(Dec. 2, 2008) -- Client Services Director Bill Carr, said, “This is the fourth downside market since we started working with dealers in 1976. Owners are nervous and they have developed some bad habits during the last 12 to 14 years of good times. But there are proven strategies that owners can employ to survive and remain profitable in this down market. These strategies go beyond the basics of cutting inventory and reducing staff. Most of these are actions dealers can take themselves; they just need someone to give them a road map through these times.”

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(Nov. 26, 2008) -- Shipments from RV manufacturers to dealers fell 52.5 percent in October, according to figures released by the RV Industry Association today. A total of 13,500 new units were shipped to dealers last month, down from 28,400 units shipped in October 2007. For the year, 225,400 units were shipped to dealers, compared to 309,500 for the first 10 months of 2007.

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(Nov. 26, 2008) -- Channel Blade will design seven new Web sites for Leisure Days RV Centre in English and French using eXceleratePro – the company’s award-winning Web site solution. It will also implement Footsteps – its proven lead generation and management solution – and provide on-site sales education to drive traffic and sales. This partnership enables Channel Blade to further increase market share in the RV segment.

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(Nov. 26, 2008) -- RV Care Network will be hosting its annual gathering of dealers and partner suppliers Dec. 1 in Louisville, Ky., in conjunction with the National RV Trade Show. In 2008 the RV Care network grew by over 30 percent, from 29 to 38 dealers spanning from Vancouver Island on the west coast to Montreal, Quebec in the east. "Unlike many American dealers, the majority of Canadian RV dealers are reporting 2008 having been on par, and in some regions ahead of past years for sales and profitability," said Earl Manning, vice president and general manager.

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(Nov. 25, 2008) -- GE Commercial Distribution Finance will offer its customers tuition credits that will pay 50 percent or more of the program costs on select products. Spader's resources have a proven track record of delivering results including improved productivity and profitability.

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(Nov. 25, 2008) -- For the first time ever, the “Buy One Vehicle and Get a Second One for $1” special is available on a total of 10 New select Dodge Vehicles starting Nov. 21, while supplies last. Customers who pay the sticker price of a Brand New 2008 Dodge Charger, Grand Caravan, Ram Truck or Dakota at Bettenhausen Dodge, 17514 S. Oak Park Avenue in Tinley Park, will get a slightly used 2008 Dodge for only $1.

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(Nov. 25, 2008) -- Lee's Country RVs opened in the former Terry's RVs location in early 2007. Lee also had dealerships in Batesville and New Whiteland, but the Muncie and New Whiteland locations closed recently.

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(Nov. 24, 2008) -- The towable RV brands/manufacturers earning awards are (in alphabetical order): Carriage Cameo/Carriage/Carri-Lite/Domani/Royals; Jayco Designer; Jayco Eagle; Jayco Jay Feather; Jayco Jay Flight; Jayco Folding Campers; Keystone Big Sky/Montana/Mountaineer; Keystone Cougar/Energy/VR1; Keystone Springdale/Summerland; KZ Coyote/MXT; KZ Durango/Sportsmen/Spree; KZ Montego Bay, and KZ Sport Utility Trailers. The four motorized RV brands/manufacturers earning awards are (in alphabetical order): Itasca; Jayco; Tiffin; and Winnebago.

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(Nov. 24, 2008) -- Focus Inc. believes the area of greatest impact for the automotive industry is the dealership floor plan, the bridge-financing a dealership receives from the point at which they purchase inventory from a manufacturer to the time they sell the inventory to consumers. If dealerships lose their floor plans — and they currently are — then they have no way to continue business and must close their doors. This essentially creates a domino effect in the industry, impacting both lenders and manufacturers, because there are fewer avenues available for revenue.

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(Nov. 24, 2008) -- BankersLiquidation.com is a dedicated RV clearinghouse of bank repos, manufacturer dealer pick-ups and dealer-to-dealer wholesale units offered to RV dealers at liquidation prices. According to Rick Palmer, BankersLiquidation.com spokesman, “Our goal is to keep today’s excess and distressed inventory evenly distributed around the country and in RV dealers’ hands. If they’re handled by RV dealers we can be assured the new customer is well educated and serviced … ultimately resulting in a more satisfied RVer.”

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(Nov. 24, 2008) -- Arbutus RV and Marine Sales Ltd., which sells Bigfoot lines at five Island locations and is the largest seller of Bigfoot products in Canada, said yesterday it would be working closely with an appointed receiver "in liquidating this unique and quality-built Canadian product." Arbutus owner Craig Little said Bigfoot sold about 70 per cent of its product in the United States, but the closure of several dealerships because of softening demand amid the economic meltdown forced the Armstrong company to buy back all unsold inventory. With the Canadian dollar slipping far from par with the U.S. greenback, the difference essentially forced the company to close.

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(Nov. 24, 2008) -- The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest loans to those that lost sales because of either this year's heavy smoke or sub-freezing temperatures. Small businesses and most private, nonprofit organizations of any size may apply. The Economic Injury Disaster Loans are available because of disaster declarations covering Shasta, Trinity, Siskiyou, Tehama and 17 other northern counties. Applications are allowed not only for physical damage from wildfires, for example, but also the economic toll of lost business, administration spokesman Ron Foss said.

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(Nov. 20, 2008) -- According to Chris Baum, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Little Guy, "There has been talk of a recession, but we just aren't seeing it. Sales of our teardrops counter-trend current economic conditions. Teardrop camper trailers have a minimal impact on the fuel economy of the tow vehicle."

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(Nov. 20, 2008) -- The Junior League of Bakersfield will host Wine Fest on Saturday evening in the Stier's RV Center showroom.
The dealership will roll its inventory out the door to make room for chow from local and chain restaurants. The event will feature a sports lounge with two big-screen TVs blazing college football, silent and live auctions and a cigar bar to benefit programs for women and children in Kern County.

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(Nov. 19, 2008) -- “Coach-Net is the recognized leader in roadside and technical assistance for the RV industry,” said RVDA President Mike Molino. “RVDA’s Board of Directors is pleased to acknowledge Coach-Net’s ongoing support for RV dealers and their customers through this endorsement. Using this program helps keep RV travelers on the road and improves both customer satisfaction and loyalty.”

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(Nov. 19, 2008) -- Dale Broome’s RV Center will shut its doors this month because owner Leeds Foyil said would-be customers can’t secure financing for purchases. High gas prices hit the business earlier in the year, Foyil said, but a poor national economy was the final nail in the coffin. About one in 25 customers who are interested in purchasing a recreational vehicle have their purchases financed, Foyil said. “I just can’t run a business like this,” he said.

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(Nov. 18, 2008) -- Danny Graham, general manager of Sun City RV, crawled into an RV suspended 40 feet in the air today, and he'll call it home for up to three days -- or until the dealership receives 500 frozen turkeys which will be donated to a local food bank. A flight nurse with the local AirEvac is spending time with Graham, who is also afrid of heights.

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(Nov. 18, 2008) -- Under provisions of Chapter 11, the companies will continue their sales, service and other operations. CEO Thomas P. Sylvester stressed that the company continues to enjoy the support of major vendors and the lender that provides financing to cover inventory. The Chapter 11 filing was necessary, Sylvester said, to protect operations from the demands of lenders holding the secured debt on real estate and structures which house Beaudry operations. The banking crisis has resulted in this impasse with these lenders, he added.

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(Nov. 18, 2008) -- Seventh Heaven Recreation, a company that sells RVs, consolidated its operations to its Nampa office, Managing Director Andy Meyer said Monday. The move put Seventh Heaven, which had a lot at 39th and Chinden streets, closer to the Interstate, he said.

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(Nov. 17, 2008) -- “We have the financial resources to run our operations as we normally would as we approach our selling season. Our primary concern is the outlook for the medium and long-term should RV sales remain depressed for a protracted period. Rather than wait for such a situation and have to respond in a reactionary way, we have elected to be pro-active and address these important issues with our bondholders at this time,” said Randy Lay, chief financial officer for Lazydays.

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