Gulf Stream Coach Inc. reports that it has ramped up its production by about 50 percent and has plans to increase production by another 25 percent by Jan. 1, 2010.

Dave Middleton, the company’s Class A and C sales director, told RV PRO that the Nappanee, Ind.-based RV manufacturer has called back about 50 workers to help it meet its growing number of orders.

“Ramping up production is here and now,” said Brian Shea, president of the company’s motorized division. “We’re ready to fill our growing number of orders.” Shea added that the historic extra time off during the holidays may be a thing of the past.

In response to RVers’ desire for motorhomes with lower price points, Gulf Stream has introduced the entry-level Class A Sun Voyager motorhome and made the Class C Conquest Sport more affordable. Middleton listed the Conquest Sport’s MSRP base at $58,000 and the Sun Voyager’s MSRP base at $92,000. The company noted that both motorhomes continue to feature solid hardwood interiors and the company’s Cradle of Strength truss system.

Stag-Parkway Parent Company to be Acquired by Private Equity Firm for $648 Million

Ares Capital Corp. and Allied Capital Corp., parent company of distributor Stag-Parkway, have entered into a definitive agreement under which Ares Capital will acquire Allied Capital in an all stock transaction currently valued at $648 million. The boards of directors of both companies have each unanimously approved the transaction, according to a press release from Ares.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2010.

Dealers shouldn’t notice any differences in Stag-Parkway's day-to-day operations as a result of the acquisition, said John Spaulding, senior vice president of merchandising for Stag-Parkway. “Absolutely no difference. Our position is that it’s business as usual,” he told RV PRO. If anything, the acquisition maybe be better for Stag-Parkway because Ares is a larger, better capitalized company, he added.

Ares Capital and Allied Capital will be holding a joint conference call to discuss the transaction on Nov. 5 at 11 a.m. EST following Ares Capital's regularly scheduled third quarter earnings conference call.

Carrier Corp. will cease product production of its RV air conditioning products by the end of the year, the company confirmed to RV PRO.

“We’re filling product orders through Dec. 18,” said John Shaw, manager of communications for the Farmington, Conn.-based manufacturer. “Warranty cover will remain unchanged at two years parts and labor, and we’ll follow all of the current processes. Warranty work will continue to be administered through any of our 400 authorized warranty depots across North America.”

Shaw said Carrier’s decision came about as a result of “an in-depth strategic review of the business.” Carrier primarily served the OEM market.

RV shipments to dealers were 17,400 units for September, up 13 percent for compared to the same period in 2008, according to the latest monthly report from the RV Industry Association. September marked the second straight month that total shipments exceeded the total from the prior month.

Seasonally adjusted, September shipments represented an annual rate of more than 230,000 units, the highest annualized total so far this year, RV Industry Association officials noted.

Not surprisingly given market conditions, the gain was recorded exclusively in shipments of towable RVs, especially travel trailers. Wholesale shipments of towables for September were 16,100, up from 13,700 units, for a gain of 17.5 percent. Shipments of all motorhomes for September decreased by 23.5 percent, to 1,300 units, down from 1,700 units shipped for September 2007.

Year-to-date through September, wholesale shipments of all RVs were 121,400 units, down 42.7 percent compared to 211,900 units for the same period last year.

Regional Distributors Prepare for Upcoming Shows

Regional distributors are quickly gearing up for their dealer shows. Among them are:

• The Keller Marine & RV and Carter Distributing combined trade show for RV is scheduled for Oct. 27-28 at the Lancaster Convention Center in Lancaster, Pa. The two regional distributors expect up to 300 dealers to attend the event. For more information, contact Keller Marine & RV at 570-374-8169.
• Aim Wholesale has scheduled its show for Nov. 13-14 at the Hilton-Phoenix Airport in Phoenix. Dealer training is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 13, while the show event occurs Saturday, Nov. 14. Aim says its event will feature new products, special pricing, product training and prizes. For more information, contact Liane Reed, Aim Wholesale director of purchasing and marketing, at 602-269-5729.
• The Northern Wholesale Supply 2010 SuperShow is scheduled for Jan. 11-12 at the Treasure Island Resort & Casino in Red Wing, Minn. More than 100 RV industry manufacturers are expected to attend. New for 2010 is a booth preview and cocktail reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 11 (no orders will be taken then). Regular show hours are scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 12.For more information, contact Northern Wholesale at 800-666-1111.

Northern Wholesale Cocks & Clays Event a Blast

Suppliers and RV dealers relied on iron sites rather than 9-irons at the 10th Annual Cocks and Clays Dealer Appreciation Event in Prior Lake, Minn. Unlike many RV industry business events, the weapon of choice wasn’t a “Big Bertha” driver pulled from a golf bag, but rather a 12-gauge shotgun lifted from the gun rack.

Northern Wholesale held the sporting clay tournament and pheasant hunt Oct. 15 at the Minnesota Horse & Hunt Club. The list of suppliers which attended included Cequent, Dometic, Blue Ox, Thetford, Camco and Parallax Power. Twenty-three of Northern Wholesale’s top dealers also joined suppliers and manufacturer’s reps.

“There are a ton of other vendors who don’t attend the event, but who sponsor the prizes and the lunch, etc.,” said John Perron, Northern Wholesale’s director of sales. “Our first year we had eight sponsorships, but this year we had 16. One of the most interesting things is that most of these guys are very casual shooters or have never done it before, but once they came and found out how fun it is, all of them ask to come back next year and be a part of it again.”

The day started with a 70-target clay shooting tourney, with attendees divided into four-man teams representing a mix of suppliers, dealers and Northern Wholesale employees. Doug Northcutt, national sales manager for Demco, took top honors, hitting 54 of 70 targets.

Teams of hunters, each led by a professional hunting guide, also hunted standing corn and sorghum for ring-neck pheasants and chukars, a Eurasian upland game bird in the partridge family.

“We have been a platinum sponsor for four or five years now,” said John Hunter, owner of Nordic Cooling. “It’s just a fun event that offers the opportunity to connect with the salespeople at the distributor level, the dealer personnel and other business people at the supplier and manufacturer level. You get all sides of the industry.”

The RV Industry Association has unveiled an official RV Centennial website, RVCentennial.org, to serve as a clearinghouse of information and a treasure trove of free resourcesto help the RV industry celebrate its 100th Anniversary in 2010.

Showcasing photographs of antique RVs submitted by RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum historian Al Hesselbart, the Website offers a variety of RV Centennial marketing collateral that can be used in 100th Anniversary promotions.These materials include:

• An RV Centennial Photo Gallery – with free, downloadable, high-resolution images of new and antique units for use in promotional materials.
• The official, downloadable100th Anniversary Logo.
• A White Paper on the history of the RV industry; press releases on the Centennial and news articles about the Centennial; and information on The RV Centennial Media Tour with David Woodworth.
• An open message board offering industry members a forum in which to share information about their 100th Anniversary celebration plans.

RVIA has identified 1910 as the year when the first mass-produced motorized auto campers and camping trailers were manufactured, giving rise to what has become the modern RV industry.