Burlington Camping and Travel Named
1999 Top Quality Dealer
Burlington Camping and Travel was named
RVDA Top Quality Dealer of the Year on Sept. 29 during the association's Annual Meeting
held in conjunction with the RV Dealers International Convention/Expo in Las Vegas, NV.
RVDA Past Chairman Cammy Goetz (c) of Curtis Trailers in Portland, OR, presented the award
to Jess Spiegelhoff (l) and Burlington president Tim Wegge.
Tim Wegge became president of the family-owned Burlington
Camping and Travel in 1988 after holding several positions within the company. The
dealership has grown from a 4,000-square-foot building in the 1970's, to 20,600 square
feet in recent years. Burlington Camping and Travel has received many awards over the
years including recognition from Winnebago, Fleetwood, and Jayco.
Wegge credits his employees for the dealership's ongoing
success. He said, "We believe in hiring and keeping the best people who will grow
with us and continue to expand their knowledge of the industry."
The Top Quality Dealer of the Year Award recognizes RV
dealerships that, through their professionalism, promote a positive image of RV travel, RV
dealers and the RV industry at large. Any RVDA member who owns and operates a full service
RV dealership is eligible to be nominated. Judging focuses on customer satisfaction,
sales, financial status, physical plant, association and community service, innovativeness
and responsiveness to adversity.
A panel of judges who are past recipients of the award
selected a national Top Quality Dealer and three regional Top Quality Dealers.
Regional Top Quality Dealers are:
Eastern Region -
Meyer's Campers, Inc. in Caledonia, NY. After managing the dealership for over ten years,
dealer principal Mark Meyer purchased Meyer's Campers, Inc., in 1998 and expanded it into
a 20 acre dealership. RVDA members since 1978, Meyer's Campers, Inc. has also been very
active in Rochester RVDA for 26 years. Mark Meyer served as vice president and president
of the local association in the late 1980's.
Midwest Region - Gag's
Camper Way in Mankato, MN. President Larry Gag started Gag's Camper Way in 1972 at age 26.
In recent years, the company has improved the dealership's parts department, upgraded the
service department and added a customer lounge. Gag's Camper Way has received Winnebago
and Fleetwood dealer awards and has been active in RVDA since 1973.
Western Region -
Triple A RV in Medford, OR. Jerry Weston and his wife Sharon bought Triple A RV in 1984.
Through the years, they have made major upgrades to the dealership including a new
customer-friendly design, an optional open or private sales area, a 1,000 foot dealership
front with interstate visibility. Active in their community, Triple A RV sponsors sports
teams and works with 5 underprivileged families.
RVIA Shifts Strategy on Legislation Governing the
Relationship Between RV Manufacturers and Dealers
The RVIA board of directors has decided to make a major
change in strategy concerning legislation governing the relationship between RV
manufacturers and RV dealers.
In a memo to RVIA members, Dave Humphreys, RVIA
president, explained, "For many years RVIA has opposed all efforts aimed at passing
legislation governing the relationship between RV manufacturers and RV dealers. The basic
objection has been that our members did not want government dictating how they did
business.
"In the last few years, however, we have found that
in more and more states the relationship between RV manufacturers and RV dealers has been
damaged because RVs are included in the same legislation that governs the relationship
between automotive manufacturers and their dealers. Hostility between these entities has
increased greatly and this in turn results in more voluminous state legislation."
The solution to these problems that has been sought by RV
dealers and which the RVIA board of directors has now agreed to support is to develop
RV-specific legislation that will apply to all RVs. Humphreys emphasized, however, that
this legislation should be as fair as possible to all parties and supported by the
dealers.
RVIA has developed a complex set of procedures designed
to make sure that the legislation that is developed will be fair and reasonable to RV
manufacturers and dealers alike.
RVIA's Public and Legislative Affairs Committee, chaired
by Claire Skinner, Chairman of Coachmen Industries, has been working on this matter for a
number of months, and a special subcommittee chaired by Don Pletcher, president, chairman
& CEO of Damon Corporation was formed and has met several times to thoroughly discuss
all of the issues involved.
RVIA's plan is for negotiations to take place between a
carefully selected group representing RVDA, RVIA and the state RV associations. Every
effort will be made to move this process along as quickly as possible and still be sure
that the best interests of all members are taken into account.
Then the results of these negotiations will be reviewed
by RVIA's Public and Legislative Affairs Committee, Lawyers' Committee, Executive
Committee and board of directors. When all of these groups are satisfied that the final
proposal is acceptable, RVIA members will be informed and briefed on the provisions of the
proposed legislation.
Gerber and MacOwens Form
Timberland RV Company
Industry veterans Mark Gerber, president, and Kean
MacOwan, vice president, have formed Timberland RV Co., a new RV manufacturing company
which will focus on the entry-level towable market. Combined, the two entrepreneurs have
over 40 years of industry experience in various roles at Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc.
MacOwan said, "We are gearing our product as the
camper's camper. Often manufacturers eliminate camping conveniences in the push to lower
prices. We feel we have developed a product which will be both affordable and
usable."
Gerber added, "Dealers are in a fierce fight for
business everyday competing with similar products |
Foremost to be Acquired By Farmers
Insurance Group Sale to Foster Foremost's Growth Plans
Foremost Corporation of America (NYSE: FOM) announced in
October that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by the Farmers
Insurance Group of Companies for $29.25 per share, or approximately $812 million on a
fully diluted basis. According to chairman, president and chief executive officer of
Foremost Richard L. Antonini, Farmers Group will provide the resources necessary to expand
its business.
Foremost is major writer of mobile home property and
casualty insurance, insuring approximately one out of every five mobile homes in the U.S.
and is also a leading insurer of RVs. |
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| with similar features at similar prices.
Our plans are to provide our dealers with unique selling features at a competitive price
that enable them to make a fair return." Timberland is located in Peru, IN.
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Two Honored with RVDA Chairman's Service Award |
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Thomas |
Wheeler |
One RVDA dealer member and one RVDA
associate member were honored with Chairman's Service Awards in September during the RV
Dealers International Convention/Expo.
The Chairman's Service Award award recognizes those who
have made significant contributions to the association over an extended period of time.
The awards were presented by RVDA Past Chairman of the Board Cammy Goetz of Curtis
Trailers, in Portland, OR. The 1999 Chairman's Service Award recipients are:
As RVDA's state director in Missouri, Butch Thomas has
provided invaluable assistance with both state and national legislative issues that affect
the RV industry. Most recently he contacted House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt to
voice strong opposition to a proposed excise tax on outdoor recreation products --
including RVs -- that was never implemented. In addition, Thomas donated $10,000 in
Winnebago stock to The RVDA Education Foundation, making the Foundation a formal
shareholder in the RV industry.
Ron Wheeler has worked to advance the interests of RV
dealers and the RV industry. An expert in RV retail marketing, Wheeler has shared his
knowledge with RVDA members in many ways. He has conducted several convention workshops,
contributed articles in RV Executive Today magazine, and served on the RVDA
Convention/Expo Committee. He has supported The RVDA Education Foundation through
moderating a distance learning workshop titled, "A Complete Guide to Building an
Advertising Plan," and helps to organize the Foundation's golf tournament at the
annual RV Dealers International Convention/Expo.
Thor
Announces Exclusive License with MAN, Builder of Europe's 1999 Bus of the Year, to
Manufacture Light Weight, Low Floor Buses
Thor Industries, Inc. (NYSE: THO)
recently entered into an exclusive agreement with MAN, one of Germany's largest
corporations, to build a new series of lighter weight low floor buses. MAN's NL263 bus was
named Europe's 1999 Bus of the Year. Thor will build 40-foot and 30-foot versions of the
bus using MAN's design and engineering principles under an exclusive North American
license agreement.
MAN, which has been building buses since
1904, beat out Daimler-Benz, Iveco, and Scania for the 1999 Bus of the Year Award. MAN is
a pioneer in low floor technology and sells buses throughout the world.
Thor chairman Wade F. B. Thompson
said,"This new alliance with MAN represents Thor's entry into full-size transit
buses. It is a natural extension of our mid-size bus business where we hold a dominant 34%
share. With this product line expansion, Thor will offer its customers the widest product
range in the commercial bus industry." |
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Rick Horsey Elected
Chairman of The RVDA Education Foundation
Rick Horsey of Parkview RV Center, Smryna, DE, is the new
chairman of The RVDA Education Foundation, succeeding Jerry Greer of Jerry Greer RV,
Columbus, OH, as the Foundation's top volunteer leader.
A member of the RVDA and RVDA Education Foundation
boards, Horsey served as RVDA chairman in 1997-98 and has played a major role in many of
the Foundation's most important initiatives over the past several years.
In making the announcement, RVDA Past Chairman Cammy
Goetz, said, "Rick brings to the position a real commitment to improving customer
service, employee education, and overall dealership operations. His work on the Foundation
and RVDA boards gives him the experience and consensus-building skills that are so
important in our diverse industry."
Since the Foundation was formed in 1991 through September
1999, Jerry Greer served as president, its chief elected leader. The RVDA board recently
voted to change the make up of the Foundation board and rename the titles of its officers.
Under the new structure, the chief volunteer leader will be the chairman of the Foundation
Board. |
Industry Pioneer Walter 0. Wells Dies
Walter 0. Wells, co-founder of Schult Homes, and a
pioneer in the RV and manufactured housing industries passed away in August 1999. He was
87 years old.
Walter Wells' legacy started when Wilbur Schult visited
the Chicago International Exposition in 1933 and saw the commercial potential in a
carnival worker's trailer. Schult located the trailer's manufacturer and began selling
these trailers from behind his Elkhart, IN, clothing store.
It was the middle of the Great Depression and Walter
Wells, a part-time helper at Wilbur Schult's store, surmised that the two of them could
build these themselves. In 1934 the partners began producing a product that resembled a
travel trailer in a rented garage in Elkhart.
And from that idea, nurtured with hard work and a vision,
the two partners built a very successful company -- Schult Homes.
RPTIA's Garpow Keynote
Speaker at Meetings in Japan
Bill Garpow, executive director of the
Recreation Park Trailer Industry Association (RPTIA) recently was a keynote speaker for
meetings in Japan and Okinawa. Japan is interested in creating destination /seasonal RV
Parks that will provide camping sites for recreational park trailers, travel trailers and
fifth wheels. The programs described the ways that park trailers have been used in the
United States.
According to Garpow, several towns and cities in Okinawa
Prefecture (southern Japan islands) have expressed interest in these RV Parks. To assist
them with their efforts the US Embassy-Tokyo, Japan Association of Recreational Vehicle
Campgrounds (JARVC), Japan Recreational Vehicle Importers Association (IRVIA), RPTIA and
RVIA presented two seminars.
One was held in Okinawa at Panacea, a health and fitness
resort that recently received delivery of six Breckenridge park trailers, which are now
being offered in their rental market.
The other meeting was held in Tokyo at a location
adjacent to the US Embassy. In total, over 100 participants attended representing
government, developers and landowners. |
Randy
Thompson Receives Prestigious James B. Summers Award
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Randy
and his wife Mikie were honored at a special leadership dinner during RVDA's Convention. |
Randy Thompson
of Crystal Valley RV in Crystal Lake, IL, received the James B. Summers Award during the
RV Dealers International Convention/Expo in Las Vegas, NV on September 28.
Randy Thompson has been
active in RVDA since the early 1970's. A former chairman of the RV Assistance Corporation
(RVAC) board and RVDA-RVIA Technician Certification governing board, he served as
president (chief elected volunteer officer) of RVDA in 1989-90. Thompson currently serves
on the RVDA Education Foundation board. In 1996, Thompson's dealership was named Top
Quality Dealer of the Year.
The award is named for past
RVDA Executive Vice President Jim Summers and recognizes individuals who made a consistent
and outstanding contribution to the association and its members. |
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RVIA Members Elect Ten Representatives to
Association's Board
RVIA members elected three new members and seven
incumbents to the board of directors during the association's elections, which concluded
on Aug. 31 with more than 245 eligible voting members casting votes.
Richard Coon, director, RV sales and marketing, Onan
Corp. (supplier representative); Neil Ford, president, Nu Wa Industries (towable); and
John Kehoe, president, Osage Industries (conversion vehicle) were newly elected to the
board for three-year terms.
Incumbents re-elected to three-year terms were Wilbur
Bontrager, chairman, Jayco, Inc. (towable); Terry Decio, senior executive vice president,
Skyline Corp. (towable); Ron Doyle, president, Western Recreational Vehicles (towable);
Tom Faludy, president, Carefree of Colorado (at large); Bruce Hertzke, chairman, president
and CEO, Winnebago Industries (motorhome); and Art Wyatt, vice president, sales, OEM
division, The Dometic Corp. (supplier).
Jim Sheldon of Monaco Coach Corp. (at large) was
re-elected to a two-year term. This position has a two-year term because Sheldon was
appointed to fill a vacant seat last year.
Midwest Products Back in Business
After fire destroyed the company's
facilities in Winterset, IA, Midwest Products owner Roger Gifford decided to move to
Coming, IA, where a 25,000-square- foot building was available in an industrial park.
Fifty-eight days later cooling units were coming off the production line.
Midwest refurbishes refrigerator cooling units , but has
also branched out. Two years ago, Gifford
purchased a local CNC machine shop, presently a division of Midwest Products.
Gail Malay heads up Coach Net's RVDA
Training Expansion
Coach Net has hired Gail Malay, Lake
Havasu City, AZ, as Training Manager. Gail brings with her twenty-one years as an educator
and received her Masters Degree in Educational Administration from Northern Arizona
University.
Coach Net has embarked on a two-year RV training expansion program to reach 100% RVDA/RVIA
certification for Coach Net's eighty-four RV customer service representatives. Malay
taught at both Northern Arizona University and Mohave Community College before joining
Coach Net and will head up Coach Net's Training and Human Resource Department.
Coach Net's new 11,000-square-foot Customer Assistance
Center will be the regional test site for RVDA/RVIA certification testing.
RVN |
