Month: December 2013

Editor’s Note: The following is a column by Jeff Hirsch, chairman of the Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA) and owner of New Hampshire-based Campers Inn, focusing on how dealers can effectively engage employees following severe cutbacks during the recession. The column appears in the latest issue of RV Executive Today. Few things are more enjoyable [...]

Italy-based Tecnoform, a supplier of innovative RV furnishings, has introduced its TecnoLed line of modular cabinetry. According to a press release, TecnoLed is a complete unit ready to be mounted in the vehicle. The predominantly white cabinetry offers clean, modern lines set off by blue LED lights that border the openings of the drawers and [...]

A new study has found that California’s state parks system is top-heavy and has been slow to seize on moneymaking opportunities that could help it recover from deep fiscal wounds, some of which were self-inflicted. U-T San Diego reported that the independent review also unearthed erratic and antiquated accounting systems, over-reliance on a few parks [...]

With Ally Financial having to refund money to victims of alleged bias in auto loans, are the dealerships that originated those loans now exposed to liability? Maybe, according to some consumer advocates. Automotive News reported that under the “disparate impact” theory pursued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CPFB), the central issue is dealer discretion [...]

Will Indiana Beach, central Indiana’s beloved summer attraction, open next summer, as it has every year for the past 87 seasons? According to an Associated Press report, the company that purchased the amusement park in 2008, Morgan Recreation Vacations, says the answer is an unequivocal “yes.” “I’ve only been there as general manager a couple [...]

A Dubuque, Iowa-based furniture maker is paying $6.25 million to settle a lawsuit alleging it polluted the water wells of some Elkhart, Ind., homes. The Elkhart Truth reported that Flexsteel Industries Inc. admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Flexsteel is a supplier to the [...]

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) announced that as 2013 comes to a close, the U.S. recreational boating industry will continue its post-recession climb with an estimated 5% increase in new powerboat retail sales. According to a press release, the increase comes on the heels of the industry’s 2012 rebound when new powerboat retail sales [...]

One consistent market constraint the U.S. RV industry has faced during its impressive recent recovery has been a shortage of Class A gas chassis manufactured by the industry’s sole chassis supplier — Ford Motor Co. But that supply squeeze appears to be lifting, according to motorhome builders and Ford spokesmen themselves — all of which [...]

The Go RVing dealer tie-in program is back for 2014 and better than ever, the Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA) reported. The Go RVing “Away” campaign returns with the emotion-driven family focus of past campaigns, along with continued emphasis on the affordability and accessibility of the RV lifestyle for multi-generational families. This optional program also [...]

National Public Radio aired a story this morning (Dec. 24) looking at the long-term effect on workers after the collapse of the Oregon RV industry a half-decade after the recession’s start. According to NPR, officials in Oregon have kept records on what happened to thousands of people who lost their jobs when RV manufacturing in [...]