Rick Kessler

Ryan Rebar, national sales manager for Wildcat by Forest River Inc. was excited for the Hershey show debut of the Wildcat 375 MC – with the MC standing for “Man Cave.” The majority of the coach is more or less what you might expect in a five-slide fifth-wheel – a front bedroom and full bathroom on […]

With the Open House launch of No Boundaries, a single-axle line of lightweight towables in a variety of sizes, Forest River Inc. General Manager Kevin McArt has taken direct aim at outdoor adventurers who need something to haul their outdoor gear as much as a place to sleep. Indeed, a promotional video for No Boundaries […]

Among the 4,000 or so dealer personnel who descended on Elkhart, Ind., last week for the RV Open House was Kevin and Mandy Holesh, a Millennial couple in their late 20s living full-time in a renovated 2002 Keystone Cougar 276 fifth-wheel. The two happened to be in the area and, at the invitation of Keystone […]

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 […]