Beaver Coach Sales Adds Holiday Rambler Line

Monaco RV LLC announced that Beaver Coach Sales and Service in Bend, Ore., will carry the Holiday Rambler brand of motorhomes.

The Beaver Coach Sales and Service complex encompasses six acres with an 8,000-square-foot indoor showroom. Their 15-bay service center includes paint booth, complete parts department and a national reputation for excellence, according to a news release.

“We are excited to be involved with the Holiday Rambler product and also its clubs,” states Chris Jackson, general manager for Beaver Coach Sales and Service. “Our initial focus will include the Neptune and Endeavor. As demand in HR product increases, we will expand our product availability. We look forward to growing with Holiday Rambler, their club and encourage all Holiday Rambler owners to become familiar with our sales and service capabilities that can serve them.”

Holiday Rambler product will begin to arrive at the dealership in April in time for the 2010 season and 2010 Central Oregon RV Show. “The summer national FMCA rally will be in our backyard in Redmond. This will provide a great opportunity for folks to stop by the dealership while in the Northwest,” concluded Jackson.

Scott Jacobson, national sales manager for Holiday Rambler, recently spent time at the Bend facilities. “After meeting with Chris Jackson and the staff, it is evident Beaver Coach Sales and Service is committed to Holiday Rambler and building their presence with the Holiday Rambler club,” said Jacobson. “I am very excited about the addition of Beaver Coach Sales and Service and look forward to building a great relationship with them, along with offering excellent customer service before and “after the sale” for all of our old and new customers.”

Beaver Coach Sales and Service can be contacted at (800) 382-2597 (Sales) or (800 843-2967 (Service).

New 2011 Holiday Rambler Neptune Unveiled

Monaco RV LLC, Coburg, Ore., today (March 8) announced the new 2011 Neptune diesel pusher from Holiday Rambler in a news release. The popular motorhome has been upgraded to the eight air bag proprietary Roadmaster chassis, from the previous four air bag model. The eight outboard-mounted air bag RR8R Roadmaster chassis provides a wide and stable platform for the coach, improving drivability. The 2011 Holiday Rambler Neptune is powered by a new 360-hp engine, standard on 40-foot models, with a 340-hp engine standard on 36-foot models. Four creative floorplans are offered including the popular full-wall slide that provides massive living space. The interior boasts ceramic tile throughout the living area, kitchen and bath along with three well-appointed decor color choices.  Solid surface countertops with mosaic tile backsplashes, an optional residential refrigerator and handy flip up countertop extension make meal preparation a breeze. All floorplans offer an optional king bed as well as solar screens with blackout shade. Behind the wheel, safety minded features include the Panaview one-piece windshield, standard three-camera rear vision system and optional GPS system. For more details on the Neptune including a video tour, along with information on Holiday Rambler’s full line of products, visit www.holidayrambler.com.

Veurinks’ RV Receives First New Monaco RV LLC Units

Veurinks’ RV Center in Grand Rapids, Mich., has taken delivery of the first towable units manufactured by the new Monaco RV LLC.

The dealer took delivery of three new 2010 Holiday Rambler towable products this month, Tim Veurink, president, announced in a news release. Veurinks’ RV Center will carry the full line of the Holiday Rambler brands, he said.

Veurink expects gas motorhomes to arrive the end of July and new diesels before the end of summer. Veurinks’ will also be aggressively discounting the few remaining 2009s to make room for the new models, he said.

Veurink’s RV Center is the nation’s oldest Holiday Rambler dealership.

In June   Navistar International Corp. picked up the Holiday Rambler brand and manufacturing facilities from the assets of the old Monaco Coach Corp.

“We look forward to working with a financially sound company like Navistar who like us has a rich history of customer support and satisfaction,” said Veurink. 

“When you sell a brand for 46 years, you develop a very loyal customer base of owners of that brand who frankly can’t see themselves buying any other brand but a Holiday Rambler,” he said. He noted that  over those 46 years they have partnered with four different owners of the Holiday Rambler brand: founder Richard Klingler, Harley Davidson, Monaco Coach and now Navistar.

“Change is never easy but I can honestly say that every owner of Holiday Rambler has helped the product evolve into a better RV and I believe
Navistar is capable of taking that evolution to a whole new level,” Veurink said.

It was 1963 when Howard Veurink, then owner of Veurinks’ RV Center,  first signed a dealer agreement with Klingler. That afternoon Veurink  towed home a 19-foot rear gaucho Holiday Rambler travel trailer and parked it on his rented lot. By that evening he had sold his first Holiday Rambler. Since that time, the Veurink family has sold and serviced several thousand Holiday Rambler towable and motorized products.

Monaco May Reveal $50 Million Suitor Today

Monaco Coach Corp., which terminated 2,000 employees and filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this month, has received a letter from a large company interested in buying the Coburg, Ore.-based RV maker for $50 million. 

The proposed purchase plan by the unnamed company is outlined in parts of a 60-page document filed Wednesday (March 25) by Monaco in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, according to the Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore. The overall document is a routine motion, asking the court for permission to use money from sales of RVs to pay the bills and keep operating at a scaled-back level. 

But portions of the filing refer to the letter of intent received Monday from “a major public company” that would pay cash or stock for “substantially all assets of (Monaco) related to (the company’s) core RV manufacturing business.” 

The proposed sale would enable Monaco’s secured lenders – Bank of America and Ableco – to be repaid “all or a material part” of what the RV maker owes them, according to the court papers. 

In addition, the document says, “jobs would be preserved for the local communities so heavily affected by the … current circumstances and certain creditors would be benefited by the continuation of (Monaco’s) business lines.” 

Monaco spokesman Craig Wanichek declined to discuss the proposed sale on Wednesday, but hinted that a deal may be close. 

“We’re not going to make an announcement (on Wednesday),” Wanichek said. “We intend that the announcement will be forthcoming (Thursday) or Friday.” 

He would not address questions regarding the number of employees that might be rehired if a sale is completed or to what extent the purchasing company might resume operations. He also would not discuss the unnamed company that is mentioned in the court documents. 

“That will be in our announcement,” Wanichek said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of different parties involved (in bankruptcy negotiations).” 

Monaco currently owes Ableco $37.4 million on a $39.3 million, fixed-term loan that was obtained last November. The company owes Bank of America and other lenders another $36.3 million on an $80 million revolving loan fund that was also negotiated in November. 

In its bankruptcy filing, Monaco estimated that it has 25,000 to 50,000 creditors. 

Its factory in Coburg and its service center in Harrisburg have both been idle since December. A holiday furlough was extended three times before the company terminated 2,000 of its 2,145 employees on March 2. Three days later, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware – the state where it filed incorporation papers. 

In the documents filed Wednesday, Monaco laid out alternate budgets that account for operations with or without the sale of its assets. The company could file a motion in Bankruptcy Court by April 15 to allow a sale to go forward. A sale could be completed by June 19, according to the papers. 

The documents mention dates this spring for bidding and an auction related to the “major asset sale.” Wanichek would not say whether those actions will be necessary if the proposed sale of Monaco is accepted by the bankruptcy court. 

Monaco was founded in 1968 in Junction City as Caribou Manufacturing Co., and builds motorhomes and trailers under the brand names Monaco, Beaver, Safari, Holiday Rambler, McKenzie and R-Vision. It also operates motorhome resorts in California, Florida, Nevada and Michigan. 

But it closed three Indiana factories last summer, idling 1,400 workers, then suspended its dividend and cut production in half. The company began cutting jobs last April, laying off 600 workers in Indiana and Oregon after the first in a series of quarterly losses. 

Early this year, Monaco hired the investment banking firm Imperial Capital to help it find a buyer. 

Its stock was trading for $10 per share a year ago on the New York Stock Exchange, but it was delisted when its share price fell to 6 cents after this month’s layoffs. It now trades under the ticker symbol MCOA on the Pink Sheets, where its stock rose by a penny per share on Wednesday to 9.5 cents. 

Also on Wednesday, Monaco filed notice with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it has been unable to complete its year-end 10-K financial report due to the bankruptcy filing and related issues. Also, the company said, key people in its accounting department have resigned, including employees who handle SEC filings. The company indicated that it would file a completed report by or after April 3.

Firm Offering Warranty Plan to Monaco Owners

Indianapolis-based ACC Warranty Services Group has launched a “specialized RV warranty program” to assist the RV owners who are affected by the Chapter 11 filing by Monaco Coach Corp.

According to a press release, the warranty agreement will allow the Monaco RV customers who have lost factory warranty coverage on their Monaco, Beaver, Safari, or Holiday Rambler motorhomes to replace it with like coverage at a “one-time up-front fixed cost to cover any repairs occurring during the contract period with a $50 deductible.”

“Mechanical breakdown protection is even more important for todays’ motorhome owners due to the rising parts and labor costs and the lack of technical and parts support from the manufacturers,” says Steve Burgess of ACC Warranty Services. “ACC Warranty Services Group looks forward to assisting consumers with any difficulties experienced by the Chapter 11 filing by Monaco Coach. We remain committed to the RV industry and to serving our customers.”

To visit the company’s website go to ACC Warranty Services.

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