Brad Williams, president and CEO of MVP RV of Riverside, California, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), assuming a vacated seat for a term that will run through September 30, 2013.

Williams is a 30-year veteran of the RV Industry, including positions with Fleetwood Enterprises and Thor California. In 2008, he founded MVP RV, which manufactures travel trailers, fifth wheels, toy haulers and motorhomes.

RVIA is the national trade association for RV manufacturers and suppliers.

EverGreen Recreational Vehicles in Middlebury, Indiana, has announced plans to build fifth wheel trailers with the help of an engineering and manufacturing team that worked at Carriage Inc. until it closed in mid-October.

Kelly Rose, EverGreen founder and chairman, said, “We plan on restoring the great legacy of the former Carriage brand with our new EverGreen luxury fifth wheel division.” The unit will build fifth wheels for the full-time RV and park model markets. Joining EverGreen for the new venture are Greg Kitson, engineering and product development; Pete Kauffman, manufacturing and production; Elliott Bond, sales management, and Deb Albin, financial management.  Carriage had been in business for 45 years before closing its factory amid financial difficulties.

More than 80 Washington state parks will remain open seven days a week through the winter, four will be open only on weekends and holidays, and 25 will be closed until March or April. The winter schedule can be found at parks.wa.gov/parkschedule.

State parks that accept year-round camping reservations are Cape Disappointment, Deception Pass, Dosewallips, Grayland Beach, Ike Kinswa, Kitsap Memorial, Ocean City, Pacific Beach and Steamboat Rock.  Reservations may be made online at parks.wa.gov or by calling (888) CAMPOUT.

The newest tourist attraction in Salt Lake City will be the City Creek shopping center covering two downtown city blocks. The center, which will open March 22, will have two 18-foot waterfalls. The designers of the fountains at the Bellagio in Las Vegas have created three fountains that will employ fire and water to create animations choreographed to music.

Flowing through the central walkways and plaza will be a 1,200-foot re-creation of historic City Creek, which once coursed through Salt Lake City. A retractable glass roof over the retail galleria will protect shoppers from the weather. And a heated snowmelt system on walkways will get rid of any ice or snow that might touch the surface. The center will feature Nordstrom, Macy’s and 80 other stores and restaurants. For information, visit shopcitycreekcenter.com.

Phil Feeney, 69, of Oceanside, California, won a Lance 1575 travel trailer at the recent California RV Show in Pomona.

This is the second year that a Lance product has been the grand prize for the show, which is sponsored by the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association. The 1575 is the newest Lance model. It has a box length of just over 15 feet, and a dry weight of 2,480 pounds, making it light enough to be towed by today’s smaller SUVs. The trailer sleeps four and includes a dinette slideout and large windows to create a spacious feeling.

Cam Boyer, who has been vice president of finance for Dutchmen Manufacturing for the past two and a half years, has been named president of the company, succeeding Don Clark.

Boyer joined Dutchmen after working for Starcraft RV and Starcraft Marine. Dutchmen is a subsidiary of Thor Industries.

With its purchase of Palm Harbor Homes and Fleetwood Homes, Cavco has broadened its production of park models far beyond its original factory in Phoenix, Arizona.  The company announced that it is now producing park models in Rocky Mount, Virginia; Woodburn, Oregon; Napa, Idaho; Austin, Texas, and Plant City, Florida.

Joseph Stegmayer, Cavco’s president and CEO, said that by producing park models in various locations, the company can cut freight costs for buyers. The company has derived much of its park model business from sales to campgrounds the past few years, but the company says it is seeing increasing interest from consumers who want to purchase park models for a weekend retreat or vacation cottage.

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department has closed 25 seasonal campgrounds for the winter, but year-round camping is available at 32 other state parks. The campgrounds that remain open generally charge $4 less than summer rates for standard RV and tent sites. Rates are reduced as much as $20 per night for deluxe cabins and yurts.

Most seasonal state parks will reopen between mid-March and mid-April, depending on weather. Information on state park rates, openings and closings is available at oregonstateparks.org

A series of strong winter-type storms expected this week along Oregon's coast has prompted the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) to issue a pre-holiday season safety alert for coast visitors.