Tents For Troops Founder Dies
Charlie Curry (seated) founded Tents for Troops and then diligently promoted the program, which offers free stays for military personnel at many RV parks and campgrounds.
Charlie Curry, founder of the nonprofit Tents for Troops program and owner of Toutle River RV Resort in Castle Rock, Washington, died in June 2019 at age 62.
Tents for Troops makes it possible for active military personnel to stay free for a minimum of two nights at nearly 300 RV parks and campgrounds in 47 states. Most of the military members who take advantage of the program have young families. About half of them camp in tents and half camp in RVs.
Mr. Curry passionately promoted Tents for Troops to campgrounds and military members, as well as to RV manufacturers, suppliers, and dealerships.
Fleetwood Unveils Freedom Bridge Platform
Fleetwood RV and Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) have teamed up to create the Freedom Bridge, which pairs FCCC’s XCM chassis with a newly re-engineered version of Fleetwood’s bridge foundation. A press release states that the pairing creates a more integrated, seamless foundation as compared with prebuilt basements dropped on rails. In addition, the design eliminates the need for anticamber rails often found on motorhomes.
Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation teamed up with Fleetwood RV to create the Freedom Bridge platform.
Fleetwood RV is a brand of REV Recreation Group. The Freedom Bridge XCM foundation is available on Fleetwood’s Discovery LXE, Discovery, and Pace Arrow LXE motorhomes.
Fleetwood Bridge comes equipped with FCCC features that include the V-Ride rear suspension system; OptiView instrument cluster; and the new DriveTech steering system with column-mounted controls. Other features include I-beam construction; re-engineered slide rail placement; double-thick flooring; dual-side fuel fills; and a wedge design of black- and gray-water tanks to improve drainage.
For more information, visit www.fleetwoodrv.com.
Active RV Upholstery Fills On-The-Road Orders
To ensure correct sizing when ordering new RV windshield drapes (and other furnishings), customers can send their old set to Active RV Upholstery.
A new service offered by Yuma, Arizona-based Active RV Upholstery allows RVers to ship their dinette and sofa cushion covers to the company to be reupholstered. In addition, customers can send in their curtains and drapes, which are used as a pattern to make new items. Customers can request free material samples for dinette and sofa cushion covers, curtains, and drapes. Various material types and colors are available.
Also, in cases where only the cushion foam needs to be replaced, customers can ship their cushion covers to the company. Workers will do the measuring and cutting, and then return the cushion covers with the replacement foam.
The company has created a video that explains how customers can take measurements for replacement foam cushions and covers. View it at https://youtu.be/KHWJ4XqlYnk.
To request a quote for custom RV replacement products, visit www.activervupholstery.com or call (800) 393-2169.
Fairhope Motorcoach Resort Opens In Alabama
A heated and cooled pool is among the amenities offered by the new Fairhope Motorcoach Resort, a gated community for Type A motorhomes in Fairhope, Alabama.
A new resort with full-hookup sites for Type A motorhomes has opened in Fairhope, Alabama, which frequently is listed among the South’s best small towns by Southern Living magazine. Fairhope Motorcoach Resort is a gated community. Phase I has 45 sites for Type A coaches at least 32 feet long and no more than 10 years old. Sites are available for rent and for sale.
Amenities include 10 lakefront sites; a stocked lake; an owners lodge equipped with a gourmet kitchen; a heated and cooled pool; and laundry facilities. A wooded common area accounts for about 40 percent of the land area.
For more information, visit www.fairhopemotorcoachresort.com.
Dealer Spotlight
Veurink’s RV Center Marks 65th Anniversary
Family is the thread running through this western Michigan dealership.
The family-owned-and-operated Veurink’s RV Center occupies a 21,000-square-foot building and includes a lot with 28 landscaped displays.
Veurink’s RV Center, a family-owned-and-operated dealership in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is celebrating its 65th anniversary in 2019. The business is an FMCA commercial member (C2876).
In 1954, Howard Veurink returned from the Korean War and opened Modern Mobile Homes and Travel Trailers with his father, Adrian. Howard’s passion for selling travel trailers specifically led him in 1963 to move down the road from his father and start Howard Veurink Travel Trailers. He was joined by his sons, Tim and Tom; his daughter, Tammy; and his wife, Barbara.
As the years passed and sales and inventory grew, Howard built a new showroom and service center. He believed the best form of advertising was word-of-mouth recommendations from his customers. “Know your prospect and your product,” he would say.
One of the first RV lines in the showroom was Holiday Rambler, a brand the dealership still sells today. At one point, Howard took his family out West on a month-long trip in a 1972 Holiday Rambler travel trailer. The trip gave him firsthand experience with the RV lifestyle, which he described to customers as “roughing it in comfort.”
In 1991, Howard sold the business to his children, Tammy, Tim, and Tom. The business continued to grow, and in 1998 they purchased 8 acres in the 7100 block of South Division Avenue in Grand Rapids. Now called Veurink’s RV Center, the dealership occupies a 21,000-square-foot two-story building that includes a showroom, a camp store, a service center, and an e-commerce factory parts department and warehouse. The lot’s 28 landscaped displays mimic a campsite to help customers envision the RV lifestyle.
Howard died in 2013, but the staff of 40 includes six Veurink family members. Howard’s son Tim is the president and owner; Howard’s daughter, Tammy Kuipers, manages the human resources department; Tim’s wife, Pat, helps with administration and special events; Howard’s grandson, Matt, is the sales manager; Howard’s granddaughter, Mollee, is the creative marketing director; and Matt’s stepson, Aaron, works in the detail department. Veurink family members continue to enjoy the RV lifestyle when they are not working.
As president, Tim follows the same basic strategies as his father — the “roughing it in comfort” concept is still a key marketing tool — while making allowances for industry and technological changes. The company and its employees also participate in a number of community-service projects.
RVBusiness magazine has recognized Veurink’s RV Center as a six-time Top 50 RV Dealer, a two-time Blue Ribbon winner, and a recipient of the Gaylord Maxwell Innovation Award. The dealership sells travel trailers, fifth-wheels, and motorhomes, including brands such as American Coach, Dutchmen, Fleetwood, K.Z., Keystone, and Venture RV.
For more information about Veurink’s RV Center, visit www.veurinksrv.com.
New Airstream Website Aims To Inspire, Equip Travelers
Airstream Inc. has launched Airstream Supply Company, which a company news release describes as “part magazine, part travel guide, and part outfitter.”
The site features stories of adventure, travel, and craftsmanship, as well as collections of products that enhance the camping experience. Those products include Airstream accessories and branded goods, along with travel and adventure gear recommended by Airstream owners. In addition, the site offers products designed and crafted by artisans who live and work near the travel destinations featured on the site.
For more information, visit www.airstreamsupplycompany.com.
Technology Highlights Thor Motor Coach’s 2020 Lineup
Thor Motor Coach (TMC) has kicked off its 2020 model year by emphasizing technology that makes owning a motorhome easier.
Thor Motor Coach (TMC) owners can plan trips, track maintenance schedules, and create custom lists with a new TMC app.
*Owners Resource is a portal on the TMC website that provides owners with a wide variety of information, including factory-installed components, owners manuals, electrical diagrams, plumbing schematics, and more.
*Multiplex control systems are in most of the company’s motorhomes. Motorhomes that TMC calls RUVs — recreational utility vehicles — have a new system that features both analog and digital controls. TMC’s Type A motorhomes have a multiplex wiring control system with a 7-inch touchscreen.
*Many of Thor’s 2020 motorhomes are equipped with the Winegard ConnecT 2.0 4G LTE Router and WiFi Extender and over-the-air TV/FM antenna.
*A new Thor Motor Coach app helps owners plan trips, track maintenance schedules, and create custom lists. The app and the Winegard ConnecT were designed side-by-side, so the Winegard ConnecT controls are within the app.
*Owners of 2020 TMC RVs will receive a three-month SiriusXM All Access subscription.
For more information, visit www.thormotorcoach.com.