Sherman Goldenberg

Camping World Inc. President and CEO Marcus Lemonis says the deal that his 90-store Chicago-based RV rolling stock chain has been trying to put together to acquire troubled Southern California dealer McMahon’s RV — once one of the state’s leading RV retailers – is being jeopardized because of escalating costs that have surfaced since Camping […]

The continued consolidation of the North American RV industry was underscored by Thursday’s (April 17) announcement that Thor Industries Inc. had reached an agreement to acquire Shipshewana, Ind.-based towable RV builder K-Z Inc. in a $53.4 million transaction set to close May 1. News that K-Z, led by founder and CEO Daryl Zook, was being purchased by […]

Following up on a March board decision, the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) has begun setting up a regional office in a sedate, one-level office complex near the intersection of County Road 17 and Middlebury Street on the east side of the RV-building center of Elkhart, Ind. In fact, RVIA staff members are on site […]

The most consistent trend in Class A motorhomes right now – beyond the growing popularity of gas-powered coaches – is a continued push toward “residential” interiors across the board. Thor Motor Coach’s top-of-the-line 45-foot Tuscany 45AT, which debuted at the  March 17-20 Family Motor Coach Association’s (FMCA) 89th Family Reunion and Motorhome Showcase at the Georgia […]

Outgoing Jayco Inc. Marketing Director Sid Johnson thought he was simply headed to dinner Tuesday night (Mar. 25) at the Elcona Country Club on the east side of Elkhart, Ind., when he rounded the corner and – much to his actual surprise – was greeted by a room full of Jayco colleagues and lifelong business [...]

There’s never a lot of pomp and circumstance or official announcements when it comes to Elkhart County’s RV Open House, an authentically different trade event that has grown over the past six years to become a key stop on the recreational vehicle industry’s annual show tour. In fact, since there’s no governing board, show director [...]

Timed with the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association’s (RVIA) upbeat Annual Meeting last week (Mar. 4-8) in Southern California was the release of an equally optimistic spring forecast from veteran RVIA prognosticator Richard Curtin, who predicts that RV shipments will total 339,600 units in 2014, a “healthy gain” of 5.7% over the 321,100 units shipped last [...]

If indeed there were more prospective high-end buyers as well as upscale tire kickers in evidence at this past winter’s retail shows – perhaps more so than some manufacturers had seen in a while – then one of the busiest booths at Tampa’s RV SuperShow in January was operated by Foretravel Motorcoach of Texas, a [...]

After more than a year’s debate, the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association’s (RVIA) board voted Wednesday (Mar. 6) to set up a regional office in Elkhart, Ind., a northern Indiana community around which North America’s RV industry has circled its wagons in the post-recessionary era. The board meeting ran in conjunction with the RVIA Annual Meeting, [...]

Howe, Ind.-based DRV Luxury Suites has been showcasing its new 38RSB3 fifth-wheel, a four-slide, fiberglass-skinned coach measuring 40 feet overall, the outside of which features no metal or rubber for a low maintenance, motorhome look. “It’s a newer product line that really kind of allows us to reinvent the wheel a little bit and provide [...]