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December 3, 2012

 

SHIPSHEWANA, IN - KZ RV recently received the Quality Circle Award for the 12th time in thirteen years from the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA).

 

KZ RV won the award RVDA’s Dealer Satisfaction Index (DSI) survey for its Durango, Sportsmen, Sportsmen Classic, Spree and Spree Escape brands of travel trailers, fifth wheels and toy haulers. The survey rates manufacturers’ performance in product reliability and quality, parts support, dealership warranty support, product design, sales support and territory, competitive price and value, and overall dealer communications.

 

“I believe the DSI is a tool to help improve communication and the overall relationship with our dealer partners,” said Andy Baer, KZRV vice president of sales. “The survey measures dealer attitudes in key policy, product, and procedure areas that dealers say are the most important elements in their business.”

 

“Baer said the survey provides us with an annual benchmark that shows how our dealer partners perceive the company and our products. We’ve always enjoyed taking good care of our dealers. They are the crucial conduit between us and the customers. We have a top-notch dealer body, so it’s very meaningful that they rated us so highly that we received the DSI award again this year.”

 

About KZ Recreational Vehicles: KZ Recreational Vehicles was founded in 1972 in Middlebury, Ind., by Daryl Zook on the principles of quality, fairness, courtesy and integrity. Today, the company manufactures a full line of towable RVs in Shipshewana, Ind., and is still focused on those same principles. KZ’s mission is to develop new concepts and competitively priced products while continually striving for the highest quality in its products and services. KZ Recreational Vehicles has received the Quality Circle Award from RVDA for its Dealer Satisfaction Index survey for 12 of the last 13 years. For more information, visit www.kz-rv.com.

 

December 3, 2012

 

SHIPSHEWANA, IN - KZ RV adds the champagne full body exterior to the Spree light weight travel trailer line. KZRV will be introducing the Spree Sandlewood Edition at this year’s RVIA Show November 27th-29th in booth 1120 in the south wing.

 

Marlene Snyder, Product Manager, states “We are excited to offer full body color in the Spree line. We have seen great success with the Durango Sandlewood Edition and I’m sure the Spree full body infused champagne color will see the same success.”

 

KZRV will be introducing three new Spree floor plans at this year’s show, with one of them having three slides, an island kitchen, 48” shower and large bunkroom.

 

The Sandlewood Edition is trimmed out with black accents and will have the newly redesigned Spree aerodynamic front cap. The Spree Sandlewood models range from 24' 6"-35' 9" in length, weighs 4,300-7,200 lbs. and is available in over 17 floorplans.

 

Spree Sandlewood Edition compliments the Spree line-up with full body champagne color at a value added price. The nicely equipped Spree Sandlewood Edition MSRP starts around $24,600.

 

In addition, Spree is covered by KZRV’s 2-year limited warranty that protects against defects in materials and workmanship for two years from date of delivery. For more information on the warranty please visit www.kz-rv.com.

 

About KZ Recreational Vehicles: KZ Recreational Vehicles was founded in 1972 in Middlebury, Ind., by Daryl Zook on the principles of quality, fairness, courtesy and integrity. Today, the company manufactures a full line of towable RVs in Shipshewana, Ind., and is still focused on those same principles. KZ’s mission is to develop new concepts and competitively priced products while continually striving for the highest quality in its products and services. KZ Recreational Vehicles has received the Quality Circle Award from RVDA for its Dealer Satisfaction Index survey for 12 of the last 13 years. For more information, visit www.kz-rv.com.

 

September 7, 2012

 

SHIPSHEWANA, IN - KZ RV adds the champagne full body exterior to the Durango fifth wheel product line. The new Durango Sandlewood Edition features infused champagne exterior and is available in both mid-profile Durango 1500 and full-profile Durango fifth wheels.

 

The Sandlewood Edition is trimmed out with black accents and will have the newly redesigned Durango aerodynamic front cap. The Durango Sandlewood models range from 27' 11"-39' in length, weighs 7,100-11,000 lbs. and is available in over 20 floorplans. Durango Sandlewood Edition compliments the Durango with full body champagne color at a value added price. The nicely equipped Durango Sandlewood Edition MSRP starts around $37,900.

 

Andy Baer, V.P. of Sales, states “We are excited to offer full body color in the Durango line. Durango has always brought unmatched craftsmanship and functionality to our customers. We will be introducing the Sandlewood Edition at the fall open house in September. This year we will be displaying our product line at two locations. Our primary location will be at County Rd 6 and County Rd 15 in Elkhart. As an added convenience, dealers are always welcome to view products at our corporate headquarters in Shipshewana. Dates for the fall open house are September 17th-20th.”

In addition, Durango’s are covered by KZ RV’s 2 year warranty that protects against defects in materials and workmanship for two years from date of delivery. For more information please e-mail us at sales@kz-rv.com.

 

About KZ Recreational Vehicles: KZ Recreational Vehicles was founded in 1972 in Middlebury, Ind., by Daryl Zook on the principles of quality, fairness, courtesy and integrity. Today, the company manufactures a full line of towable RVs in Shipshewana, Ind., and is still focused on those same principles. KZ’s mission is to develop new concepts and competitively priced products while continually striving for the highest quality in its products and services. KZ Recreational Vehicles has received the Quality Circle Award from RVDA for its Dealer Satisfaction Index survey for 11 of the last 12 years. For more information, visit www.kz-rv.com.

April 5, 2012

 

SHIPSHEWANA, IN - From a one-man truck camper business in an old gas station to a full-line towable RV manufacturer with 300 employees: It’s a fulfillment of the American dream.

 

Forty years later, KZ RV is inviting dealers to celebrate its history and future during the upcoming dealer open house May 30-31 at its location in Shipshewana, Ind.

 

“It’s an exciting time for several reasons. We’re proud of our past, and we’re eager to forge ahead,” said Andy Baer, KZ’s vice president of sales and marketing. “The recreational vehicle market has shown great resilience and the buying public are ready to get out and enjoy the RV lifestyle.”

 

KZ will show new products, conduct plant tours, give out dealer awards and hold social events for dealer attendees and KZ employees. Last year, 130 people from about 70 dealerships attended the open house.

 

“We like to give our dealer partners a sneak peek at what we’re working on, because they give us valuable feedback. They know what will sell and how we can make our products even more attractive to buyers,” Baer said. “That kind of input is critical to our ability to remain relevant, and it’s a big reason why we’re thriving after 40 years.”

 

Baer acknowledges that KZ’s spring open house is an unusual event considering the recent boom of manufacturers’ fall open houses in northern Indiana. “Those events have their own purpose. In the fall, we receive many visitors spanning various levels of relationship with us, including casual observers who just want to see what we’re about, and we welcome that,” Baer stated. “Meanwhile, this invitation-only spring open house is for our established dealer partners so we can applaud their accomplishments, get their recommendations on product developments, rekindle our friendships with dealers – some of which span multiple generations – and just talk about the future. We want to give these special people our undivided attention for those couple of days.”

 

KZ’s 40th anniversary will be a focal point all year in communications and outreach among all channels and associates. “KZ is proud of its heritage and we’re fully aware that it’s because of our dealers, employees and vendors that we’ve had so much success,” Baer explained. “We’re going to tell them ‘thank you’ every chance we get.”

 

For more information about the dealer open house please e-mail us at ryoder@kz-rv.com.

 

About KZ Recreational Vehicles: KZ Recreational Vehicles was founded in 1972 in Middlebury, Ind., by Daryl Zook on the principles of quality, fairness, courtesy and integrity. Today, the company manufactures a full line of towable RVs in Shipshewana, Ind., and is still focused on those same principles. KZ’s mission is to develop new concepts and competitively priced products while continually striving for the highest quality in its products and services. KZ Recreational Vehicles has received the Quality Circle Award from RVDA for its Dealer Satisfaction Index survey for 11 of the last 12 years. For more information, visit www.kz-rv.com.

March 22, 2012

 

SHIPSHEWANA, IN - Based on customer sentiment and buying patterns, it looks to be a very good year for the RV industry, according to KZ RV dealers who saw encouraging activity during this winter’s RV shows.

 

Show attendance was up and sales were “very pleasantly way up,” said John Gajewski, sales manager of King’s Campers in Wausau, Wisc. “We almost doubled our record attendance at our open house, which we’ve had on the same weekend for the last 16 years,” he said. “We got maybe 6,000 people coming through over four days.”

 

John Petrie, president of Niagara Trailers in St. Davids, Ontario, had similar experiences. “Our first show we had an 87 percent rise in unit sales over last year,” he said. The Sportsmen Classic, Spree Escape and Coyote travel trailers by KZ did very well at his dealership’s three shows, but what surprised him was how well the bigger fifth wheels were received.

 

“Fifth wheels are definitely popular right now, particularly the Durango and StoneRidge, and there was lots more toy hauler activity,” Petrie said. “This season what’s doing really well is KZ’s 40th anniversary units.”

 

The anniversary units bring back some classic features of KZ’s historically successful RVs with contemporary presentation and technology. “Floorplans are what motivate people, and they always look for one that’s different or unique. But when a good floorplan does well, you hate to change it much,” he explained. “We have lots of floorplans that have done really well for 20 years that KZ tweaked and made unique by putting in so many more options as standard. They’re very value-packed. They really stuck out.”

 

In addition, the “show stopper” models, fashioned and priced specifically for dealers to use at Winter shows, found great success at Niagara Trailers.

 

“The big thing that hit the market for us was the KZ show stoppers. Before, we only sold four the whole season. This year, we sold nine just during the first show. They seemed to really take off,” said Petrie. “KZ has lots more awareness in Ontario now. They’re a family-owned company so they can make decisions about how to make what sells based on feedback from the dealers, and that really helps.”

 

Gajewski saw some of the same customer favorites as Petrie, with a trend toward family-friendly floorplans in all the units King’s Campers sold at their shows. “They’re really going for the bunk bed floorplans in the 22- to 32-foot trailers, and half-ton fifth wheels are resurging for us right now, especially the ones with bunks or the second bathroom with the exterior door. The Durango 2857 has just been lights-out for us,” he reported. “These shows are very family-oriented with a younger crowd. That demographic is the typical majority for us at these shows and comprises about 75 percent of our Spring market. That’s been going on for quite a while.”

 

He added that the KZ units have been good sellers for them not just this year, but ever since they took on that line. “King’s Campers has carried KZ since 1972 and we have not strayed at all from that; they’re the one company we never dropped away from,” he said. “We get as close to exclusive to KZ as we can.”

 

Both dealers found an overall increase this Winter in buyers new to RVing. “Maybe 30 percent of our customers were new buyers, which is a very nice number,” Gajewski said. “These shows definitely show us getting a good chunk of new customers.”

 

“There was an increase in purchases by people who are all new to RVing, but ironically we also had more trade-ins than before,” said Petrie. “These are people who used to be into RVing and are now coming back in, which is the opposite of the last two years.”

 

Whatever features and floorplans customers seek out, the recession-era shift to offering more for less in order to keep business flowing has made an impression on customer expectations. “What people really want is more amenities for less money, to be frank,” Gajewski said, and Petrie agreed: “As far as features, most RVs come with so many features in the package anymore, it’s almost the expected now.”

 

But while their expectations are high, so is their optimism, in spite of rising gas prices and gloomy reports for more. “Customer attitude this year is surprisingly good. You don’t hear gas comments as much anymore. It hasn’t been a focus,” Gajewski reported. “People who aren’t real serious about buying in the first place will find something to be negative about no matter what, but for the real RVers, it’s a concern, but it just adjusts. They take shorter trips. Even if gas is 50 cents higher than last year, say they take a 90-mile trip two times a month, that’s only an extra $20 per trip. They were already going to spend money, so the increase is not that much in comparison.”

 

The spirit of taking it all in stride extends through Canada as well, if Niagara Trailers’ experience is any indication. “There’s been no negativity about gas prices, interest rates, job loss, any of that,” Petrie stated. “This year the weather in Ontario has been phenomenal. Traffic is higher at our shows and our dealership. Everything at this point looks like 2012 will be a very good year.”

 

About KZ Recreational Vehicles: KZ Recreational Vehicles was founded in 1972 in Middlebury, Ind., by Daryl Zook on the principles of quality, fairness, courtesy and integrity. Today, the company manufactures a full line of towable RVs in Shipshewana, Ind., and is still focused on those same principles. KZ’s mission is to develop new concepts and competitively priced products while continually striving for the highest quality in its products and services. KZ Recreational Vehicles has received the Quality Circle Award from RVDA for its Dealer Satisfaction Index survey for 11 of the last 12 years. For more information, visit www.kz-rv.com.

March 22, 2012

 

SHIPSHEWANA, IN - KZ RV, an Indiana-based manufacturer of travel trailers and fifth wheels, has announced the hiring of Dave Boggs as Director of Marketing (a newly created position).

 

“We are very excited to have Dave join our company as the new Director of Marketing- he has a wealth of experience and a tremendous amount of energy. His talents are sure to make this newly created director-level position a success,” stated Andy Baer, V.P. of Sales and Marketing.

 

“I couldn’t be happier to join a company with the guiding principles of doing the right thing and treating people the way you want to be treated.  KZ offers its customers great products backed by some of the best warranties in the industry,” stated Boggs.

 

Dave previously served as Director of Marketing at CrossRoads/Redwood RV. Dave brings more than 15 years of RV Industry experience with him to KZ RV.

 

Dave can be contacted by e-mail at dboggs@kz-rv.com

 

About KZ Recreational Vehicles: KZ Recreational Vehicles was founded in 1972 in Middlebury, Ind., by Daryl Zook on the principles of quality, fairness, courtesy and integrity. Today, the company manufactures a full line of towable RVs in Shipshewana, Ind., and is still focused on those same principles. KZ’s mission is to develop new concepts and competitively priced products while continually striving for the highest quality in its products and services. KZ Recreational Vehicles has received the Quality Circle Award from RVDA for its Dealer Satisfaction Index survey for 11 of the last 12 years. For more information, visit www.kz-rv.com.

December 2, 2011 by RV Business

 

Shipshewana, Ind.-based KZRV LP introduced the company’s first tri-level fifth-wheel in its Stone Ridge line during this week’s 49th Annual National RV Trade Show in Louisville, Ky.

 

According to a press release, two floorplans – the 36UL and 36RK models – feature the traditional front-raised bedroom and lower middle section, but add a raised living room or kitchen and dining area in the rear that allows for super-sized basement storage space underneath.

 

“There’s never been anything like this in a KZ fifth-wheel,” stated Andy Baer, KZ’s vice president of sales and marketing. “With the Stone Ridge, customers can have towable RV basement storage as big as a motorhome’s.”

 

Baer said because the Stone Ridge market consists mostly of heavy users like snowbirds, that expanded storage will be a crucial selling point to those customers.

 

“We’re talking about people who use their RVs for at least half of the year,” he said. “These are affluent customers, retirees and couples who need motorhome-sized space for their belongings while still wanting the freedom of a tow vehicle to drive after they set up camp. They couldn’t easily have both before – but they can now.”

 

In addition to these groundbreaking new floorplans, the Stone Ridge line has been upgraded with several high-end elements that make it new and different while enhancing its residential feel, including more fireplaces, solid wood fascia and trim, and plush fabrics. Also new is the 36RK’s Antique Crème and two-tone Luxe Maple wood finishes and updated outdoor Bistro option – an upscale exterior kitchen complete with refrigerator, ice maker, swing-out LCD television and plenty of counter space.

 

The 38FL model is another new floorplan, the company’s first-ever front living room fifth-wheel. The living area is accented by a wrought iron railing along its stairway and has a large 46-inch LCD television surrounded by a lavish entertainment center with fireplace below. The bedroom has a queen bed or optional king bed with a memory foam mattress and the bathroom has a large closet with washer/dryer capability.

 

“All of these changes were driven fully by dealer and customer feedback,” said Baer. “It’s that input that tells us precisely what people want and what they’ll buy, and therefore what our dealer partners can sell. And of course that makes everyone happy.”

 

While the Stone Ridge line is a deluxe fifth-wheel and the new generation boasts even more features and innovations than before, KZ said it also has a more appealing price point than others in its class.

 

For more information on KZRV products visit www.kz-rv.com.

May 22, 2011

 

Click here to view an article that appeared in the Elkhart Truth on Sunday May 22, 2011. Special thanks to the Truth for sharing this re-print...

May 22, 2011

October 14, 2010

 

The RVBusiness staff today (Aug. 17) announced selections for the 3rd Annual RV Business Top 50 Dealer Awards, which are to be presented at an all-industry dinner on the evening of Wed., Oct. 6, at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas during the Recreation Vehicle Dealer Association’s (RVDA) annual RV Dealers International Convention/Expo.

 

A volunteer panel of industry veterans concluded its review of dealer applications, based on the nominations of North American RV manufacturers, on Aug. 5 after being sequestered for two days at the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Ind.

 

And while this year’s selections represent a relatively wide array of dealerships in terms of size and style, RVBusiness Publisher Sherman Goldenberg reports that the panel’s mission once again was to keep a keen eye on dealers’ overall professionalism, best practices, consumer care, association activities, civic involvement and the general spirit and specific recommendations of the Go RVing Coalition’s Committee on Excellence.

 

“I can’t tell you how much we appreciate the efforts of those six individuals on our selection committee and how pleased we are with the dealers selected for 2010,” says Goldenberg. “Our only real regret this time around, given the healthy number of applicants this year, is that there were several dealers on the cusp of making the cut this year who didn’t get in. And we hope that all of them will return for the next round in 2011 because there’s a real good chance that they’ll qualify.”

 

Again this year, the RVBusiness Top 50 selection process was overseen by Osceola, Ind.-based BJ Thompson Associates Inc. Consistent with the previous two years, the Top 50 dealers are not ranked, although five Blue Ribbon retailers will be singled out on Oct. 6 for special recognition. In addition, the Dave Altman Lifetime Achievement Award in RV retailing will also be presented to one of the Top 50 dealers at this year’s dinner for which the keynote speaker is conservative political columnist and author Ann Coulter.

 

The following KZ dealers are among the recipients of the 2010 RV Business

 

Top 50 Dealer Awards (in unranked, alphabetical order):

Alpin Haus, Amsterdam, N.Y.

Beckley’s Camping Center, Thurmont, Md.

Bill Plemmons RV World, Rural Hall, N.C.

Bucars RV Centre, Balzac, Alberta.

Campers Inn, Kingston, N.H.

Kings Campers, Wausau, Wis.

Little Dealer Little Prices, Phoenix, Ariz.

Parkview RV Center, Smyrna, Del.

Veurinks’ RV Center, Grand Rapids, Mich.

 

RVBusiness Top 50 Dealer Award honorees will be promoted in the national press, in dealers’ hometown newspapers and in the pages and websites of Affinity’s trade and consumer magazines, including RVBusiness, Trailer Life, MotorHome, Highways, Coast to Coast and Camping Life.

 

Underwriting this year’s RV Business Top 50 Dealer Awards program are “Leadership Alliance” members ADP Lightspeed, Bank of the West, Blue Ox, Cummins Onan RV Generators, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp., RV America Insurance, RV Trader Online and Protective.

 

Tickets for the dinner are available through RVBUSINESS.com.