KWWL.com - News & Weather for Waterloo, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids & Iowa City, Iowa | Not all RV dealers feeling economic crunch

Not all RV dealers feeling economic crunch

by Bryan Goettel

HIAWATHA (KWWL) - With falling sales in the RV business, employees of Winnebago industries are finishing up one week of unpaid leave.

The company will also close a fiberglass facility in Hampton at the end of August.

Across the state, across the country, RV sales have been lagging. But that's not the case everywhere. At Ketelsen RV in Hiawatha, they've found a way to keep the wheels turning.

At the beginning of the fourth of July weekend, Gary Ketelsen thought he'd be in for a slow Friday. Turns out, he was in for a surprise.

"Today caught us off guard," Ketelsen said. "We thought maybe we'd be quiet and people would already be gone for the weekend and we opened the doors and we've been swamped all day long."

This isn't the first pleasant surprise for Ketelsen RV.

"We were afraid this winter that we'd be coming into a real slow year, but it's taken off very busy for us," Ketelsen said.

So with so many RV dealers stuck in reverse, why has Ketelsen been able to keep its foot on the gas? Ketelsen points to factors like what you see all over the lot...more trailers than motor homes.

"The higher dollar units are probably more affected," Ketelsen said. "We are selling more cost-efficient units, lower-priced units that are more affordable."

"We've looked at everything from pop-ups to Class A's," said shopper Tracey Riddell.

Riddell and her family have long had the RV bug.

"We had a 1978 Volkswagen camper at one point, but no, we haven't taken any big bites," Riddell said.

She says they're close to taking the plunge, but as Ketelsen has been seeing, it probably won't include a fireplace and a flat screen.

"Probably used more as a starter and then move up if it seems to work out," Riddell said.

Ketelsen admits business slowed down last year and that things could be better, but he does see signs of an upswing. As he puts it, RV production is cautiously ramping back up.

Online Reporter: Bryan Goettel