RVBusiness, March/April 2020

DISTRIBUTOR SHOW ROUNDUP we will turn to NTP Stag to help fill any parts availability gaps we have in order to assure timely delivery This move reinforces our commitment to delivering the highest possible service levels to our dealers Winnebago joins other OEMs such as Grand Design RV Heartland Recreational Vehicles and Jayco Inc along with Airxcels Coleman division as having partnered with NTP STAG for warranty fulfillment services It is a big deal and the industry thinks its a big deal too Rogers acknowledged The dealers have been tremendously supportive and very positive about the experiences that theyve experienced first hand from the program The folks that have already been doing it and the dealers who have experienced that they love it and theyre the best advocates in pushing other people to get on board Rogers who mentioned NTP STAG is not involved in the warranty process itself other than distribution credited Jon White RV and towing category director for NTP STAG and his team for all the behind thescenes work at getting these partnerships up and running Theres a ton of work and the work has involved not only connecting the pipes so that we can talk to the folks but its also about making sure their part number matches our part number matches the manufacturers part number Theres a lot of connecting of the dots that takes place beforehand a lot of setup Rogers explained adding there are about 20000 SKUs in operation and about 16000 more SKUs that are in development Downtime has been a crucial concern throughout the industry added White Dealers were pleased to learn more about this collaboration and how we are working together to significantly reduce the time it takes to get parts to their dealerships to execute warranty repairs and get their customers back out on the road Training Education Preceding the show opening nearly 1000 attendees were treated to the Expos RV Professional Retail Organization PRO education speaker presentations which included Chief Executive Officer of Sardek Held at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Conference Center outside Dallas the 2020 Expo featured some 200 vendors and a 150000 square foot exhibition space Love International Dr Sardek Love economist and best selling author Dr Mary Kelly and Americas Millennial expert Gabrielle Bosché as well as more than 30 supplier led RV University product showcase seminars 64 RVBusiness M A R C H A P R I L 2 0 2 0 This was the 10th year we have provided the industry with a compelling roster of exceptional speakers said Rogers These seminars introduce show attendees to innovative skills and business techniques while the speakers discussions serve as a cornerstone to the continuing education programs available online through the newly revised RVU platform The training was a hit for John Brian owner of Ultimate Advantage RV Services who was attending The Expo as part of a field trip with the National RV Training Academy the Athens Texas based service training center under the leadership of Terry Cooper We came here to better understand some of the functions of the individual components that are built into RVs today and to see whats coming just to try to get ahead of the curve a little bit said Brian adding that he liked the show a lot The layout is great as a first time visitor because its well organized You can go where you want to go or you can just walk through and see a good assortment of everything thats available And all the variation of whats here is just awesome Everythings addressed Similarly Carolyn Gefre and Mark Reeves owners of Aubreys RV Center a parts and service only business in Yakima Wash said they were attending The Expo to keep in touch with the vendors let them know who we are and make sure that we continue those relationships But really were here looking to see whats new out there for the RV industry Gefre said I like looking for the new more impulse purchase items stuff for the kitchens like the little floormats that they have now Weve been learning some interesting stuff on the new lithium ion batteries and the converters and stuff that goes with those for keeping them maintained and charged Reeves added Mostly what I look at is the tech information for the shop and what I can learn new on testing procedures and new equipment thats coming out Also with so much new stuff thats coming out I need to learn where to go online and learn about them and run some demonstrations through the shop for the techs Big Picture Certainly one person who would have been pleased with The Expos attendance and activity and indeed he said he was was LKQ Corp President Chief Executive Officer Nick Zarcone NTP STAG fits within LKQs Specialty Business one of three corporate divisions North America and Europe being the other two Zarcone told RVBusiness that LKQ whose global operations include nearly 13 billion in revenue 51000 employees and 1750 locations in more than 32 countries is very pleased with the investment that weve made in our specialty business When you think about when we entered the RV market and the ride that the RV industry has been on since we got into it its been tremendous Now in terms of shipments thats subsided and kind of leveled out a bit over the last couple of years But in terms of when we got into it and where it is today its been a very good business Zarcone said referencing LKQs 2014 2015 acquisitions of what was then the RV industrys three major RV distribution companies NTP Distribution Inc Stag Parkway and Coast Distribution We will continue to invest in the specialty busi Carolyn Gefre and Mark Reeves owners of Aubreys RV Center a parts and service only business in Yakima Wash said they were attending The Expo to discover new parts and accessories