News & True RV Stories

In the face of today's slowed economy and low consumer confidence, some businesses are still flourishing and setting an example among their peers, exhibiting "best practices" in their
industry.
That's the story behind the dealerships recently recognized as the Top 50
Recreation Vehicle (RV) Dealers in America by RV Business magazine. "This
program is unique in that it doesn't focus solely on sales. We understand what
makes a dealership truly great is not just what it does, but how it gets the
job done," explained Sherman Goldenberg, RV Business publisher. "RVing offers
a special brand of life experiences, togetherness and interaction with the
world around us, so successful RV dealers naturally focus on people over
products. These dealers were selected for outstanding personal customer
service, along with sound business practices and forward-thinking
philosophies."

The Top 50 was announced in September at a celebration dinner and
reception held during the annual Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA)
convention in Las Vegas, where awards were presented to the Top 50 including
the top five Blue Ribbon honorees: Alpin Haus, Amsterdam, N.Y.; Guaranty RV,
Junction City, Ore.; Lazydays RV Center, Seffner, Fla.; Mike Thompson RV
Center, Santa Fe Springs, Calif., and Tom Johnson Camping Center, Marion, N.C.
"Among all the applications we received, these five stood out as being
something really special," Goldenberg said. "All of our winners were chosen
because they deserve it, but our Blue Ribbon dealers just knocked our socks
off. We are deeply proud to have them represent the RV industry with such
excellence, and we want to honor them for it."

The program was set in motion last spring, when RV manufacturers nominated
their most worthy dealers to be considered. Dealers then completed an
extensive application asking both quantitative and qualitative questions
regarding all aspects of their operations. Those applications were submitted
to a five-person judging panel made up of representatives from several sectors
of the industry.
    Members of the panel worked intensely in order to decide on the Top 50.
"It was difficult to narrow it down, and there was some lively discussion.
They ended up with a group they were quite proud of," he said, mentioning the
finalists collectively generated approximately $2.1 billion in sales last year
and have received hundreds of awards from manufacturers, trade associations
and their local communities.