Some RV dealerships in New England had their electricity restored today (Nov. 3), while others are still experiencing power outages after a Nor’easter snowstorm slammed the region Saturday.
“Most auto and RV dealerships in Connecticut are up and running,” said James Fleming, president of the Connecticut Automotive Retailers Association. “Either they’ve gotten their power restored or they have auxiliary power so the can do business.”
Connecticut was reported as being hit the hardest, with more than 75 percent of the pubic experiencing power outages, according to news provider masslive.com.
“Our power was restored this morning. We opened around 8:30 a.m.,” Dave Pendell, a salesman at Crowley RV Center in Bristol, Conn., told RV PRO. Crowley’s remained closed Monday through Wednesday this week due to the power outage.
The fifth wheel manufacturer shut down production in mid-October because of financial difficulties. A short time later, PNC Bank filed a lawsuit, claiming Carriage was insolvent or going to quickly become insolvent and asking the court for permission to take possession of the company.
After a weekend deal with its lender fell through, Carriage Inc. appears to be out of business and is looking for a buyer, a company official told the Elkhart Truth newspaper.
Both the bank and the manufacturer had been working on an agreement, but Monday everything fell apart, according to the newspaper. Now the company executives are working to sell Carriage and have about three or four suitors, said Ed Kinney, vice president of sales and marketing.
Brad Williams, president and CEO of MVP RV Inc., has been appointed to the association’s Board of Directors to fill the open Manufacturer seat vacated by John Rhymer of Heartland RV.
Williams is a 25-year veteran of the RV industry who worked for Fleetwood Enterprises and Thor California before joining MVP RV in 2005. He has also served on RVIA’s Industry Education Committee.
His term will run until Sept. 30, 2013. RVIA recently revised the Association’s bylaws to have interim appointments to the RVIA Board of Directors serve the balance of the vacating incumbent’s term so that the election cycle is not disturbed. By maintaining this balance, elections each year will always be for seven seats and each seat will always be for a three-year term.
NTP Distribution Inc. announced today (Nov. 3) that it has expanded its next-day fleet delivery service to regions in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama beginning Monday, Nov. 7.
The service is made possible by NTP’s recent integration with Keystone Automotive Operations, which will provide its fleet to service the area. NTP will be delivering to RV customers in those southern states three business days a week in most areas, according to the distributor.
The delivery cut-off times have also been expanded from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. EST.
“We continue to see great opportunities to grow our reach and service offerings,” said Greg Boyd, president of NTP. “We are looking forward to all the exciting changes our customers will see in the weeks and months to come.”
NTP announced its expanded next-day fleet service to the Phoenix area last week.
Northern Wholesale Supply is hosting a Dometic Tech School from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 7 at its Lino Lakes, Minn., facility.
The class costs $150. It will cover the operation, troubleshooting, and diagnostic processes on Dometic’s air conditioners, refrigerators and power awnings. Instructors will also cover warranty policy and procedures. The class hours qualify toward RVIA technical certification.
Class participants will receive a PowerPoint presentation booklet, a data CD of all the manuals and lunch.
To register, contact Northern Wholesale at 651-429-1515.
Space is limited for the course. A similar Dometic class Dec. 6 has already filled to capacity. Two classes by Suburban Tech training schools Dec. 13 and 14 at the same location are also completely filled.
KAR Auction Services Inc. today (Nov. 3) reported increases in revenue and net income in its third quarter financial results ended Sept. 30 and for the first nine months of the year.
The company reported its revenue increased to $447.0 million, from $445.3 million in the same quarter in 2010. Its net income in the quarter increased 26 percent, to $32.2 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, as compared with net income of $25.6 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, last year.
For the first nine months this year, KAR Auction Services reported revenue of $1.4 billion, a 2 percent increase from $1.37 billion in revenue in the same time span in 2010.
The company anticipates 2011 net income per share of $0.45 to $0.50, and adjusted net income per share of $1.18 to $1.20.
Priority One Financial Services Inc. Operations Manager Jason Bagwell is celebrating his 10-year anniversary with the company.
Bagwell was hired in 2001 to develop a funding department that has since grown to house a staff of eight business administrators, according to Priority One. The department’s responsibility is to ensure that the finance experience is seamless for customers, and that contracts are funded promptly to their dealer partners.
Bagwell has cultivated relationships with banks, earned the trust of Priority One’s dealer partners, and has created the model of what a successful funding operation should be, according to the company.
The National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) is replacing its ARVC Report newsletter with the ARVC Voice, an online members-only magazine that features news stories as well as embedded videos that highlight best practices and innovations in the campground business.
“ARVC Voice is not a newsletter, but an online magazine,” said Paul Bambei, ARVC president and CEO.
The first issue ofARVC Voice was e-mailed to Association members Monday, according to ARVC. Members will receive it electronically 11 times a year, with a single issue covering the December/January period.
While ARVC Voice is delivered in an electronic format, individual pages, sections or the entire issue can be saved, downloaded and/or printed, according to ARVC. It also has a built-in search function to enable members to search for particular words or phrases.
“We’re using cutting-edge technology with one of the leading online magazine companies,” Bambei said.
Cavco now has more production facilities than any other company in the park model business after acquiring Fleetwood Homes and Palm Harbor Homes, according to the company.
“It gives us a strategic advantage, because having multiple facilities lowers the freight costs for campground operators who purchase Cavco park models,” said Joseph Stegmayer, Cavco’s president and CEO.
Until recently, Cavco’s park model reach was largely confined to the Western half of the U.S., with most of its park model sales occurring within a few hundred miles of its factory in Phoenix, according to Cavco.
Cavco’s Rocky Mount, Va., factory was the first to broaden its product lines to include park models, which it did last year. Now Cavco produces park models in Woodburn, Ore.; Napa, Idaho; Austin, Texas; and Plant City, Fla.
Indiana's business climate makes it the sixth best place to do business in the U.S., according to Site Selection magazine's 2011 business climate rankings. This is the fourth consecutive year Indiana has been named on the list – it was ranked eighth last year.
The rankings are arranged based on feedback from a survey of national real estate executives, and a review of Indiana's economic development record.They’re also determined by performance of the state in Conway Data's New Plant Database, which tracks new and expanded business facility activity, and also by a survey of corporate site seekers across the country. The survey asked companies to identify the top 10 state business climates, taking into consideration such factors as lack of red tape, financial assistance and government officials' cooperation. Respondents were also asked to rank the factors most important to them when determining a location for a new facility.
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