Sherman Goldenberg

MILLERSBURG, Ind. – Friends and colleagues of Forest River Inc.’s John Stringer, sales manager of the company’s Rockwood and Flagstaff towable RV lines, gathered for a surprise retirement luncheon Thursday (Aug. 29) at the division’s Millersburg facilities to give him a warm send-off for his last day of work today (Aug. 30).

Stringer, a 15-year Forest River employee, clearly enjoyed his celebratory luncheon which caps a 50-year career within the North American RV arena that also included Gulf Stream Coach Inc. in Nappanee, Ind., Morgan Building Spas and RVs in Texas, Stout’s RV Sales in Greenwood, Ind., Longview RV Superstores in Connecticut and Vermont’s Camporama where he worked during his school days dating back to 1974.

Everyone else also seemed to appreciate Thursday’s luncheon that consisted of a brief presentation and an ample round of barbecue chicken at the Rockwood/Flagstaff campus – part of which was once occupied by legendary RV builder Carriage Inc.

“Yeah. John’s one of the most dedicated, hardworking individuals we know,” stated Karl Miller, who recently succeeded long-time Forest River Divisional GM Don Gunden in overseeing the Rockwood/Flagstaff division. “There was never a time where he wouldn’t do whatever it took to get the job complete and there’s never a time he wouldn’t do anything for any dealer or employee if there was something that needed to be done for their families or at work. He was just always the most team-oriented, dedicated, loyal employee that I’ve ever worked with.”

Though he’s retiring on the brink of the Elkhart RV Open House, Stringer wants people to know that he plans to visit various manufacturer displays Sept. 23-26 at Forest River’s Dealer Expo on the west side of town as well as around the RV/MH Hall of Fame to touch bases with friends and acquaintances.

“I’m the luckiest man in the world to work with some of the greatest people, dealers and manufacturers,” he told RVBusiness. “I mean, the RV industry is so full of good people. That’s what makes it fun on both sides of the table.”

What comes next for Stringer and his wife, Barbara, who was on hand for the luncheon? “You know what? I am going to enjoy my family and enjoy visiting dealers and traveling and practice what I’ve been preaching to all these customers about going out and seeing this beautiful country,” said Stringer. “I’m going to be doing what we told them to do, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Stringer’s thoughts regarding the current state of the RV market? “We’ve always been a cyclical industry. It’s going up and down. But the reality is, everybody in the United States, everybody in the world and in North America wants to own an RV at some point in their life. And that’s what makes this business great. Sometimes the timing just has to be right. But it’s an industry that will always grow and flourish.

“And in my opinion, our per capita ownership within the United States is going to grow. We’re going to see more and more RV households because we’re in a situation where people increasingly value their free time, work from home and have time to travel. So that’s why the RV business is going to flourish that much more.”

The post Friends, Colleagues Honor Forest River’s John Stringer first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

ELKHART, Ind. – It’s not every day that an industry icon like Forest River Inc. founder and CEO Pete Liegl announces some of his succession plans as he did Wednesday, Aug. 20, (See “Forest River Inc. Announces Management Updates”) in turning over the publicly held company’s daily steerage to three notable senior management members.

But that’s what happened when the news media was apprised of strategic changes “designed to continue Forest River’s forward trajectory and dedication to customer satisfaction” in its key markets including recreational vehicles, cargo trailers, pontoon boats, buses, vans and commercial vehicles for both the public and private sectors.

“It is with great pleasure and honor that I write this letter of planned succession,” said Liegl in also informing the company’s 14,000-plus employees of his future plans for the 28-year-old, Elkhart, Ind.-based, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. subsidiary. “While I don’t have any intentions of resigning as CEO, I believe that it is important to envision the future and plan for a smooth transition for the continued legacy of Forest River Inc.”

The three individuals taking on enhanced duties:

• CFO Darrel Ritchie: corporate management
• Veteran David Wright: commercial vehicles
• RV Group GM Doug Gaeddert: all RV’s

Given the potential impact of all this, Liegl agreed to answer a few RVBusiness questions over the phone yesterday regarding this whole headline-generating turn of events. Here’s some of what Liegl, a former Coachmen Industries Inc. executive, had to say:

RVBusiness: We were admittedly surprised to hear the news as were others in the industry, Pete, and found it noteworthy that you’re retaining your position at this point.

Liegl: It’s a matter of giving new responsibilities to the various people we have employed today. They’re all going to have more responsibilities and I’m going to stay on as CEO.

RVB: Okay, so perhaps the best way to describe this whole transition at this point is that you’re redistributing some of your senior corporate responsibilities?

Liegl: Exactly.

RVB: And that’s to occur exactly when?

Liegl: Immediately.

RVB: So, Pete, why this and why now?

Liegl: Because they’re younger people. They’ve got more fire in their bellies than I, and it makes sense to do it because they’re very capable individuals. You take Gaeddert for example: he’s going to have all of the RVs of Forest River, the motorized and the towables. And you take David Wright, he’s going to have the commercial and do a better job at it than I.

And then Darrel Ritchie, our chief financial officer, who’s stepping into corporate management, is going to focus on using Forest River’s money to look at potential new plans for financing dealers’ inventories, rentals, etcetera.

And, specifically we’ve got people like David Wright and Doug Gaeddert who are very competent. They can do more than what they’ve done in the past. And we’re consolidating some of our overall operations, like in Gaeddert’s area where he’ll be not only over the towables, but he’ll be over the motorized as well.

RVB: And this is a look into the future, isn’t it?

Liegl: Yes, very definitely. I guess I’ve had a good run at it, but I don’t have the get-up and go that those boys do.

RVB: For those of us who have followed Forest River for years, is there anything that you would add to this about the company’s big picture looking into the future.

Liegl: We’re just going to do more of what we’ve been doing, but hopefully better.

And, again, looking at finances, the fact of the matter is that we’ve got the money, so, I’m asking, ‘Why don’t we do our own financing for dealers?’ That’s what Darrel Richie’s looking at doing right now. Do we do short-term and long-term financing, wholesale and retail?

That’s his job. Because we’ve got the funds in the bank, we got the money, why not do it? And that’s going to be a big boost right there. And then you consolidate under Gaeddert both the towables and the motorized. I think that’s going to be a big plus. And David Wright will oversee commercial growth, and we’re getting a hell of a lot more of that including buses and everything else under that umbrella.

All three of them want to get going on that, and so, fine. They’ll do a better job than I ever thought of doing.

RVB: You’ve made some pretty bold statements lately, as has Doug Gaeddert, about Forest River’s RV market strength lately. Is that still the case?

Liegl: Yes, that is correct. We’ve been doing very well and we’re expecting more of the same going forward.

We’re making good money every month, and the future looks like more of the same. And just looking at when I have the opportunity to take the towables and the motorized and put them together under Gaeddert, that makes sense to me. And putting all of our commercial work together, that makes sense to me, too.

And we’re only getting going. We’re just starting this next phase. So, in my estimation, we’re going to be doing even better in the future.

The post Liegl: ‘Forest River’s Looking to the Future in a Big Way’ first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

Emerging RV manufacturer Brinkley RV on Saturday (Aug. 17) drew an impressive crowd of 2,000 people – including employees and their families — to the towable RV builder’s third company picnic held on the grounds of northern Indiana’s Shipshewana Flea Market near the Michigan State Line.

And as these pictures indicate, things went well for Brinkley, according to President and co-founder Ron Fenech regarding a company that was actually established on paper only a couple of years ago that currently employs just over 800 people at a 4-building, 250-acre campus on the southeast side of Goshen, Ind., in addition to two leased production facilities.

Brinkley, company spokesmen indicate, is expecting to add a fifth Goshen plant at its Goshen headquarters in the near future.

“This is actually our third picnic,” said Fenech. “Our first picnic we were just scratching the surface of trying to put a team together and we had a small picnic in the back yard of partner and co-founder Micah Staley. It was small and intimate, but we knew it was the beginning of something that was going to evolve.

“And, you know, the funny thing about it is it’s not like there’s all that much to do at an event like this,” added Fenech, who’s well known for his previous involvement with key RV builders Keystone RV and Grand Design RV. “It’s more about our team being together, which is what they seem to respond to the most.”

The post Brinkley RV Draws Crowd of 2,000 to Third Company Picnic first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

RV consumers are converging today (Aug. 14) in about 700 motorized and towable RVs, including both members and non-members of the sponsoring Cincinnati-based Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA), on the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center in Redmond, Ore., in preparation for the startup of FMCA’s 109th International Convention & RV Expo.

The anticipated crowd for the Aug. 14-17 “Adventure Peaks”-themed Oregon rally, the anchor sponsor for which is Oregon’s Beaver Coach Sales, amounts to about 1,500 people, according to FMCA Director of Events Doug Uhlenbrock.

And while he says the general buzz remains strong for the rally in general, FMCA’s first in Redmond in 10 years, Uhlenbrock told RVB.com that the total crowd size was a bit less than FMCA’s own projections.

“We would like to see a whole heck of a lot more (coaches),” he said. “We were counting on maybe about a thousand. But the 700 families who have decided to come and join us are going to be treated to a great time. We’ve got all kinds of fun things planned for them including about a hundred seminars plus exhibit halls and RV displays.

“Beaver Coach Sales, our title sponsor, has got a full complement of RVs out there, so it’s going to be a good show for those who are here pretty much in the tradition of FMCA,” said Uhlenbrock, whose consumer club bills itself as the world’s largest nonprofit association for recreation vehicle owners. “And we try to add new things to every event and do some things a little differently. But we always have our standard seminars, exhibit halls and RV displays. Those are the staples of everything we do.”

Among the topics for the roughly 100 seminars on tap for the 125,000-member not-for-profit organization’s Oregon event: chassis maintenance, RV solar systems, full-time RVing and convection microwave cooking.

Also part of the overall picture at FMCA’s central Oregon consumer rally – along with displays of more than a hundred new manufacturer coaches – have been some rather hazy skies thanks to rampant California wildfires. “It’s a beautiful area,” he said on Tuesday. “Unfortunately, we got a little smoke from the wildfires out here, but the weather’s really nice right now so everything’s kind of moving along just as we expected.”

The “RV Expo” display of new OEM units, more motorized than towable, gets underway at 1 p.m. today and runs through the show’s close at 3 p.m. Saturday for FMCA, which is currently being overseen by a management committee made up of several officers in the aftermath of the recent departure of CEO Chris Smith.

Uhlenbrock says FMCA anticipates the naming of a permanent replacement for Smith in the relatively near future.

The post FMCA Kicks Off 109th International Convention in Oregon first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

Brian and Greg Bent, co-owners of Bent’s RV in Boutte and Albany, La., have circulated an area press release emphasizing the fact that their dealership has remained independent despite it having been reported last January that the well-known retailer was being sold to suburban Chicago-based Camping World Holdings Inc. – the world’s biggest RV dealer.

In an “Open Letter” under staff writer Timothy Boone’s byline published recently in The Advocate, the state’s largest daily newspaper based in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Bent’s RV had this to say:

“In early January 2024 it was reported in local news outlets, like yours, that Bents RV was selling the business to Camping World,” the two retailers, who also operate Bent Marine, stated in the open letter. “We wanted to tell our community that the sale did not happen. Our family has been selling boats and RV’s in South Louisiana for over 40 years, and it was hard to conceive that our RV division would truly end.

“Our customers and employees made it loud and clear that Bent’s RV needed to remain a locally owned business,” the letter added. “So, we made the decision to instead increase the investment in our people through training, providing technicians a path to RVIA certification and updating processes to reflect the ever-changing needs of our customers. By continuing to take care of own, we will do an even better job servicing our customers.

“This dedication has always been evident, as both Bent’s RV and Marine have been selected as a (RVBusiness) Top 50 RV and Top 100 Marine dealership for each of the last 5 years.”

The letter goes on to say that the nation’s larger “mega” RV dealers aren’t always as involved in the charitable aspects of the communities where the businesses reside while the Bent family over the decades has done so extensively, having supported everything from Catholic Charities to area law enforcement agencies and storm-related relief efforts with plans to continue doing so in the future.

The post Louisiana’s Bent’s RV is Reaffirming Its Independent Status first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

One of the year’s biggest news stories to date within the RV arena is last week’s surprise announcement that Colorado-based Harvest Hosts, a membership organization specializing in private and commercial overnight accommodations, had acquired the family-held Escapees RV Club from Bud and Kathie Carr and current third-generation co-CEO’s Melanie and Travis Carr. (See: “Harvest Hosts Takes Lead Mgt. Role in Escapees RV Club”)

In the final analysis, Harvest Hosts’ acquisition of the 70,000-member club should enable Harvest Hosts CEO Joel Holland, an avid family RVer who purchased the novel network in 2018 from founders Don and Kim Greene, to take things to the next level in terms of the network’s general growth and offerings.

When combining both his Harvest Hosts and Boondockers Welcome brands, the latter of which was purchased in 2021 and includes more private overnight locations than Harvest Hosts’ relatively commercial stops, Holland says the overall network now offers nearly 10,000 locations.

And the Escapees acquisition, he says, fits right in. “I like to say we now have the two pillars that I really wanted, which are camping and community,” says Holland of the Escapees buyout, which did not include the Escapees Mail Service and Escapees RV Parks, both of which remain under their existing management and ownership.

“We had already nailed unique camping with thousands of locations,” Holland told RVB. “You can’t drive more than a few miles these days without finding a Harvest Hosts location – making us the largest private network of camping in the United States, and, I guess, the world. But now we can match that with various Escapees get-togethers and events, state chapters and rallies,” he added. “I love that. It now lets people get together in person. I think that’s going to be a huge part of the program in the future.”

Here’s some edited highlights of RVB’s phone interview with Holland:

RVB: You describe yourself as a family camper. Tell us more about that if you would.

Holland: I love it. I like to say I’m our No. 1 user. I use Harvest Hosts, including wineries, farms, breweries and attractions, all year long. My wife and I and our two kids – ages 3 ½ and 1 – have a truck camper and a fifth-wheel, and I usually get the family out on the road for a cross-country trip at least once if not twice a year. We use Harvest Hosts a lot. So, I’m always trying to design this product for me, selfishly, and my family, but also for members who have similar interests.

I love where the product is, but it’s also influenced a lot of our decisions around these other acquisitions. We bought Boondockers Welcome because I liked the idea also of expanding beyond just small businesses to personal properties. Boondockers Welcome has over 3,000 personal properties that invite these people to come park in their driveways and get to know them. That’s got a really great spirit to it and is a little more community-based than Harvest Hosts.

So, ultimately, this Escapees purchase was to drive the community component forward because when I think about Harvest Hosts and when I ask our members, they consider us a community, but we’ve never, in my opinion, really given them enough community features.

RVB: So, things have clearly gone well in terms of growth since 2018 until now, haven’t they?

Holland: Yes, I’m pretty proud. They had 600 locations when I bought it. Today, we have over 5,500 Harvest Hosts locations, so we’ve radically grown the network. And we have a quarter million members now, so there’s a great number of members who will spend $50 million this year supporting these businesses.

And I should point out that we’ve never changed the model that Don and Kim (Greene) had. It’s all based on annual membership revenue fees. We don’t charge the host anything to be in the program and we take no cut of the revenue they receive from our members.

RVB: And it seems like things, technically speaking, have pretty much followed your plans?

Holland: Yes, it’s been a great ride. I should add that putting those two networks together and making them available on one platform has been great because 40% of our members now have both networks. They can book either one. You can do one search through the app or through the website and now see almost 10,000 locations – 5,500 on Harvest Hosts and 3,500 on Boondockers Welcome – in the country.

The essential deal is our classic plan – exactly 5,259 (Harvest Hosts) locations at this moment, farms, wineries, breweries, distilleries and attractions including 35 drive-in movie theaters, a lot of museums and places like the Elkhart RV Hall of Fame – all for $99 a year. That’s your classic program.

RVB: Seems pretty simple?

Holland: Yes, pretty much. You have to certify that you have a self-contained RV. You tell us what kind of RV you have. You need to have a toilet. That’s the most important part. As long as you qualify for the program, you can join, pay the $99, and then you can download the app or go to the website and just begin searching.

You can search by route, by state or specific location, however you want. All of our Harvest Hosts locations will pop up. You can then look at them and view photos and member-submitted reviews plus other information on whether it’s a back-in or a pull-through and what kind of amenities or things they sell.

Then we have a booking system. You can actually then book right through the website. You can say, ‘All right. I want to come in Friday’ and submit the request, which then goes to the host, which the host reviews and approves, and you’re good to go.

RVB: So, in the big picture, where does Harvest Hosts go next?

Holland: In the short run, the goal is to have nothing change for Escapees. This club’s program has been around for 46 years – longer than I’ve been alive. I don’t want to come in and mess it up. I don’t want to come in and change anything overnight, because it’s a great program. It’s existed for so long because people love it. By the way, I’ve been an Escapees member for years. I love it.

Having said that, I have some ideas for improvements. I like to say, ‘I’m not trying to make changes. I’m trying to make improvements.’ There’s certainly some technology that can be improved. The events booking system is due for a little bit of modernization. So, there’s some things we’ll do.

The nice thing, I should add, is that we brought all 15 Escapees employees over. We hired them all. As of last week, all 15 Escapees employees are now full-time Harvest Hosts employees along with our existing staff of 65. They’re going to keep doing their exact same job. So, to any Escapees members reading this, don’t worry. We’re not changing anything. We’re just trying to make some improvements for you.

At the same time, I’m going to talk to Escapees members and ask them, ‘What do you think we should improve now that we, as a company, are fortunate enough to have a budget and an engineering team. Where would they like us to put our resources? What should we work on?’

RVB: Bottom line, then, is that you’re going to keep an open mind.

Holland: I’m not going to make any assumptions. I’m just going to ask members what they think we should do. And there’s no rush.

Now, Travis and Melanie, they’re not joining Harvest Hosts. They’re going to continue running their campground and the mail service while we’re taking over the membership, the events and all the community aspects of Escapees.

RVB: And will your 80 employees all work out of one Vail, Colo., office?

Holland: No, we’re a fully remote company. We have employees in 26 different states. That’s always been the plan.

RVB: So, all things considered, it sure looks like Harvest Hosts’ general initiatives serve the RV industry as a whole, right?

Holland: Yes, I’m happy to hear you say that because my goal with Harvest Hosts has been to grow the whole pie for the RV industry. I’ve always said that. We didn’t come in to disrupt or hurt anybody. We love campgrounds. Our members still use campgrounds way more than they use Harvest Hosts locations. We’re trying to be the tide that lifts all ship, and I think it’s working.

I think ultimately the big picture goal for me with Harvest Hosts is to be the one membership that every RVer must have. You buy your RV and then join Harvest Hosts because they give you really unique places to stay as well as a community.

I think RVers want to make connections. So, between camping and community, you have to have us. We’re very affordable. We haven’t raised prices in three years. We’re not trying to raise prices. We’re trying to make this an affordable solution for RVers and a good thing for the industry

RVB: And, again, you support conventional campground as well?

Holland: Yes, and we also have the CampersCard program to support campgrounds. We have over a thousand campgrounds in that program because our members cumulatively are spending millions of nights per year in campgrounds. And because of Harvest Hosts, they’re staying on the road longer. So yeah, we’re not stealing nights from campgrounds. If anything, we’re adding nights to campgrounds.

It’s not a zero-sum game where we’re winning at the expense of someone else. Everyone in the industry that works with us wins and that includes Outdoorsy, primarily a rental company, and RVshare. It’s great. I don’t see anybody hurting from it, which is great. That was my goal. I want this to be a feel-good business.

The post Harvest Hosts’ Holland Reviews the Escapees Acquisition first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

The industry woke up this week to the disturbing news that Airxcel RV Group President Kevin Phillips had passed away Sunday (April 25) due to complications from COVID. Airxcel President and CEO Jeff Rutherford told RVBusiness that Phillips, a former Thetford Corp. executive, had “helped lead the growth and success of Airxcel’s RV divisions to […]

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After several months of speculation within the ranks of the RV industry about the status of this year’s key industry trade show – the Elkhart RV Open House – Forest River Inc. President and CEO Pete Liegl has confirmed that this year’s Open House will kick off on Sept. 27, a week later than what […]

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The global pandemic forever altered the course of the North American RV industry – at first crushing the prospects of thousands of companies, then spurring an epic surge among current and prospective RV consumers that has lifted the fates of manufacturers, suppliers, campground operators and hundreds of dealerships nationwide. In fact, what the viral pandemic […]

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The 20th Annual Bids for Kids Auction benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Elkhart County with facilities in Goshen, Elkhart and Middlebury, Ind., may break all-time records when proceeds are totaled for the charitable event held Friday night (Oct. 9) at the Elkhart-based RV/MH Hall of Fame’s Peter B. Orthwein Pavilion. Lippert Components Inc. […]

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