Committee Week Focus Falls on RVIA’s Two Shows

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my Daily RV Industry News Feed. Thanks for visiting, Sherman GoldenbergAs the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association’s leadership prepares to convene June 8-11 for its annual Committee Week meetings in Washington, D.C., one of its main goals will be to infuse new ideas and energy into the association’s two shows — the National RV Trade Show and the annual retail California RV Show. “These are two of the most important events... Read more

Schwarzenegger Proposes to Close 220 State Parks

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s budget cuts could mean the closing of up to 220 state parks, among them the home of the world’s tallest tree and other attractions that draw millions of visitors, according to the Associated Press. Schwarzenegger this week recommended eliminating $70 million in parks spending through June 30, 2010. An additional $143.4 million would be saved in the following fiscal year by keeping the parks closed. “This is a worst-case scenario,” said Roy Sterns,... Read more

Keystone Hornet Makes Large Market Share Gain

Keystone RV Co.’s Hornet brand outperformed all other brands in its class to  post double-digit market share gain with increases of 15.6% through  February and 11.1% through March, according to Keystone, citing a  recent  Statistical  Surveys Inc. retail market report. ”Hornet’s goal is to give  dealers  a conventionally constructed travel trailer with an  exterior and  interior  appearance that looks and feels like an expensive laminated trailer, all at  an aggressive... Read more

Pair Envisions Fleet of RVers Serving Others

Two North Huntingdon, Pa., residents are heeding the call to help others by taking a monthlong cross-country road trip and serving others along the way. Adam Kunes, 24, and Andrew Blythe, 22, hope their journey, dubbed “The Call to Serve,” shows others that two people in a RV can help change the lives of others, according to PittsburghLIVE.com. Blythe said they plan to turn the Call to Serve into a nonprofit organization with a fleet of RVs traveling the country to help others. “We... Read more

Indiana Congressional Delegation Lauds SBA Move

It was hard for U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly to contain his enthusiasm. Something he and other Hoosiers, including fellow Democrat Sen. Evan Bayh, have been working on for months, became reality, according to the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune. Beginning July 1, the U.S. Small Business Administration will offer government-guaranteed loans to finance inventory for eligible automobile, recreational vehicle, boat, motorcycle and manufactured housing dealerships. Donnelly, D-Ind., said the move is another piece... Read more

Yokohama Tire Corp. Named EPA SmartWay Partner

Continuing to fulfill a corporate commitment to environmental protection, Yokohama Tire Corp. announced Thursday (May 28) it has been named a partner in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) SmartWay program. SmartWay, an EPA collaboration with the freight industry, is designed to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution. Yokohama’s new partnership status is in the “shippers” category, which means that the company... Read more

Ban Will Limit Road-Building in Remote U.S. Forests

The Obama administration is ordering a one-year moratorium on most road-building and other development on about 50 million acres of remote national forests. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued a directive Thursday (May 28) reinstating for one year most of a Clinton-era ban against new road construction and development in national forests. The 2001 rule banned road-building and logging in more than 58 million acres of remote national forests, mostly in the West, according to the Associated... Read more

RVs Take Spotlight as Consumer Confidence Rises

RVs were in the national media spotlight throughout May as a result of Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) public relations and Go RVing advertising, boosting consumer awareness even as consumer confidence was reported to be sharply improving. Media coverage of RVing resulting from RVIA outreach focused on themes of vacation cost savings, family togetherness, and the industry’s efforts to add eco-friendly features to RVs, according to an RVIA news release. On Memorial Day, ABC’s... Read more

SBA: Action Will Give RV Dealers ‘Breathing Room’

President Obama’s car czar came to Kokomo, Ind., Thursday (May 28) to announce much needed aid for the state’s auto dealers. But the help is not just for auto dealers. It’s also for hard hit areas that manufacture RVs. The Small Business Administration (SBA) and President Obama’s car czar announced a nationwide stimulus plan in the heart of Indiana’s auto industry, planting what they hope is a seed in the industry’s recovery, according to WTHR-TV, Indianapolis. “We’re... Read more

Canadian Dealer Eyes Other Fleetwood Oregon Site

The Canadian RV dealer who tried to buy Fleetwood Enterprises Inc.’s La Grande, Ore., plant has cast a glance at the bankrupt company’s Pendleton site. Craig Little, owner of Arbutus RV & Marine Sales on Vancouver Island, offered $1.8 million to buy the 79,000-square-foot La Grande plant. But Little lost out during a sale hearing and auction May 13 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Riverside, Calif. Ron Nash, owner of the La Grande-based RV maker Northwood Manufacturing, bought the property... Read more

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