44 • RV PRo • September 2012 rv-pro.com rv-pro.com September 2012 • RV PRo • 45

Camping near the shore is a family tra-dition for many. The RV and camp-ground industries understandably

pride themselves on fostering family together-ness and lifelong memories.

The same goes for Driftwood RV Center. The family-owned New Jersey dealership offers more than 300 units – ranging from new Forest River Rockwoods and Gulf Stream Ameri-Lites to used Keystone Sprinters – between its flag-ship Clermont site in the Cape May area and a smaller, second location in Egg Harbor Town-ship near Atlantic City.

And the dealership’s mainstay sellers throughout its 35-year history are park models. The units, which look more like cottages than RVs, dot The Garden State’s numerous camp-grounds and are places families return to year after year.

The Garden State dealership thrives thanks in part its two nearby campgrounds and its focus on popular park models.

By STEPHANIE PATRICK

Dealership-parks Combo

Driftwood rV

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Bud hayes, the parts and service director for Driftwood rV, is pictured next to a mobile service truck. the vehicle helps Driftwood rV provide service to the areas many campgrounds, including two that Driftwood owns.

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“This area, Cape May County, has over 15,000 campsites alone,” says John Worthington Sr., Driftwood’s longtime mar-keting and information technology director. “There are a ton of campsites and a ton of park models, and we put a good amount of them in all the campgrounds around here.”

That includes Driftwood’s own camp-grounds. Driftwood Camping Resort was purchased by founders Malcolm and Jean Robertson several years before the dealer-ship opened in 1977 and now boasts about 850 campsites in Clermont next to the RV sales lot. A second campground adjacent the site was purchased later; what is now Driftwood Too!, was renovated in 2009 and features 100 sites.

“We have plans on the books that, once

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Driftwood rV owners Malcolm (left) and edson robertson and their dedicated

employees have built the business into new Jersey’s largest dealer by sales volume for

five years in a row.

Driftwood rV has grown to two locations: its 15,000-square-foot flagship store in the cape May, n.J., area, and a smaller location in

egg harbor township near Atlantic city.

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the first section is built out, we are going to take the other section of Driftwood Too! and redo it completely,” says Robert Androckitis, Driftwood’s general manager. “It will be another 100 sites.”

The Robertsons’ sons, Malcolm and Edson, oversee Driftwood’s operations now.

Park Models PopularPark models and park trailers by Breck-

enridge, Canterbury, Fairmont and Drift-wood’s most-recent inventory addition, Shore Park, sell well and quickly because they offer customers affordable options to main-tain homes near the shore, Worthington says. Like most beach communities, lodging in New Jersey often is expensive close to the shore; Driftwood’s campsites are just a few miles from the water.

“A place down near the shore might cost you $350,000 or more,” he says. “A park model in a campground can start at $39,000; it’s so much more affordable …

“There are other areas of country where park models are popular; out in the Mid-west near the lakes there are some, and in Florida. We are the only dealer in southern New Jersey; really, New Jersey at all, that is big in the park models.”

It’s a successful strategy. Driftwood is New Jersey’s largest dealer in terms of sales volume, a title it’s held for five years. Rev-enue eclipsed $15 million in 2011.

“A varied product mix, along with an

average unit sale of greater than $27,000, provides Driftwood with a level of confi-dence that 2012 will be another successful year,” says Joe Skladanek, Driftwood’s chief financial officer.

Park model sales, new and used, repre-sented 11 percent of Driftwood’s total unit sales by unit quantity and 22 percent of total unit sales by dollars, Skladanek says.

Driftwood also has its own staff of car-penters available to add rooms and decks to the park models, if requested. In addition, the dealership’s 4,000-square-foot heated and air-conditioned indoor showroom in Clermont, a rarity in New Jersey, houses everything from park models to pop-ups.

Driftwood opened the new building in 2007. It is 15,000 square feet, including a 4,600-square-foot service shop with five bays.

Egg Harbor’s facility was renovated in 2009 and boasts and two service bays on a lowered floor to accommodate larger RVs, and there are plans for more upgrades soon to add a new façade and pavement. The

current campground office was built in 2010 and the next phase of campground development could start in 2013 or 2014.

“We really run the gamut,” Worthington says. “We have young families buying and we have retirees who are looking to settle down with park models. … We have seen a shift lately toward more towables from park models with costs and the economy, but park models remain popular.”

Driftwood’s own campsites are full during the peak season and there about 100 transient sites between the two locations, Worthington says. New Jersey law allows parks to operate nine months of the year.

Cape May County generated more than $5 billion in tourism in 2010, sta-tistics from Cape May County Depart-ment of Tourism show. Accommodations accounted for nearly $2.9 billion.

Campsites, Dealership Promote Each Other

Although Driftwood’s campgrounds host day trips to Atlantic City’s famed

Driftwood RV has the largest indoor showroom in the state of New Jersey. Park models like the one pictured here are particularly popular with customers.

Driftwood Finance Manager Craig Miller reviews finance contracts in his office. Miller, a long-time employee, has been with Driftwood for more than 35 years, starting as a 15-year-old seasonal employee with the campground and later holding posts in service, sales and finance over the years.

Driftwood RV

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casinos, none of Driftwoods operations see a lot of customer traffic from the gam-bling crowd, Worthington says.

However, he says Driftwood’s camp-grounds and dealership operations are pow-erful marketing tools for each other. The dealership draws customers all year round from all over New Jersey, as well as Dela-ware, southeast Pennsylvania and parts of Maryland and New York.

“We are a comple te package ,” Worthington says. “There are a lot of people out there that sell RVs, but we know camping; our owners grew up taking care of a camp-ground and grew up around RVs. …

“We’ll sell you the RV, and then we will see you the next week in our campground. We have to provide a higher level of cus-tomer service because our customers are always right here.”

That includes offering a two-day test drive. Any customer who purchases a RV from Driftwood may stay at a Driftwood campground at no charge for two days, while he or she learns about the unit.

“Especially for new RVers, our tech and salespeople are right there to walk customers through any issues they are having,” Worthington says. “Often, it’s issues with hot water heaters or small mechanical problems.”

Or, just first-timers’ jitters.“Even if they don’t call us, it gives

them a little bit of peace of mind,” Worthington says. “They know they can get some help quickly.”

If campers at either campground want to sell their units, Driftwood’s sales force of nine veteran salespeople will handle that, too. Often, units on consignment sell in a matter of weeks.

“It’s just another way to get addi-tional inventory and attract customers,” Worthington says.

Consignment sales represented 7 per-cent of Driftwood’s total unit sales by unit quantity, Skladanek says. That’s 9 percent of total unit dollars.

The dealership also offers motorhome and small travel-trailer rentals. Driftwood will even set up the renter’s travel trailer at a local campground, if requested.

Driftwood also responds to market

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changes. When younger customers requested more towables, the dealership added more, including Forest River Rock-wood Roos, Forest River Rockwood Ultra Lites, Skyline Nomads and, more recently, Skyline Koalas.

“Definitely, we are looking for quality, innovative floorplans and things that are going to be fresh and new to the customers,” says Worthington, who markets to younger buyers through social media sites and out-door-lifestyle websites and RV favorites, such as www.RoamingTimes.com.

Trailer Comparisons Made EasyWith that in mind, as well as capital-

izing on Driftwood’s indoor showrooms, the dealership introduced the Travel Trailer SuperCenter concept in 2010. It allows cus-tomers at either Driftwood RV Center to compare and select from top-selling brands side by side.

To make everything as customer friendly as possible, each trailer in the showroom is marked with weight, size and specifica-tions. Each center is stocked with a sizeable inventory to avoid the weeks or months it sometimes takes to receive a specific unit.

“Over the years, time has become ever more important for customers,”Androckitis says. “They no longer have the time, or the desire, to go from place to place to place looking for something; they want to be able to go to one place and be able to compare layouts and options.”

Driftwood technician Joe Jones repairs a generator in the service shop. Driftwood

employs seven technicians who are skilled in various specialties.

Driftwood technician Tony Bogushefsky does repair work on travel trailer in one of the dealership’s five service bays at its Claremont facility.

Driftwood RV

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The Robertsons say the idea grew from the increasing importance of RV shows, where shoppers are able to see so many dif-ferent makes, models and sizes all at once.

Driftwood doesn’t forget the more tra-ditional business drivers in a dealership, either. Service work accounts for about 10 percent of Driftwood’s revenue, and three of the dealership’s seven technicians are RVDA-RVIA certified.

“In addition to work at the two locations, we do a lot of road service,” Worthington says. “In this area, it’s a big thing for us to service about 40 campgrounds.”

Driftwood offers air conditioner repairs in the shop or on-site at the campgrounds, says Bud Hayes, the dealership’s parts and service director.

“We are the only dealer in the area that does repairs or replacement of compressors, repairing refrigerant leaks and recharging systems,” he says.

Driftwood also specializes in repairs of aluminum body damage, axle and spring replacements and, in the shops, does under-coating of RVs.

A Fully Stocked Parts DepartmentRetail parts sales account for about 5

percent of Driftwood’s revenue. The stores stock a wide variety items for both old and new RVs, impulse item and specialty items. Both stores offer online ordering.

Among the biggest sellers now are hitch and towing products from Cequent, such as Reese weight distribution hitches and sway controls, MaxxAir roof vents and a complete line of HydroPure water filtra-tion products.

“We have over $250,000 in inventory at all times,” Hayes says.

The dealership also is one of the few places in the region to offer RV generator service, specializing in Onan RV generators.

Worthington expects sales of park models to soar as the economy improves. But, whether customers purchase Driftwood’s signature units or trendy, lightweight travel trailers, they want units that provide fun.

“We see the optimists, and people who come here know our units are good values,” he says. “They know the units provide a good way for them to spend time with their families, and that’s what they are looking to do.”

Driftwood RV parts specialist Derek Bond discusses the latest offerings in towing products with Sid Sidman and Tom Romero, representatives for Cequent Performance Products.

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