RV Country Opens New Service Center
RV Country has opened a new state-of-the-art service center in Fresno, California, to replace a facility destroyed in a 2018 blaze.
The expanded service center, at 3633 S. Maple Ave., includes more than 50 service bays, a new building for detailing, a large-chassis shop with new equipment, and a paint shop. Additional certified and master technicians were being hired to accommodate the expanded operations and services.
The new service center is a factory-authorized warranty location for every brand the company sells, including Type A and Type C motorhomes, fifth-wheels, travel trailers, and toy haulers.
Fresno-based RV Country owns and operates 10 dealerships in California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. For
more information, call the Fresno service center at (559) 486-1000 or visit www.rvcountry.com.
PPL Motor Homes President Marks Anniversary
PPL Motor Homes president Diana LeBlanc marked a milestone with the dealership.
Diana LeBlanc, who has been president of PPL Motor Homes since 2010, celebrated her 40th anniversary with the RV dealership in February 2020.
“I started as a receptionist in 1980 when the company had only four employees,” she said in a news release. “From our origins in the RV rental business, we have grown to become the largest RV consignment dealership in the country, and I feel so fortunate to have been a part of this great team.”
PPL Motor Homes, founded in 1972, has 140 employees and locations in three Texas cities: Houston, Cleburne, and New Braunfels.
Ms. LeBlanc also is a radio personality known as “RV Nana.” She is the founding sponsor and a regular guest on a nationally syndicated radio program, “The RV Show USA” with Alan Warren. She also serves on the board of the Texas Campground Owners Association and writes a bimonthly newsletter for RVers.
For more information about PPL, visit www.pplmotorhomes.com.
Roadtrek Makes Debut At Toronto RV Show
Officials of Roadtrek Inc. and Owasco RV Centre are pictured with Lesley Pettigrew, the first person to become a Roadtrek owner since the company was acquired by Group Rapido.
The “new” Roadtrek showcased its product for the North American retail market for the first time during the January 2020 Toronto RV Show & Sale. Roadtrek Inc., based in Cambridge, Ontario, is a Type B motorhome manufacturer that was established in August 2019 when Group Rapido, one of the largest RV manufacturers in Europe, acquired the Roadtrek brand.
Since the acquisition, Roadtrek Inc. has been setting up a dealer network and producing motorhomes. For the Toronto show, Roadtrek Inc. partnered with Ontario’s Owasco RV Centre, a longtime Roadtrek dealer, to display one of its new RVs.
Marathon Coach Builds On New Prevost Chassis
Prevost’s newly redesigned X3-45 chassis debuted on Marathon Coach #1317. The chassis is constructed on a unibody framework and is said to boost fuel efficiency by 8 percent to 10 percent.
Features of Prevost’s newly redesigned X3-45 chassis include an 8 percent to 10 percent boost in fuel efficiency, enhanced structural rigidity and safety, and increased interior height. Marathon Coach is the first custom coach converter to build on the new chassis.
Prevost chassis are constructed on a unibody framework mostly made of stainless steel that is welded to form one top-to-bottom structure.
The X3-45 chassis debuted on Marathon Coach #1317. An additional 21/2 inches of interior height, combined with less rounded upper corners, made possible a ceiling that is 3 inches higher than previous X3 models. Safety was improved by incorporating more stainless-steel components to increase rigidity, along with new front and rear roll bars. Gains in fuel efficiency are the result of changes such as modernized front and rear designs, improved roof shape, aerodynamic side windows, a tilted windshield, and flush windshield gaskets.
For more information, visit www.marathoncoach.com or www.prevostcar.com/coach/x3-45.
RV Industry Continues To Respond To Pandemic
The May 2020 “News & Notes” column included examples of the RV industry stepping up to offer assistance in the wake of the
COVID-19 pandemic. The following list, which is not comprehensive, highlights additional efforts. The information was gathered from various news sources.
*Cummins Inc. donated filtration materials for use in N95 respirators.
*The Cummins Foundation issued emergency grants to nonprofits
to address the needs of families affected by COVID-19.
*Dometic engineers have used 3D printers to create hundreds of straps for medical masks. The straps have been used on masks that went to hospitals, nursing homes, and schools.
*The Florida Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds helped coordinate an offer by 62 Florida RV parks to provide a month’s worth of free housing to doctors and nurses who can’t safely stay in their homes.
*Gulf Stream Coach provided a travel trailer to the South Bend (Indiana) Clinic for use as a mobile testing facility.
*Grand Design RV donated face masks to Elkhart Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery in Elkhart, Indiana.
*Many Kampgrounds of America campgrounds with available sites offered them at no charge to doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel seeking accommodations.
*Kirby Auto Group provided a fleet of RVs for temporary housing for doctors and nurses of Ventura, California, hospitals.
*Lance Camper donated its available supply of personal protection equipment to the Antelope Valley Regional Hospital in California.
*Modern Trailer Sales delivered and set up eight loaned travel trailers for staff of Community Hospital Anderson and Physicians Ambulance Service in Anderson, Indiana.
*The National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds partnered with RV 4 MDs, an online organization that matches medical personnel with donated RVs and accommodations.
*REV Recreation Group donated N95 respirators to Adams Memorial Hospital in Decatur, Indiana.
*The RV Country dealer group provided a motorhome as a rest and meeting location for health-care workers at Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Visalia, California.
*Sylvan Sport made its in-house fleet of campers available as temporary shelters for emergency response needs. The company began manufacturing personal protective equipment, and it procured medical masks that were delivered to Hendersonville Pediatrics in North Carolina.
*Thetford Corporation donated more than 4,400 bottles and sprayers to Michigan’s Ugly Dog Distillery, which produced hand sanitizer and handed out free pint-sized bottles of the solution.
*Western RV Country in Manitoba, Canada, provided an RV for use by self-isolating health-care workers.
*Xtreme Outdoors, parent company of Little Guy Trailers, donated more than 1,200 N95 respirators to Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation, based in New Hyde Park, New York.
Online Training Offered By RV Technical Institute
The RV Technical Institute’s second online training session for Level 1 certification was set to run from May 18 to 29, 2020. The virtual, interactive classes are taught by RV Technical Institute trainers on the Zoom platform, allowing attendees to receive the only industry-wide certification while following appropriate social distancing guidelines.
Hands-on labs are demonstrated during online instruction and students are then tasked to perform the labs on their own. Textbook support materials are distributed electronically through the RV Technical Institute’s learning management system.
For more information, visit www.rvti.org or email RVTI-info@rvti.org.