The managing partner for a Connecticut-based private equity and hedge fund company says their offer to buy Winnebago Industries would allow the company to diversify into assembling cars and trucks. Radio Iowa reported that North Street Capital LP has offered to purchase the Forest City-based recreational vehicle manufacturer for $11 a share in cash after [...]

Winnebago Industries Inc. announced its Partners in Excellence (PIE) award winners for 2012 at the company’s Dealer Days event in Las Vegas May 14-16. In its seventh year, the PIE award recognizes those motorhome dealers with the best market share penetration within their basic trade area (BTA). Twelve Winnebago and Itasca dealerships were recognized in [...]

Go RVing Canada is kicking off the May long weekend by announcing another successful RV show season for the RV industry. According to a press release, thousands of Canadians visited RV shows this year as overall attendance numbers were higher than 2011. In Alberta, RV show attendance broke records with an impressive 35% attendance increase [...]

Forest City, Iowa-based Winnebago Industries Inc. officials say they haven’t made a decision on whether to accept or reject an offer from a private equity firm to purchase the company because they don’t have enough information. The Associated Press is reporting Winnebago has rejected a $321.5 million offer from North Street Capital, a Greenwich, Conn.-based [...]

The California State Parks Foundation (CSPF) announced Thursday (May 17) it will award 13 grants totaling $328,586 to organizations that are fighting to keep state parks off the closure list. This one-year commitment is one of several steps the 43-year-old foundation is taking in response to the crisis of park closures across California’s state park [...]

Winnebago Industries Inc. is rejecting an unsolicited $321.5 million takeover bid because the offer lacked details, according to an Associated Press report. Winnebago said Friday (May 18) that the $11 per share cash offer it received from North Street Capital didn’t appear credible, and the offer was dependent on several conditions. Winnebago officials say they [...]

LIFESTYLE Luxury RV, a Middlebury, Ind.-based luxury fifth-wheel manufacturer, announced the appointment of Todd Hahn as regional sales manager for the South/Southeast region. Hahn, a Nappanee, Ind., native and graduate of Purdue University brings 22 years of industry experience, including serving as an account manager at Keystone RV Co. and Travel Supreme Inc. “I am [...]

Syracuse, Ind.-based upscale fifth-wheel builder Redwood RV unveiled the new Blackwood 36BH, a “family luxury bunk house,” according to a press release. “At Redwood, we work hard to develop floorplans and features that make sense to the people who use them,” said Product Manager Paul Craven. “This fundamental philosophy helped launch the Redwood brand, and [...]

Park operators will have until Jan. 31, 2013, to comply with changes in accessibility requirements for swimming pools and spas under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Justice Department announced on its website Wednesday (May 16) that it plans to publish a new rule on May 21 with the Jan. 31st compliance date. “Thanks [...]

The latest segment of “RV Capital Talk” features an interview with Mark Bretz, president of Bretz RV and Marine, headquartered in Missoula, Mont. The company operates four dealerships in the Northwest.

Editor’s Note: Robert W. Baird & Co. issued a client newsletter to investors following the March motorhome sales report from Statistical Surveys Inc. The following offers a summary of the results. Motorhome retail down in March. Motorhome retail sales fell 3%, according to Statistical Surveys Inc., following a particularly strong February. We believe a large [...]

With the motto “Discover Your World,” visitors at CARAVAN SALON DÜSSELDORF 2012 will be presented with an extensive international lineup of products and equipment for mobile vacation by 570 exhibitors from around the world: RVs, mobile homes and caravans, basic vehicles, accessories and furnishing components as well as awnings/tents and travel destinations. The event will [...]

Year-over-year retail towable sales rose 12.3% in March – pushed by healthy gains in the travel trailer sector – while registrations for the first quarter gained 8.9%. According to the latest report from Statistical Surveys Inc., March results showed: • Sales for the high-volume travel trailer sector posted a 17.4% gain in March and were [...]

RVC Outdoor Destinations today (May 17) announced the launch of its Wounded Warrior Fishing sponsorship, an initiative underscoring the company’s commitment to active and retired military personnel. Memphis, Tenn.-based RVC Outdoor Destinations has partnered with retired U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. and current U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Mark McDuffie to offer the program, which is [...]

Camping World RV Sales announced that 22 of its RV dealerships across the U.S. were recognized as Winnebago Industries Inc. Circle of Excellence dealers for 2012. According to a press release, the Circle of Excellence award is given to select dealers throughout the country who have earned the highest rankings in customer satisfaction as it [...]

An expected 1,000 visitors and their RVs will be rolling into North Bend, Ore., beginning June 19 as The Mill Casino Hotel & RV Park hosts the annual Northwest Area Rally of the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA). This will be the first time the national organization will hold its Northwest Rally on Oregon’s South [...]

Is the RV industry in a more robust recovery mode, based on an array of positive signals from the first quarter of the year? Is the recreational vehicle arena, despite mixed news reports on the national front, on the brink of a strong growth spurt in 2012? Well, you couldn’t prove it by the responses [...]

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) today (May 17) announced that in 2011 U.S. retail sales for recreational boats, accessories and marine services increased 6% to $32.3 billion, new power and sail boat retail sales increased 0.8% to 214,405, and boating participation increased 10% to 83 million. The recreational boating industry has not seen an [...]

Tracie Fisher, executive director of the Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds in Michigan (ARVC Michigan), has been approved by the ARVC Foundation board to be the newest member of the Board of Regents of the National School of RV Park and Campground Management, according to a news release. Fisher has been an instructor at [...]

Goshen, Ind.-based Starcraft Bus, a division of Forest River Inc., has been named Ford’s top volume pool account for the sixth consecutive year. According to a press release, the manufacturer has purchased and sold more Ford E350/E450 bus chassis than any other bus maker in the United States. “We look forward to our ongoing partnership [...]