FTC Delaying New ‘Red Flag Rules’ until Nov. 1
July 29, 2009 by RV Business · Leave a Comment
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has delayed — for the third time — new “Red Flags Rules” until Nov. 1 to give affected businesses more time to develop and implement identity theft prevention programs, according to a bulletin from the Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA). The rules were schedule to take effect on Saturday (Aug. 1). This third delay is primarily due to the FTC’s realization that the Red Flags Rules are covering many more small businesses,... Read more
New Blue Ox BedSaver Hitch
July 29, 2009 by RV Business · Leave a Comment
Good and bad things happen when you “drop” a fifth wheel trailer. Bad: damage to truck and RV, embarrassment when family and friends see what happened, plus potential injury. Good: you become great friends with technicians and insurance companies. The Blue Ox BedSaver prevents all this. The BedSaver is an industry exclusive developed by Blue Ox to address a hazardous problem that fifth wheel pullers have encountered: the kingpin slipping out of the hitch, or failing to become engaged with the... Read more
Reader Chides South Dakota Paper for Short-Sightedness
July 29, 2009 by RV Business · 2 Comments
Editor’s Note: This letter to the editor was published in the Sioux Falls (S.D.) Argus Leader and pertains to that community’s attempts to legislate how long campers may stay within a given campground. I am writing to respond to your July 10 editorial relating to the proposed time limit for campers in a campground. I managed Duane Spader’s campground in Sioux Falls for 25 years. I am writing to correct some misconceptions about the campground business that the city has created.... Read more
Stat Survey’s Walworth to Lead RVDA Convention Panel
July 29, 2009 by RV Business · Leave a Comment
The RV industry’s “retail scorekeeper,’ Tom Walworth of Statistical Surveys Inc., will lead a panel discussion examining the current economic factors affecting the RV industry during the Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA) International Convention/Expo Oct. 6-9 in Las Vegas. The panel of industry experts will include Mark Beecher, Bank of the West senior vice president for sales and marketing, and Derald Bontrager, president and COO of Jayco Inc. Panelists will focus... Read more
RV Doctor Makes Live Video House Call Saturday
July 29, 2009 by RV Business · Leave a Comment
Gary Bunzer The “RV Doctor,” Gary Bunzer, will appear on a live video broadcast at RVtravel.com on Saturday, Aug. 1, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., PST. “Gary will appear in real time video on the same web page as our weekly newsletter,” said RVtravel.com editor Chuck Woodbury in a news release. “All readers at that time will see the live broadcast as it happens. They will be invited to submit questions to Gary by e-mail about RV repair and maintenance, which he will answer... Read more
Competing News Operations in Domain Name Fight
July 29, 2009 by RV Business · 1 Comment
Editor’s Note: The first item below is a news story posted Monday (July 27) on the RVeNews website about a copyright battle brewing between two rival RV news distributors. The second is a blog written by Greg Gerber, one of the contestants. An attorney representing Don Magary, owner of RV News, sent RVeNEWS founder Greg Gerber a certified letter today (July 27) demanding that Gerber stop using the RVeNEWS brand. “Needless to say, ‘RVeNews’ is the same or confusingly similar... Read more
Execs Wilkinson & Draheim Are Fleetwood Veterans
July 28, 2009 by RV Business · Leave a Comment
Fleetwood RV Inc. is being run in a unique way by a two men with with more than 50 years experience in the RV industry. Chuck Wilkinson, CEO, and John Draheim, president, are running Fleetwood RV together. “They have specific functions that dovetail, but one does not report to the other”, according to information provided by Fleetwood to RVBUSINESS.com. They are based in Decatur, Ind., home to the company’s two manufacturing facilities, two service facilities and the Goldshield Fiberglass... Read more
Schwartz Owned RV Dealerships in Two States
July 28, 2009 by Bob Ashley · 2 Comments
Funeral Services for retail-and-manufacturing RV industry veteran Charles W. “Chuck” Schwartz will be Wednesday (July 29) in Winston-Salem, N.C. Schwartz, 70, died Saturday morning, apparently of heart failure, while at work at Countryside RV in Yadkinville, N.C., according to his family. During his career Schwartz worked in sales at Fleetwood Industries Inc. and Dutchmen Manufacturing Co. Inc., and co-owned northern Ohio-based All Seasons RV in the 1980s and later Family RV Center in... Read more
Country Coach Collaborates With Specialty Logistics
July 28, 2009 by RV Business · 1 Comment
Country Coach Inc. announced Monday (July 27) the immediate availability of full customer parts research and fulfillment support. The Junction City, Ore.-based luxury motorcoach manufacturer has authorized Specialty Logistics Inc. (SLI) as the exclusive provider of parts support to Country Coach motorcoach owners. “We are making it easier for Country Coach owners to buy parts for their motorcoaches,” said Jim Howard, Country Coach senior vice president of sales and service. “SLI... Read more
Vintage RVs on Display at Hoosier Campground
July 28, 2009 by RV Business · Leave a Comment
GMC Class A motorhome, c. 1973-78, at 2008 Vintage Trailer Rally Those worried about the future of the recreational vehicle business can pause for a moment this week to celebrate the industry’s beginnings. The second annual Vintage Trailer Rally, which will be Friday to Sunday (July 31 to Aug. 2) at the South Bend East KOA in Granger, Ind., will display dozens of vintage trailers, according to the South Bend Tribune. About 35 campers dating back from the early 1950s to the ’80s will... Read more
