Rick Kessler

Neither rainy weather nor sweltering heat could dampen the 10th Annual Elkhart RV Open House, the industry-only show in and around Elkhart, Ind., that featured dozens of manufacturers, thousands of dealers, millions of handshakes and billions of dollars in wholesale business. There’s no way, of course, to quantify in hard numbers much of what goes on […]

Elkhart, Ind.-based Forest River Inc. announced it will be expanding production of its XLR toy hauler product into a facility located in Butler, Ind. within a month or so. While production of the XLR Thunderbolt, Hyperlite and Nitro models remains unchanged, assembly of the XLR Boost — which currently shares a production facility with Forest […]

With a total gate attendance of 64,242 — easily surpassing last year’s record of 57,692 — the 49th Annual America’s Largest RV Show in Hershey, Pa., hosted by the Pennsylvania RV & Campground Association (PRVCA), was yet another sign the industry is humming along on all cylinders. (To view a slideshow scroll to the right side […]

With a first day attendance of 10,083 — easily surpassing last year’s record of 9,025 —America’s Largest RV Show in Hershey, Pa., was yet another sign the industry is humming along on all cylinders. (To view a slideshow scroll to the right side of the RVBUSINESS.com home page. Photos by Kirk Zutell and Rick Kessler). […]

While Hurricane Irma might not have been the Category 5 monster that some media outlets had predicted, it was still a powerful storm that ripped through Florida from the south to the north and on into Georgia and South Carolina. Still, while much of the state is without power and there have been several reported […]

In 1917, the average hourly wage was 22 cents an hour, a new car cost $400, and a fry cook named Walter Anderson, who co-founded White Castle, invented the hamburger bun. Also in 1917, three brothers in Hancock, Minn., purchased a livery barn, held an auction, and sold the horses, buggies and runners. They used […]

With southeast Texas still recovering from Hurricane Harvey, most of Florida is bracing for the impact of Hurricane Irma, now a Category 5 storm laying devastation to the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico. As of this morning (Sept. 6), officials at the National Hurricane Center are predicting Irma will reach the southern tip of Florida […]

With Hurricane Irma becoming more of an immediate threat, the Florida RV Trade Association (FRVTA) officials decided to cancel the organization’s 37th Annual State Convention, scheduled for Sept. 7-10 at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach, just south of Jacksonville. FRVTA Executive Director Lance Wilson told RVBUSINESS.com that Irma was just […]

With the situation very much in a fluid state, Thor Industries Inc. is coordinating relief efforts on behalf of its RV manufacturing subsidiaries — many of which have already begun their own donation drives — to aid the Texas communities struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Rick Schutt, just three weeks into the job as […]

Attracted by its business model, quality product and the promise of its RV division, Scott Tuttle, founder and former president of Livin’ Lite Recreational Vehicles LLC and one of the original founders of Heartland RV LLC, has become a part owner of Nappanee, Ind.-based inTech Trailers, an all-aluminum motorsports and industrial trailer manufacturer founded by […]