Oregon invites RV owners ‘home’

Posted on Apr 29, 2011

JUNCTION CITY, Ore. – The service bays are full at the resurrected Country Coach in Junction City, proof for owner Ron Lee that the RV business still has a pulse.

Breathing new life into the ailing industry is one of the jobs of the Oregon RV Alliance, a non-profit marketing group that formed in December.

“I believe it’s going to be a big asset to our business here,” Lee said.

“The goal is, our mission statement is to expose RV owners to the benefits of spending their leisure time here in Oregon,” said Brad Waring, the alliance’s executive director.

So far, 40 RV dealerships, service centers, community festival groups and local winers have joined the alliance – and membership is growing.

“We really are as entrepreneurs collaborating and kind of doubling up all our efforts,” said Danuta Pfeiffer from Pfeiffer Winery.

The idea is to market Lane County as an RV destination for people coming to service their rigs and check out the sights.

“So why not take advantage of that and focus them on us and our location here?” Lee said.

There is an RV rally going on in Harrisburg, attracting visitors and helping a broader segment of the economy beyond just manufacturing.

“This is going to be a resurgence of our part of the RV industry here. What we’re doing is to bring it back.”

“We are really muscling our way into a showcase area for our visitors,” Pfeiffer said.