Published: October 30, 2009 10:39 am      

RV firms getting some rebound

The recent DVD release of Transformers 2 isn’t the only place where there’s more than meets the eye.

With the 47th Annual National RV Trade Show in Louisville, Ky. looming in December and only 17,400 RVs shipped in September, the industry may not seem too bright from the outside, but that is not the case according to CrossRoads RV President Mark Lucas. His company recently announced 125 new jobs due to the reopening of one of the company’s facilities in Topeka. That factory will produce the company’s new Sunset Trail model.

“Seventeen months ago, when we shut the plant, we knew we were going to reopen it,” Lucas said. “But we didn’t know at that time how we were going to get there.”

The decision to reopen the plant was made approximately seven months ago. Just four months later, the first prototype of the Sunset Trail model was rolling off the line.

“We’re going to hire 25 to 30 people right away. And I feel that with the pace of the orders coming in, we’ll add 25 to 30 jobs each month for several months,” Lucas said.

New jobs and the new product aren’t the only things going on at CrossRoads. The company’s Cruiser and Zinger models, which Lucas said put the company on the map, have been completely redesigned. New floorplans, interiors and exteriors will now be offered. They are also using more lightweight and “green” materials.

“At this point, we’re going with what has worked all along — offering a quality product with a good warranty and good customer service. Just doing things the old-fashioned way and doing them right is what’s really kept us rolling,” he said. “An old-fashioned mentality with a cutting-edge product.”

CrossRoads isn’t the only RV company with such a positive outlook.

“For us, the last few months have been good,” Gulf Stream Coach Motorized National Sales Manager David Middleton said. “Typically, we had units in our yard we were trying to sell off, and now we have no yard, our backlog is building and with that we’re upping our production, which is something that is typically unheard of before Louisville.”

Part of Gulf Stream’s recent uptick in business is due to new, lower prices on the Class C Conquest motorhomes and the Class A Sun Voyager. The price cuts were possible due to the company cutting back on its margins and taking some minor things out, including lowering the number of layers in window valences. Middleton said none of the changes will be noticeable to consumers.

“We’re keeping it simple,” he said. “People still want the lifestyle. They want to camp and enjoy themselves and the price tag is what’s stopping them. We’re taking the frills out and making a good, solidly constructed coach they’re still looking for that is able to meet their needs.”

Gulf Stream Coach has also, over the last six weeks, called back 50 of its laid-off motorhome workers.

Middleton put it simply, “We’ve been through a tough year, and we’re excited to see it coming back and we’re ready to give customers what they’re asking for,” he said.

Millersburg-based Carriage Inc. will be debuting at the Louisville show new Cameo floorplans and a redesigned version of its 41-year-old Royals International fifth-wheel. The Royals will, like Gulf Stream’s models, also feature a lower price tag.