53rd Coachmen Owner’s Association Rally
Article Written by Isabella Granara
From June 20th-26th, Tommy and Alice from How to Have Fun Outdoors attended the 53rd Annual Coachmen Owners Association Rally in Goshen, Indiana. While on the trip, they filmed a four part series that features the different activities, interviews, and people they met along the way. The couple recently purchased a Class B Coachmen Beyond 22C Campervan!
The first part of this series, Meet the Class B RV Campervan General Manager Nick Recchio, features an interview with the popular, down to earth Nick Recchio, Coachmen’s Class B General Manager. Tommy and Alice take a different approach when interviewing Nick – instead of focusing solely on Coachmen’s product offerings, they dive deeper into his background first. Too many interviewers overlook the people behind the products, which is where you can really spot the passion and drive behind the designs. Nick’s upbringing and experiences exemplify Coachmen’s values and mission.
Nick explains during the interview that he comes from an Italian-Hungarian background, yet he’s always lived in Indiana. He once tried to move to Chicago but realized he wasn’t a “city person” and soon returned to his home state. He went to college for some time but realized it wasn’t a great fit, given his desire to make an impact in his life. Since he lived in Denver, Colorado for a little while and worked for Ketelsen Campers of Colorado (now sold to Camping World) delivering for the dealership, he decided to pursue the RV industry. At Ketelsen, a top 50 dealer at the time, Nick learned the value of customer service and having pride in his products. He implements those same values at Coachmen.
In the following video, Tour All 3 Class B Campervans from Coachmen, Nick deep dives into the features of the three Coachmen Class B offerings, as well as an update on production. This video is longer than most but is a great resource and tool for those looking to purchase a Class B RV. The three offerings, the Nova, Beyond, and Galleria, all have similar features but are different in many ways. They compare cabinets, size, foam beds, countertops/countertop space, available layouts, ac/li3 systems, etc. Lead times on all products usually take about 10 weeks, although the Coachmen Beyond is currently on backlog. It’s great hearing about firsthand usage, as well, from Tommy and Alice, as they both have experience with Class B RVs. The video features a tour of all three options.
The third part of this series, 2021 53rd Coachmen Owners Association Rally, is a vlog-style video that highlights important parts of the overall rally. Tommy and Alice went on two excursions, the first being a trip to Amish Country where they had an Amish lunch, fed camels, went to Martin’s Buggy Shop, and more! The second excursion featured the Studebaker National Museum, where they saw vintage cars, and a trip to the South Bend Chocolate Company! They also attended a whiskey tasting. Back at the rally site the couple attended a concert, ate pretzels, and attended seminars with Nick Recchio and the Coachmen team.
Throughout the course of this series, they meet many new people who all share a love for the Coachmen brand, including Nick Recchio (interviewed in part one of the series), the marketing team, Valerie (former employee of 20 years), Norb Hess (regional sales manager for the Freedom Express Ultralight Travel Traitor Line, 37 year employee), Jake (8 year employee in Nick’s organization), and other Coachmen B customers! All employees along the way reinforce the idea of having pride in their products and ensuring that Coachmen takes care of their customers.
The fourth part to this series will soon be posted, and captures an interview with Dean, the leader of the Facebook group for Class B Coachmen products! This series is a must see for those looking to purchase a Coachmen RV in the future, or just anyone who is curious to see the features of a great van! Keep a look out for new content from Coachmen at www.coachmenrv.com, as they are currently in the works.
Don’t forget to like and subscribe to the How to Have Fun Outdoors YouTube Channel and let us know what you think of the COA Rally series!