Lane County Oregon RV Related Businesses Enjoy Resurgence

In 2005, there were nearly 4,500 workers in Lane County’s RV industry according to the state’s employment department. By 2009 the financial crisis, credit lock down, escalating fuel prices created a perfect storm which saw the local RV industry shrinking drastically. The demise of Country Coach, LLC and the purchase of Monaco out of bankruptcy by Navistar (and its subsequent relocation of many jobs to Indiana) found Lane Country dealing with the fall-out. Many peripheral businesses who had served these RV manufacturers closed their doors as well. Thousands of RV related jobs went away. Resiliency, however, is firmly rooted in the men and women of the great northwest. Richard Coon of Recreation Vehicle Industry Association said a few years ago, “RVs are woven into the fabric of America." And it is true. Over the past many months, there has been a steady rebuilding of momentum as a “new” RV industry has risen from the ashes in a Phoenix-like rebirth in this county.

Many businesses happily welcomed RVers back to Oregon this past year.

Les Schwab/Bob Dickman Tire Center in Junction City, is a long-time supplier to the RV industry, well known as a highly valued friend of motorcoachers. When motorcoachers are in the area for coach service, they’re visiting Dickman Tire Center to purchase tires and batteries. Website: www.dickmantires.com. Carr Industries in Veneta (a great source for cabinetry and countertops upgrades) recently reported his business is up 40% year over year. Website: www.carr-industries.com

Service business is brisk at Country Coach Corporation (CCC) in Junction City, OR as well. The company keeps a robust inventory of Country Coach parts and fabricates parts on site. If you need Country Coach specific parts, Country Coach Corp can most likely get it for you. CCC owns all intellectual property of the former Country Coach, LLC which closed in bankruptcy in late 2009 and provides invaluable support to Country Coach owners nationwide via telephone technical support. CCC offers a selection of quality consignment motorhomes for sale. Situated on several acres of the former Country Coach, LLC manufacturing campus, CCC company owner Ron Lee hopes to one day build Country Coach brand motorhomes, which would be great for the community, displaced RV industry workers, and current Country Coach brand motorcoachers as well. Website: www.countrycoach.com

Motorcoach owners are a loyal group preferring to return to their service center of choice for routine service and maintenance, or for those more involved renovation projects. Oregon Motorcoach Center (OMC), a full service and renovations company in Eugene, finds that the majority of their customers come from out of the area. The business is co-owned by Bob Lee, original founder of Country Coach, Inc. and son-in-law Patrick Mason. Bob is an industry icon; he founded Country Coach, then Country Camper, in the early 70s. He also helped shape the industry as a whole and was inducted into the industry’s RV/MH Hall of Fame. With 1000s of parts in inventory, OMC is a great parts resource, too. OMC has created a Camp OMC atmosphere at their service facility on Airport Road in Eugene. Many motorcoachers now look forward to catching up with their OMC friends when they make their annual visit back to the service center. Website: www.oregonmotorcoachcenter.com

Premier RV Services, a full service center, pre-owned coach sales facility and indoor storage facility, is also located on several acres of the former Country Coach, LLC campus. Co-owner and Service Manager Gary Obermire noted, “Our customers come to Premier knowing they’ll receive the same level of quality service as when their coach was originally built. House and Chassis service, paint or body repair, or larger renovation projects, whatever is needed, we’re here to serve our motorcoaching friends. While we specialize in Country Coach and employ some of the best service specialists with Country Coach specific experience, all brands are welcomed.” The Premier pre-owned coach sales division has been extremely busy this past year. “With the largest inventory of pre-owned Country Coaches in the U.S., we’re seeing buyers coming in from coast to coast to purchase a well-maintained, hand selected pre-owned Premier motorcoach, or to consign their motorcoach,” Louie Courtemanche, co-owner said. Website: www.premierrvservices.com

As RVers from across the nation are visiting Junction City for attention to their service and sales needs, Oregon RV Alliance’s message of the benefits of spending your leisure time (and dollars) in Oregon is most timely. Founded in December 2010, its members include RV dealerships, service centers, suppliers, manufacturers, local chambers of commerce, community festival organizers, RV resorts, and others who are busy promoting Lane County, its many services, resources and attractions. Visit online at www.come2oregon.com.

Country Coach Build Process…STYLE & BODY

Part 3 of a Three Part Look at into the Care and Attention that was invested into building the World’s Finest Motorcoaches, Country Coach.

In a couple earlier posts I revisited the build process of the chassis and then the house of a Country Coach brand motorcoach as documented originally by Carolyn Gsell tour notes for a potential article to be published by the former Country Coach, LLC company.

Here, in Part 3, the coach build process all comes together in the finished beautiful highline motorcoaches still being enjoyed today.

STYLE AND BODY

Once the fiberglass sidewalls, rear endwall and roof were installed, the front and rear fiberglass caps were next installed. The caps, along with the skirt panels and bay doors, are a key part of that exterior coach design of a Country Coach “body” a real head turner. Manufacturing these particular fiberglass components at the factory allowed quality control of this design element too. Using quality materials in this fiberglass manufacture contributed to the Country Coach industry-leading painted exteriors. Workers carefully inspected the fiberglass and all other surfaces prior to the paint process, prepping areas as necessary so the upcoming paint process will go smoothly.

DISTINCTLY COUNTRY COACH PAINT

The colors and graphics are probably the first thing that one notices when seeing a Country Coach.  The shiny brilliant colors with smart, stylish graphics are no accident. Using high quality Sikkens automotive paint, the same paint used on high end vehicles such as Mercedes and Porsches, the best painters in the RV business meticulously prepped each exterior and the graphics were smartly laid out with the use of a design template and a special vinyl tape. When the tape was pulled off after all color was applied resulted in a flawless pin stripe.  With a custom Affinity, the graphics would be laid out without the aid of a template.  Artists determined the placement of the pinstripe according to a drawing provided by the design center. This action alone required great skill and teamwork, as it took two artisans on each end of a length of tape to determine the exact positioning of each pin stripe. 

Once the pinstripe was established, colors were layered on until all color is complete.  The total number of colors applied increased up the model line through the custom motorcoaches which could have up to 9 different paint colors involved in a custom scheme.  After the painters checks the color application, 4 layers of clear coat were applied.  The clear coat was baked or cured, and then the top layer of clear was “cut and buffed”.   What emerged was a glorious, shiny machine of magnificent color and design.  When factory employees attended FMCA shows, they were always justifiably proud of the Country Coach exterior pain as compared to other brand coach exteriors, and not surprised that some manufacturers tried to mimic Country Coach’s distinct blended paint designs.  One manufacturer switched their brand of paint to Sikkens, to get a exterior closer in end result to the Country Coach high end look. Using the same paint highest quality paint was the first step, but the paint artisans were the secret weapon at Country Coach. Several of them are STILL out there in the industry working their magic (two of which are Steve Gottschling and Juan Patino who are found at Premier RV Services in Junction City, Oregon!). As we all know, the skill set of the painter is as important as the paint being applied!

ALMOST DONE

Once the main paint process was completed the coach went to the rain bay to be thoroughly water tested, with slides extended and slides retracted.  After this inspection the coach returned to the assembly line.  Installers continued with floor coverings (usually carpet and tile), window treatments, sills, countertops, light and plumbing fixtures.  Systems checks in place after all the electrical and plumbing systems and appliances were installed allowed close quality control to be maintained throughout the process.  The home theater system was installed and checked. Hand crafted cabinetry was closely inspected with very bright lighting to check for any blemishes or defects. (Matt Carr, former cabinet shop production manager, now owns Carr Industries. Carr bought all the countertop materials and large quantities of cabinetry materials at the Country Coach, LLC auction. Carr Industries is a partner of Country Coach Friends Incorporated club, whereby members of CCFI receive special pricing on materials and work performed by Carr.)  

Every aspect of the coach had quality control checks that auditors performed to insure that everything is working properly.  Furniture was installed close to the finish line as selected by Debbie Hollembaek, then VP of Design. (Hollembaek is now owner of DLH Design-an interior consultation business and partner of Country Coach Friends Incorporated club, offering CCFI members a discount on services rendered.)

There comes a point where all components had been installed and tested, except for the final battery of tests.

DRIVING QUALITY ASSURANCE

When all components were installed, the quality team took over for the road test.  Yes, the chassis was thoroughly tested, but now the entire coach was put through its paces.  Before the inspectors took the coach out on the road, they drove the coach back to the DynoCenter to perform the all-important brake test.  Here, the coach was subject to testing that is incomparable to anything in the industry.  Country Coach had an industry leading facility to test the braking system. This assured the new owners that the brakes, probably the most significant safety feature of the coach, were in excellent operating order.  For starters, the driver positioned the coach outside the doorway of the test area.  When given the “green light”, the driver accelerated and then sharply applied the brakes so that the front wheels stopped on top of grids containing sensors. The sensors measured the forward and downward force applied by the brakes.  The measurements allowed the technician to know how much force was being applied and how even the force was on both sides.  If the brake test did not pass, the coach was taken back to the shop where the brakes were re-inspected, adjusted as necessary, and then returned for additional testing.  The coach did not go on the main road until the brake test passed with flying colors. 

Next a quality control team went on a live road test.  Every road tester knew how a Country Coach should drive, and they diligently checked to make sure that everything was up to a high standard. This was the time to check instrumentation and lights.  During the drive, another quality control person walked through the coach, listening for squeaks and rattles, making sure the cabinetry and all appliances were solidly in place. After the road test, the coach was brought back to the production facility.  Anything written up during the inspections was addressed. The plant manager had the final say that the coach was ready to be released to the sales group and ultimately to the motorcoach buyer.

Inspections did not stop there.  The sales team did quality inspections as well to make doubly sure the coach met the high expectations of prospective buyers. The coach was gone back over, inside and out. If the sales team found anything that got by the manufacturing process, the coach went back to the manufacturing group and the discrepancies were noted and repaired. After this process was finally completed, the coach was ready to deliver to its new owner.

VISION TO REALITY

Like anything else in this world, all human-made objects begin with an idea.  Bob Lee had such a vision in the beginning of Country Camper/Country Coach Inc for a true luxury motorcoach – one that would drive like a dream and feature the luxury amenities that those who can afford such a motorhome would come to expect. Bob’s vision was carried out so successfully that most of those luxurious Country Coaches are still on the road today. The engineers, designers, installers, assemblers, artisans, purchasers, inventory controllers, accountants, marketers, and salespeople – all this creative energy required to produce and purvey the world’s finest motorhome on the road today, should be proud to know they are still the World’s Finest Motorcoaches.

COUNTRY COACH MOTORCOACHES ARE STILL AVAILABLE IN THE MARKETPLACE TODAY.

If you are looking for a quality Country Coach, there are many of them still available for purchase across the U.S. Visit one of those dealers and see for yourself what constitutes the finest coach on the road.  Premier RV Services, a dealer/full service provider located on several acres of the original Country Coach, Inc campus in Junction City OR, has the largest inventory of Pre-owned Country Coach motorcoaches in the nation. Country Coach Corporation, another dealer/service provider, also located on several acres of the original Country Coach, Inc campus also sells used Country Coach motorcoaches on consignment.

The Country Coach technicians and craftsmen and women who originally built, marketed and sold the Country Coach brand (people like Gary Obermire and Dave Diamond, engineering and design gurus; Debbie Hollembaek, Diva of Design; Matt Howard, Country Coach marketing mastermind; Louie Courtemanche and Carolyn Gsell, sales customer care manager extraordinaire; Doug Rutherford, Larry Sherwood and Jim Cooley, Service All Stars; Terry and Tami Keeler, husband and wife duo who invested decades into Country Coach, Inc….and hundreds more…) can be proud that Country Coach motorcoaches remain the premier mode of motorcoach travel when you covet a luxurious vagabond lifestyle fit for a king!