For those of us who were unable to attend the rally for many reasons , can anyone tell us how it all went? What about Redwood's higher up's? Are they committed to make Redwood a quality coach? How about their overall attitude towards us owners, do we have a great feeling about our future as owners>? We're thier listening skills in order?

Inquiring minds want to know.!

Joe
The new management were probably like the last 2. They had a lot of encouraging things to say. I had a talk with Ryan Judhay and he seemed very positive and wants to grow Redwood. He did say that there will be changes as the RV market is changing and their price point is to high. They are looking into the meat and potatoes eg. frames and suspension and may change to more like the automotive industry does with base models and add options. Time will tell. They do have someone now who is monitoring the forums for issues that arise.

Joe,

I met with Ryan Juday (CR/RW President), Nate Nickell (RW GM) & Tim Cress (National Sales Manager) on a few occasions during the week, and am most impressed with their vision. Yes, most definitely, Redwood is here to stay.

Ryan indicated he has clear objectives to address some issues, adapt to market trends and get RW sales back in track. While the RV industry is currently in a boom cycle, it is the bottom end of the market where sales are vibrant, most high end manufacturers are struggling. Hence the reason some are out of business.

They monitor the forums, listen to customer issues and actively manage to correct common warranty issues. Based on this feedback he is well aware of our issues with the running gear. While he is unable to provide specifics, until the dealer network is notified, he did indicate that new models coming at Hershey will address current owner concerns as standard equipment or options. The previous management team kept adding "Bling" to the inside, but Ryan has stepped up and stated he is addressing our concerns with actually towing these coaches.

He also addressed price point. The additional bling over the past few years has substantially increased the price point, which is now above what the target audience will accept. Yes, sales have dropped. Again, Ryan could not provide specifics, but while investing in running gear they will also remove some bling to achieve their desired price point. He has assured us that RW will still have the high end features we expect. My guess is the new RW's will more closely resemble the very successful 12 - 14 model years, before they got carried away with adding bling. Another guess is some newer standard features will revert back to options.

With respect to build quality, he is addressing this with a few new initiatives. I recall from the 2014 Rally, the then GM advised that he would take 1 coach per week and personally give it a thorough PDI before shipping. Considering they produced 7 coaches a day at that time, it wasn't a substantial percentage. They are now constructing a PDI building and every coach will go through PDI before shipping. When issues are found the production employees will be removed from the line to resolve. They also have a weekly meeting to review and resolve the most common warranty issues - this includes ones identified at the factory, at dealers before delivery and customer claims. When trends are identified they address the issue on the shop floor. One of his first changes was revamping the Engineering Dept, with a new Engineering Manager.

For production employees they are stuck with chronic labour shortages and local culture. When asked about changing to a bonus style remuneration based on reduction in warranty, he advised the employees have the upper hand. If they made changes, the entire production staff would leave and be hired by other manufacturers the same day.

Customer Service is another objective, with a new phone system coming on line. The new manager advised his objective is to have almost every customer service call answered by an agent. Currently 97 to 98% of calls are picked up by an agent. He also reviews incoming data and directs it to the relevant manager.

Communications with owners through the ROG. I am very pleased with the reception I received and their desire to forge a working relationship with the Owner's Group. While my primary contact will be Tim Cress, I have contact details for Ryan and Nate and am encouraged to contact them at any time. They also monitor the forums on a regular basis.

For future rallies, due to administrative downsizing and how the rally is growing, both in number of attendees and vendors, they do not have the resources to organise and host. They have requested the ROG continue to perform this function, which I accepted. However, Ryan has confirmed that Redwood will continue to support future rallies with technicians, dinner, t-shirts, etc. provided the location is Northern Indiana and close to the factory. If we move around the country, he will endeavour to provide some support, but obviously not technicians.

I also found Ryan's team very open to customer feedback. I had a good chat with Tim regarding the 39FL floorplan, specifically the changes from the 36FL and the quality issues with the demo coach that was on site. Chuck also walked through the 39FL with Ryan and pointed out some issues and suggested corrections. Chuck has received a response from Ryan as to how they are addressing the issues on the floor and through engineering.

While change tends to invite negativity, I headed to the Rally completely open minded and was impressed with my meetings with Ryan and his team. However, it is not only what was said at the meetings, as to date, I also get a good feeling with the feedback received to our issues.

Although it will be 2 years before we return to Shipshewana, I intend to maintain and grow the communication channels we established last week, which hopefully will be a benefit to all RW owners.

Thank you Oriana for that professional and well written dissertation from the Rally.

It is refreshing to know that there are potential changes (in a positive direction) under consideration.

We too are VERY concerned with quality components and are willing to give up ridiculous bling items that should be "Options" instead. Having said that, "Options" should not be overly priced as many may enjoy the benefits of some of the "blings".

In this price point, Redwood should consider that many of us are "living" in these units. For some, home prices (sticks and bricks) are becoming unattainable and many new families are opting for this type of alternate lifestyle. Look at all of the local campgrounds that are full. Drive through them and see who is "staying" there. If betting, it's my bet that the current Redwood market in this price range is still retiree's or near retiree's. Not 20-30 year old preppies looking for a weekend getaway. There are much less expensive units for that.

At present, those looking in this range have other alternatives as well. "We" have considered strongly moving away from the 5th wheel and onto a Motorhome. Obviously, there are pro's and con's to each. To this, as long as the 5th wheel remains price competitive to the Motorhome competition, it may help keep those considering the alternates toward the 5th wheel.

If quality is not improved on future models (for safety and longevity reasons), then there is little point in spending $100,000 (+ or -) for this type of rig. As stated in previous posts, we will go back to lesser priced units and happily rebuild as required. For us (at least at present), this will be our preferred lifestyle of choice. Who we choose to remain loyal to remains to be seen.

Thanks again for sharing your insight.

As for "Overall" industry quality, those interested in the purchase of an RV should be strongly advised to read the articles from:

Chuck Woodbury (Editor of RVTravel.com):

Issue 755 • Week of Aug.13-19, 2016

http://rvtravel.com/rv-travel-newsletter-issue-755/

AND

Death Spiral of the RV Industry (Greg Gerber, Editor and Founder of RV Daily Report):

Part I:

http://rvdailyreport.com/opinion/opinion-the-rv-industry-death-spiral-part-1/

Part II:

http://rvdailyreport.com/opinion/rv-death-spiral-manufacturers-in-race-to-the-bottom/

Part III:

http://rvdailyreport.com/opinion/rv-death-spiral-suppliers-in-a-tough-spot/

AND

Part IV:

http://rvdailyreport.com/opinion/rv-industry-death-spiral-part-4-dealers-drop-the-ball-on-service/

Part V:

http://rvdailyreport.com/opinion/rv-industry-death-spiral-part-5-campgrounds-losing-capacity/

Part VI:

http://rvdailyreport.com/opinion/rv-industry-death-spiral-part-6-associations-can-influence-change/

Redwood has an opportunity to capitalize and lead the industry should they so choose. Otherwise, they could slip into the same perils.

Today, Greg with RV Daily Report just released Part VII blaming in part the Consumer...

Read more here:

Part VII:

http://rvdailyreport.com/opinion/rv-industry-death-spiral-part-7-rv-owners-share-the-blame/

Thanks Shane , time will tell, but I am optimistic

Thank You Andy ,

I also had a good feeling after my visit with Tim Cress about 2 months ago... He seemed to "get it".. And between himself and Joe , they seemed to have a good plan, which they could not speak of. . . I am excited about the future of Redwood...
If we can make any improvements for future owners, we have done our jobs! A few of those future owners may be us again....