Bend Dealer Acquires Service Center
Monaco Coach Corpora-tion has announced that it will turn over control of its service and warrants facility in Bend, Oregon, to its Bend dealer, Beaver Coach Sales of Oregon, effective January 1.

The facility has 40 employees representing more than 370 years of Beaver Coach service experience. The technician pool includes 12 Recreation Vehicle Industry Association master technicians and seven RVIA certified technicians. The facility, which includes 12 full service RV bays, has been providing service to Beaver Coach owners for nearly 20 years.

“This is a great opportunity for our dealership, the Beaver owners for whom we provide service and the employees that share a desire to remain in Bend, Oregon,” said Chris Jackson, general manager of Beaver Coach Sales of Oregon.

Monaco has given service center employees the option to stay in Bend under the new management or relocate to a service center in Harrisburg, Oregon. Monaco Coach Corporation recently shifted Beaver Coach production from Bend to Coburg, Oregon, but is maintaining its electronic design and assembly plant in Bend, which employs 100 people, and its Composite Technologies Inc. business at Burns in eastern Oregon that employs 150.

Monaco Coach Corpora-tion is headquartered in Coburg and makes RVs under the Monaco, Holiday Rambler, Safari, Beaver and McKenzie brand names.

Memorial Held for RV Industry Leader
Robert (Bob) S. Helgeson, who was a leader in the RV industry in western Washington for many years until retiring to Arizona, died in August at the age of 79. A memorial service was held at Black Canyon Community Church in Black Canyon, Arizona, where he lived with his wife, Dottie.

Helgeson moved from Minneapolis to Washington with his parents, George and Rose, and three brothers during World War II to help George’s sister with her growing house trailer business in downtown Seattle. The business, Central Trailer Exchange, became one of the leading trailer dealerships in the area. Bob and his brothers joined the business, which was relocated to Pacific Highway in south Seattle. Through the years, additional lots were added in north Seattle and Tacoma. Central Trailer was the local Airstream dealer for more than two decades.

Both Bob and his wife, Dottie, were active in the RV industry for many years. Bob was on the board of the now defunct Trailer Coach Association and was a past president of the Puget Sound RV Dealers Association and a past president and a founder of the Manufactured Home and Recreational Vehicle Show Association, where his son Dave is now show director.

The couple retired from the RV business and moved to Arizona in 1989. Bob served 53 years as a volunteer firefighter with fire departments in Washington and Arizona. He was active in civic organizations in Black Canyon City, published a newspaper called Canyon Country News and was voted Citizen of the Year in Black Canyon City in 2003. He is survived by his wife, eight children, 19 grandchildren, six great grandchildren and two brothers.

Donations in his memory may be sent to the Black Canyon Fire Station Building Fund, Habitat for Humanity or any local food bank.

RV Dealers Discuss Issues
Mike Molino, president of the National RV Dealers Association, outlined issues facing the RV industry at meetings in October of the Washington State RV Dealers Association and the Oregon RV Dealers Association.

The Washington dealers met in Tacoma and the Oregon group met in Pacific City, Oregon. Molino told both groups that there are six critical issues facing dealers: finding and educating competent employees, making the industry’s parts system more responsive to customers, improving relationships between dealers and manufacturers, smoothing out problems associated with the unpredictable introduction of new models, solving problems related to RV rallies, and increasing the sale of used RVs through dealerships.

Molino reported that the national association is continuing its efforts to expand the RV market by working with the Go RVing ad campaign and to provide education and training through the RVDA Learning Center.

At the Oregon meeting, Craig Strobeck of Guaranty RV reported that the outlook for the RV industry in Oregon is strong, citing demographics, Oregon’s large selection of parks and campgrounds, and Oregon’s RV manufacturing base that is second only to Indiana’s.

At the Washington meeting, the state’s RV dealers prioritized issues to work on in 2006, including changes in tax laws and sales regulations. The group intends to educate legislators on the amount of sales tax generated by RV dealers, and will organize a fund-raising committee.

Winnebago Sees Sales Shift
Winnebago Industries reported that its revenues and net income for fiscal 2005 slipped from last year’s record numbers, but the motorhome manufacturer still emerged with the second best results in company history.

Revenues were $992 million for the fiscal year ending Aug. 27, compared with $1.1 billion the previous year. Net income dropped to $65.1 million, from $70.6 million.

Winnebago Industries Chairman and CEO Bruce Hertzke said fourth quarter results were negatively impacted by lower sales volumes and a shift toward lower priced Class C motorhomes. The company said consumer confidence has been hurt by the volatility of fuel costs, and that factory output has been adjusted to meet the current market environment.

Winter Trails Offers Free Skiing
Winter Trails, a program offering people an opportunity to try snowshoeing and cross-country skiing free, will be held Saturday, January 7, at 100 locations across North America.

The program, designed to introduce newcomers to snow sports, is organized by SnowSports Industries America in conjunction with the Cross Country Ski Areas Association and the American Hiking Society. A list of event venues can be found at www.wintertrails.org.

Fleetwood RV Serves TV Show
Fleetwood RV is supplying a 2005 Wilderness Advantage fifth wheel trailer to the Monster House television show on the Discovery Channel. The fifth wheel serves as a sanctuary for homeowners who watch as their homes are transformed by the show’s design team.

On Monster House, a home is made over in an extravagant way to carry out a theme, such as a Parisian cityscape or an old western ghost town. The show is in its fourth season on the cable channel.

RV Makeover Seeks Entries
More than 1,000 people have entered a contest seeking an RV makeover from RV Rescue at the Great North American RV Rally at Daytona International Speedway in Florida in April. Entrants must submit stories explaining why they deserve an RV makeover. Deadline to enter is Nov. 15. The makeover will be accomplished at the rally and filmed for the RVtoday program on the Outdoor Life cable television network. For entry information, visit www.theRVRescue.com

Owens Corning Expands RV Business
Owens Corning of Toledo, Ohio, is expanding its RV business by acquiring Wolverine Fabricating, which manufactures sidewalls, interior walls, motorhome basement doors and other products for the RV industry at a plant in Riverside, California.

The addition of Wolverine will allow Owens Corning Fabwel, which also makes sidewalls and other RV components, to expand its product line, extend its reach to the West Coast and enlarge its market share. Steve Thomas, president of Wolverine, will become part of the Owens Corning Fabwel management team. Terms of the acquisition were not announced.