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EverGreen Recreational Vehicles was honored for the third year in a row with the RV Dealers Association (RVDA) Quality Circle Award. The announcement made July 28, 2011, prior to the “Celebrate Excellence: All-Industry Gala,” event on Wednesday, October 5, 2011. This event at Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas will recognize EverGreen Recreational Vehicles as a Quality Circle Award recipient.

The award results from manufacturers who received at least 15 dealer responses and a score of 80 percent or above in overall dealer satisfaction in the association’s 18th Annual Dealer Satisfaction Index (DSI) survey.

“Our top priority at EverGreen is to be the benchmark for quality products and the best dealer support in the industry,” states Doug Lantz, president and COO of EverGreen. “As a company, winning this award for the third year in a row reinforces our commitment to excellence.”

Through their responses in the DSI, dealers established the EverGreen brand as having done an outstanding job of working with their retail partners over the past year.”

When rating their brands/manufacturers, RVDA asks dealers to express, confidentially, their level of satisfaction on eight core issues: sales support, sales territory, vehicle design, vehicle reliability/quality, competitive price/value, parts support, dealership warranty support and overall dealer communications.

EverGreen Recreational Vehicles the industry leading innovator in lightweight, eco-friendly, sustainable, composite travel trailers and fifth wheels, is pleased to invite all RV dealers visiting the area to come to a special Dealer Open House at its manufacturing headquarters in Middlebury, Indiana, September 19 to 23.

EverGreen Dealer Open House
Monday, September 19th through Friday, September 23rd
Monday Sept 19th – 8 AM to 5:30 PM EST
Tuesday Sept 20th- 8 AM to 5:30 PM EST
Wednesday Sept 21st – 8 AM to 5:30 PM EST
Thursday Sept 22nd – 8 AM to 5:30 PM EST
Friday Sept 23 – 8 AM to 3 PM EST

New Product Showcase

The New EverGreen i-Go Lite–An EverGreen at the price point you have been waiting for! The exciting new lightweight line of i-Go Lite travel trailers and fifth wheels is lighter weight, easier to tow because of its narrower seven-foot six-inch width, priced right to sell and still retains EverGreen’s exclusive composite inner shell–all wrapped into a quality, vacuum laminated camper.

The New Tandem Axel Element 26 Series–We listen! Fully equipped bath, new convenience features, larger 26 foot floor plan with heavier capacity tandem axles. The Element is gaining momentum with its fusion of styles between classic American automotive design and the latest in aerodynamic, European-inspired camping trailers.

A Wide Variety of New Ever-Lite Floor Plans-“You can’t stay static in our industry. If you’re not moving ahead, you are falling behind,” states Doug Lantz, president and COO for EverGreen Recreational Vehicles. “Join us to walk through all these new Ever-Lite floor plans and new EverGreen Element and i-Go Lite products.”

People are coming back to Alabama’s beaches, and a lot of them are driving high-end recreational vehicles.

The Press-Enterprise reported that six RV lots have sold in Bella Terra of Gulf Shores in the past two months, prompting developers to put the remaining 65 lots up for sale, according to Chuck Smith, a partner in the development. So far, 110 potential buyers have signed up to buy one of the lots, Smith said. Lot prices range from $120,000 to $170,000 for lakefront sites.

Bella Terra and another local development, Heritage Motor Coach Resort and Marina, cater to the Class A motor coaches. The resorts and parks that serve them sell campsites and rent them out when the owners are traveling.
RV lovers may own a million-dollar coach, but they parked the condominium on wheels when the economy slowed and prices at the gas pumps increased, RV sales agents said. Still, sales and rentals were going well last year until the BP oil spill hit in April and “everybody vanished,” Smith said. But in the last 60 days, sales and interest have increased, he said.

“People are coming back to the Gulf,” agreed Jim Howard, resort director at Heritage, on Bayou St. John in Orange Beach. “We had an awesome June. We sold 10 resort sites. We have now sold 46 of the 79 sites.”
Heritage sites start at $165,000. A waterfront site with a coach house or guest house can be as high as $409,000. That park includes a private, 42-slip marina.

Owning a half-million dollar RV is a lifestyle choice, Smith said. “Most of the owners are retired and generally have the means to invest in something they want. They love the resort. It’s a place they can call home when they’re not on the road.”

The final phase of 65 lots in 175-lot Bella Terra will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, he said, adding “Many, if not most on the list, have stayed at Bella Terra or heard of us.”

Howard said RV owners are seeing that if they don’t do something now, the lots won’t be there later.

“A lot of our clients come in and rent for a week and get addicted to the place and decide to buy a site,” Howard said.

Source: rvbusiness.com

Emmy-nominated actor, Peter Reckell single-handedly changed the face of daytime television with his creation of “Bo Brady”, the motorcycling rebel on NBC’s number one, longest running daytime program “Days Of Our Lives”. Reckell will greet fans, sign autographs, pose for photos and support the environmentally-friendly CAMPLITE travel trailer line by LIVIN LITE Recreational Vehicles, as he take possession of a CAMPLITE model custom built for him on Sunday, June 26th. Reckell will help raise awareness for the all-aluminum constructed trailer at the appearance which will run from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. at the LIVIN LITE factory in Wakarusa, IN.

A devout environmentalist – bicycles, electric cars, conservation and recycling are a daily part of Peter’s life, and he can often be seen pedaling to work. His love of nature and concerns for the environment motivated him and his wife, singer Kelley Moneymaker to tear down their home and build and eco-friendly, fuel-efficient, solar-powered home, shipping the remains of their previous home to Mexico for reuse by Habitat for Humanity.

The LIVIN LITE eco-friendly CAMPLITE trailer is unique in that it is made entirely of aluminum and composites and contained no pressed woods or wood of any kind, making it 98% recyclable. One of the best features of the CAMPLITE trailer is that it is actually so light that it saves an exorbitant amount of gas because it can be pulled by almost any vehicle.

For more information contact LIVIN LITE at 574.862.2228, or visit their website at: www.LIVINLITE.com

Elkhart, IN – Today Thor Motor Coach released the latest Gas Class A model rankings from Statistical Surveys that named the single floor plan EVO29.1 A.C.E. Motorhome as the 3rd best selling motorhome for the month of April 2011. This follows the “Best of Show” award it earned at its debut a few months ago at the Louisville RV show. This is a clear sign that dealers, as well as retail customers, are pleased.

The EVO29.1 A.C.E. Motorhome was built with a focus on how a customer would use their coach. It offers the best features of a Class A and a Class C motorhome with an entry level price point. Retail customers are drawn to the clever features and innovative design. In short, it’s the answer to what many Class A and Class C shoppers want. President and CEO of Thor Motor Coach, Bill Fenech, responded to the A.C.E’s success stating, “It is very gratifying to see the retail success of the A.C.E. Motorhome. We took the blinders off in designing the A.C.E., and it’s a homerun. Our dealers love the product and many are commenting that it’s the best turning motorhome on their lot. Being #3 is encouraging; however we are more focused on building great products with great support. The numbers will follow.”

This same innovation and customer driven design is carried into the other Thor Motor Coach products. Thor Motor Coach strives to provide these “hot products” with a great emphasis on what retail customers are shopping for. This includes intelligent floor plans, a clever use of space, as well as industry leading exterior storage as illustrated by the Mega Storage feature offered on several products. Thor Motor Coach also offers an abundance of standard features at entry level price points and provides superior “after the sale” support. “We want to be everything to everybody, by offering an extraordinary value for your family.” Explained Dana Simon, Vice President of Gas Sales for Thor Motor Coach. He continued with what’s next, “Building on the success of the EVO29.1 with the EVO29.2.”

Thor Motor Coach will continue the evolution with the EVO29.2 A.C.E. Motorhome, which is set to be introduced in the coming weeks. With many territories left undefined and recently partnering with several new dealerships; Thor Motor Coach believes the evolutionary features of the “open concept” EVO29.2 floor plan with its enclosed bathroom will push the A.C.E’s success even further.

Find out more by visiting http://ACEMotorhome.com

For more information on Thor Motor Coach motorhomes, call (800)860-5658, visit http://ThorMotorCoach.com, or write Thor Motor Coach, Inc., PO Box 1486., Elkhart, Ind., 46515.

Thor Motor Coach is a subsidiaries of Thor Industries, Inc. Jackson Center, OH (NYSE: THO), the world’s largest manufacturer of recreational vehicles.

Do you have photos of you and your pets enjoying the great outdoors? If so upload them!

Grand Prize is an iPod Touch and RV Trader Corn Hole Game
2nd Prize is a Flip Video recorder and RV Trader Corn Hole Game
3rd Prize is a RV Trader Corn Hole Game 

To submit your photos or for more information go to our Facebook page can click on the Camping Critters tab on the left.

To go to our Facebook page click here

Photos can be submitted until July 22nd.
From July 25th – August 26th come back vote for your Camping Critter!
Top three winners will be announced Sept 2nd.

TrailManor Inc. is giving its dealers more marketing options with two new floorplans that incorporate dinettes into the company’s folding and upright trailers.

TrailManor is now offering a 3124King Dinette folding trailer and an Elkmont 24 Dinette upright model, according to a news release.

In the 3124 King, the dinette replaces the sleep sofa in the slide out living area. The dinette comfortably seats four, and provides dining and a highly functional table that can be used as a computer workspace or for any number of other activities. The 3124 floorplan also features a king bed, large kitchen area, and plenty of storage. The kitchen sink and refrigerator countertop are now straight and open up even more living area.

TrailManor has also introduced an electric front slide out option for the 3124King models.

In the Elkmont 24, the four-person dinette is an alternative to the wraparound dinette area. The new dinette features seat cushions with rounded edges for a softer, more comfortable styling. The rounded edges add sophistication to the interior design, and they also make it easier to get in and out of the bench seat.

Both floorplans are now available through special order.

Since 1983, TrailManor has been manufacturing unique lightweight travel trailers. In 2009, the company introduced its first upright travel trailer, the Elkmont, a 24-foot trailer that is 1,500 pound lighter than similar competitive models, and has subsequently rolled out three additional upright trailers—a 26-foot Elkmont, and 24-foot Elkmont Bunkhouse (the world’s lightest bunkhouse trailer), and a new 22-foot Elkmont.

TrailManor also produces a line of hardwall folding trailers that provide the easy towing of a pop up with the amenities of upright trailers, such as a hardwall bathroom with tub, a complete kitchen, and floorplans ranging from 26 to 31 feet.

To learn more about TrailManor or about becoming a TrailManor dealer, visit www.trailmanor.com, www.trailmanordealers.com or call (800) 707-7061.

Hitch owners who’ve found themselves running out of tongue weight capacity before trailer capacity have been heard. Cequent Performance Products is announcing all new Reese brand receiver hitches, class III and above, will carry an increased capability for tongue weight ratings. The increased capacity will also be extended to select existing receiver hitches. This is an important improvement to weight carrying products.

The math is straightforward: A previous class III hitch with a Gross Trailer Weight capacity of 10,000 pounds would have a tongue weight rating of just 10% of GTW (1000 pounds). The Reese improvements have created a new standard for supported tongue weight, raising the capacity to 15% of GTW (1,500 pounds), a 50% improvement.

“Our products are used in a variety of recreational areas. The increase in tongue weight ratings will give them 50% more capacity to work with,” explains Paul Caruso, Vice President/General Manager of Towing Products and New Business Development. “This improvement also ensures that users of our products enjoy a reliable and trouble-free towing experience.”

“Our Reese brand will now more closely align with real-world towing and weight carrying conditions,” says Caruso, pointing out that both the trailer industry and owner usage patterns have trended towards heavier towing and increased tongue loads.

This announcement is made with the first hitch application achieving the boost in capacity already available. It is a hitch designed for Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pick-up trucks for model years 2001 to 2011. It is product number 44563 on www.Reeseprod.com.

It’s important to note, a hitch’s towing capacity is usually limited to the vehicle’s maximum towing capacity. A tow vehicle’s maximum towing capacity is normally found in the Owner’s Manual.

The Reese brand was introduced in 1952. Its focus on product development and superior engineering has led to many improvements that have spread industry-wide, earning the brand a reputation as a market leader among manufacturers and consumers alike. Such Pioneering Performance and dedication to innovation make Reese a strong part of the Cequent Performance Products line-up of leading brands. Visit www.ReeseProd.com for more information.