Pleasure-Way Passes Production Milestone
Pleasure-Way Industries, based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, announced the completion of its 10,000th motorhome on May 27, 2009. The family-owned and operated company has been manufacturing motorhomes since 1986.
“This is a fantastic achievement to reach this year,” said Dean Rumpel, vice president of the company. “Even surrounded by all the economic turmoil, with some of the largest RV manufacturers filing bankruptcy, we are more than pleased to be in such a strong position. Our production has never stopped, and with a great team of skilled craftsmen and a strong commitment from our dealership network, we pushed forward to make this mark.”
Pleasure-Way has 60 dealerships across North America and produces nine models on Dodge, Ford, and Chevrolet chassis.
For more information about Pleasure-Way motorhomes, call (800) 364-0189 or visit www.pleasureway.com.
Country Coach Partners With Recreation Live
Type A motorhome manufacturer Country Coach LLC, based in Junction City, Oregon, announced that it has entered into a partnership with Recreation Live LLC to develop and expand the company’s factory-direct sales approach to other locations in North America. Recreation Live specializes in serving the retail motorhome market and has current offices in Schertz, Texas, and Pompano Beach, Florida, along with an online showroom at www.recreationlive.com.
According to Country Coach president and CEO Jay Howard, the partnership with Recreation Live will allow Country Coach to enhance its customer care offerings by providing conveniently located sales and service facilities. Mr. Howard said the goal is to establish Country Coach factory-direct sales and service centers in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest within the first year, to go along with Country Coach’s Oregon location.
The partnership is part of Country Coach’s reorganization plan, which is subject to court approval. Once the partnership is approved by the court, it is expected that Recreation Live will own approximately 50 percent of the new Country Coach.
For more information about Country Coach motorhomes, visit www.countrycoach.com or call (800) 654-0223.
Signature Resorts Acquired
Signature Resorts, the luxury RV resort division of bankrupt Monaco Coach Corporation, has been acquired by Morgan RV Resorts, based in Saratoga Springs, New York, and Sunland RV Resorts of La Jolla, California.
Morgan RV Resorts owns 41 RV resorts in 14 states offering more than 17,000 lots in locations such as the Adirondacks, the Chesapeake Bay, Cape Cod, and the Florida Keys.
Sunland RV Resorts owns and operates seven RV resorts in Southern California, five of which are located in San Diego. Sunland’s most recent acquisition was the Emerald Desert Resort in Palm Desert, California.
Morgan RV Resorts and Sunland RV Resorts will both have a financial stake in the Signature Resorts properties in Bay Harbor, Michigan, which opened July 1, and the Naples, Florida, resort that is slated to open in mid-October. The Motorcoach Country Club in Indio, California, and the Las Vegas Motorcoach Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, will continue to operate under the Signature Resorts name, even though they are each owned by respective homeowner associations.
Morgan RV Resorts co-owner Bob Moser and Sunland RV Resorts president Reza Paydar announced the acquisition, noting that they are excited to add this top-of-the line group of RV resorts to their portfolio. E. Randall Henderson Jr. will continue as president of the new Signature Resorts, a position he has held since 2004.
For additional information about Signature Resorts, Morgan RV Resorts, or Sunland RV Resorts, visit www.signaturervresorts.com, www.morganrvresorts.com, or www.sunlandrvresorts.com.
Newell Coach Increases Production
In response to a rise in the number of orders for new luxury motorhomes, Newell Coach Corporation, based in Miami, Oklahoma, announced that it will increase production immediately. The company is recalling furloughed production staff and moving ahead with new coach styling and engineering updates, which will appear in motorhomes completed this winter.
“In April, we began to see a very positive change in our customers’ confidence,” said Karl Blade, president of Newell Coach. “This trend continues. Our production backlog now extends into April of next year. After an admittedly difficult year, we are moving ahead with optimism. This is good news for our customers, our employees, and the company.”
For more information about Newell Coach, call (888) 363-9355, or visit www.newellcoach.com.
Coach-Net Lists Top 10 RV Fixes
Leveling jacks and slideouts ranked number one and two, respectively, on Coach-Net’s Top 10 RV Fixes for 2008 list. The company tallied the items that generated the most phone calls in 2008 for Coach-Net assistance regarding coach- and towable-related components.
Patrick Cipres, RV technical service manager for Coach-Net, said the company decided to release this list so RV owners would know to pay extra attention to these areas when inspecting and maintaining their vehicles.
Mr. Cipres said that leveling jacks and slideouts usually are at the top of the company’s list, and that most problems are related to retraction issues. Concerns about 110-volt-AC electric, including shore power connections, appliance power requirements, and basic troubleshooting with such things as GFI testing and resetting procedures, came in third on the list, followed by batteries, 12-volt-DC electric, fresh-water plumbing, the water heater, exterior accessories, the generator, and the furnace.
Coach-Net also assembled a list of top chassis calls, led by engine/exhaust issues, the braking system, chassis electrical issues, wheels and tires, transmission, cooling system, fuel system, suspension, gauges, and axles.
FMCA has partnered with Coach-Net to offer association members a comprehensive 24-hour technical and emergency roadside assistance program. For more information about FMCA’s Emergency Road Service and Technical Assistance Program through Coach-Net, call (877) 801-0333 or visit www.coach-net.com.
Travel Book Highlights Colorado History
Discover many of the important and fascinating places that played a role in the growth and character of the Centennial State in Historic Colorado: Day Trips & Weekend Getaways To Historic Towns, Cities, Sites & Wonders ($22.99, Voyageur Press). This illustrated book takes readers on an adventure along scenic back roads from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Plains, and everywhere in between.
The book is divided into six geographic-based chapters (Northwest, Northeast, Central, Southwest, South Central, and Southeast), each with its own map detailing the specific area covered. Each chapter includes several journeys (with detailed driving directions) that guide readers to some of the state’s most intriguing sites, along with stories about its heritage, profiles of important people, and an array of historical black-and-white and modern-day color photos.
Readers follow in the footsteps of explorers, prospectors, cowpokes, and pioneers, down the Santa Fe Trail, across the Continental Divide, up Clear Creek, and over Lizard Head Pass. The book also explores the legacy of mining, the railroads, and the Old West, along with the heritage of American Indians.
Historic Colorado is available in bookstores, through online booksellers, or from the publisher at www.voyageurpress.com or (800) 826-6600.
Florida Named Best Trails State
American Trails, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation and protection of trails throughout the United States, recognized Florida with its first-ever Best Trails State award as part of its biennial National Trails Awards announcement in November 2008. Florida was honored for its vision, initiatives, and management of the statewide trails system.
The Florida Office of Greenways and Trails (OGT), part of the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, manages more than 80,000 acres of greenways and eight state trails. Of the eight state trails, six are rail trails, which are railroad corridors that have been converted to recreational trails for hiking, biking, and skating.
According to the OGT, Florida’s greenways and trails attract more than 3 million visitors each year. Through Florida Forever, the state’s premier land acquisition program, $4.5 million is allocated annually to purchase and preserve land for Florida’s greenways and trails.
For more information about Florida’s greenways and trails, visit www.floridagreenwaysandtrails.com.
Four New National Natural Landmarks Designated
A rare ecosystem in Pennsylvania, the sixth-longest cave in Texas, and major fossil sites in Kentucky, New York, and Vermont recently were named National Natural Landmarks. This program, administered by the National Park Service, recognizes significant examples of natural history and supports property owners and managers in conservation efforts. There are now 586 listed sites.
The four new landmarks are as follows:
- The Nottingham Park Serpentine Barrens in Chester County, Pennsylvania, support unique vegetation communities that contain many rare and endemic species, including one of the northernmost occurrences of fame flower. The site also has one of the state’s largest stands of pitch pine forest.
- Cave Without a Name in Kendall County, Texas, contains exceptional cave formations, a rare and threatened salamander, and significant paleontological deposits.
- Big Bone Lick in Boone County, Kentucky, is unique for its combination of salt springs and associated Late Pleistocene bone beds. The site has been referred to as the birthplace of vertebrate paleontology in North America.
- The Chazy Fossil Reef in Grand Isle County, Vermont, and Clinton County, New York, contains surface exposures of an Ordovician fossil reef. The reef characterizes the tropical marine environment that existed approximately 450 million years ago on the continental shelf of North America. This paleontological treasure represents the oldest-known occurrence of a biologically diverse fossil reef in the world, the earliest appearance of fossil coral in a reef environment, and the first documented example of the ecological principle of faunal succession.
A complete list of National Natural Landmarks and additional information about the program can be found at www.nature.nps.gov/nnl.
Fan-Tastic Vent Celebrates Silver Anniversary
In 1984, Stephen Milks designed a 12-volt-DC high-efficiency ventilation fan for recreation vehicles. That was the beginning of Fan-Tastic Vent Corporation, the Imlay, Michigan, company that has provided air exchange systems to the RV industry for the past quarter century.
“We are very excited and proud to celebrate our 25th anniversary,” said Penny Milks, president of Fan-Tastic Vent. “We would like to thank our ultimate consumers, the manufacturers, distributors, and dealerships that have partnered with us over the years. We look forward to the next 25.”
For more information about Fan-Tastic Vent and its products, call (800) 521-0298 or visit www.fantasticvent.com.