Art Rouse Built RV Empire
Art Rouse, who founded MotorHome magazine and developed Trailer Life and the Good Sam Club into major RV institutions, died June 15 at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 89. He had suffered a head injury from a fall a few days earlier.

Rouse, who lived in Malibu, was an advertising executive when he bought Trailer Life from an industry association in 1958. The magazine grew in circulation from about 11,000 to more than 300,000 in less than 10 years. Rouse started MotorHome in 1968 and acquired the Good Sam Club the same year.

In a 1991 interview with the Los Angeles Business Journal, he recalled that he bought Trailer Life because he thought the RV industry would do well, but success did not come instantly. “For two years, it cost me almost every cent I had,” he said. “Little by little, we passed our competitors, and I gradually bought them out one by one. The circulation grew and grew.”

Rouse wrote a monthly column for Trailer Life, and was inducted into the RV Hall of Fame in 1986. He sold his business in 1988 to Affinity Group, Inc.

Fleetwood Opens Mexicali Plant
Fleetwood’s RV Group recently held inauguration ceremonies at its new production plant in Mexicali, Mexico, where workers are turning out Pioneer and Mallard travel trailers.

The new plant has 83,974 square feet of space and an annual production goal of 2,100 units. The factory started producing travel trailers in April and was scheduled to add production of RedLine toy haulers in June. All of the products are priced in the low range of Fleetwood models.

At the inauguration ceremonies held in June, Elden Smith, president and CEO of Fleetwood Enterprises, said, “It has taken over two years for our plans to open a travel trailer manufacturing facility in Mexicali to come to fruition…We are excited about the possibilities this new facility and our staff bring to the Fleetwood organization.”

Danny Villanueva, a member of the Fleetwood Board of Directors, purchased the first unit, a 2008 Pioneer, for donation to the Calexico High School Booster Club to be used as a raffle prize to raise money for the athletic department. The second unit went to Frank DeGelas of Mike Thompson RV, who said he was very impressed by the quality of the unit. “The trailer looks great,” he said. “The fit and finish is excellent.”

Humphreys Named Board Chairman
David Humphreys, former president of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, has become chairman of the board of National RV Holdings of Perris, California. He succeeded Doy B. Henley, who stepped down as chairman but remains on the board.

National RV sold its Country Coach division last February for $38 million to ease financial problems stemming from declining sales and losses. The company lost $24.3 million in the 2006 fiscal year and $19.8 million in 2005. Humphreys, who was president of the RVIA, the RV industry’s national trade association, from 1979 to 2006, said National RV “has been through some very difficult times” but is making progress. “I believe that with Doy Henley’s leadership, the company has overcome almost all of the problems it has been facing,” he said. “Our future is very bright and I look forward to it with great excitement and enthusiasm.”

National RV has 700 employees and ranked last year as the nation’s seventh largest manufacturer of Class A motorhomes.

Jayco to Celebrate 40 years
Jayco Inc., which was started on a farm in Middlebury, Indiana, in 1968, will begin a yearlong celebration of its 40th anniversary with events at its annual Dealer Homecoming meeting July 16-18 at the Hampton Roads Con-vention Center in Hampton, Virginia.

William Bontrager, chairman and chief executive officer, said “We have seen our company grow literally from a shop in a barn on my father’s farm to the largest privately owned RV manufacturer in North America.” Jayco began with 15 employees and now has 1,700 workers at plants in Middlebury, Indiana, and Twin Falls, Idaho.

California Offers Road Trip Guide
CaliforniaDrives 2007, a 32-page guide to road trips in California, produced by the California Travel and Tourism Commission and Sunset Custom Publishing, is available online and at state welcome centers and visitor centers.

The free guide can be viewed online or downloaded at www.bestofcaliforniadrives.com. Driving itineraries include the Shasta Cascade region’s volcanic vistas, the redwoods, seaside hamlets, vineyards, Hollywood, beach towns and the desert. Each of the drives can be broken up into day and weekend outings.

Newmar Expands Warranty
Newmar Corporation will offer a five-year structural warranty on all of its products, starting with the 2008 model year. The warranty applies to any part of the RV superstructure that fails due to faulty workmanship or material supplied by Newmar. The company will make the repair without charge for parts of labor. The warranty applies only to the original purchaser and is non-transferable.

Washington Park Offers Free Concerts
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Com-mission is offering a series of free concerts on Waikiki Beach at Cape Disappointment State Park near Ilwaco. The concerts are held at 2 p.m. Saturdays at the Confluence Project Amp-hitheater, which offers views of the Columbia River and Pacific Ocean.

Scheduled performers are the Beerman Creek Stringband, a bluegrass group, on July 14; Circled by Hounds, a Celtic music trio from Oregon, on July 28; Juan Manuel Barco and his Tex-Mex Band on Aug. 11 and the Naselle Marimba Band from Naselle High School in Naselle, just east of Ilwaco, on Aug. 25.

Environmental Groups OK Ski Expansion
Ski Lifts, Inc., which operates the Summit at Snoqualmie ski area at Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, has reached agreement with the Sierra Club, Conservation NW, and the Alpine Lakes Protection Society on a plan to expand the ski area. The ski operator agreed to defer one of two new chair lifts in the Hyak Creek area pending further studies, eliminate plans for a gondola and restaurant on Denny Mountain, and donate 130 acres to expand the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

“Snolqualmie Pass is extremely important to both wildlife and to skiers,” said Charlie Raines, director of the Sierra Club’s Cascade Checkerboard Project. “We appreciate Ski Lifts’ willingness to work with us to find the right balance—one that improves the situation for both.” The conservation groups are urging the U.S. Forest Service to adopt the revised development plan for the ski area. A decision is expected near the end of the year.