Fleetwood, Elden Smith, senior vice
president - RV Group, has announced his intention to
retire. Under Smith’s guidance, Fleetwood became
the number-one recreational vehicle producer in
America.
Smith has also been a
major participant in the growth and influence of the
RVIA, where he distinguished himself as chairman and
a member of the executive committee, and served as an
active member of the board of directors for over
twenty years.
Following
Smith’s announced retirement Fleetwood promoted
Dick Parks vice president - motor homes, to senior
vice president - RV Group. Dick joined Fleetwood in
1983 and has held a number of management positions at
manufacturing plants and the division level. Parks
will be succeeding Elden at the end of July 1997.
MHS Supply to Merge With
Northwest
Darryl Searer,
president of MHS Supply in Elkhart, IN, has informed
RV News that he has signed a letter of intent to
merge MHS with Northwest Trailer Parts. Searer, owner
of MHS, says he is extremely pleased and excited
about the merger. He said, "Northwest Trailer
Parts and MHS make a great winning team. This will
certainly enhance the opportunities for a national
supplier to provide world-class products and
services, beyond the normal means of
distribution."
Hadley Gear, vice
president of sales and marketing for Northwest said,
"We are extremely excited about this
opportunity."
Searer plans to
remain at MHS and manage the Elkhart operation.
Washington State
Considering Putting House Portion of RV Under
Lemon Law
Washington State is
attempting to place the box portion of motor homes
under its lemon law. Two bills, House Bill 2150 and
Senate Bill 5641, would add such a provision.
Currently, only the
chassis portion of motor homes and all RV trailers
are excluded from Washington’s lemon law. Both
bills have been reported to the Labor Committee in
their respective chambers.
RVDA Selects Three
Keynoters For RV Dealers International
Convention/Expo
The Recreation
Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA) has selected three
leaders, well-known throughout the RV industry, as
keynoters for the 1997 RV Dealers International
Convention/Expo, Sept. 28 - Oct. 1, at the Reno
Hilton in Reno, NV.
Noted sales trainer
Joe Girard will open the Convention on Sept. 29.
Girard is the author of four best-selling books
including How to Sell Anything to Anyone and How to
Sell Yourself. He is also listed in the Guinness Book
of World Records as the world’s #1 retail
salesperson. Girard’s appearance is sponsored by
Airstream.
On Sept. 29, Holiday
Rambler President Jim Sheldon, will give convention
attendees his views on the future of the RV industry.
Sheldon is chairman of the Go RVing Coalition’s
Committee on Excellence, a panel made up of
representatives from all sectors of the RV business
which is dedicated to providing RV travelers with a
world-class experience.
James Egan, Jr.,
president and CEO of The CIT Group/Sales Financing,
Inc., will report on RV financing and sales trends
during his address on Sept. 30. The CIT Group
publishes an annual "Recreation Vehicle
Outlook" and Egan will provide convention-goers
with an interesting and useful statistical overview
of the RV marketplace.
RVDA Convention/Expo
Committee Chair-man Ron Barrows said, "This is a
powerful lineup of speakers that will give RV
retailers a comprehensive look at factors affecting
our business today. When you combine these excellent
key-noters with 30 workshop speakers focused on all
aspects of dealer operations, the 1997 Conven-tion/
Expo is shaping up to be one of the best ever."
For more information
contact RVDA at (703) 591-7130.
Northwest Trailer Parts
Presents Open-House Exhibitor Awards
Hadley Gear, V.P.
sales & marketing for Northwest Trailer Parts
says the company’s 15th annual Dealer/Supplier
open house was successful. The "Mardi Gras
Weekend" theme was attended by over 1350 dealer
personnel and supported by 225 supplier product
lines. The event included seminars as well as
supplier booth awards. Awards were presented to
Draw-Tite (Best of Show), Valterra Products (Most
Creative Use of Products) and Marlene Sine &
Assoc. (Best Use of Show Theme).
Utah Franchise Legislation
Update
Last year, Utah
passed amendments to the state’s Motor Vehicle
Dealer Franchise Act. This resulted in a lawsuit
being filed by several national trade associations
enjoining the state from enforcing the new law. This
year, in an effort to resolve the situation, the Utah
legislature has again introduced a similar bill H312,
which in its initial version included all Park
Trailers and retained many of the objectionable
sections of the previous law. The Recreational Park
Trailer Industry Association (RPTIA) wrote the
bill’s sponsor to request relief for the Park
Trailer industry based primarily upon the small size
of both the manufacturer and the dealer, and the fact
that such a buy-back could create an unrecoverable
situation for manufacturers, causing them to bypass
Utah as a market. The bill has since been amended,
taking a more reasonable stance. However, according
to RPTIA, many issues remain unclear and could be
subject to an interpretation from the Utah Attorney
General or the courts. The bill is now before the
Governor awaiting his signature.
Selling Used Vehicles on
the Internet...Texas Now Requires Licensing
Texas last month
began licensing used vehicle Internet marketers as
used car dealers. The effort is targeted towards all
used vehicle referral services.
The Texas Motor
Vehicle Division said it will enforce licensing on a
spot basis by contacting used vehicle marketers
through media and through the Internet. Businesses,
including national offices doing business in Texas,
can face penalties as high as $1,000 a day for
noncompliance.
Licensees are
required to operate during regular business hours,
have an office. a phone, and a dealer bond of
$25,000. The first license fee is $500, for
subsequent years, $200.
Brett Bray, director
of the Texas Motor Vehicle Division, said,
"These services are matching buyers and
sellers" just like a used vehicle dealer which
requires a state license."
Andy Flues Passes Away
Andy Flues, 69, a
long-time friend of the camping industry, died
Sunday, March 23. Flues was associated many years
with Apache folding camping trailers in sales and
design. He and wife, Marilyn, founded Anderson’s
Campground Directory in 1976.
Flues graduated from
Yale University in 1951 and was a captain in Air
Force intelligence from 1951 to 1954, specializing in
gathering Soviet intelligence in Austria and Alaska.
He was with the Air Technical Intelligence Center at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and a principal
investigator for Project Blue Book, which
investigated and analyzed reports of unidentified
flying objects.
After managing a
family business in Chicago, he moved to Northern
Virginia in 1965 and designed and marketed recreation
vehicles. In 1976, he and his wife founded Campground
Directories Inc. He wrote and published the annual
Anderson’s Campground Directory. After he sold
Campground Directories in 1991, he continued as a
consultant in the industry and as president of
Recreational Services, Inc.
Maine Introduces Warranty
Reimbursement Legislation
According to RVDA,
dealers in Maine are campaigning for legislation to
impose "equitable reimbursement for parts and
labor costs" spent doing required warranty work.
According to the bill
introduced in the Maine Legislature, reimbursement
for labor may not be less than the retail rate
customarily charged by that dealer for the same labor
when not performed to satisfy a warranty. To be
entitled to reimbursement. a dealer must post the
rate for labor not performed to satisfy a warranty in
a place conspicuous to service customers.
RVDA stated that it
supports fair and reasonable written sales agreements
between dealers and manufacturers as the best means
of assuring appropriate warranty reimbursement.
RV/MH Heritage Foundation
Elects Board
The 1997 board of
directors of the RV/MH Heritage Foundation was
announced recently. Those elected to the executive
committee included: chairman, Gene Stout, Coachmen
Industries; vice chairman, Dennis Richey, Patriot
Homes; secretary, Dave Cagley, Twin Mills Resort;
Treasurer, Jerry Pickrell, LaSalle Bristol; and past
chairman, Virgil Miller, Newmar Corp.
Other board members
included: Dick Aker, Hart City RV Sales; Pete
Callander, South Side Trailer Sales; Sherman
Goldenberg, TL Enterprises; Jim Morgan, Owens Corning
Fiberglass; Steve Purdy, R-Anell Homes; Bill Riblet,
Lippert Components; Larry Ryan, Park Lawn Estates;
Darryl Searer, Northwest Trailer Parts; Ron Shrum,
Shrum’s Home Sweet Homes; Maggie Stephenson, Red
Bud Estates; Guy Veni, The CIT Group; Director
Emeritus: Carl Edwards, Verne Sailor.
Thieves in a Jamboree
Motorhome Lead California Police on a Spirited Chase
Southern California
commuters have seen their share of wild police
pursuits, but the recent March 20 chase brought a new
twist to the familiar plot — a band of motorhome
thieves enjoying all the comforts of home while
attempting to elude pursuing patrol cars along the
highway as well as a little off-roading.
The motorhome
speeding down the highway and maneuvering through
tough terrain was a Fleetwood Jamboree Searcher.
Newscasters reporting live during the chase commented
on the motorhome’s impressive maneuverability
and acceleration performance.
Andy Klein of
Fleetwood RV Marketing said, "Apparently,
newscasters were not the only people impressed by the
Jamboree’s performance. Immediately after the
chase, we’ve received a call from a prospective
customer who also appreciated its pick-up and
responsiveness."
Dave Wilbert, Motor
Home Division Marketing Manager for Fleetwood RV,
said, "No one likes to see dangerous police
pursuits, but we were impressed with the
Jamboree’s performance and speed on that kind of
terrain. We’ve never quite put our motor homes
to that kind of test, and recommend our customers not
try it at home."
Coachmen Abandons Talks to
Buy New England Homes
Coachmen Industries,
Inc., says that discussions to buy New England Homes
were being abandoned because a definitive agreement
between the companies could not be reached.
Last month, Coachmen
had said it reached an agreement in principle to buy
New England Homes, a Greenland, NH-based modular home
builder.
Winnebago Industries
Reports $3.7 Million Loss in Second Quarter
Winnebago Industries,
Inc., reported results for the second quarter and
first six months 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.
For the first six
month period of fiscal 1997, the Company reported
revenues of $219.6 million with net income of $15.5
million, or 61 cents a share. This includes income of
$16.5 million, or 65 cents per share, from the recent
sale of the Company’s Cycle-Sat, Inc.
subsidiary. In comparison, the Company had revenues
of $219.9 million and net income of $5.2 million, or
21 cents a share, for the first six months of fiscal
1996.
At the board meeting
held Thursday, March 20, 1997, the second of the
Company’s semi-annual cash dividends for fiscal
1997 was de-clared. A cash dividend of ten cents a
share will be paid to shareholders of record as of
June 6, 1997 for payment on July 7, 1997.
The company also
announced the addition of Bruce D. Hertzke and
Richard C. Scott to Winne-bago Industries’ board
of directors. The company’s Bylaws were amended
at the meeting to increase the size of the board to
ten members.
Connecticut Removes Travel
Trailers From Lemon Law Bill
In its original form,
Connecticut Senate Bill 606 included trailers under
the types of vehicles subject to the state’s
lemon laws. Recently, however, an amendment was
offered which successfully excluded towables from the
bill. Currently, no state includes RV trailers under
its lemon laws. Connecticut became the first state to
place motor homes under such law in 1982.
RV America Among Sponosrs
of Johnson Racing Team
The 1997 Johnson
Racing Team will campaign a UMP-AMRA Dirt Track
Modified race car that will compete at numerous
tracks in the Ohio -Kentucky-Indiana area,
concentrating efforts at Eldora Speedway, Rossburg,
OH.
When Eldora is not
running, the team will race at Lawrenceburg Speedway,
Lawrenceburg, IN; Florence Speedway, Florence, KY; K
C Speed-way, Chillicothe, OH; Portsmouth Raceway
Park, Portsmouth, OH; Muskingum County Speedway,
Zanesville, OH; and Lima Land Speedway, Lima, OH.
The Johnson Racing
Team includes driver, Ron Johnson; crew chief, Tony
Mescher, and crew member Bob Buck, Bud Schloss, and
Vaughn Pfeiffer of Norcold.
The Johnson Racing
sponsors for 1997 include Atwood Mobile Products, Don
Knasel Collision, Ed Weisz Racing, Ft. Loramie Engine
Rebuilders, Generac Corp., Grieves Stump Re-moval, Hi
Grade Oil Co., Hobart Brothers, Keller Marine & R
V, Kamper Products, Mid West Products, Minster Supply
Co., Norcold, Out West Drive Thru, Pro-Tec Tree
Service, Protect-All, Inc., Reese Products, R V
America On Line, Rose’s Amoco & Towing, Six
Shooter Farm, Suburban Mfg. Co., and Three T’s
RV Products.
Montana May
Eliminate RV Code Program
Montana may become
the latest state to drop state inspection standards,
according to RVDA. Legislation to eliminate the
state’s code program is under consideration in
the Montana Legis-lature. If enacted, RV
manufacturers who ship units to Montana would be
required to build them according to standards set
forth by the American National Standards Institute
(ANSI).
RVIA Board Refuses Parity
for Park Trailer Exhibitors
The Recreational Park
Trailer Industry Association (RPTIA) once again took
up the issue of show rules with RVIA’s board of
directors. RPTIA asked if the RVIA’s National RV
Trade Show, would allow the Park Trailer segment
parity with the RVIA member manufacturers in the show
space drawing procedure. All Park Trailer
manufacturers are required to select space for their
Park Trailers in the final drawing. RVIA’s board
opted to not revise the current rules and procedures,
and RPTIA’s request for parity was passed over.
RPTIA members hoped
that the RVIA board would consider that the Park
Trailer firms were, and have been exhibitors, and
were RVIA members and contributors for many years
before RVIA withdrew all rights of membership from
the Park Trailer segment.
Old Timers Reunion
In March the RV/MH
Old Timers Annual Reunion was held at Tampa, FL.
Forty six veterans of the RV and MH industries came
together to reminisce and enjoy a day together.
Fifty-year veteran awards were presented to Harold
Young, Forest Bourn, Paul Tweedy, and Gordon Collins.
Manufacturers Fight to
Exempt Pomona Show From California Law
RV manufacturers are
campaigning to exempt RVIA’s annual Pomona show
from a new show rule put into place by dealers. The
statutory restriction forbids dealers from
participating in a show more than 50 miles from their
dealership unless 10 or more dealers participate in
the show. Cal RVDA, a dealer organization, fought and
won legislation for show restrictions to help remedy
the roving RV show problem in Califor-nia, have
agreed not to oppose the bill but are monitoring it
closely.
Rexhall Reports $64-million
Fiscal 96 Sales
Rexhall Industries,
Inc., announced that for the fiscal year ended Dec.
31, 1996, the company recorded revenues of
$64,959,000, compared with fiscal 1995 revenues of
$60,709,000, representing a 7 percent increase.
Net income for fiscal
1996 was $1,284,000, or 47 cents per share, compared
with net income of $2,034,000, or 74 cents per share,
for fiscal 1995.
Although Rexhall is
encouraged by the overall increase in sales,
adjustments to all finished goods and work in
process, along with additional accruals for sales
rebates, workers’ compensation, legal expense
and warranties, led to a fourth-quarter loss of 18
cents per share.
Atlantic Mobilehome and RV
Awards Trip to Disney World
| Goofy (center)
greets Ed (Randy’s RV, Raleigh, NC) and
Janice Silvia who won the airfare for a trip
to Walt Disney World in Orlando during a
sales seminar hosted by Atlantic Mobilehome
and RV Suppliers, Greensboro, NC. The two-day
seminar was held in Myrtle Beach, SC, and was
attended by RV dealers from North Carolina,
South Carolina and Virginia. |
 |
Excel Industries Wins
Toyota Award
Excel Industries,
Inc. (NYSE:EXC) said its automotive systems business
unit earned a certificate of achievement from Toyota
Motor Manufacturing North America, Inc.
The recognition came
at the automaker’s supplier business meeting and
awards ceremony at Erlanger, KY in March. Awards are
given annually for quality, on-time delivery and
value improvement.
CTPA Elects Officers
Vince Huss, general
manager of Camanche Recreation Area in Ione, CA, has
been elected president of the California Travel Parks
Associa-tion (CTPA).
Other officers
elected include: first vice president, Bob MacKinnon,
Disney’s Vacationland, Anaheim; second vice
president, Sharan Wendel, Benbow Valley Resort,
Garberville; secretary-treasurer, Duane Roemmich,
Roemmich Accountancy, Walnut Creek; and past
president, Scott Adams, Bodega Bay RV Park, Bodega
Bay, CA.
JTJ Laminating Acquired by
Euramax
JTJ Laminating, Inc.,
headquartered in Elkhart, IN, has been acquired by
Norcross, GA based Euramax International plc.
JTJ is a supplier of
laminated fiberglass products sold to the RV industry
and employs approximately 100 people. JTJ was
established ten years ago by Jerry Collins who will
remain with the company as its vice president and
general manager.
Euramax International
pIc was established in 1996 through a $245-million
management buy out of certain Alumax Inc. fabricated
products businesses. With 30 facilities in the United
States and Western Europe, Euramax provides
fabricated aluminum, steel, vinyl and fiberglass
products to a variety of customers, including RV
manufacturers, home centers, distributors, producers
of manufactured housing and rural building
contractors.
Deutsche Financial Services
Acquire Ganis
Deutsche Financial
Services has reached agreement with BankBoston to
acquire Ganis Credit Corporation (Ganis). Ganis is a
provider of retail financing to the RV industry.
WDA Plans Summer Conference
in Tennessee
WDA - The RV
Aftermarket Association’s 6th Annual Summer
Education Conference will be held at the Holiday Inn
Nashville-Brentwood in Brentwood, TN, June 4 - 7. The
meeting will include a New Product Showcase on June
5.
During the
conference, registrants will have the opportunity to
visit Saturn’s 4.3 million-square-foot
manufacturing and assembly complex. In addition to
seeing how Saturn makes its cars, Saturn will present
programs to attendees such as how to understand as
many of the supportive elements in the before, during
and after processes, customer approach, cultural
change/ empowerment, leadership development,
just-in-time inventory, training, team-building
methods, human resources and self-managed teams.
WDA cautions that
space is limited. Regis-tration will be handled on a
first-come, first-served basis. The Summer Conference
cost is $475 per member and $1,180 per non-member.
For more information
on registering for the Summer Education Conference or
exhibiting at the New Product Showcase, please
contact WDA at 312/553-0300 Fax: 312/201-0214
Draw-tite Launches
Ambitious Retail Merchandising Program
Draw-Tite, Inc., has
launched an ambitious retail merchandising program
aimed at helping traditional trailer hitch dealers
capture a more significant portion of the nearly $1
billion towing systems market and offering new
opportunities for auto parts, hardware and sporting
goods retailers.
Roger L. Wilson, vice
president sales and marketing, said "Trailer
hitch dealers and installers have traditionally
missed a major part of a sale by not actively
offering towing accessories to those customers who
are already in their shops, having hitches installed
on their vehicles. We have to let consumers know that
the things they need are available right then, right
there.
"Accessories now
account for 53 percent of the towing systems dollar
sales. As things now stand, dealers and installers
sell only a small share of towing accessories.
We’re in the process of turning that around. It
makes sense to sell and install hitches and towing
accessories at the same place and time."
Point of sale
merchandising aids is one of the services Draw-Tite
offers its customers.
Rich Tupper of Layton
Truck Equipment, Colorado Springs, CO, a Draw-Tite
customer said, "We doubled our towing
accessories business immediately because of our
display. This is good, cheap advertising, and it
shows our customers what’s already in the back,
that we can install right on the spot."
Morgan Group Posts 1996
Financial Results
The Morgan Group,
Inc., announced results for its year ended December
31, 1996 including special charges taken in
connection with the closing of unprofitable
operations, and the authorization by its board to buy
back an additional 100,000 shares of Class
"A" Common Stock in the open market.
For the year ended
December 31, 1996, operating revenues rose 8.1% to
$132.2 million, up from $122.3 million last year.
Sales in the Manufactured Housing Group increased
15%, outpacing 1996 national production growth of 9%
and Driver Outsourcing divisional revenues grew by a
satisfactory 16%. Partially offsetting this
performance, however, was a decline of 11% in the
Truckaway line of business which moves automotive and
recreational products on company-owned trailers. This
cyclical and capital intensive business, which is
part of the Specialized Delivery segment, sustained
operating losses of approximately $1.8 million pretax
in 1996.
Foremost Announces Impact
of Litigation Developments on 1996 Results
Foremost Corp. of
America announced the establishment of a reserve
affecting the company’s 1996 results. The
accrual reduces 1996 net income from $2.65 per share,
as announced on February 4, 1997, to $2.39 per share.
The re-serve was established following a recent
ruling by the Supreme Court of Alabama and as a
result of the expected settlement of more than 30
Alabama lawsuits against the company.
Both the Alabama
Supreme Court ruling and the settlements, which
resulted in the inclusion of the reserve in the 1996
financial statements, were developments which
occurred prior to finalization of the company’s
1996 financial statements, but after preliminary
release of its 1996 results on February 4, 1997.
Monaco Files For Follow-On
Public Offering
Monaco Coach Corp
announced the filing of a Registration Statement with
the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to a
proposed public offering of 2,100,000 shares of
Common Stock. Of the 2,100,000 shares, 800,000 shares
are being offered by the company and 1,300,000 shares
are being offered by certain stockholders. Net
proceeds to the company from the offering will be
used for repayment of debt, working capital, general
corporate purposes and potential acquisitions. The
offering is being underwritten by Smith Barney Inc.,
William Blair & Co., L.L.C. and A.G. Edwards
& Sons, Inc.
Proposed Restrictions At
Shows in Texas Exempts RVs
Texas is looking to
impose restrictions on show sales for motor vehicles
other than motorhomes and towables. According to the
bill, a licensee may, not sell or offer for sale a
new motor vehicle at a show. however, this "does
not prohibit the sale of a towable RV or motor home
at a show if the show or exhibition is approved by
the Commission."
New York Re-Introduces MSRP
Sticker Bill
Similar to last
year’s bill, both Assemblv Bill 4104 and Senate
Bill 2551 would require new RVs to display the
manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP)
sticker. The bill was introduced at the request of a
dealer in 1996. The bill, however, never made it out
of committee due to the lack of support.
American RV & Marine
No. 58 in New Mexico Private 100
American RV &
Marine moved up one notch over last year to the 58th
position in the New Mexico Business Journal’s
"The New Mexico Private 100" listings, a
ranking of the top private companies with annual
earnings above $5 million and employing 25 or more.
