Dealer Partnerships Drive Gulf Stream’s Spring Showcase – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
NAPPANEE, Ind. – Gulf Stream Coach Inc. has a lot to be excited about and wants to share that feeling as over the next few weeks team members will be hosting dealers during a spring showcase at company headquarters at 503 S. Oakland Ave. in Nappanee.
President Phil Sarvari says the event is a perfect example for how Gulf Stream relates to its dealers
“They’ve asked us to put something together so they can come in and see some of the new products,” he said. “And it’s a perfect example how we listen to our customers and we respond.”
Sarvari says there’s a lot of uncertainty in the marketplace, but there’s something dealers can count on.
“We are not increasing our prices,” Sarvari said. “So if they want to come here now and buy at the great prices we already have, it gives them an opportunity to do so. To coin a phrase, we answer to Main Street, not Wall Street.”
National Sales Manager and Product Manager for the Lightweight and Laminate Division Tim Dennig says dealers need to attend.
“We totally rejuvenated the entire lineup,” he said. “From the graphics on the exterior to new features, new options, and even a new footprint inside on some of the floor plans. We learned from our dealers and customers – they said ‘Move this over here and move that over there.’ So we did, and we do that because being the largest family-owned RV business in the country, we can react on a dime.”
Metal-Sided Division Product Manager Pete Nottoli added to Dennig’s point, saying there are many new products for dealers to see up close and personal.
“We have about six new floor plans, three décor pilots, some stuff that’s going to be coming offline in the next week or so,” he said. “We want opinions from dealers on the décor pilots to see what direction we should go for model change.”
Nottoli says dealers should be excited about what Gulf Stream has to offer for the current market.
“We’re starting to see an uprise, but it is a relatively soft market,” he said. “Everything that we carry, you should be excited about seeing because we have every segment that you could possibly need in price points… Every segment you need in what your market is seeing right now to get the customers in the door and turn a profit, we have to show you.”
Motorized Division General Manager Matt Buckman is excited to showcase the new additions to the tried-and-true Conquest Class C Motorhome.
“We’re really excited about the fact we’re bringing out products that can provide dual A/Cs,” he said. “In the sunbelt down in Florida – down in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona – it’s almost imperative.”
One of Gulf Stream’s other iconic lines, the BT Cruiser, is also getting some new features.
“We’ve done some nice things in terms of aesthetics,” Buckman said. “We have a new paint job that we brought to market. It really follows today’s current trends. We’ve manipulated the floor plan and improved the functionality.”
One of the first dealers to visit was Tony Sines. The owner and founder of Tony’s RV in Bryan, Ohio, was glad to make the trip to Nappanee to spend time with the Gulf Stream team.
He’s been exclusively selling Gulf Stream RVs since 2018 for a simple reason.
“[It’s a] family owned business,” Sines said. “If I ever need anything, I get ahold of who I need to and they always take care of me. Tony’s RV is family owned, too, so it’s family owned meets family owned. I love that.”
