Rick Kessler

ELKHART, Ind. – With a ribbon-cutting celebration Thursday at its newest retail store in Elkhart, Ind., Fun Town RV not only further solidified its aggressive expansion pace, company officials promised there would be more to come.

From the corner office of the former International RV Wholesalers dealership on Elkhart’s west side – FunTown acquired the business in early September – Jarrod McGhee, FunTown’s founder, president and “chief bottle washer,” vowed that there would be additional expansion announcements in the near future.

“We’ve got another store in Grand Rapids, Mich., that we’re opening, two in Little Rock (Ark.), and there’s six more on the board that’ll be announced in the next six months,” McGhee said, before shedding some light on the reasons for FunTown’s expansion pace.

“Well, it’s not a need to get bigger,” he said. “I mean, anybody that has a competitive spirit wants to win, and when you’re really good at something – and I think I’m the best operator in the business with the best team in the business with the best products – why not get bigger? I mean, the opportunity’s there and to me it’d almost be a sin not to grow and get bigger and expand.

“I think that I owe a lot of my success is my team,” he continued. “I’ve got a lot of really good veterans who care. They poured their heart and soul to help me build this company and I owe it to them and me to keep growing, keep the company healthy, keep going in the right direction.

“I’ve got a young man sitting right beside me,” he said, referring to his son, Chandler, “who looks at me about once a day like I’m sitting in his seat. So, I want to have this company raring to go from when he’s starting to take the reins and take over and take us to the next decade.”

As far as the ribbon cutting, McGhee and his team were all smiles as they officially opened the dealership’s second Elkhart location – which happens to be a Forest River-exclusive store. FunTown’s first store in Elkhart is dedicated to PDI.

Earlier, McGhee told RVBusiness that his third Elkhart location was going to be another PDI operations, one large enough to allow every single unit slated for a FunTown store to first undergo an inspection by his team. He added that FunTown will host a job fair in October – details are still being finalized – to help staff that new PDI facility, among other positions.

“We need everything from technicians, service operators, service writers, and management from entry level positions all the way up,” he said. “We’re going to a 100% quality control every unit before it leaves Indiana and goes to any of our stores, and we need a lot of help to do it. We’d love to have experience, but you don’t have to have experience. If you just have a good attitude and you’re willing to work, we will have a spot for you.”

During that same conversation, McGhee shared some of his expansion strategies as well as his thoughts on the RV industry and its approach to the customer experience. What follows is an edited account of that conversation.

RVB: Congratulations on the grand opening of your company’s newest store in Elkhart. You’ve been on quite the growth spurt lately, Jarrod. Was this always in your plans?

McGhee: Well, Fun Town RV started in 2010. We had one location and it grew slowly. We were really focused on infrastructure people when we first started out. We’d had maybe a store or two a year. I never thought I was going to be a big chain. I started out just wanting having one store do a really good job, service North Texas. Then it became two stores, three stores. By the time I got to four, I realized I’m a company now and I had to start structuring it that way and put layers of management in and things like that. So, we started getting a little bit bigger and started adding processes and management.

A few more years go by and some of the outside money started coming in, the Wall Street money, and they started coming in and buying people and buying people out and paying these big multiples. I kind of stepped back and scratched my head and said, ‘Why are they paying us? I can do a better job. I can rebuild the store, start from scratch, not have bad habits, go in there, teach people how to do this right, do the service right.’

RVB: And you align your stores around a customer-experience mentality, don’t you?

McGhee: Because I came from the floor and selling RVs, one of the things that always bugged me was I knew that we could do a better job with the customer experience. The day you buy the RV, you should be just as happy as the day you’re camping in it. It shouldn’t be a struggle. You shouldn’t be still repairing it the day you pick it up. It should be a happy, fun experience.

So, I took that thought process when I was trying to build the dealership and I wanted to do the PDI facility up here so that all my dealerships got a quality unit so when they sold it to the customer, they’re not repairing it while the customer’s picking up. Then do a walk-through experience with the customer, learn how to use the unit right.

From working the floor and being just a general sales manager at one point, I learned that 50% of the problems the customers have after they buy it is because they weren’t taught how to use the unit right. The other 50% is because they were built with a defect that came from the factory that didn’t get caught before you deliver it to the customer. So, I said, ‘If I can work on limiting both of those ends, I’ll have a better product and I don’t need to go pay somebody to buy their dealership. I can build a better mousetrap.’ That’s really what I felt I did.

It took about 10 years to get the infrastructure built up, but now that the market’s kind of taken a downturn and those guys that overpaid for those dealerships have all kind of decided, ‘Oops, we spent too much money and invested money that we shouldn’t have’ – or they haven’t and they’ve all calmed down – we’re able to go out and start greenfielding and buying locations and markets and putting our processes in place at a reasonable price, getting the product that we want, going and giving the customer a better value because we didn’t overspend on the dealership or overspend on buying something.

We’re able to pass that value and that savings and all the experience we’ve had over the years of how to deliver an RV right, how to purchase one right, how to get it to customer right to these new markets and they welcome us with open arms. I haven’t opened a dealership yet in a market that we didn’t just take right off and get going.

I think my smallest store right now is doing 35 units a month. My largest store fortunately retails 250, 300 units a month. So, it’s been a journey. I mean, I literally was working at Fun Time RV back in 2010 and it goes out of business. I’m like, ‘Oh no, what I’m going to do the next day.’ I opened one store and I look up 15 years later and I’ve got 24 locations – about to have 30 – and a little over 800 employees. It’s been a whirlwind.

RVB: And, as you mentioned, the new PDI facility will allow you to perform an inspection on every unit you order?

McGhee: We decided that we’re just not going to let one leave without quality control. We’re going to work with these factories hand in hand.

We’re going to quit calling an item when they sell it to me before I sell it to the customer and it’s broken a ‘warranty item’ going to start calling it a ‘defect.’ We’re going to start identifying these defects and trying to figure out how we’re going to get the trailer from their plant to my plant door without having a defect on it.

I mean, I don’t think industry’s going to go Six Sigma overnight, but we’re working hand in hand with Forest River and THOR to figure out how we’re going to get a better quality of product from their plant door to my plant door so I can take it from my plant door to the customer’s driveway and have as few problems as possible.

Right now, we’re doing about 50%. In 2018, when I built the original PDI facility, I could do a 100% of my inventory through it. But the company’s grown a little bit since then. We’re about 5% of the nation’s sales now and it’s going to take another plant in order to be able to get them all through the PDI process. That’s our goal: in the next six months have 100% of our inventory through PDI before it ever gets to the store.

RVB: Jarrod, a few years back you told us you were quite happy with staying in Texas. Now, you have locations in Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. What happened?

McGhee: Well, I was happy with greenfields in Texas then because there was some people running around using other people’s money, overpaying for dealerships and paying six and seven multiples. I was happy to let them run around and do that, but now I’m over to a more realistic time.

I can go into markets outside of Texas for not much money and set up a nice little dealership and get the right brands in place and do a good job for the community and for the RV community and get in there. I believe some sanity is starting to come back to the industry now, but they’re at the expense of some equity companies. If you made a little bit of public money out there, I learned a lesson that the RV industry is not the auto industry.

To me it’s the right time. I was waiting for the downturn. I was waiting for sanity to come back for the industry before I started spreading out and going to different states.

I’m very happy with my 30% of the state of Texas I have – and I don’t know why I don’t have the other 70% yet, but I’m working on it. But, yes, I’m going to be going to several other markets.

The post Elkhart Ribbon-Cutting Signals FunTown’s Rapid Expansion first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

RV manufacturers and suppliers are busy with the final details of their displays for the 2024 ELkhart RV Open House set for next week at various locations in and around Elkhart, Ind. Pictured here in the Keystone RV display at the RV/MH Hall of Fame are, seated from left, Mike Auger, Cody Schade and Jason Farver and, standing from left, Ronnie Harper and David Koerting.

Keystone is part of the THOR Industries display at the Hall of Fame, while other OEMs are showcasing their 2025 model year lineups elsewhere. Forest River’s Dealer Expo is located at an East t West facility in southwest Elkhart and Winnebago is welcomign dealers from its location at Elcona Country Club. Many manufacturers are set up along Executive Parkway leading into the Hall of Fame, and others have displays at their respective campuses in Bristol, Elkhart, Goshen, Nappanee and other norther Indiana locations.

Most manufacturers are hosting dealers Monday, Sept. 23 through Thursday, Sept. 26.

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ELKHART, Ind. – NeXus RV welcomed over 100 owners of their motorhomes to the company’s campus Thursday as part of the 2024 NeXus RV Owners Rally, taking place in nearby Shipshewana, Ind.

Thursday’s activities at NeXus included a catered breakfast, tours of the company’s 2025 models that were on display, and a healthy Q&A session with co-founders Claude Donati and Dave Middleton and other members of their team.

“It’s always nice because of the camaraderie,” Donati told RVBusiness. “We get to let them ask their questions, what they’re experiencing, and provide any insight to make our product better. We do factory tours, we take down their questions and concerns, feed them, give them some apparel, and it’s just a nice morning to spend with them.”

Middleton noted that when he and Donati founded NeXus in 2010, it was initially a factory-direct business model before changing to a dealer network in 2018. Because of that, he said, the two have an even greater appreciation for their owners.

“We want to try to keep that intimate relationship with the customers, and I think we try to step in as much as possible to make sure that the customers are taken care of,” Middleton said. “In this busy world our dealers live in, sometimes they aren’t treated as well as we want them to be. So, we really work our tail off to keep that intimate relationship with the customers, and I think today is a great example of that. We feel like we’ve known some of these people for a long time.”

Indeed, Donati and Middleton interacted with the owners as if they were at a family reunion, with hugs and smiles all around. In fact, due to demand and the limited space at the Shipshewana campground, Donati noted that the rally next year will move to Elkhart Campground.

“This is part of the big reward of starting Nexus RV; it goes beyond selling a motorhome to somebody and making money or getting market share. It’s about creating a fun environment for people. It’s rewarding,” Donati said.

“And when you look at a company like NeXus versus the big guys, the customers are selling the product for us,” Middleton added. “They’re on social media, and when they see that we are interacting, we’re answering their questions, they see that we’re here every day as owners, we’re not absentee owners. That goes a long way with them. And because of them, that’s why we’re growing and having the success we are.

“I’ve said it a million times – I’ll probably say it a million mor – without our customers, we don’t have a business,” he continued. “So, we understand the importance of how we want them to be treated, and we’re going to make sure we do everything we can to give them the best service and product in the market.”

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ST-JÉROME, Quebec – Prolite, a leading Canadian manufacturer of ultralight, high-quality travel trailers, announces its return as an exhibitor at the Elkhart RV Dealer Open House this Sept. 23-25. The company continues its expansion into the United States market and will unveil its new 2025 models ultralight travel trailers, according to a release.

The return to Elkhart coincides with the company celebrating its first 25 years of consistent and reliable product offerings. It will be showcasing its newly restyled exteriors and interiors at the show. The event will serve as a kickoff for its 2025 model year and includes a redesign of the popular Profil model and a new modern color palette in its trailers’ interiors.

“We’re thrilled to rejoin the Elkhart RV Dealer Open House event and showcase the future of Prolite. We are aware manufacturers are working hard to replicate or copy our products.  Come see the original ultralight travel trailers inspiring the competition.” said Frédéric Delwiche, owner of Prolite. “Our 2025 models embody our commitment to continuous improvement and our mission to craft travel trailers with a laser focus on ultra-light weight and high quality. We look forward to connecting with dealers and providing them with an exclusive preview of these new designs.”

To this end, Prolite has partnered with Chase and Scott Rhode, Co-Founders, Fields & Sports LLC, along with “The Guru” Matthew Boot, to act as its representative with dealers in the United States. Field & Sports with their seasoned group of sales professionals, will leverage its existing relationships with dealers across the country to expand Prolite’s reach in the market.

Dealers interested in learning more about Prolite’s 2025 models are invited to visit the company at CR6 Campus, Off Roadside Row 1, West Space, or schedule a meeting in advance.

For more information on Prolite visit www.ProliteRV.com. For dealer inquiries, contact [email protected] or Field and Sports at [email protected] or at www.fieldandsports.com.

About Prolite

Founded in 2000 and headquartered in St-Jérôme, Quebec, Canada. Prolite has been dedicated to producing innovative, ultralight travel trailers that can be towed by most standard vehicles. Over the past 25 years, the company has established a reputation for delivering high-quality ultralight RVs to outdoor lovers across North America and Japan.

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ELKHART, Ind. – Liquified RV, the startup company known for its holding tank treatment, has grown so quickly that the company has opened a Warehouse & Distribution Center in Elkhart, Ind.

The warehouse was necessary, officials said, because Liquified RV is now offering wholesale distribution directly to RV dealerships and campgrounds. The company intends to continue its consumer-direct model, but co-owners Matt Foxcroft and Wil Knowles were quick to mention all retail pricing is universal.

The 10,000-square-foot warehouse is located along Beck Drive on the Alliance RV campus. In fact, Foxcroft and Knowles acquired the warehouse building from Alliance RV.

“We are great friends with (Alliance RV c0-founders) Ryan and Coley Brady and we were in the market for a 3,000- to 5,000-square-foot warehouse. They ended up buying the warehouse across the street, and so they gave us an amazing deal on their warehouse with favorable terms because they’ve been business mentors to us and great friends. And so now we have a prime piece of real estate on an amazing, huge warehouse that’s something that we can definitely grow in and expand in,” said Knowles, who serves as the company’s vice president of operations and wholesale.

“We’re trying to take control of our own destiny with our own warehouse where we’re packing, fulfilling and monitoring quality and control,” he added.

Liquified’s growth in its first 20 months of business is certainly impressive. The company has already sold over 100,000 bottles of its RV Toilet Treatment.

“Liquified has grown beyond anything we ever could have imagined, to be honest, and our sales have skyrocketed” said Foxcroft, Liquified RV’s vice president of sales. “That was another big reason we wanted this warehouse. Another big thing for us is quality control. We want the buyer to have the best experience possible. And as we’ve grown, some issues have shown, and this gives us the control to fix those immediately.

In addition to its RV Toilet Treatment (orange and lavender scents) available in both a 16-ounce bottle featuring a pre-measured spout or a 20-pack of drop-in pods, Liquified RV’s ever-growing line of products includes the RV Gray Tank Treatment (lemon scent) in a 33-ounce bottle and the RV Toilet Bowl Cleaner (fresh citrus scent) in a 24-ounce bottle.

“With us bypassing the RV distributors, we have an amazing wholesale program,” Knowles explained. “We have the best margins in the industry. We control Amazon and online pricing. You’re never going to hear a customer say they can buy it cheaper on Amazon because we control Amazon. And if you want to learn more about wholesale, they can send me an email: [email protected] – that’s Wil with one L.”

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This is one of those only-in-America stories where a team of entrepreneurs discover a need, develop a product to fill that void, and then, through word of mouth, they hit it big – and now have their sights set on even bigger targets.

The entrepreneurs are led by Henry Proegler, their company is called Moon Fabrications Inc. (MoonFab), and their signature product is the MoonShade, a portable awning that’s ready to graduate from #VanLife and test the waters of the greater RV industry.

“What built this industry is the traditional RVer, and I think that’s always going to be the lifeblood. But we can learn from some of these emerging aftermarket products – like Overland Expo and #VanLife. There are more people dry camping than we realize. There’s more people boondocking than we realize,” Proegler said, adding that RVers are passionate about the RV lifestyle and customizing their campsite setup to suit their purposes.

“And that can be a challenge for the RV industry, which is why it makes sense as to why the industry has existed in the way that it has,” he said. “But this next evolution is allowing the customer to have a little more customization over what they’re doing. And I’m hoping that the easiest way for RV manufacturers to do that is by including fantastic aftermarket products, such as the MoonShade.”

Austere Beginnings

A documentary filmmaker by trade, Proegler’s background also includes bringing various outdoor products to market. But he was first introduced to the RV industry several years ago while working on videos with TAXA Outdoors. That stint also exposed Proegler to the overlanding market, but it wasn’t until a good friend of his called him up before the MoonShade came to be.

His friend had made a decent living doing tech work for Airbnb and then the Robinhood investment firm, but tired of the corporate rat race. He left that world, moved to California, grew his hair out and outfitted his own campervan. He called Proegler when he couldn’t find an awning he liked, and the two set to work.

“So, part of it – and this is true for a lot of nomads and DIYers who live on the road full time – is they want to be able to stealth camp,” Proegler explained. “He lived in San Francisco at the time, so you don’t want to put a big giant awning on your van because it’s just a target that says, ‘Hey, come break into this.’ It started with that.”

That was back in 2018, and early on in the development it was determined they could make an awning in which its strength was incorporated into the shade itself.

After several prototypes, the two were ready to bring the MoonShade to market. Proegler said they raised $32,000 via Kickstarter and, by March of 2020, they had orders for 1,000 MoonShade awnings soon after having launched its retail-direct website.

“And we’re like, ‘Okay, if we sell through all of these over the course of the year, we can eat. We can pay ourselves. This’ll work,’” Proegler recalled.

Which brings us to the part of the story where the MoonShade struck a chord with the #vanlife movement and things really took off.

“I’m all about grassroots marketing, so I wanted to get this in the hands of the super users, so we partnered with a handful of YouTubers – people who were living in their vans,” Proegler said. “This is in April 2020, and it was ‘right place, right time.’ That inventory that we were hoping to sell through over the course of 12 months, we sold through in six weeks.”

Fast forward to today and they have sold close to 20,000 MoonShades, 90% of which were retailed directly to customers including some 2,000 Airstream Basecamp owners. Now, Proegler said, with the product having proven itself, he is looking to partner with OEMs.

“That’s part of the reason Bret’s here,” Proegler said referring to Bret Thompson, a Goshen native who now lives in Portugal. “He’s another seasoned entrepreneur who’s helping us just figure it out. I mean, Moon was a dream when it launched. That dream was fueled mightily by COVID. So, we spent the last two years just really figuring out the business and getting ready. But it definitely feels like we’re at the very front end of what our relationship with OEMs will be like.”

They already have at least one OEM partnership, and Forest River’s Collin Spickler is all too willing to sing MoonShade’s praises.

“In an industry where too many are racing to the bottom, we’ve made it our mission to set a higher standard. The MoonShade aligns perfectly with our vision of delivering versatile, high-quality solutions that enhance outdoor living. We’re not just outfitting RVs; we’re creating better camping experiences for our customers by focusing on what truly matters,” Spickler said.

In addition to Proegler and Thompson, the MoonFab team includes a former head of R&D at Patagonia. And besides the accolades from #vanlifers and Forest River’s Spickler, MoonShade has been celebrated by such publications as Outside Magazine Buyers Guide and Wirecutter.

Competitive Differentiation

What sets MoonShade apart is it’s versatile, durable, efficient and sustainable. Made with quality materials and construction, the MoonShade is built to last using 420D ripstop polyester with UV protective treatment, reflective coating, and heavy-duty polyester webbing trim. Its efficiency comes from its portable, simple designs that make set up and tear down a breeze. And the MoonShade is sustainable because the manufacturing process is intentionally designed to have as little impact as possible.

Its versatility is where the MoonShade truly shines, and it’s readily apparent as soon as you take it out of its handy carrying case. Using the included carabiners, suction cups, and strut pole, along with fixed mounting points such as roof racks and fences, plus any other accessories you may already have at home such as hammock straps, the configurations of MoonShade become endless.

“The MoonShade is essentially a dome tent that has various ways to anchor to a vehicle, but with it being semi-permanent, the design gives you a lot more modularity because when you roll into a camping space, if the sun isn’t over your driver’s side, you can mount it off the back or you can mount it off the other side,” Proegler said.

The MoonShade is available in either the OG model providing 9-by-7 feet coverage, or the XL version that provides 12-by-9 feet of coverage. Each is secured by a variety of methods, including attaching via a carabiner to heavy-duty vacuum-mount, suction cup or magnetic anchor points, as well as telescoping aluminum poles, guidewires and steel stakes. In addition, detachable MoonWalls offer more shade protection as well as a greater degree of privacy. And a fully enclosed screen room – sorry not sorry, mosquitos – is on its way, too.

“It’s just a great product. We’re never going to step in the way of the push-button convenience people. I’m not going to get on certain rigs and units, but I think there’s a lot of people who appreciate that it’s easier to set up than most fixed-attach awnings that are manual,” Proegler said.

“With OEMs, where we’re really focused on helping them is to extend the space for their customers outside,” Proegler explained. “Like with Palomino, they’re making the XL an option off the side, but maybe they’ll make the smaller shade on the back. That’ll be the work for us in the next couple years, is helping people figure out the best setup for their different units.

“I think that, as a primary awning, it’s going to make the most sense on a lightweight towable,” Proegler said, singling out truck campers in particular. “That’s where we’re seeing a ton of growth right now, and that’s in part because of how truck campers work and how they’re really tall. We were also on R-Pod last year. We’re on two of their smallest units.

While the MoonShade story is an American success story, Proegler said they hope to parlay that story into an even bigger one.

“The dream for us is we want to be the REI for the RV industry. And I think the way that works is by making great products that the end consumer loves – which we do – and with working with OEMs. Being an outdoor outfitter in this space means working directly with OEMs and helping them solve problems,” he said.

The post Startup MoonShade Awnings Sets its Sights on RV Industry first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

HERSHEY, Pa.– The 55^th Annual America’s Largest RV Show was able to continue the momentum of a successful opening day into Day Two at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa., with a reported attendance of 11,347, which is 220 more people than last year’s second day. Combined with the opening day’s tally of 7,007 – also a hike over the 2023 gate – and a very favorable weather forecast, the “Hershey RV Show” is poised for a strong final three days.

Hosted through Sunday, Sept. 15, by the Pennsylvania Recreation Vehicle and Camping Association (PRVCA), the 2024 Hershey Show features about 1,500 RVs on display from 40 manufacturers as well as hundreds of exhibitor booths staffed by aftermarket suppliers and campgrounds.

“We had a great second day,” PRVCA Executive Director Heather Leach told RVBusiness. “People are here to buy and everyone I’ve spoken to is having a good show. Everyone is feeling very confident heading into the weekend.”

Jon Ferrando, the founder, president and CEO of Blue Compass RV, said the first two days of the show have been “great.”

“Our exhibits, especially our luxury motorhome exhibits with Entegra and Newmar, were packed with people here to buy,” he told RVBusiness. “So, we really couldn’t have had a better start for the last couple of days, especially compared to last year and the last couple years when the industry was under a lot of pressure.”

Noting that their OEM partnerships play a crucial role, he added that the good showing over the first two days offers a promising sign that the industry might finally be emerging from a sluggish retail environment.

“The Hershey Show is a very important barometer. We’ll be looking at, certainly, the attendance all week and then also the sales activity,” he said. “Our goal this year is to set an all time record. We’re off to a good start. We are being very aggressive to go after the customers, and we have a great sales team here. We have the ‘A’ team on the field, and we’re going to outwork people bell to bell to win, and that’s what it takes in this environment.”

Also pleased with the first two days was Andrew Cooley, co-founder and chief revenue officer of Storyteller Overland and its recently acquired TAXA Outdoors division.

“Wow! Oh my gosh! This show is incredible. It’s everything that I ever heard that it ever was,” Cooley told RVBusiness while adding that Storyteller was making its first appearance at the Hershey Show. “I’ve been here once as a consumer about eight years ago, just looking at various product when we used to be an RV dealer. This is the most encouraging retail show that we’ve ever been to, with a consumer base that understands what we’re doing in the niche overland segment of the RV lifestyle market. And so I’ve been more encouraged here than at any other show I’ve ever been at.”

The RVBusiness Featured Video is sponsored by Curt, a Lippert Brand.

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HERSHEY, Pa.– Highlighted by the 7,007 people – 723 more than last year – who passed through the gates on Wednesday, Sept. 11, the 55^th Annual America’s Largest RV Show kicked off to rave reviews at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa.

Hosted through Sunday, Sept. 15, by the Pennsylvania Recreation Vehicle and Camping Association (PRVCA), the 2024 “Hershey RV Show” features about 1,500 RVs on display from 40 manufacturers as well as hundreds of exhibitor booths staffed by aftermarket suppliers and campgrounds.

“We had an excellent opening day,” PRVCA Executive Director Heather Leach told RVBusiness. “I spoke with several manufacturers and dealers who stated it exceeded their expectations, which is a great sign for the industry. Pre-sale tickets are on par, if not exceeding, last year.”

Forest River’s Doug Gaeddert, who was recently named president of the company’s RV division, said the positive opening day “bodes so well for our industry.”

“When you look at the uncertainties everybody’s talked about – including the debate last night and the Fed meetings next week – and then you look at the show today, where the traffic was physically backed up out on the main road and the line of people were backed up all the way out into the parking lots this morning, it bodes extremely well for all of us in the industry,” he said.

Gaeddert said the industry in general and Forest River in particular has worked tirelessly on the 2025 model year lineup to incorporate several innovations, and everyone is eager to show off the results to the public during the Hershey Show.

“We’ll have a lot of feedback from the show,” he said, “but there is a lot of optimism right now. And, like I say, when you look at the lines that were out here, and the traffic lines that were actually holding up traffic out here on the highway, it’s because of an overwhelming interest in the RV lifestyle and our industry. And it bodes well for everybody in it, whether they’re aftermarket supplier, a campground owner, an OEM, a dealer, a finance company, go right down the list. I mean, it makes you smile.”

He also sang the praises of the Hershey show itself and how it serves as an indicator for the market.

“What’s perfect about Hershey is it’s the first major retail show where it’s all new product for the model year, right? And so, Hershey falls two weeks in front of the Expo, – as we call it at Forest River – back in Elkhart, where we’re going to showcase the wholesale side of this product,” Gaeddert said. “But getting the retail responses to innovative product or, retail finance programs, or the way we’re reconfiguring our new branding – all that’s really cool. We get a ton of feedback here, and then that allows us, over less than a three-week period, to factor both retail impact and the consumer, our ultimate customer, as well as our dealer customers.”

Indeed, others with whom RVBusiness spoke also had positive reports from the opening day.

• General RV Center CEO Loren Baidas, who was walking from one of his company’s displays to another, said he was “excited” for this year’s show.  

“We’ve got eight, nine displays here, so we’ve got a great presence at the show. We’re looking for some great retail action this week,” Baidas told RVBusiness. “Hershey has something for everybody. We’ll sell a lot of trailers. We’ll sell fifth-wheels. It’s still a very good motorized show. Everything from Class Cs and Bs right up to the big diesel pushers.”

• Kyle Miller, director of sales for the Cruiser and DRV divisions of Heartland RV, a THOR Industries Inc. subsidiary, said he and his team thought the people who came through their display were “very engaged, well researched, asked a lot of questions, so we’re very optimistic about how the show’s going to go.”

Miller added that the Hershey show remains an important barometer for the industry, and noted that its impact on sales isn’t just reserved for the five days of the event.

“So, regardless of what sales are here this week, if the traffic’s good, the interest is good, and that’s going to lead to sales downstream at some point. Those are all important indicators for us as we look forward into 2025 and how the industry continues to rebound,” he said.

• Amanda Laney, marketing specialist at Steele Rubber Products, noted that the parking lot was full this morning during the early hours of the show, and was enthused with the crowd thus far.

“The traffic does seem decent,” she said. “The people who we’ve had come by our booth seem they want to learn a whole lot more than just, ‘Hey, what do you have?’ I feel like they’re looking for more education. We get a lot of, ‘This is what we’ve been looking for. How do I know to tell which product it is that we need?’ There’s a lot of stuff people don’t know, so they’re literally looking for education.”

• Josh Peek, and outside sales representative for Genesis Products, and Allison Horner, marketing associate, were staffing their company’s booth inside the Giant Center. Both were very pleased with the opening day.

“Absolutely,” Peek said. “So, I actually got here a couple hours after the show started this morning and Allison had already retail sold two rolls of our Revive Kit. There’s been a lot of interest through the booth and asking questions as far as the DIY or upfitting of the retail buyers’ current units, and then also even new OEMs as far as making the units their own. But most of all, they’ve been interested in doing the overlays because they’ve either had damage to the unit from themselves or they’ve seen our kit on the internet.”

Noting that Genesis doesn’t sell its products directly to the consumer, Horner added that the two are hosting two seminars to further introduce and explain the Revive collection of products that are designed to transform and upgrade an RV.

• Matt Ellinger, VP of Sales, Newmar Corp. had just returned from walking through his company’s full display and was pleasantly surprised at the number of people who were already perusing the Class A motorhomes.

“This week we’re selling through Campers Inn, and we’re here to provide that education. We get to do little demonstrations in the booth. We have two seminars this week, so there’s a lot of touchpoint opportunities,” she said.

“First of all, it’s great to see all the people,” he said. “Right away, right at the very beginning, there were people in the Bay Star, in the Dutch Star looking at it, pulling out cabinets, touching and feeling the Newmars that are in the display. In talking to some of the people early, everything has been positive.

“They were looking at what’s different for 2025,” he continued. “I’ve met a lot of Newmar owners that say, ‘Hey, I like what you did here. The cabinets are very different.’ I mean, we’re showcasing some of the new things that we’ve done within our coaches that really haven’t been on dealer’s lots for very long. So, this is our time to shine, too, and really show some of the new ‘25’s that are out there.”

• Similarly, Winnebago Towables Product Manager Grant Smith said he was pleased with the initial consumer response on two new floorplans for the conventional-build, single-axle Access travel trailers. The first is the 18DVH, which is a double over double bunkhouse, while the other is the 18RK, which is a rear kitchen/rear bath unit.

“So far, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,” he said, noting the Access hits an aggressive price point without sacrificing many of the more desirable amenities. “A lot of times in that single axle segment, there’s very little content to talk about in the trailers, so we are trying to differentiate ourselves a little bit in terms of, I would say, creature comforts.”

“But what people are noticing is, while the Access may not be the least expensive single axle trailer that they looked at in the show, it has a lot of value,” he continued. “We strongly feel that there is a group of customers that is looking for something maybe just a little bit nicer, a little bit more comfortable, and they’re willing to pay just a little bit more – but still be well under $20,000 at the show to buy these trailers.”

• Ryan Brady, co-founder of Alliance RV, said he was expecting a “big week, like it always is every year.”

“We’re particularly excited,” he said. “We did a lot of changes to our products and we changed over model year, the ‘25s in that July time period. But, really, this is the first big retail show where we’re getting our products in front of the retail public. So excited to get the feedback. And the early results have been good. Traffic’s there. Obviously, we’re early afternoon on day one, but liking what we’re seeing so far.”

“Obviously the interest rate environment is well documented, but I think that reality has certainly set in for consumers, so they’re not sticker-shocked when they see what the interest rates are. I think that’s a positive,” he continued. “And we always say, ‘People want to camp.’ And we certainly operate in a cyclical industry, but at the end of the day, it’s a secular growth industry, and there’s always going to be people out there looking to trade up and get into the lifestyle.”

• Speaking only a few hours after the gates opened, Forest River General Manager Karl Miller said the show was “going great.”

“We had a dealer meeting last night and some of the dealers that are here we’re saying that this could be the best weather we’ve had in 15 years at the Hershey Show, so we’re excited to have great weather,” Miller said, who was with Forest River Vice President of Marketing Tom Gruger. “A lot of retail consumers want to come in and look at all the new floorplans, the new options, the new colors and, hopefully, that will turn into sales and will kick us off for the fall.”

• Grant Gillis, the OEM sales executive with RVMP, and Kevin Mack, the company’s marketing director, said they were at the show to “showcase our very innovative products” to both consumers and OEMs alike. People who haven’t yet heard of RVMP are “intrigued” by the company’s suite of generators, Gillis said.

“A lot of them, after going through the OEMs outside, noticed our product in many of the units on certain brands and would like to know a little more before actually purchasing the RV on the lots,” he explained.

Mack added that the two also were hearing from consumers who were singing the praises of RVMP’s customer service team.

“I was just writing an email to our customer service lead about how so many people thank us for all the support that our team has given them,” Mack said. “And that goes everything from us helping a DIYer install, to if there’s any issue in their coach that we’re helping them out throughout the process. It’s just really great. It makes you kind of tear up just to hear people speak so highly of our customer service team, because we put a lot of effort and a lot of resources into our customer service team. And seeing that payback in happy customers is just absolutely amazing.”

• Bontrager Outdoors National Sales Manager Jaime Moreno and Brian Sutton, the company’s general manager, said the first day was “very steady.”

“Those whom we’ve talked with are interested in buying,” Sutton said. “It hasn’t been just people looking just for the sake of looking. It’s been a very positive outlook so far from the people I’ve talked with.”

Moreno added that he was especially pleased with his discussions with show-goers.

“It’s all been positive. Nobody’s come in with the doom and gloom and saying, ‘Hey, I’m going to wait for this or that.’ They’re being very straightforward. They’re going, ‘We’re interested. We’re looking,’” Moreno said. “Most of them are doing the research. They want to come in. They want to try to find something to buy. They’re not saying, ‘Oh, I’m going to wait and see if I can get it lower,’ or anything like that. The optimism is they’re coming in to buy. That’s a beautiful thing.”

The post Solid Opening Day at Hershey Show ‘Bodes Extremely Well’ first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

HERSHEY, Pa. – Consumers queued up this morning outside the Hershey GIANT Center as the Pennsylvania Recreational Vehicle and Camping Association (PRVCA) kicked off the 55th Annual America’s Largest RV Show.

“I think we’re going to have a really great event,” said Heather Leach PRVCA Executive Director during a recent RVBusiness Capitol Talk interview. “Of course we’re sold out again in both manufacturer space and booth vendor space, so that’s always really great. We did manage to get a couple of new manufacturers into the show this year.”

While every major RV builder exhibits at Hersyey, the new-to-Hersey OEMs are Storyteller Overland and ATC trailers, and, Leach said, the show will have displays from two park-model builders – Woodland Park and Great Outdoor Cottabes – the first appearance of park models since 2019.

The show is open from Sept. 11-14, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sept. 15 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will feature everything from pop-up campers to Class A motorhomes with nearly 1,500 RVs on site representing 40 manufacturers.

Along with a comprehensive selection of RVs to explore, Leach said the show also offers RV-related seminars and booth vendors. Also on hand will be food trucks and vendors offering a variety of cuisine from burgers and fries to crab cakes.

The post ‘America’s Largest RV Show’ Kicks Off Today in Hershey, Pa. first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

EDITOR’S NOTE: RVBusiness is following up here on an initial (Aug. 21) RVBusiness.com article regarding the Aug. 16 passing in Naples, Fla., of 97-year-old industry pioneer Richard E. Klingler. Klingler launched the original Holiday Rambler line in his hometown of Wakarusa, Ind., 10 miles south of Elkhart, Ind., where he started building trailer parts in a chicken coop and assembling the trailers outdoors in the 1950s.

The first Holiday Rambler RV was a travel trailer introduced to the public in 1953 by the Klingler Corporation, a restored example of which is located today in the RV/MH Hall of Fame & Museum in Elkhart, Ind.

Among the “firsts” attributed to the Holiday Rambler brand name was the 1961 introduction of aluminum body framing, ushering in a new era of lighter, stronger and more durable recreational vehicles.

The company was sold in 1986 to Harley-Davidson, then Monaco Coach Corp., Navistar International Corp. and in 2010 to Allied Specialty Vehicles, which became the REV Group for which Holiday Rambler currently serves as a motorized RV brand based in Decatur, Ind.

As the family-inspired obituary below from Elkhart’s Hartzler-Gutermuth-Inman Funeral Home indicates, a visitation celebrating the lives of Richard and Pauline Klingler, who passed away in July of 2022, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, at the funeral home. Private family graveside services will convene at Rice Cemetery immediately following the visitation.

“The RV Industry Association mourns the passing of Dick Klingler,” stated the RV Industry Association (RVIA) in RVB’s previous posting. “He was an innovator and pioneer founding one of the industry’s iconic brands in Holiday Rambler. He was also a passionate advocate for the association and through his service on the executive committee, board of directors, and committees in the early years of the association, he helped build a foundation for the organization to grow and flourish. On behalf of our members, the RV Industry Association extends heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.”

“It is with great sadness, pride, and love that we as a family announce the passing of both of our wonderful parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and great-great grandparents — Pauline P. and Richard E. Klingler.

“Our mother, Pauline, passed at the age of 94 on July 24, 2022, and our father, Richard, passed at the age of 97 on August 16, 2024.

“Surviving family members include children Debra Rogan, Pamela Smith, Douglas (Sally) Klingler. Grandchildren Shannon Marshman, Heather Elswick, step-grandson David McNally, Thomas (Lora) Rogan, Jaime Klingler, Jenna (Thomas) Everts. Great grandchildren Shawn (Daisy) Marshman, Christian Elswick, Aubrey Hoon, Josh Marshman, Peyton Elswick, Oliver Everts, Reilly Everts, Mia Marshman, Sadie Rogan, and Millie Rogan. Great-great grandchildren Grayson Marshman and Griffin Marshman.

“The loved ones that preceded our parents in death include: our mother’s parents, Wilma and Albenia Huff, sister Jean Pellus, our father’s parents, Leota and Hughlin Klingler, brother Walter Klingler, grandson Zachary Klingler, and daughter-in-law Michele Klingler, step-grandson Michael McNalley.

“Our mother was born in Lima, Ohio on August 28, 1927, and our father was born in Elkhart, Indiana on November 5, 1926. Both graduated from Elkhart High School in 1946. Mom and dad first met in school at a very young age. During high school our father played football as a running back while our mother marched in the band as a flutist. Our dad served in the US Army stationed at Camp Crowder in Missouri, Camp Atterbury in Indiana, and served in South Korea.

“During our father’s time of service, our mother was studying to become a Registered Nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing in South Bend, Indiana. Following his return to the United States, our parents reconnected with the help of a friend and the two started dating.

“On October 14, 1950, our parents married in a small ceremony in Elkhart. This was the start of a 72-year partnership as husband and wife. At the time, little did they realize how their ambitions, hard work, and determination would take the two of them on a journey that led them to reach a level of success that has often been referred to as living the American dream.

“As a young couple, our mother worked as a Registered Nurse while our father was busy building their first home. It was a small, one-bedroom home in Elkhart where they brought all three of their babies home to begin life as a family of five.

“Our father enjoyed working with his hands and his mind was always filled with ideas of things he could make. In fact, he was still designing, creating, and working in his little wood shop at his home in Naples, Florida, right up until his passing.

“His first attempt at trying to sell items he built was with wooden toys that he created. Being nervous about selling, he took our mother with him to the first store. She held the door open for him as he walked in with his box of toys. She then shut the door behind him and waved at him through the glass. It was on this day that our parents’ business partnership began. Mom was always there to support him; she was the engine that could and would push him along to help in his achievement of their dreams.

“Following a time when our father worked in the cabinet shop at Richardson Mobile Homes, he soon discovered that he had a knack for understanding manufacturing. He felt he wanted to try to start his own business; so, our parents, along with our father’s parents, all participated in one aspect or another in starting a new company, Klingler Products.

“The very first travel trailer that the four of them built was constructed in his grandparent’s garage on Beardsley Street in Elkhart. Our father and grandfather built the trailer, and our mother and grandmother were in charge of sewing draperies. Eventually, the name of their business was changed to Holiday Rambler Corporation.

“As the years passed, their business grew and the company became more diversified with other businesses, including Utilimaster (commercial vehicles), Holiday World (retail RV sales outlet), Creative Dimensions (office, drafting furniture, and laminate kitchens), Nappanee Wood Products (kitchens), Harbor Craft Boats, Holiday House (park models), Parkway Distributors (RV parts), and B & B Molders (injection molding).

“After 33 years of nurturing their businesses, our parents decided to make a change to free up more time to spend with family and at their southern home in Naples, Florida. It was at this point that all their businesses were sold to Harley Davidson Corporation in December of 1986.

“Not long after the businesses were sold, our father, being a man that always had ambitions and dreams for other projects, began new businesses in Florida. Executive Development and Commercial Development were formed and were involved in building and managing several commercial properties in Collier County and Lee County, Florida.

“Our father has always had a wood shop where he would spend time working on many projects, some for fun and some to become future products to be marketed. That’s where the furniture line of Maple and Oak Street was started under the name of Klingler Products. This business remained in Elkhart.

“Well into his 90’s he continued building children’s wooden toys under his final business named Fun Wood Toys. He donated many of these toys to needy children, in addition to friends and family.
Our parents always had a passion for traveling and were fortunate to have been able to travel to many countries and exotic corners of the world. The trips and experiences they embarked on together were true testaments to living life to the fullest.

“Boating was always a big part of our lives as a family – from our summers on Diamond Lake to adventures along the Florida coastline and trips to the Bahamas – some of our best memories include boating. Our parents completed the Great Loop from Florida up the east coast, into the Great Lakes and then south down the Mississippi River into the Tombigbee Waterway and back into the Gulf returning home to Naples. We all remember the grand boat trip to the Virgin Islands on one of their beloved Miss Pauline boats, lovingly named after our mother. They had several boats built over the years with both of our parent’s input influencing the design and construction.

“With our parents’ success came the ability for them to be able to help others. Following the loss of their grandson Zachary Klingler to childhood leukemia, they were able to form The Pauline and Richard E. Klingler Endowed Chair for Pediatric Research and The Zachary E. Klingler Endowed Chair for Pediatrics at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. They also helped to fund the construction of many homes for those in need through Habitat for Humanity of Collier County.
Both of our parents have been honored with many awards over the years. Our father is known as one of the top ten most influential people in the RV industry and both were honored with the Sagamore of the Wabash award by the State of Indiana.

“Mom and Dad, we are all so grateful for the time we had with you both. We all love you and you will be missed greatly by your entire family and all the people whose lives you have touched with your friendship, kindness, and generosity.

“A visitation celebrating the lives of Pauline and Richard will be held from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm on Saturday, October 19, 2024, at the Hartzler-Gutermuth-Inman Funeral Home. Private family graveside services will be held at Rice Cemetery immediately following the visitation.

“In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Richard E. and Pauline P. Klingler Chair, the Zachary E. Klingler Chair, or the Klingler Cancer Endowment at Riley Children’s Foundation, PO Box 3356, Indianapolis, IN 46206-3356 or can be made online at RileyKids.org Please note the name of the specific fund if making a gift.”

The post Celebration of Life Set for Holiday Rambler’s Dick Klingler first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.