Business View Magazine September 2018

246 247 LONG VIEW RV SUPERSTORES View. This past year, according to Roberts, was the best yet. “Last year was the record number,” he re- ports. “505,000 RVs shipped across the world; this year, it looks like there are going to be 570,000 shipped. That’s a massive increase. The year be- fore, it was a 40,000 unit increase, so, year over year, it’s growing. At some point, the manufactur- ers won’t be able to build any more. And even to get units is difficult if you didn’t plan properly for your inventory.” Luckily, Long View did. “We have set records for every single month, this year,” he declares. “And these aren’t short term records – these are since 1959 records. There is a great economy and a real passion for camping, right now. This month, we have 91 units out the door, and a lot more em- ployees than we had last year. Our biggest prob- lem is that we’re working the employees, hard. I’m looking out my window right now, and we have 80 or 90 units in for service and all of them want to be out for the 4th of July. But, everything is going great; you couldn’t have better problems.” Roberts is also upbeat about all the new up- grades and gadgets that keep being added to the units as they come off the assembly lines. “There are so many more cool features as there were even two years ago,” he says. “Everything is push- button– awnings, jacks, the whole nine yards.” The only potential downside in the industry is the rising costs for raw steel and aluminum due to changes in the tariff situation. But Roberts is even upbeat about that. “It will be a slight increase,” he admits, “maybe two percent, but nothing earth shattering for my business.” Through good times and bad, Long View RV Superstores is still known as “New England’s Largest and Oldest Family Owned and Operated RV Dealership,” and it still sells all classes of new and used RVs, travel trailers, fifth wheels, park models, toy haulers, and tent campers. It rep- resents over two dozen brands from such manufacturers as Forest River, Gulf Stream, Hymer, Keystone, K-Z, Thor Motor Coach, and Winnebago. Its services include: roof mainte- nance, appliance services, general and engine maintenance, winterizing and cleaning services, and product