RV Industry News
|
||
| October 2003 | Volume 29 - Number 3 | |
RV Industry News | ||
|
Winnebago Inducted into SBA Hall of Fame
Nominations for inductees were received from around the country from district and regional SBA offices. In addition to having received SBA assistance at some point, each nominated business was required to meet the following criteria: exemplary leadership in the business community; outstanding innovation; sustained growth, creating jobs and opportunities for others in their community; great diligence to overcome significant hardships to achieve success and outstanding dedication to their community. "What most people don't know is that all of these big businesses started out small and received help from the SBA. Their success was the result of hard work and an unwavering commitment to excellence," said SBA Administrator Hector V. Barreto, "and the SBA is proud to have played a small part in the pursuit of their dreams." Winnebago Industries was founded in 1958 as a travel trailer company under the name Modernistic Industries of Iowa. The fledgling company received a $75,000 SBA loan in 1960. The firm's name was changed to Winnebago Industries in 1961 and on September 24, 1964 the Company's manufacturing plant was devastated by fire. With the assistance of another SBA loan of $390,000 in 1965, Winnebago Industries was able to construct a new factory, and within months was building its world-famous motor homes. "We are truly honored to be included as one of the SBA's 'best of the best,'" said Winnebago Industries' Chairman, CEO and President Bruce Hertzke. "We are very thankful for the SBA's assistance in our formative years and truly grateful for the opportunities that it provided for Winnebago Industries to grow to become the leader in the motor home industry." Starting with just 17 employees in 1958, Winnebago Industries now has approximately 3,700 employees nationwide and approximately 2.7 million square feet of production under roof. Nearly two million square feet of that space comprises the largest RV production facility in the world in Forest City, Iowa. In addition, Winnebago Industries has satellite facilities in three other Iowa communities: Hampton, Lorimor and Charles City. Keybank Continues Preferred Lender Status with REDEX
"Over the past three years Key has been able to handle all aspects of commercial lending for our dealers and this was a determining factor in extending the contract for an additional four years. Key will continue to provide floorplan, working capital and real estate loans, as well as cash management, investment management and business advisory services to our dealers," said Paul Skogebo, president of REDEX. "Key understands the recreational vehicle business and continues to demonstrate their long-term commitment to our dealers and the industry," Skogebo continued. "REDEX constitutes a "who's who" in the recreational vehicle industry, accounting for more than $1.7B in annual recreational vehicle sales," said Kevin von Busch, senior vice president and national sales manager for Key Recreation Lending. "We look forward to deepening our relationship with the dealers over the next four years as a preferred lender and full service financial provider." Bob Livingston Receives Journalism Award
Livingston wears many hats as Vice President of RV content for AGI. He is associate publisher of Trailer Life and MotorHome magazines, executive director of the RVtoday television show, author of the popular Tech Topics column in Highways and director of the seminars program at the Great North American RV rallies. The award recognized Bob's extensive knowledge of the RV lifestyle and of the technical aspects of RVing, which he gained during three decades of involvement with the RV industry and as an RV enthusiast. Bombardier Family Buys Unit from Corporation
The Bombardier family, Bain Capital and the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec have formed a corporation to buy the recreattional division. “We are very happy to have the opportunity to continue to be associated with this heritage asset that was at the foundation of the development of one of Canada’s largest companies,” Laurent Beaudoin, spokesman for the Bombardier family, said in a statement. Online Statistics on Tenters Nearly one-third of campers visiting Kampgrounds of America’s popular KOA.com web site or receiving the KOA Kompass electronic newsletter this summer identified themselves as tenters. Online surveys conducted this summer found that 28 percent of those responding said they primarily used a tent when camping this summer. Historically, about 10 percent to 15 percent of KOA campers have used tents. The KOA.com summer survey also found about 20 percent of those responding said they were less than 35 years old. “The surveys show that our Internet visitors may be a bit younger and more likely to tent camp than our actual campers at our campgrounds,” said Mike Gast, KOA Director of Communications. “It also shows that there is a thirst for more camping information among this group of younger campers, who are more likely to be new to camping.” Kampgrounds of America, the largest system of family-oriented campgrounds in North America with nearly 500 locations, caters to all types of campers, from tents to the top-of-the-line big rigs. CTPA Board Unhappy With TL At its last Board of Directors meeting, the California Travel Park Association passed a motion to send a letter to Trailer Life regarding the Association’s displeasure regarding the change in the campground rating system. For more information see ‘Good Sam / Good for Who’ in the September 2003 issue of RV News, If you don’t have a copy handy, log onto http://www.rv-news.com.
Phone Skills for
Successful
RV Sales People
RV dealers and their top managers looking for some fresh ideas to start off the new year won't want to miss sales trainer D. J. Harrington's workshop "Phone Skills for Successful Sales People" on Monday, Dec. 1, at the Executive West Hotel in Louisville, KY. The workshop, sponsored by the RVDA Education Foundation's RV Learning Center, will be held the day before the opening of the National RV Trade Show, which runs Dec. 2-4. D.J. Harrington, a popular workshop trainer and a veteran of both RVDA and NADA conventions, believes developing solid skills when talking to customers on the phone is essential to sales success. During this 3-hour workshop, RV sales management professionals will learn:
This dynamic workshop runs from 2:30-5:30 p.m. and costs only $75 for RVDA members and $110 for non-members in advance. On-site registration will be $100 for members and $150 for non-members. The workshop is followed by a complimentary networking reception for RVDA members. To register, visit www.rvda.org for a registration form, send an e-mail to info@rvda.org or call (703) 591-7130. The RVDA Education Foundation's RV Learning Center is dedicated to providing dealers and their employees with new and innovative ways to operate RV dealerships, sharing proven methods and practices, and encouraging the highest professional standards for dealers of all sizes. For more information on the Foundation's RV Learning Center visit www.rvlearningcenter. com, send an e-mail to info@rvda.org, or send a fax to at (703) 591-0734. Lazydays Has Best July and August Ever! Lazydays RV Super-Center, the nation’s number one RV dealer, delivered 1,409 RV’s in July and August resulting in total revenue of approximately $113,500,000. This represents a 32% improvement over prior year and a record for both July and August throughout the entire 27-year history of the dealership. “Our record sales for the months of July and August come on the heels of breaking company records for May and June. I am very pleased that these positive sales trends have continued throughout the summer, which is traditionally a slow period for us. I attribute this excellent performance to consistently exceeding our customer’s expectations with our unique RV destination experience,” says Lazydays’ Founder and CEO, Don Wallace.
Winnebago Recognizes
Top Sales Dealers
Winnebago Industries, Inc. has announced its top sales awards winners for 2003. At Winnebago Industries’ annual Dealer Days event in Las Vegas, the following top sales awards were given: ● Lazy Days RV Center, Inc.,
Seffner, Fla. was recognized as
both the top Winnebago
Industries dealer and top
Winnebago brand dealer In addition to these awards, 179 dealers were also honored with the Circle of Excellence award in recognition of their excellence in customer satisfaction, as it relates to the customers’ sales and service experience with the dealer. Firm Changes Name Jerry Martin Associates, the 41-year old outdoor industry PR firm, has changed its name to Martin Flory Group. The announcement was made by company president Laura Martin. “Martin Flory Group more accurately describes who we are now, and our future,” said Martin. “Kelly Flory, our general manager, is actively involved in the growth of our agency. Jerry Martin has not been part of our firm for a number of years. While he pursues his successful other interests in the marine industry, we want to avoid possible confusion between our companies.” The purpose of the company remains unchanged. Martin Flory Group provides editorial material to media outlets worldwide on behalf of its clients. “Our PR program has helped our clients gain a global reputation over the years. We’re celebrating 20-year anniversaries with a number of clients this year, and others are working on 15-year milestones,” said Flory. “We’re excited about our new identity and our growth plans.” Call Martin Flory Group at 847- 662-9070. Welders Owner’s Manual On-Line If you’ve ever encountered a welding challenge and needed your owner’s manual for the solution, you know the frustration of not remembering where you stored it. Or perhaps you wanted to brush up on how to properly weld a T-joint only to discover you can’t find the owner’s manual that contains the instructions and highly useful diagrams. Your frustration and waiting for solutions to welding challenges is now over. Hobart Welder has put its owner’s manuals on-line at HobartWelders.com. You can access specific manuals right from the home page. “If you’re like me, I like to have a diagram for troubleshooting solutions at my side when I’m trying to solve a problem,” says Dave Anderson, manager, retail sales, Hobart Welders. “With our on-line manuals, you can print out the page or pages you need, then use them as a guide.” Troubleshooting Help The Hobart Web site provides more than 30 manuals on-line, including manuals for older models. Some manuals are even provided in French or Spanish. “If it’s midnight and you want to know why your welder isn’t working properly, go online and research the troubleshooting section of the owner’s manual,” Anderson says. “The answer will be on the troubleshooting pages. In a short time, your unit should be working again.” Westech Aerosol Wins Environmental Leadership Award Westech Aerosol Corporation has just been presented the coveted Sequoia Award for leadership in environmental innovation. This award was established to honor the development of products or implementation of techniques that promote healthy environment (i.e. cleaner air or water, conservation of natural resources, etc.). The winning product, Westech’s high strength canister adhesive, HSC13, contains low levels of volatile organic compounds and was uniquely formulated to exclude the chemical methylene chloride. The result is an overall reduction of air pollutants, while maintaining strength, ease of use and affordability. Westech’s HSC13 adhesive is ideal for use on automotive headliners, carpet, fabric, plastic, laminate and many other materials.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
