Coach-Net Fuels The Passion For Travel In Charlotte/Concord
Coach-Net, C4055, based in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, awarded Henry and Erika St. Jean, F99337, of Clearwater, Florida, $1,000 worth of free fuel from Flying J as the winners of Coach-Net’s second “Fueling the Passion” sweepstakes during FMCA’s 76th International Convention in Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina, this past August.
“Erika and I have owned several motorhomes over the past 20 years, traveling through this beautiful country and Canada,” said Mr. St. Jean. “Our motorhome travel has allowed us to visit, explore, and appreciate places we would not have been able to without our coach. There may be less expensive ways to travel, but we feel traveling by motorhome provides us much enjoyment and comfort.”
Coach-Net is the provider for the FMCA Emergency Road Service and Technical Referral Program.
California RV Resort Enjoys Successful First Year
The Springs at Borrego RV Resort and Golf Course, C10970, which is located in the heart of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in Southern California, recently celebrated its first year of operation. The resort offers RVers numerous amenities within the facility, along with outdoor recreation activities such as hiking, desert tours, and horseback riding at the state park.
The resort has large pull-through sites with full hookups, including 50-amp electrical, cable TV, and Wi-Fi high-speed Internet services. Other amenities include a nine-hole golf course, swimming pools, mineral baths, and tennis courts. The clubhouse features an exercise room, a laundry facility, a large meeting room, and a lounge area. An outdoor party pavilion also is available for gatherings.
The Springs at Borrego RV Resort and Golf Course is located less than a mile from the village of Borrego Springs where shopping, dining, fuel, and RV repairs and supplies are available.
For more information about the resort or to make reservations, call (866) 330-0003 or visit www.springsatborrego.com.
Joey Bed Joins Actuant Specialty Vehicles Solutions Division
The Actuant Specialty Vehicles Solutions Division, C990, which includes Power Gear, Power Packer, and Kwikee products, has announced the addition of Joey Bed, C3500, to its group.
Joey Bed, which has been in business since 1986 and is located in Portland, Oregon, has a wide range of cargo slide-out tray products for everything from RVs and pickup trucks to cargo vans and emergency vehicles.
For more information about Joey Bed products, visit the company’s Web site at www.joeybed.com or call (800) 522-5639.
Management Changes At Coachmen
The board of directors of Coachmen Industries Inc. announced in late August that chairman of the board and CEO Claire Skinner has elected to take early retirement and resign from the board of directors. Ms. Skinner, daughter of Coachmen cofounder Tom Corson, had been with the company for 23 years.
In related announcements, the company named William P. Johnson, formerly lead director of the board, as the nonexecutive chairman of the board. Richard Lavers, Coachmen’s chief financial officer, has been named CEO, and Colleen Zuhl, previously a vice president and the company controller, has been named chief financial officer.
Robert Harbin Named Freightliner Custom Chassis President
Freightliner LLC, a DaimlerChrysler company, has selected Robert Harbin as president of Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation, C1905. Mr. Harbin will be responsible for all facets of the business, including engineering, manufacturing, and sales. He succeeds Reid Bigland, who was promoted to president and CEO of DaimlerChrysler Canada.
Mr. Harbin most recently served as director of Tritec Motors, a joint venture between DaimlerChrysler and BMW in Brazil. He has held several management positions with DaimlerChrysler, including plant manager at the Twinsburg, Ohio, stamping plant; center manager at the Belvidere, Illinois, assembly plant; and manager of manufacturing facilities engineering at the Warren stamping and Sterling stamping plants in Michigan.
Before joining DaimlerChrysler, Mr. Harbin worked in manufacturing and sales engineering at General Motors and Delta Fluid Systems. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Kettering University and a master’s degree in business management from the University of Michigan. He also has completed the Program for Global Leadership at Harvard Business School.
Caravan Salon 2006 Deemed A Success
A total of 553 exhibitors from 22 countries showcased their products and technologies at Caravan Salon 2006 Dusseldorf, an international trade fair for recreation vehicles and camping equipment, August 25 through September 3, 2006, in Dusseldorf, Germany. The event attracted 171,400 visitors.
Organizers said that visitor numbers from outside Germany rose to 27,000 from 30 countries and 1,000 vehicles made their debut at the show. The trend toward motorhomes in Europe was confirmed when more than 50 percent of visitors stated that they had come to the event to see and buy motorhomes.
Caravan Salon 2007 is scheduled to take place August 24 through September 2, 2007, again in Dusseldorf. For more information about visiting or exhibiting at the show, contact Messe Dusseldorf North America at (312) 781-5180 or visit www.mdna.com.
Dick Reed Sells RV School
Dick Reed, founder and owner of Dick Reed’s RV Driving School, C6198, has decided to sell the business he began in 1991 and retire. The sale, to instructor Dennis Hill, will become official January 1, 2007.
Mr. Reed, an avid RVer, started the company when he realized that many folks who would like to enjoy the RV lifestyle were afraid to drive or tow larger vehicles. So the retired truck driving instructor developed a hands-on driving curriculum to teach students the proper driving habits to safely operate and maneuver their recreation vehicles.
Since then the company has expanded, adding more instructors and spreading out to several locations. Today, the school is offered at various times of the year in Applegate, Palmdale/Lancaster, Ontario/Riverside, and Yucca Valley, California; Yuma, Arizona; Albany, Oregon; Lake George, New York; and Ocala, Florida.
Mr. Hill, F342558, who has worked as a traveling instructor with the company for two years, has been a full-time motorhomer with his wife, Carol, since 2000. The couple began RVing in 1971 when they took a converted van cross-country for their honeymoon, and have traveled in just about every type of RV since. Mr. Hill’s over-the-road experience includes working in the trucking industry and transporting RVs throughout North America. He said that he hopes to expand the school with the addition of new instructors and to broaden the company’s visibility at RV rallies and conventions.
Mr. Reed will continue to do seminars at select events and said he has other projects in mind, including a driving instruction video and book.
Newmar Debuts Additional Gas-Powered Motorhomes
Newmar Corporation, C4363, based in Indiana, has introduced two type A gas-powered motorhomes for the 2007 model year: the Bay Star, an entry-level addition to Newmar’s gas motorhome lineup, and the midpriced Canyon Star.
The all-new Bay Star is built on a Ford F-53 chassis and powered by a 362-horsepower engine. Seven floor plans are available ranging in lengths from 27 feet to 33 feet. The exterior features vinyl graphics with a painted skirt, an automatic entry door with a double step, and lighted outdoor storage compartments with a cargo liner. Also included as standard equipment are slideout covers and an A&E 8500 side awning with an aluminum wrap.
The Bay Star’s heating system features a propane furnace with in-floor ducted heat, and central air-conditioning is provided by a 13,500-Btu Duo-Therm Brisk Air unit.
The 2007 Bay Star has a base suggested retail price of $95,396.
The new Canyon Star type A motorhome is available on either a Ford F-53 chassis powered by a 362-horsepower engine or a Workhorse W-20 or W-22 chassis powered by a 340-horsepower engine. Seven floor plans are available, with lengths ranging from 32 feet to 36 feet.
The Canyon Star shares many of the same standard and optional features as the Bay Star, but there are also quite a few differences. One of the most noticeable is the Super Storage area below the rear bedroom floor. This compartment gives the consumer a pass-through area with adequate room to haul larger items.
The 3642 floor plan has an unusual feature in the bedroom “” a Sico-brand fold-down wall bed. When the bed is in the up position, it provides the motorhome with a second living area, complete with two recliners and a 24-inch flat-screen TV.
The Canyon Star’s heating system features a propane furnace with in-floor ducted heat and central air-conditioning powered by one 11,000-Btu and one 13,500-Btu Duo-Therm Brisk Air unit.
The Canyon Star has a base suggested retail price of $112,392.
For more information about Newmar’s products, call (800) 860-0086 or visit www.newmarcorp.com.
Fan-Tastic Vent Reaches Milestone
Fan-Tastic Vent Corporation, C3077, based in Imlay City, Michigan, reached a major milestone in August by producing its 2 millionth fan. During the company’s first year in 1985, it manufactured a total of 2,000 fans.
Since the inception of the original Fan-Tastic Vent, the company has added numerous features to its line, including reverse airflow, thermostats, rain sensors, wall controllers, and, most recently, a radio-frequency remote.