Transitions, Changes, and Stuff that Makes You Stronger

Have ya noticed that life is just a series of transitions? One is never standing still. Sometimes we’re moving forward (hopefully most of the time) and sometimes, we’re not.

Talk about changes and transitions…There’ve been quite a few in my professional life within the RV industry.

I was cleaning out boxes closing out my mom’s home last night and found a Fanning Family Christmas letter from 1998. It reported on the children and the home and on our jobs. About Country Coach I wrote: “Country Coach was cited as one of 100 Fast Moving Companies in Forbes magazine this year. I guess that means I have job securityJ”   Well, move and shake and design and build and market and sell we did…then we struggled and improvised and sought solutions and finally Country Coach LLC closed in bankruptcy 11 years after that 1998 Christmas letter. Many long term employees like myself felt like a family member had passed—there was a great attachment to that company and its products that left a void in our lives with its passing.

But transitions are often a good thing in one’s personal life, forcing us to evolve, change and become something new, different, even better. Since the day after Thanksgiving 2009 when my boss called me to say the bankruptcy court has chosen to pull the plug on the attempt to reorganize Country Coach, I know I’ve certainly changed. My rose glasses allowing me to believe that no matter the situation, a coach as solid and well built and beautifully designed as a Country Coach will always have its place in the industry are gone. Economics and circumstances and ‘stuff’ can and will cause the fall of any company, even wonderful companies like the one Bob Lee founded. And it certainly wasn’t alone…the industry downturn took out MANY companies in the RV sector over the past several years.

The businesses that survived have had to reinvent themselves and creatively repackage their services, streamlining their business plans to meet market demands of today’s recreation enthusiast. They’ve come out the other side stronger in many cases, albeit leaner.

And many individuals within the industry who were displaced when companies such as Country Coach LLC failed, have launched brand new enterprises. There is Premier RV Services for instance (www.PremierRVServices.com). It opened its doors after CC, LLC closed. It’s owned and staffed by former Country Coach employees who saw a market niche that needed filled offering pre-owned highline motorcoach sales, full RV service & renovations, and indoor coach storage. It even utilized multiple buildings left standing vacant by the CC, LLC bankruptcy. Premier RV Services is one of many businesses operating in Junction City Oregon which keep people returning “home” to the south Willamette valley for their motorcoach service needs. I’m very proud to be affiliated with the Premier group and love seeing many of my motorcoaching friends when they’re in town. Oregon Motorcoach Center, Guaranty RV, Country Coach Corporation (which may one day build new Country Coaches again!), Davis Cabinets, Innovative Coachworks, Countryside Interiors, Advanced Satellite, DLH Design, Carr Industries, these are but a few of the other RV Businesses in the Junction City Oregon community who like Premier are moving on, and going strong. These businesses are prospering in the industry’s New Normal and each offers valuable services to motorcoach owners, while providing a good living for their families, and giving a needed injection of revenue back into a small  community where all Country Coach motorcoaches were originally built.

And there are hundreds of Country Coach cheerleaders such as myself who continue in our professional lives within this great industry. We hold fond memories for “the way we were” but greater enthusiasm for what we and this local RV industry are becoming.

The challenge is to keep your running shoes laced tightly and to boldly lead the charge in a reinvented, exciting RV industry here in the Southern Willamette Valley.

I enjoy working in a service center/dealership that “feels” like my former Country Coach home (and in fact is located on 26 acres of the former Country Coach Inc campus). I enjoy promoting a fast growing Motorcoaching Club comprised of the world’s friendliest motorcoach owners (www.countrycoachfriendsincorporated.com) and I also serve on the Oregon RV Alliance executive board to encourage RVers to spend their leisure time in our beautiful area of the country. The RV industry is alive and well in Lane County, Oregon, and many old friends are still right here hard at work within this great community.

Transitions, Changes, and Stuff …I’m rolling with it and moving forward…these are exciting times!

Rally Times are the BEST of Times!

The Second Annual Country Coach Friendship Rally is in full swing. What a great group has gathered to have fun together for four busy days at River Bend Resort in Harrisburg, just a couple miles from where all Country Coach motorcoaches were originally built in Junction City Oregon.

Today is another full day of touring three major service providers located minutes from the rally site--all of which offer outstanding care and attention to highline motorcoaches and other RVs. There will be a catered meal at Country Coach Corporation, a service center, parts resource and consignment sales business located on many acres of the former Country Coach, LLC campus). Ron Lee, owner, has contracted the extremely popular rally caterer Bambino's to present the luncheon to rally guests; then it's across the driveway to Premier RV Services (also a full service and coach renovations business co-owned by former upper management staff of the former Country Coach, LLC Gary Obermire and Susan Graham). Premier is located on 26 acres of the former Country Coach, LLC campus and offers hand selected pre-owned coaches for sale (the largest inventory of Country Coaches in the U.S.) . Premier has several acres of indoor secured heated storage for RVs, boats and autos, too. Here is where the club will be recognized on its First Anniversary since its formation with 40 member coaches last year at the First Annual Country Coach Friendship Rally. The club is now numbering over 170 members strong....and growing! The rally agenda finishes the afternoon at Bob Lee's facility, Oregon Motorcoach Center on Airport Road in Eugene. It's always a delight to visit "Camp Oregon Motorcoach." Country Coach (then Country Campers) founders Bob and Terry Lee and family will be on hand to spend this special time at Oregon Motorcoach Center with rally attendees.

The night tonight finishes up with an outdoor chicken barbecue reminiscent of the days when the Lee Family including patriarch Bob Lee were at the grills cooking chicken for the attendees. VIPs Gary Obermire of Premier RV Services, Ron Lee of CCC, and Pat Mason (Bob's son-in-law) of Oregon Motorcoach Center will don their aprons and "get their grill on..." 

Friday will be another full day of rally fun, and motorcoachers favorite entertainers Bernie & Red that evening; followed by a Saturday morning Club meeting. Then the group bids their goodbyes until they rejoin at the Fall Fun Rally in Petoskey Michigan in September http//www.CountryCoachFriendsIncorporated.com. What a fun loving club, and one of the fastest growing international chapters of Family Motor Coach Association! Membership is open to owners of all brands of motorcoaches and their rallies are among the finest available to motorcoach owners!

I enjoy a great affiliation with CCFI -- doing anything and everything I think of to get the word out to motorcoaching enthusiasts about Country Coach Friends Incorporated--the world's friendliest club!

-- Gotta Run as Rally Times are not only the BEST of Times, they are the Busiest of Times!

Until Next Time,
Sherry

Unparalleled Exterior Paint Solutions

Premier RV Services in Junction City, OR Provides Unparalleled Exterior Paint Solutions for Today’s Motorcoachers

Before Country Coach, LLC closed its doors in 2009 it was famous for its beautiful motorcoach exteriors and industry leading painted graphics. In fact, the company was the trend setter throughout the industry in terms of what you could expect to see in the next model year on other manufacturers’ coach exteriors. The application process for each and every motorcoach exterior was painstakingly detailed and uncompromising in attention to flawless exterior perfection in the end product. Using only premium Sikkens brand paint and employing the industry’s finest paint artisans, each and every motorcoach that rolled onto First Avenue was a head-turner. That remains true even today as Country Coaches continue to turn heads as they travel the highways and pull into RV resorts across the nation.

  These days, when it’s time to touch up that exterior paint, or to do some exterior coach repairs, you can still find the same uncompromising attention given to your paint project as when your coach was originally built at Premier RV Services. Employing the best of the best and using the world’s finest materials, be it full body exterior paint, minor collision paint repair, or perhaps minor fiberglass door damage that requires fiberglass repair work, you can get that project handled at Premier. The same industry leading Sikkens brand paint that was used during the Country Coach motorcoach original paint application process is still the base coat and clear coat paint of choice at Premier. 

About Premier’s paint specialists: In 1989, Steve Gottschling began a journey down a career path that would span over two decades of painting excellence in the field of motorcoach paint services.  It was in 1989 that Gottschling accepted a position with Country Coach in the company’s paint department. His areas of expertise quickly developed and spanned everything from painting selected parts to full body paint. Gottschling remained with Country Coach until late 2009, when Country Coach, LLC closed its doors permanently. These days you’ll find Steve at work at Premier, along with Julio Patino, who had also honed his craft within the Country Coach, LLC paint department for 15 years.  Today at Premier they bring a combined 35+ years experience in specialized paint techniques. When you bring your exterior paint/repair project to Premier RV Services, you can be assured your motorcoach exterior will receive unparalleled quality care and attention.

Specializing in Country Coach, all brands are welcome. See Premier RV Services for all your Service, Pre-owned Motorcoach Sales, and Indoor Storage needs. Premier RV Services, 325 East First Avenue, Junction City, Oregon.  Phone: 541-998-2640. Online: www.PremierRVServices.com.

Saying it, Doesn't Make It So!

 I can say, “I’m a duck!” and I can honestly believe it. But featherless I remain and the Oregon rain hasn’t yet significantly webbed my feet. …A duck I am not, and it wouldn’t be wise of me to step off a roof and attempt to migrate.

I think it’s like that with most things. Saying something, even marketing ones self as something, doesn't make it so.

Take Integrity, for instance. It’s a word freely used in the marketplace.

“Trust your motorcoach to X-Y-Z, a business founded on integrity. Or join a club that claims the same thing." Some organizations are simply basing their claim of “integrity” on their longevity.  Although noteworthy to state "...established in 1985" (or whatever), we all know It takes more than years on a calendar to earn repeat business or admiration within an industry. It's who you are today, right now, under current management, and how you take care of your customers that will decide who you will be tomorrow.

My dad always said, Let your Walk be your witness, not your Talk. I have found a few organizations that stand head and shoulders above the masses when it comes to integrity in business practices.

Junction City Local Aid is one of those. The community service organization has a strong infrastructure, a diverse Board of Directors, a business plan based on sound practices and have implemented processes to ensure that they are good stewards of the resources they are able to accrue and share with those in need. I’ve always had a special place in my heart for Junction City Local Aid, but a few years ago they did something that really made a lasting imression on me.

I was working with Country Coach, LLC at the time (Christmas 2008 I believe it was). For several years, at that time, Country Coach had held an employee food drive/fundraising event around the holiday season to benefit this worthy cause. Country Coach employees were proud of the hefty injection those food drives brought to the Junction City Local Aid’s annual budget! Well in 2008, as talk began about preparing for the Food Drive/Fundraiser, the top management at CC decided to forego the fund-raising/company monetary match funds donation and instead, they offered the opportunity for JC Local Aid to choose one particularly needy family and the Company would shower them with a special holiday. The organization declined. JCLA said, how could they fairly choose? What makes one of their client families’ needs greater than another’s? Although they appreciated the thought, they couldn’t in all fairness choose one client over all the others who also had great needs in their lives. I was duly impressed. Yes, CC did go on to bless a community family in need with a gifting of items and money that year (found the family through the local school as I recall), but I so respected Junction City Local Aid’s display of Integrity in not choosing one client over another. 

Last year when it was time to choose a charitable cause for the upcoming motorcoach rally I was helping coordinate, and food banks were suggested, I was so glad to see Junction City Local Aid benefit from that rally. Country Coach Friends Inc raised over $4,000 for Junction City Local Aid at their 60-coach Friendship Rally, in fact, and another $4,000 for God’s Storehouse too! What a worthwhile investment for all who have given charitable contributions to this organization. http://www.jclocalaid.org/

Speaking of Country Coach Friends Incorporated, it's another organization that is earning a reputation for its integrity and transparency in business practices, and its dedication to being the best they can be at what they are—a motorcoach social club founded on friendship and dedicated to providing world class motorcoach experiences and benefits for their members!

What a pleasure it has been to watch them grow over the past year as they’ve tripled in membership!  With founding bylaws based upon a tried and true template provided by Family Motor Coach Association (another stellar RV club which I've personally thoroughly enjoyed working with in my various industry related professional positions), they formed a club with a strong infrastructure, led by a board of directors with representation from across the nation, and have implemented fiduciary transparency and business practices that ensure all who join this motorcoachers social club will be proud of their affiliation with CCFI for decades to come. And they’re one of the Friendliest Motorcoach Clubs in America, without doubt!  Learn more at www.countrycoachfriendsincorporated.com

These are just two organizations I admire.  We all know one when we see one, an organization based on integrity…and it’s who we want to invest our time and our discretionary monies in, too, isn’t it?

Nope I’m not a duck (nor a beaver;), and that’s OK…However I am committed to being a woman of integrity. My words, my actions and those footprints walked out every day in my professional life are what I hope will mirror the attributes of my most admired organizations like the two listed here, as well as the attributes I most admire in my peers and associates.

So today I am reminded that when it comes to service businesses or RV clubs or any type of organization really…Take the high road and people will come!

Nope I'm not a Duck......but thanks to Oregon's liquid sunshine  I sometimes feel like I must be growing webbed feet!  

Motorcoachers Information Pipeline….A Whole New Level of Keeping in Touch!

Let’s keep in touch. We say that nearly every day to someone don’t we? To friends and acquaintances, family members and business associates…When it comes to Keepin’ In Touch, there is nothing like that Motorcoachers Information Pipeline.

It’s really an electronic pony express of sorts, this Motorcoachers Pipeline, but oh-so-much-swifter. Someone in Florida can have eye surgery, and he’ll be blessed with dozens of well-wishes from across the nation the next day. Someone tells someone who tells someone who posts an email to a group of friends…

I was working at my part time job at Premier RV Services this past week, and had a call from a dear friend whose hubby had been in a vehicle mishap. Long time RVing friends were at the hospital visiting and checking up on him immediately. The luxury resort where they own property sent an eblast to resort friends to send prayers for a speedy recovery for their friend. It’s just motorcoach owners’ nature to “gather round” and support each other when trials come.

When you need a friend, you can count on the motorcoachers you’ve befriended while parked next to each other at rallies or in resorts nationwide to be among the first to offer help. I will always remember the condolences and support that came flooding in from motorcoachers nationwide when my mother passed away this past June. Somehow friends from Virginia to Florida, Texas to Oregon all knew and many sent their hugs and support via email and calls.

And what fun to share the fun stuff with your friends too. Like the fun of receiving new “grandchildren pictures” from friends like Bud and Anne Falk on the east coast, or pictures of their mom’s 95^th birthday from a motorcoaching friend in Texas. It helps keep us connected, and sharing the joys and trials of each other’s lives. 

This immediate connection to friends worldwide through phone calls, emails and texts, posting to online forums or discussion boards, etc.all keep the connection intact between fellow recreation enthusiasts wherever our travels may find us.

Rallies are a Perfect way to Keep In Touch! Vibrant clubs like Country Coach Friends Incorporated or Family Motor Coach Association do an excellent job of keeping us connected through several events each year where we can look forward to reconnecting for several days at wonderful locations across the nation! Like the Country Coach FriendshipRally in July in Harrisburg Oregon. Just a few openings remain for that rally, but what an opportunity to reconnect with old friends, RV-related business friends who will be there supporting the rally experience, and to make New Friends! Or, the Fall Rally in Petosky Michigan. What a fun time for friends who are among the 40 motorcoaches gathering to enjoy a beautiful luxury resort in the Great Lakes region of the nation.

Of couse the BEST means of  Keepin’ In Touch will always be Face to Face.

On Thursday of this past week, Sharon and Ron Brandt walked in and surprised me at work. These motorcoaching friends were getting a tire sensor installed on their new tow car and decided to walk down the street to see me. I was able to catch up on their busy past couple of months, get their report on a couple rallies they’d attended one in Tucson in March and then another “wonderful rally” with Rocky Mountain Country Coachers…What fun for me to just enjoy reconnecting with a great couple from Nevada. When folks come home to the south Willamette Valley to get their service work done, have renovations completed on their coach, or to purchase new tow cars, aftermarket items, tires, batteries, or other equipment it is a great treat for me to visit with some of the Friendliest people on the planet.

Remember to stop by Premier RV Services, Tuesday through Thursday, at 325 East First Avenue in Junction City whenever you get to town…I’d love to see you and catch up on your travels and news since the last time we met at a rally…Or give me a call on my cell at 541-521-1093 if you pass through our area on a day I’m not scheduled to be at Premier

Let’s Keep In Touch!

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!