Sutton Joins Stag Product Management Team

Industry veteran Cathy Sutton has joined the product management team at Stag-Parkway Inc.

“We are delighted to welcome Cathy to our management team,” said John Spaulding, senior vice president of marketing for the Atlanta-based distributor. “Cathy’s experience working in distribution in this market along with her broad industry knowledge will be a considerable asset to us. We are confident that Cathy will bring a strategic perspective to the position that will be instrumental in driving our business forward.”

Sutton will be responsible for the Steps and Ladders, Carriers and Haulers, Accessories, Sun and Shade, Hardware, Sealants and Automotive categories.

”I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work at Stag-Parkway,” Sutton said. “Having watched Stag’s approach to marketing and their emphasis on customer service over the years, I know I’ve found a company that shares my vision for what is important. I’m looking forward to working for the market leader and playing a role in the company’s growth.”

 

Stag, UVS Junction Offer E-Commerce Platform

During Stag-Parkway Inc.’s Driving Success Show in San Antonio this January, the Atlanta-based company announced a new partnership with UVS Junction, a web development software and hosting company for RV dealers.

“It is clear that the needs of RV dealers are evolving very fast and all the programming and hosting functions that progressive internet retailers and marketers demand require strategic partnering to deliver solutions that work”, said John Spaulding, senior vice president, marketing, in a press release. “For the past several years, UVS has provided web content for our dealers through their web hosting services. We came to respect their work and believe this is the perfect time to merge our operations, logistics and fulfillment capabilities with their programming and web hosting capabilities.”

Current subscribers to Stag’s bolt-on catalog are being moved over to a new platform hosted by UVS Junction. Stag said that dealers will receive the same support, service and site benefits they are accustomed to getting from STAG at the same price, and the change will be transparent.

For dealers who want a more robust and customizable e-commerce store-front solution, Stag will be offering two new subscriptions – Level II: RVlifestyles Ecommerce and Level III: RVlifestyles Total Management. Both solutions bring a million dollars worth of resources to bear in delivering a turnkey store front product for as little as $4.93 a day. Stag will provide the content and logistics support and UVS will provide the web hosting and technology to support a dealer’s online store.

According to Stag, Level II and III will provide dealers with complete editing control. Dealers will be able to change copy, images and layout. They will also have complete control over online pricing and the ability to ship from their own inventory. These enhanced subscription packages allow the dealer to add web pages, post newsletters, issue certificates and coupons.

In addition to the new storefront solutions, Stag and UVS Junction are offering a new mobile application upgrade for Level II and III subscribers. The mobile app will put a dealer’s storefront in the right format for easy access and browsing on smartphones, pads and other mobile devices. It will allow dealers to broadcast live videos to customers online and demonstrate how a product works or is installed.

For more information, contact Stag Sales or UVS Junction at (407) 359-8878.

 

Winegard Garners Stag-Parkway’s Peach Award

Winegard Co. announced that it received Stag-Parkway’s “Peach” Award during the distributor’s annual ‘Driving Success’ Trade Show running this week in San Antonio, Texas.

According to a press release, this is Winegard’s fifth Peach Award, which recognizes innovative new product designs, outstanding product quality, dedicated customer service and support, communications with dealers and consumers and their superior dealer training program.

“I am extremely honored to accept this coveted Peach award,” said Aaron Engberg, director of mobile product division for Burlington, Iowa-based Winegard. “This is a result of never-ending hard work by everyone at Winegard and we are thrilled to add it to our collection. Stag-Parkway has been a key partner to Winegard and it is so rewarding to see our commitment and dedication recognized.”

Winegard supplies their complete line of satellite antennas and over-the-air TV antennas to Stag-Parkway, including TRAV’LER, RoadTrip, Carryout, Sensar, Rayzar and RoadStar antennas along with a wide variety of accessories.

Atlanta-based Stag-Parkway’s product management team uses a 10-point scale to measure supplier performance across four important business metrics. The overall score is then added to a subjective component that helps the company arrive at the final group of recipients.

Stag-Parkway’s Meeting Attracts 1,500 to Texas

Those technical product training sessions were followed by a reception Tuesday night amid the exhibits on the show floor at an annual meeting drawing about 1,100 dealer personnel — similar to last year’s head count in Las Vegas — representing some 480 dealerships plus 150 exhibitors for a total of about 1,500 people, reports John Spaulding, vice president of marketing for Stag.

“With the PRO program, now in its fourth year, dealers can earn scholarships to attend the PRO seminars for free if they are certified,” Spaulding told RVBUSINESS.com. “And we had over half of our attendees in the RV University this year on scholarship. So, it’s a really good feeling to be able to say this program we kicked off for educating dealers four years ago is now bearing fruit and giving people the opportunity to come to the training center at our show for free.”

This is the seventh time that Stag, which was acquired in December by Cleveland-based Linsalata Capital Partners from Ares Capital Corp., has held its annual confab in the Texas City.

“It’s been a great location for us in the past,” said Spaulding. “The hotels and the convention center know us very well. Our dealers know the town very well, and we tend to drive a lot of traffic into this event because we get really good service and people really enjoy San Antonio for this kind of an event.”

Wednesday’s agenda called for an early general session in which President and CEO Martin Street as well as Spaulding and the Stag sales team were to present the company’s annual state-of-the-company comments. The day was to conclude in an evening party at historic Sunset Station, an old Amtrak station converted to a general meeting space at which two bands were scheduled to play.

Stag-Parkway Inc. Announces Personnel Moves

Atlanta-based Stag-Parkway Inc. announced the hiring of Marty Jennings as outside sales consultant for the southeastern region and the promotion of Natalie Shroyer to Call Center Manager for the southeastern region.

According to a press release, Jennings will be responsible for calling on RV dealers in Central and North Georgia along with East Tennessee.

Jennings has over 15 years’ experience in the RV industry. Prior to joining Stag-Parkway, Jennings worked for Country Boy Trailers, Sawnee Mountain RV sales and later in unit sales at Camping World in Oakwood, Georgia. He spent six years in the U.S. Army as an Airborne Ranger.

Shroyer will be responsible for managing a team of inside sales consultants from the Atlanta call center.

Approaching her 10-year anniversary with Stag-Parkway, Shroyer has been promoted twice during her tenure. She began her career by working in the merchandising department after graduating from the University of Alabama and later took on the role of outside sales consultant for the southeast for six years.

She was most recently promoted to call center manager for Stag-Parkway’s southeastern regional call center.

 

StagParkway Rolls Out Upgraded B2C Website

Atlanta-based StagParkway Inc. has launched a redesigned B2C website, offering an all-new storefront and “a more engaging shopping experience allowing users to find product information fast.”

Introduced more than 10 years ago, the B2C site has evolved from a “bolt-on” retail portal that could be attached to a dealer’s site to the latest version featuring an updated design, architecture and user interface. STAG reported in a press release that B2C is linked to over 800 dealers across the country.

For current B2C subscribers, the switch to the new site happened automatically on April 16. The navigation of the old site that was driven by product categories has been updated to reflect how consumers actively search for products today.

“Our goal was to create a storefront with a simplified layout that focuses on product,” said John Spaulding, vice president of marketing. “We’ve added rotating banner graphics that can be used for seasonal promotions or new product launches. There are links to supplier specific products via ads and logo links. While attractive, the most significant site improvement can be found in how easy it is to find products and how pictures allow consumers to get broader product exposure by viewing items within product groupings.”

STAG has also switched to a new platform to drive product information, promotions and shopping cart management to maximize the browsing experience today’s consumers enjoy. Content will now be more “dynamic and can be refreshed on the fly and customer search logic can be easily changed.” Feature updates, content revisions and dealer administrator controls are being planned for the future release.

Pricing is also handled differently. Instead of simply displaying the current STAG retail price, the new website will publish the retail price that the dealer designates through their price label preferences they set with STAG. Now items on a dealer’s website will match the STAG prices they post in their store.

Dealers who don’t already subscribe to STAG’s B2C website can call their STAG sales consultant for more information.

 

StagParkway Issues New Hitch & Tow Catalog

In April, StagParkway Inc. released their newest version of the Hitch & Tow Pro catalog to over 2,500 RV dealers and hitch installers. The free catalog was first introduced in September 2011 to “make it easier for RV dealers, hitch installers and service technicians to find and order replacement and repair parts for anything that can be towed,” according to a news release.

Atlanta-based STAG said the 472-page, four-color catalog includes the most up-to-date and comprehensive selection of trailer repair parts and accessories, schematics and exploded product illustrations. All products are categorized in the way they are researched and shopped to make it easy for dealers to find the right application or fit. Each item includes the STAG and manufacturer’s part number for easy ordering.

Major industry brands featured in the catalog include Airlift, Atwood, B&W, BAL, Bargman, Blue Ox, Bulldog, Dexter Axle, Eaz-Lift, Firestone, Fulton, Hopkins, LCI, Reese, Roadmaster, SuperSprings, Tekonsha, Tow Ready, Ultra-Fab and Wesbar.

Dealers can call their STAG sales consultant to get a catalog and find out how to become an authorized Hitch & Tow Pro dealer.

 

Stag, Winegard Partnering on Sales Promotion

Stag-Parkway Inc. and Winegard Co. are giving RV dealers an exclusive offer to promote their own Winegard Super Sale in their stores this summer.

According to a press release, the exclusive offer is only being made available to RV dealers through Stag to help increase sales and traffic through their stores this summer. Dealers will be able to purchase Winegard products at significant savings during Stag’s “RV Ready For Summer? Sale” program during the month of May.

The Winegard Super Sale runs from June 25-July 27 to give dealers enough time to stock and merchandise their stores and take full advantage of the busy summer selling months and the July 4 holiday. The program includes a custom sales flyer that dealers will be able to customize using Stag’s new web-based marketing tool, DesignOnline. Dealers will be able to set their own sales prices and design their own coupon.

The two-page, four-color sales flyer features some of Winegard’s most popular satellites and antennas. Dealers will also get a free signage kit valued at $30 retail that includes posters, wobblers and custom shelftalkers with their own sales prices.

RV dealers can contact their STAG sales consultant or Winegard/DRG sales rep for program details.

 

Stag’s 2012 ‘Driving Success’ Trade Show on Tap

Distributor Stag-Parkway Inc. will be hosting its 2012 “Driving Success” Trade Show Jan. 16-18 at The Mirage in Las Vegas, boasting more than 100,000 square feet of exhibitor displays along with three days of networking opportunities and special events.

According to the Atlanta-based firm, the event will focus on delivering a “complete trade show experience” ranging from education to products to marketing and merchandising. Highlights include:

• Hundreds of New Products

• Model Store to inspire merchandising ideas

• Updated Web Tools

• Customer Acquisition and Retention Tools

The show will also feature RV University, which Stag-Parkway said “builds on the four pillars of a successful retail business.” The curriculum draws heavily on successful training programs used at chain and mass merchant retailers around the country and was developed exclusively for Stag-Parkway’s dealers.

Product seminars presented by key suppliers will focus on the features and benefits of new products, and give RV dealers tips and tools on closing the sale. Dealers will also learn how to merchandise new items from the pros.

Monday will feature a suppliers meeting at 4 p.m. and an opening reception at 6 p.m. The general session is scheduled for Tuesday at 8 a.m. Exhibits will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday.

 

Stag-Parkway Merits Hanover Business Award

Atlanta-based Stag-Parkway Inc. has been selected to receive the 2011 Best of Hanover Award in the trailer parts and accessories category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA), according to a press release.

The USCA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies it believes have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category and enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2011 USCA Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered internally by the USCA and data provided by third parties.

 

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