RVBusiness, September/October 2019

Spartan Shows Innovative Class A Chassis at FMCAs Con Expo Spartan Specialty Chassis and Vehicles a business unit of Spartan Motors Inc showcased its latest top of the line Class A diesel chassis design at the 100th Annual Family Motor Coach Association FMCA International Convention and RV Expo Spartan which offered on site training on proper RV owner chassis maintenance displayed its signature American flag wrapped K3 605 chassis under an Entegra Cornerstone featuring Easy steer variable tension steering with driver control setting A tire pressure monitoring system with integrated control in the dash display A side camera visual display thats visible when the turn signal is activated The chassis according to a Spartan release also features the Spartan Advanced Protection System a comprehensive safety system with collision mitigation adaptive cruise control electronic stability control in addition to Spartan Safe Haul a chassis integrated air braking system for tow vehicles available on the market today Our goal for customers is to arm them with knowledge to care for and maintain their coach and chassis to ensure longevity and a properly serviced vehicle said Steve Guillaume president of Spartan Specialty Vehicles Were excited to bring the latest advancements in Spartan Connected Coach featuring our digital dash to the public FMCA is a great event for us to connect with Spartan chassis owners in person provide onsite customer service and answer questions on new product features While Spartan offered on site training seminars service appointments and interactive displays for owners to continue to learn and enhance their RV experiences attendees were also shown the latest digital dash innovations utilizing a motorhome cockpit simulator able RV owners a strategic move that FMCA instituted in December of 2017 We now have more than 5000 towable members Smith told RVBusiness noting that overall the organization now stands at 81000 family memberships and 150000 individual members It was a very significant decision for our organization that has helped us grow Statistics showed how important it was as towables represent the lions share of RVs on the road As a result were still gaining members each month Its really about the people not the equipment and it has been a very smooth transition The convention highlight according Smith was the keynote delivered Thursday night by Captain Chesley Sully Sullenberger Captain Sullenberger gained worldwide acclaim on Jan 15 2009 when he and his crew safely guided US Airways Flight 1549 to an emergency water landing in New Yorks frigid Hudson River saving the lives of all 155 people onboard I have never seen as many people attend our evening entertainment Smith said The arena at the fairgrounds holds around 4000 people and nearly every seat was filled On the lower level we set up folding chairs and then the entire 204 RVBusiness S E P T E M B E R O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9 upper level was packed I think every person on the grounds was there While offering countless networking opportunities along with nightly entertainment the primary focus of the convention has always been on education I think the educational format that we provide is the primary reason people come The entertainment is just icing on the cake Smith said relating that more than 200 seminars were scheduled over 3 1 2 days FMCA also restaged its RV Basics program overseen by Gary Bunzer which ran prior to the opening of the convention providing members particularly first timers high level intensive training In addition FMCA conducted a separate RV driving school for hands on training Its virtually impossible for a first timer to go to all the seminars at the convention Smith noted so we now offer two to three days of training prior to the actual event This year we had more than 150 people sign up so we basically sold it out Its extremely popular and the feedback has been tremendous He added One of the more popular classes is our driving school which began last year Classroom learning is great but attendees also want a hands on experience As in past years the convention included a charitable component This year we hosted The Magic Mile which raised money for the North Dakota State Fair Foundation Members donated money and then FMCA matched those funds RVB A number of manufacturers utilize the FMCA rally to reach prospective customers At Minot displays included those from Entegra Coach Tiffin Motor Homes and Newmar FMCA attendees stop by the Roadmaster display within the Expo portion of the event Captain Chesley Sullenberger