Rick Kessler

The Escapees RV Club, an RV owners group founded in 1978, has announced the formation of Xscapers, a club designed to appeal to the next generation of RVers. The club made its public debut at the 55th Annual Escapade, the Escapees’ annual rally March 8-13 in Tucson, Ariz. Development of the Xscapers began at the 54th Annual […]

Peterson Industries, manufacturers of Excel-brand fifth-wheels including the Limited, Winslow and Wild Cargo models, has closed its doors. A phone call to the company’s headquarters in Smith Center, Kan., was answered by a message indicating that the company was “forced to discontinue operations,” and that “no further information was available.” The towable manufacturer apologized for […]

Family-owned A & S RV Center has been a multiple location dealership for all of a few months. In January this year, the longtime Auburn Hills, Mich. dealership, a member of the Route 66 RV Network, purchased the former Freeway Auto & RV in Midland, Mich., located about 100 miles north. Owner Larry Andree said […]

Key personnel of the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) were put to the test during last week’s 2015 Annual Meeting at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Fla. During an “Ask the Staff” panel presentation, seven staff members fielded a dozen or so questions from about 100 attendees on a range of topics that included park model RVs […]

A search committee has been assembled to find a successor for Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) President Richard Coon. The move coincides with Coon’s announced retirement on Oct. 1 during this week’s RVIA Annual Meeting at the Ritz Carlton Resort in Sarasota, Fla. Chaired by RVIA Chairman Derald Bontrager, president and CEO of Jayco Inc., the committee […]

A search committee has been assembled to find a successor for Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) President Richard Coon. The move coincides with Coon’s announced retirement on Oct. 1 during this week’s RVIA Annual Meeting at the Ritz Carlton Resort in Sarasota, Fla. Chaired by RVIA Chairman Derald Bontrager, president and CEO of Jayco Inc., the committee […]

The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) staff in Elkhart, Ind., has outgrown its office and is looking for a larger facility, RVIA President Richard Coon reported Wednesday (March 11) during the 2015 Annual Meeting at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Fla. The announcement was one of several issues addressed during the RVIA Membership Meeting, offering the approximately 100 […]

Richard Coon will retire from his position as president of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), effective Oct. 1. The announcement was delivered Wednesday (March 11) to around 100 attendees during the RVIA Annual Meeting at the Ritz-Carlton Resort in Sarasota, Fla. He began his tenure in 2005 following the retirement of David Humphreys, who had been […]

The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) staff in Elkhart, Ind., has outgrown its office and is looking for a larger facility, RVIA President Richard Coon reported Wednesday (March 11) during the 2015 Annual Meeting at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Fla. The announcement was one of several issues addressed during the RVIA Membership Meeting, offering the approximately 100 […]

Richard Coon will retire from his position as president of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), effective Oct. 1. The announcement was delivered today (March 11) to around 100 attendees during the RVIA Annual Meeting at the Ritz-Carlton Resort in Sarasota, Fla. He began his tenure in 2005 following the retirement of David Humphreys, who had […]