Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, October 24, 1994 TAG: 9410280002
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In May, he sold every Wilderness travel trailer he had at his Scott-Cooper Motor Co. on Williamson Road. Calls to the factory brought word that there would be a waiting period, because production was lagging behind demand. When Cooper could beef up his inventory, he didn't have space to store it on his modest lot.
"That's when I realized I was beating my head against the wall," said Cooper, who had sold RVs at the location since 1967. "I had the choice, either expand or get out."
At age 64, he did both.
Berglund Chevrolet-Geo-Jeep-Eagle-Buick acquired Scott-Cooper Motor Co. and is operating a new RV dealership under the logo of Berglund/Scott-Cooper.
Cooper, who stayed on as a salesman-adviser, believes the new business is the largest RV dealership ever for the Roanoke Valley. It is at 2621 Lee Highway, off exit 150B of Interstate 81 near Troutville. The facility includes a 45,000-foot showroom, parts and service facility with plenty of room on the grounds to park a squadron of even those 30-foot-plus trailers that are in demand. All employees of Scott-Cooper made the move, including Cooper's grandson, Randy, and Don Breeden, the parts manager. Breeden operated an RV business on Williamson Road for 21 years, closing it in 1991.
The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association reports that 1994 shipments of motor homes, van campers, travel trailers, camping trailers, truck campers and van conversions are projected to increase by 5 percent, to 442,700 units. This comes on the heels of two years of double-digit growth, the best since 1978, the association said.
Cooper recalls the boom of the late 60s, when Smith Mountain Lake was stirring excitement and you could buy a travel trailer for $1,295 ($100 more if you wanted a bathroom). An outdoor show at Victory Stadium attracted more than a dozen local dealers.
"We were selling 100 trailers a year," he said.
Then came the oil embargo, and sales plummeted.
"We had a lot full of trailers and heavy automobiles. It hurt."
The RV business rebounded, hitting a peak in 1978, but things quickly turned sour again during the Carter administration, a time dealers had to pay 21 percent interest on their inventory.
"It just flat put a lot of dealers out of business," said Cooper.
In fact, Scott-Cooper was one of the few left in the valley.
The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association credits a strengthening economy and stable gas supplies and prices with the current rebound - that and a trend toward year-round use of RVs, thanks to amenities like central heating and cooling.
"RVs aren't just for summertime," said David Humphreys, president of the trade association. "Whether it's families enjoying fall foliage during weekend minivacations, snowbirds escaping to warm weather locations or outdoor enthusiasts participating in cold-weather sports, there will be more RVers on the road this fall and winter."
One segment will be missing, Cooper fears. Young families.
"The majority of my customers range from 50 to 70 [years old]," he said. "Because they have the time; they have the money. They aren't making big interest on their money, so they are saying, 'Let's go play.'''
Cooper is part of this group. He and his wife and a couple of friends recently towed his fifth-wheel Wilderness trailer to Williamsburg. His dream is to take it to Alaska.
As for young families, "It is tough out there," he said.
A well-equipped travel trailer can cost $14,000 or more, which is steep for a family with kids and jobs that often lack security, he said.
"We have lost two generations of young people who have not been exposed [to RVs]. This, I think, the industry will pay for down the road."
A pop-up camper is the least expensive way for a young family to get into RVing. They are easy to tow, and cost about $3,000 to $4,000, said Cooper.
But some of the biggest demand for these units is from older people, who started out with tents, then went to pop-ups and on to travel trailers and motor homes.
"Now they are back," said Cooper. "They don't want that motor home sitting out there depreciating and they don't want to give up camping, so pop-ups are their choice."
The new dealership is going to be strong on choice, said Robert Harper, general sales manager for the Berglund group. New lines soon will be taken on, including Holiday Rambler trailers and a yet-to-be-named brand of motor homes, he said.
The company's objective is to attract business - sales, service and parts - from a 100-mile radius of Roanoke, Harper said.
by CNB