Ep 05 Nick Recchio GM of Coachmen Class B RV

In this episode, Hank Strange chats with Nick Recchio, General Manager of Culture And Class B, discussing Hank's van and its new wrap. They tackle the Coachmen Owners Association Rally, wheelchair lift modifications in vans, and introduce a new lithium ionic battery. The conversation shifts to future possibilities like pop top options and the 2024 Beyond build. They also discuss the acquisition of Lithionics by Winnebago, choosing the right dealer, and Coachmen's future plans including doubling the lithium and inverter location. The episode concludes with a discussion on electric vans and responding to listener comments.

Episode Transcript

(00:03):
Alright, guys.
Welcome back to the Vanasaur podcast.
This is episode number 5.
Here on the Vanasaur podcast, we are all aboutexploring class B, RVs Overlanding, and Van
Life Culture.
That's right.
And, to today, my guest is Nick recchio,general manager of Culture And Class B, Nick.

(00:25):
What's up, man?
Not much.
Not much.
Thank you very much for this opportunity.
Hello, everybody.
That's joining.
Looking forward to this next hour.
Absolutely.
I feel like I just saw you, Nick.
Yep.
Same.
But, always nice to see you.
Thank you guys.
Hank guys for everything.
Your videos do a fantastic job, and, it's a lotof fun working with you both.

(00:48):
Okay.
Thank you as well.
I feel like I should let everyone no fulldisclosure.
We are brand ambassadors for coachman class b,and we're very proud of that.
I do own a coachman class be.
I'm sitting in my van right now this minute.
You can see my max track.
See that from the phone?
Yeah.
I was wondering what that was.

(01:09):
I was 0 18 on that.
Yeah.
That's my max tracks.
We could, if we wanted to, we could actually,show the folks here, what my van looks like.
Oh, maybe we'll do that here as we go on.
Yeah.
You wanna do that?
Yeah.
Alright.
Let's see.
Let's see if I can do this here.
I can make this happen.
Hold on a second.

(01:29):
Boom.
We'll go here, and then I'll just change thiscamera to, I'll change it to my phone and I
will go on my phone to check this out.
Look at this.
See that?
That that is the van.
So here's all my equipment that I'm using rightnow to do to do the show from the that's the

(01:54):
front.
I've got the AC actually running up front.
This is the back.
This is the bathroom goes back here, and rightbehind me here.
That's right.
That's the Let's see.
I have to it's so weird to do this.
Right?
I have to get out of the way.
So there you go.
I'm in the van.
That's Hackinson's social media punch rightthere.

(02:16):
Right.
And actually, I could also share with the folksout there because recently as part of our,
collaboration with you, as as well as the folksover at SSRV, we actually had the van wrapped,
you know, so I remember, you know, what do youthink that.
I I think the I think it came out good.

(02:37):
It's my
I think it turned out amazing.
I'd noticed the hood the other day.
I didn't notice the detail in the hood, butafter getting a close-up, I think it it's just
beautiful, the old man, all around, how the,you know, the color play off, off the badging.
Very impressive.
So this is one side of it.
The the those are the max tracks.
So these, this is actually a perforated tint.

(02:59):
So from the outside, it looks kinda solid, andwe can go.
This is the front that you were just talkingabout up here.
It's kind of like a two tone.
Yeah.
So it still has that topography, in it, andthen we can flip here and go to the side And,
actually, I think there's one more picture.
Boom.
Look at that.
There we go.
Coachmen.
There you go.

(03:20):
Yeah.
So 6 years.
Yes.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
So, I think the the the the good thing to dohere at this point is to for all the folks, who
don't know who you are, maybe introduceyourself, tell them, you know, who you are, how
you came to be working at Coachmen class be?
And what and what's the mission for you guys?

(03:41):
Yeah.
Well, bounced around, is an Indiana boy,Northern Indiana boy bounced around certain
jobs in my teens and twenties that had to dowith RVs.
One that really left a a mark with me is I hadan opportunity work for dealership in Colorado.
And that Mhmm.
Let me understand.
There's two sides to this business, and myfather always said, hey.

(04:04):
You wanna real be really good in the RVbusiness here locally in Elkhart with the
manufacturers.
You gotta learn, the struggles the dealers gothrough.
And I spent about a year and a couple monthsthere.
I worked in a service department who did a lotof deliveries.
So from there, got back into, moved back homeand started selling RVs, work for Crossroads,

(04:27):
which is a Thor company for a little bit.
My dad had a a small 5th wheel trailer company.
And then I moved over to Forest River, CoachmanDivision in 2008 or 9, I should have checked
that before I got on.
Okay.
But I've been here a while.
And, In 2016, the Coachmen Class B division wasborn.

(04:50):
And in 2017, I had got the opportunity to comeon over and and and lead this ship.
And while it was terrifying, because I likedknowing most everything about what I'm doing.
It was a real good opportunity for me.
I was, early forties at the time.

(05:12):
To Hank a life change and somewhat of a careerchange as far as product.
And you can see that there's a differencebetween motorized and towable customers.
Mhmm.
And you can see that there's a differencebetween motorized traditional motorized
customers and class b customers.
And, you know, I'm really proud of thisdivision, really proud to have this team

(05:35):
representing this team.
We're just coming off the rally and supersuccessful.
You got to see it firsthand.
First time.
Yeah.
Now we're creating a yep.
We're creating a family, and it takeseverybody, and it's just not me.
It is it's just not me alone.
We got great individuals and, yeah, veryfortunate to be here and just wanna grow it and

(06:00):
grow it right.
Not overbuild, both in numbers and,overbuilding can cause quality issues too.
Yeah.
So you mentioned the rally, and and we aregetting a bunch of comments in here.
Shout out to everyone who's coming in.
Please hit those up comes up as you guys comein and leave your questions.
We're gonna get through that.

(06:21):
We've got an hour here with Nick from CoachmenClass B, and, I will try to get to as many
questions as possible, you know, but you justmentioned the coachman owners associate in
rally that Lola and I went to for the firsttime.
Do you want to explain to folks out there whatthat is and how long coachman's been doing

(06:41):
that?
Yeah.
I believe this was our 55th rally out of 60years.
That's almost positive
right now.
So, yeah, that sounds That sounds right.
Yep.
And, you know, it's just a way to give back tothe customers.
We had good turnout.
Of course, economy is a little bit differentthan last year.

(07:03):
You know, it's a great opportunity to meet oneon one with our customers.
Number 2, the type of year it is in June.
It's kinda starting that summer travel with ourproducts, our coachman products.
Customers come in, we're able to address someof the issues that they don't have time to get
to a dealership to get addressed before theystart their trip and, you know, getting that

(07:28):
service taken care of.
We have 44 vans there.
I think my guys did a fantastic job.
You you see the rush to take care of everybody.
Yeah.
And it wasn't just it wasn't just vans.
Right?
It's everything coachman.
So to join the coachman owners association, youjust have to own a coachman.
So it could be a trailer, 5th wheel, class a,b, c.

(07:50):
Yep.
Yep.
Yeah.
We do that for everybody.
And, we kinda break apart our service team.
Class Bs are kinda unique.
So we got a couple service guys.
Great service guys.
Jake and Jeff.
That will break apart from traditional serviceand get as much handled correctly as we can.
And, you know, and then then aft at the end ofthe day, we get to sit around the campfire and

(08:13):
talk about all the good things about, what aclass b can do for you and what it it's a tool,
for happiness.
And and everybody's got their story and theiradventure.
And then finally, what I like about the rallyis we really base our model change off that q
and a session that that you and Lola were andeverybody else was in.

(08:37):
It's very informative.
I show some ideas that we've studied that we'veheard from you all you know, we brought a
microwave out there that, the folks in the Iwanted to see fries getting air fried, and I
wanna make sure that, when we put this inthere, that it's gonna do the job.

(08:58):
Because everybody has their own opinion.
So we had about 10 people around all waitingfor 40 minutes, I think, for a half a pound of
fries to turn out pretty darn it.
So
Yeah.
Yeah.
I think that's cool to see because that's a aquestion that you guys have obviously gotten a
lot of those, but I get it even on the videos.
Of, hey, can we get a convection microwave inthe same space?

(09:20):
And and I think you you found a prototype thatyou're testing.
And the cool part of this I would reallyrecommend people get involved in this.
It's free to be part of the owners association,but to come to this rally does cost some money
It's well worth it because they come.
They fix stuff.
They have all these great, sessions showingfolks how to use things and all of that.

(09:41):
But included in that, yeah, Nick was out therewith his team.
You guys hooked up this microwave outdoors.
And just just started cooking stuff.
So you get to see all of this as it's happeningand have input on it.
And I think, you know, that's amazing.
Really cool.
That's like, let's say, you know, let's sayTesla is developing the new cyber truck and

(10:02):
they invite a whole bunch of people out thereto give their opinions and, you know, see them
test things.
You just don't see this that often.
Yeah.
You know, beta tests are good and, you know, itit works for us.
All of our sale all of our customers have asecond job.
Mhmm.
Should they choose?
Should we do our job right?
And that's to be our sales and our salespeopleand selling the lifestyle, selling the group

(10:26):
travel.
One thing I love about the rally seeingstrength in numbers.
A group of owners came in early and stayed atthe casino in in Michigan or in South end, and
there was, 20 some vans there.
And the the semis got mad, and they wanted theb vans to leave, but the b vans started honking

(10:47):
their horns at the big rig.
It's kind of
a big They rolled in there like a motorcycleHank.
You know?
They are.
They yep.
Yep.
Yep.
Excepted in, class bs.
I saw some pictures.
It was amazing.
Really cool.
Yeah.
We call them the killer bees.
They better step another way because theytrack.
They need jackets.
Yeah.
I think that's next for at least some some coolYeah.

(11:08):
But it's just Mhmm.
It's family.
It's RV family, coachman family.
Yeah.
We got a long story.
We do a closeout ceremony.
That's a lot of fun.
Just just rounding out the week, doing someintroductions, and, it's an honor to host, some
of the best customers I've ever had.
So I really appreciate it.
Absolutely.
This happened in Goshen, but which is notreally that far from Middleberry where the

(11:32):
factory is, but it's such a beautiful part.
You know, Indiana is a great, beautiful part ofAmerica, in my opinion.
I enjoy being there.
I like eating the food around there.
You found me and Lola over at the ice cream.
The what is it called?
Dots
or something?
Yeah.
The ice cream place not far from the fact 3.

(11:52):
And there was some other owners that pulled upthere, and they were having ice cream.
We
Yeah.
I couldn't even get a hundred yards out of myfacility without seeing customers.
It was quite awesome.
Wow.
Yeah.
Nice little B band hang out there.
So, yeah, it's just a great great week.
We learned a lot.
And, on to next year, already planning nextyear, how we could do it better.
Mhmm.

(12:13):
So yeah.
Yeah.
Hank you.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Great pictures.
And I would command lots of folks out there, goto the, to the coachman class B, groups and
things like that that you'll find on Facebook.
And in other places and join up there.
Do you wanna take some questions here before webefore we go forward?

(12:33):
Okay.
So there's lots of hellos out there.
I'll try to throw those up on the screen, butlet's get the questions in.
Glenper Jan says I have a coach from Beyond andlove it.
I just don't Strange the huge noise that theTruman makes.
When the furnace is set on propane, I only useit now on electric.
That's interesting.
That's gotta be that's gotta be a big pull,from just just electric in terms of battery or

(12:59):
generator or whatever you're using Jan.
I'm not sure about that noise, but, do youknow, plan for Jan?
We I do not.
She might have a regular name that I wouldknow.
Mhmm.
But I can dig into this and we can coordinateon some responses after this video.
If I if I don't know it, I wanna make sure wedo do some follow-up.

(13:22):
Yeah.
It should have really been making a lot ofnoise like that.
Trum is extremely quiet.
So I don't know what is, but we've we've seen alot of vans back here, in the service shop, So
one quick call, the couple of the guys.
And, yep, we've seen that.
Yep.
Go right here.
So Yeah.
We'll we'll we'll be getting back to you onthat clapper game.

(13:43):
Yeah.
Lamper Jan.
And we'll we'll we'll try to give some infohere for folks who want to reach out to you and
exactly how to do that, as we get towards theend.
And travel dreamer 46 says, have you have youeven had a customer add a wheelchair lift to
Inova as a modification.

(14:09):
Right now, we have not.
And this is something we get asked a lot.
And, again, one thing I'd it's not an excuse.
We are still a very young division, and you'regonna hear me say that.
2017 were still a child.
Again, that's not an excuse.
We're working on some different floor plansthat will have some capability, to be at least

(14:33):
a little bit more inviting to to a handicappedcustomer.
And it's something we're definitely taking alook at.
It's important to us.
I know a couple other brands do this.
And and they should.
And it's good that they do.
They've just been around 20 years longer thanus as a as a class b division.
And, again, not an excuse.

(14:55):
I only got so much manpower, but that'ssomething we talk about often.
There's a a large community of, a wheelchaircampers that wanna get out and see a little bit
more than the traditional campsite.
Absolutely.
I agree with that.
And I get that question a lot Yes.
And we've done some videos here on that.
And I would also say, you know, I don't know ifwe're gonna get into it in this particular

(15:18):
conversation, maybe others.
It's up to but, you know, Coachmen is Coachmenclass B is under Forest River.
Right?
And that Mhmm.
You guys are pretty big, and you do have somethat do wheelchair stuff.
So it's not like out completely outside of thescope, even though it's not your division.
Yep.
You and I witnessed a, a chassis, not a B vantype chassis, but on the etransit that was

(15:45):
finished.
And, again, it was know, I wanna be clear.
It had the airport seats in it about six rowsof airport seats, 2 by 2, then aisle.
But in the back, we definitely know where tobuy the wheelchair lifts, because you and I put
our hands on it when we were here, two tripsago.
So Yeah.
Learned a lot at that visit.

(16:07):
And, again, I need some more space and I needmore people.
And then we can we can offer more, to peoplebecause I'd love to sell it.
It sounds selfish, and my boss is probablygonna just go, what?
Are you Hank?
You're never allowed to have him on again ifyou But I I I I think our team deserves to sell
every every customer of of e band.

(16:28):
I want every single customer that we we havepotentially can have.
I know that sounds greedy, but, I wanna makesure you're taken care of.
Absolutely.
Okay.
Let's go to Yes.
Glamper Jan says, will they ever change the doglogo?

(16:48):
Should they?
That's a good question.
That's a good question.
Okay.
Should they ever change it, will they everchange it?
You're on your 60th anniversary now.
Clamper jam.
I've been bit by a dalmatian before.
I've had my lab chow, getting up, get beat upby a dalmatian before.
So I love that dalmatian because it providedsome amazing, opportunities Wait.

(17:14):
There we go.
Beside.
There you go.
Yeah.
I don't know that that's gonna that's gonnahappen because the nickname of that dog is
leaping Pete.
And our CEO, his name is Pete.
Yeah.
And I just found this
to confirm that it's 55 years, it's on thepatch.
Yep.
There you go.
So the dull nation right there too.

(17:35):
So Yep.
I don't know.
So we call him leaping Pete.
Mhmm.
And I haven't seen a Dalmatian walking anywherein the last 10 years except on the side of our
our So
Oh, no.
Maybe we can no.
I mean, I haven't seen a donation outside of aSuper Bowl commercial, in some time.
So Great point, clapper Jan.

(17:57):
Mhmm.
And, I can't that's above my pay grade.
I'm okay with the culmination as long as, myneighbor doesn't have one.
So how about you get a real, like, beefy toughdog, you know, like a pitbull mastiff or
something?
You know?
Get a white one and paint some black spots onit.
Yep.
Yeah.
Just that would be

(18:18):
This is joking for anybody in the courtcorporate watching.
Sending to this.
Some cup a couple, brand new couple that werein the Q and A session, went over to Ship
Shawana about fifteen miles away from goshenwhere the fairgrounds were.
And they bought this little, Australianshepherd with the most beautiful blue eyes, and
I babysat it for a little bit.

(18:40):
Mhmm.
That, that would be my second choice.
My dog doesn't deserve to be on the side of atrailer, but I think that little puppy does.
But Uh-huh.
We're happy with Pete right now.
Yeah.
Okay.
Cool.
Shout out to dirtfoot racing who's joining us.
That's my friend Walter out there.
He says sometimes have to dive dive in yet.
You know Walter as well.
He's got a Forest River, MB Cruiser that he'srebuilding.

(19:03):
Very nice.
I got your I got your punch list right here,Walter.
I have not forgot about you, sir.
So, also, let's see.
Shout outs.
I see Don Kingfield.
Donald Kingfield is out there as well.
How are you doing?
Shout out to him.
Yeah.
He says, the silverbacks made it back Floridawith no problems.

(19:24):
Very good.
Good deal.
Good deal.
Diane Jimenez is out there as well.
Travel Dreamers.
48 says congrats on the 60 years.
And, you know, Lola's always trying to boss mearound, Nick.
You know this.
You've witnessed.
In person.
Yes.
The the bossery that comes out of Lola.
One of her things, she made these notes of whatI have to talk to you about because we can hang

(19:48):
out and and talk for a long time.
So, actually, look, we've got 25 seconds, soI'm probably gonna at gonna get you to answer
this when we come back, but 60th anniversary Iwanna talk about what you guys are doing,
especially for the 60th anniversary, and we'regonna, You know, we're gonna go through this,
take this break, and then come back and dothat.

(20:10):
I encourage everyone out there to smash thethumbs ups.
We need it.
That's how we share this.
We'll be right back.
So as you guys might have already heard, Lolaand myself are brand ambassadors of Sunshine
State RV.
And as Vanasource, I wanna take this moment toencourage anyone who is in the market for a
class b van to start their journey with SSRV.

(20:32):
Sunshine State RVs specializes in selling classB vans and B plus RVs.
That is the reason why they are the number onedealer in all of the state of Florida.
Number 3 in the whole United States SS RV willfly you right to their location in Gainesville,
Florida.
They'll give you a very detailed and thoroughwalk through of your van, and they'll give you

(20:53):
a 2 night stay at a local campground so you canget used to your van.
If you don't like that, you can actually havehands free delivery anywhere in the United
States of your RV.
We bought our coachman Beyond from SunshineState RV 2 years ago.
And over the past 2 years, we've seen how theytreat customers when it comes to warranty side.
Their service team is great.

(21:14):
Whether you bought it from them or not, everyperson that comes in there gets the same
service and care when it comes to warrantyrepairs.
The same service, attention, and care.
And their team does a great job getting youback on the road safe
So if you guys are in the market for a B or Bplus van, consider Sunshine State RV.
We've got a link in the description that youguys can use to see their current inventory and

(21:35):
have someone get in touch with you.
Alright.
We are back here and, I've got some more I'vegot some more comments and questions Let's go
through those.
And, just actually, you know what?
No.
Let's deal with let's deal with this.
I will get to the comments and questions.
Let's deal with that question.
So the 60th anniversary, what are you guysdoing for this?

(21:57):
I know I have a short out on this, but you goahead.
Yep.
We're gonna do some marketing, you know, someblurbs, etcetera, a little bit later in the
year.
For the company.
But we had a we had an opportunity.
I'm thinking how could I tie 60th in with avan?
60th 60th 60th.

(22:19):
Well, we've got a 6:30 amp hour lithium ionicbattery that we're very proud of.
Our it's called our LI 3 system.
Why don't we just double that up and do a 1260?
So one of the big things that we announced, isa new 1260 option.
So same system as we had before.
Same second alternator, same componentry, samelithiumx BMS, little bit longer of a y cable

(22:44):
now.
Okay.
To connect to the 2 batteries.
And now we have 1260 amp hours of, so I'm
I'm throwing up a picture right here of thethis is the back of the Galleria, which we did
a video on this.
Yep.
And that's first one.
Yeah.
So we mhmm.
Yep.
In fact, we're gonna take this one to Hersheyas well, Hank.

(23:07):
Okay.
But but now on a moderate day, You're gonna begetting, 14 to 16 hours of runtime you won't
even need to see street lights anymore.
You can go far out there and and, you know, asI stressed at the rally is gotta make sure the

(23:29):
last spot we go in Boondock, fill up that gastank.
Fill up your second energy or your primaryenergy reserve source because you're gonna be
out out away from all power.
Those guys going down to the keys in August,you're probably gonna get more like 8 to 10

(23:50):
maybe depending on the humidity.
So, as you go south in the summer, be ready forthat time to come back, 2 hours, 4 hours.
But we had a couple customers.
In fact, I believe Nick at Sunshine the team atSunshine did this.
The first one, the 1260, and then we had acouple customers ask.

(24:11):
And so We're excited to start doing this forour customers.
It's, it's a it's a great system.
We feel we got a great partnership withLithonics.
I'm sure that's gonna come up in a converse ina question here shortly, but, yeah, we we feel
really good about them.
And, yeah, I'm excited for it.
I'm excited for it.
I want 1.
So Yeah.

(24:31):
So you're gonna have this.
There is a short that I did for anyone who'swatching this, and you wanna see there is a it,
but we also shot a longer video, which shouldbe coming out, as soon as as soon as I can edit
it and get it up there for you.
Nick and I have done a ton of videos of overthe last month, that I think you guys will find

(24:52):
informative.
So we'll get that up, but you're gonna do this,not just on the gallery.
Right?
So just Oh, it'll be just on the Sprinter.
Yep.
Yep.
Great point.
It'll be across the board now.
We know it can go in our c models.
We know it can go in our FL and the Gallerialine.
We know it can go in the q.
The t.
We know we can fit it in the a.

(25:13):
We wanna do some balancing because of watertank location and current second battery
location.
Mhmm.
The only thing we're gonna need to fit it in onare the d's.
And, that's the 22 d and the 20 d.
And I I think we got the room.
We just gotta make it right and make clean,presentable and easy to service for end user.

(25:40):
Okay.
Alright.
Very good.
We're Yeah.
Let's As soon as I know, we're the only onlyone with this level of lithium with a second
alternator with a ul9 1973 battery system.
I mean, I don't mainstream now.
Mainstream.
So I feel really good about that.
Okay.
And when are those hitting?

(26:01):
Because I think we have some questions comingup, but when are those actually getting out
there?
We're taking orders this morning.
Alright.
Cool.
Good to help.
Already got a couple inquiries from somebodyout there wanting a couple of these.
So, yeah, it's it's it's available.
And, you know, get with your dealer for aprice.
Basically, it's a second battery module, abattery tray and a much longer, y cable to

(26:27):
connectable with the Anderson connection.
So I'm excited.
I'm I'm really excited for it.
Absolutely.
Okay.
Let's see.
So Glamper, glamper, Jan.
I think you're saying clamper, but it'sglamper, Jan, with a g.
Aw.
So Hank you for that.
Yeah.
The 20.
Lamper Johnson.

(26:49):
Oh, you're looking at comments?
No.
Okay.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So she says, here, let me read this for for thefolks who are listening on audio.
Of all the vans I looked at, the coachmanbeyond checked all the boxes.
I love my 2020.
22 c.
Lamper Jan, that means a lot.
That too.
The the c, the c floor plans, both in note andbeyond There's just something about them.

(27:12):
I don't know what it is.
There's just something about them.
Yeah, I appreciate that comment.
That means a lot.
That's why we're here, Jan.
Is C the most popular floor plan, across theline?
I I think I I think rare bath is the best.
Okay.
Sorry.
Yep.
I know.
I'm in.
Yep.
The d was our first one out there, and I I thed is right behind.

(27:36):
It just depends on what month it is.
1, I'll catch 1, 1, One will catch the other.
Mhmm.
But Nova Twenty C, that thing sells like crazy.
Beyond, 22 c sells like crazy.
They're just good, simple, effective, floorplans that that fit really our customer base

(27:56):
that's, you know, 5055 and above.
And, we're gonna do some things in the futurehere to branch out and get you know, get a
little bit lower demographic, and, we can talkabout that in the future.
But, yeah, we're we're rolling forward.
Okay.
Cool.
Where does where does rear bath come in on thepopularity list?

(28:22):
I would say rear bath is right behind the 20 CNOVA.
Mhmm.
K.
We we got a lot more competition in the rearbath.
Everybody's got a a Dodge rear bath.
So I can I can understand why?
Mhmm.
Maybe it's not past the 20 c.
Not many people have the 20 c at our pricepoint.
Mhmm.
I think pleasure way builds a nice product onthe Dodge, but it's not our price point.

(28:46):
I think some of the other higher end builders,Midwest builds a a Dodge but not in our price
point.
I think the note is really right there with,the Trivado, and it's got some things maybe
that the Trivado doesn't Hank.
And and some people think the Trivado's gotsome things that the, Nova doesn't Hank and
that's alright.
We're we're getting this thing refined anddialed in.

(29:09):
And, you know, right now Nova's sitting at thenumber 11 class b in the country, and we just
launched that product in 2019, and I haven'teven put a pop top on the thing yet.
So we're we're
say yet.
What does that mean?
Thought we'd lead into something that Lola,
Okay.
Wanted to make sure you mentioned is I gottapop I gotta pop top here now.

(29:31):
Oh, okay.
You know, we're getting all these Nova salesand penetrating the market with this Nova
product.
Thank you to the support, from the customers,but, we haven't even put a pop top on one yet.
I think that's really gonna open up, sometremendous opportunities some opportunities for

(29:51):
grandparents to enjoy their coachman class bproducts even more.
And you get those kids out there, morecomfortably, get them in their little fort and
get them out there with grandparents forgrandparents to teach them the old ways of of,
of life.
You always gotta I remember I'd always spendtime with my grand, but I'd come back quite

(30:14):
quite more mature and grown up just listeningto him and seeing how he did things in life.
And, I'll never forget those days, and it was alot of it was based around his little RV.
And, we I I want I want that for our customersand, our customer's children because,
hopefully, they'll be our chill our customersomeday.
Yeah.
That's an amazing experience.
I think that's part of, like, the Americaexperience, you know, for a lot of folks out

(30:37):
there that grew up here in America and wereable to get out on the roads with their
grandparents and see the country and you know,it's that's awesome.
Yes.
So Yeah.
So we can look forward to a pop top coming onthe Nova.
Is it just the Nova?
Can look forward to it coming on other chassis?
We will have something on other chassis, but wewanna start and learn on the Novo.

(31:00):
We we got, most likely, you will be seeingsomething for, from us on a pop top at open
house or Tampa.
Okay.
But my goal is open house.
Okay.
Very cool.
Looking forward to that.
Alright.
Let's see, let's see what we here, becausethere are a lot of questions coming in.

(31:23):
And, actually, I think this is kind of in thevein.
David Gutworth says when will 2024 beyond buildstart on 2024 chassis?
It in the new li 3 upgrade too.
So,
Good question.
Does
that work?
Yeah.
So right now, we just went to 24 Vineyard.

(31:46):
Mhmm.
K.
We're still with 23 chassis.
Mhmm.
We will have an oddity rarely ever.
I don't know if it's gonna time out perfectly,but it should.
Rarely ever do we have a 24 on 24.
So potentially at the end of the year, towardsthe end of the year, we'll have a brief period

(32:08):
of 24 to 24.
And then, as Hank and I just mentioned, you cango ahead and place your, 12.60 orders right
now.
Dealer will have the ballpark.
We'll pardon me, we'll have the pricing.
And, we'll we're scheduled out till aboutAugust right now.
So anything after August, we can do that 12 60because we got the batteries and the own entry

(32:35):
here.
Okay.
Very good.
Let's, get in the boss lady.
Lola says the rally was so much fun.
Great seminar trips on-site events, all dayice, I, Sunday, ice cream sundays Hank made
pretzels, bourbon tasting, lots of awesomeowners.

(32:56):
Yeah.
There was one of the days where you can, like,all the ice cream you can Oh my god.
I came back here with a lot of weight.
Yep.
Yeah.
I skip out on those days.
I kid time to kinda go back to service andsweat when everybody else is eating.
But I had I had my full pretzels this pastweek, Hank.
Yeah.
The I had 3 of those pretzels, and they weredelicious.
We'll put it on you.

(33:17):
Yes.
I had 3 pretzels.
Those.
Yeah, but that's fun.
It it's great.
It's really worth it to come out and do this.
I think if you own any kind of coachman.
We're talking about class b here, but coachmanmakes great products.
Lola and I were looking at the class a's.
We've done some stuff with class c's.
I just put up a video with, the class c.

(33:39):
They have that, what is it?
Is the rhythm that's on the sprinter.
Really, really nice.
So, you know, if you own a if you own acoachman, become part of the group here and go
out to some these events that they do.
It's really worth it.
So, Vanessa Kitty says, hi.
We'll put that up there.
And, let's see.
Travel Dreamer 46 says, I like that Coachmenlistens to their clientele, great build quality

(34:06):
too.
Yep.
So there you go.
And and and we're improving on build quality.
We're setting up systems every day, every weekthat we grow, and it's beneficial.
We're having an opportunity to hire some newfolks in some departments that we've needed.
So we'll we'll see more improvement from us.
I know we're good.
I wanna be great.
I wanna be great.
And I'm our biggest critic.

(34:27):
Yes.
And this is along the lines of something wealready answered, but we can I don't know if
you get deeper into it?
Jeff Holland says what's new for 2024?
Yep.
So one thing that we like to do, for 24, or anymid year then change.
Mhmm.
And that is to do what I call some signifiers.

(34:49):
Maybe some early release changes.
So one thing that Hank Lola and the andeverybody at the at the rally got to take a
look at was the new ice queen countertop, kindacleaning that up a little bit more modern.
We have now gone to smart TVs And then we arehave gone to, the, the container full of Jensen

(35:13):
stereos that couple customers.
I get it, folks.
I'm laughing with you.
I don't know if you're laughing when you saidthe joke, but, container finally ran.
I I harass you about this all the time.
So, yeah,
I don't even get a hello from Hank.
I get a how many more Jensen do you gotta getrid of?
I'm like, look, everybody used some.

(35:34):
I get it.
The big deal was DVD and some of the oldnostalgic movie music And I finally broke, you
know, you and I were talking about this that Iwas moving some stuff out around in my barn and
I found my old music that I, you know, Ithought I lost it all and that hurt.
You know, it was a big part of my life, and Iwanna I wanna play those, CDs still, but maybe

(36:00):
my wife and daughter are gonna have to teach me
a little bit.
Screaming, Nick.
Yeah.
Streaming.
You know, I know.
Sometimes you gotta stick to some of yourroots.
Right?
But, no, and then we got some cool thingscoming for September.
And I can't really get into too many of thoseitems, because it now we're getting into a very
competitive environment that I don't wanna letanything out of the bag.

(36:23):
But for July, VIN change, 16 20 option, Jensenor pardon me, Jensen's are gone.
We've got a Bluetooth, JBL, and then the smartTV and ice queen.
So I think we got a good opportunity.
Make sure you're when you go there, if you'relooking for a 24, we do these things for a

(36:45):
reason.
We don't wanna let a salesman or a customeraccidentally buy a 23 model year when they
wanted a 24.
So just a couple things that we've done inyears past.
And then it seems to work out well.
Yeah.
Now, before I know you you've talked abouthaving, you know, the double lithiumics battery

(37:07):
pack, and I see this is one of, the notes fromLola before we move on here.
That, that acquisition of, of Lithionics byWinnebago.
Can we talk about that a little bit?
Because you kind of you you know, you've had agood relationship, I think, with Lithionics
here.
And, you know, it's one of the better batteriesthat's out there, I Hank.

(37:31):
You know, obviously, it costs a little bitmore, but I think it's worth lots of technology
in it, which I found out when I went to thefactory and got the rundown from those guys,
there's a lot in that.
So does that affect all of this and and how youguys looking at what happened there?
Well, I've I've been trying.
I I obviously been asked this a lot.
I've been trying to figure out an analogy forit.

(37:53):
And maybe I just got a stepdad.
I don't know.
You know, we but but we were Yeah.
We were there with them from day 1, and therewas other manufacturers with them from day 1.
In fact, Midwest vans was with them before usto be fair.
And I don't, you know, I try to shoot Strange.

(38:17):
I am very happy with the relationship we havewith Lithonics.
You know, right now, RVIA is meeting, in DC orHazmet in DC, you know, focusing on the
standards of lithium.
And I think there should be across the boardstandard you know, one thing I was really
excited to hear you say, Hank.

(38:38):
I know it took us a little bit to get you in toLithonics to actually get there on feet and
spend some time there.
But, you know, even when you came out with allyour studying on lithium, the over landing,
blending, over landing, and some of themainstream and all that lithium knowledge.
Anything you came out of it going, woah.

(38:59):
Yeah.
I mean, I
this is a little bit more than I thought.
Yeah.
And I have a relationship with Battleborn.
That's what's in the van here because bought aAnd
you're a good primary guys too?
Yeah.
I do.
They're absolutely great folks out there.
And I I bought an AGM, from you.
My Vans in AGM, but then we upgraded it withthe help of, battle born to battle born
batteries.
And they're awesome.

(39:20):
They work great for me.
Yep.
But, you know, when I went down there and I sawbecause I know I was always like, oh, so why
why do you think these Lithonics guys are soawesome?
And when I really saw what they I was like,okay.
I get it now.
I I see where you're coming from.
And I asked this question, not just really it'snot really just about the drama or anything
else people want to know.
But I think a lot of the customers out there orpotential customers would be concerned, like,

(39:43):
hey, is this gonna continue moving forward?
What's gonna happen here, because it really isa good, battery setup, although it, you know,
obviously, it costs a little bit more get whatyou pay for as well.
Yeah.
And and you get safety in testing and flaretesting and, the kind of testing that the
military demands when they get something like alithium battery.

(40:08):
If they purchase a lithium battery, theirexpectations are through the roof of things I
haven't even thought about.
So, yeah, having the relationship withLithonics has been great.
Am I concerned about the Winnebago sincesituation.
I should be.
And if I'm sitting here
saying no,
I'd be a fool.
But I do know where we stand.
We we communicate extremely well.

(40:32):
You know, the way I judge them was post theMarch.
I think it was March.
I think it was March announcement.
I'm looking at my calendar.
Sorry.
Post the post the March, but announcement.
Their customer service has been flawless.
Mhmm.
And I mean, flawless.
Mhmm.
So that's the number one way to gauge.

(40:56):
And then they're always, you know, I got I justgot 5 emails in the past week from Steven
talking about new technology and and itemsaren't gonna be out in the next couple months
or whatnot, but, you know, I'm always lookingdown the road 2 or 3 years down the road.
And and, you know, we need lithiumics andWinnebago and lithiumics kinds of kind of needs

(41:17):
us a little bit.
We use a lot of batteries, and I think we'vehelped each other out and I'm honored to use
their batteries.
I don't care whoever they're owned by at theend of the day.
They don't they don't give my customers a lotof problems.
They're easy to work on.
And,
we're gonna take a break.
We're gonna be right back here.
Smash and I are now official brand ambassadorsfor Coachmen Class B.

(41:40):
So I wanted to take a moment to tell you guyswhy we, as Vanasource, like a says on our t
shirt, are very excited about our partnershipwith Coachmen Class B.
First off, Coachmen RVs has been a leader tothe great outdoors since 1964.
So next is the fact that Coachmen really caresabout you as an owner, whether you bought new

(42:02):
or used after you buy your van, they reallytake care of you.
With Coachmen Klosbee, you have all theoptions.
Coachmen bills on all three van platforms.
On the Mercedes Sprinter, it's a coachmanGalleria.
Before Strange, it's a coachman Beyond, and RamPro Master is a coachman Nova.
Lastly, best value for money.
We've had our van for 2 years and coachmanbills to the highest standards of quality and

(42:28):
craftsmanship.
You can't go wrong with a coachman class b.
So if you're interested, check out the Hank inour description and find the coachman van
that's best for you.
My favorite part of that is when Lola is likesmiling in the back day.

(42:48):
She did you know, Lola didn't doesn't actuallylike that.
You know, she Hank like, she always thinks it'stough to get Lola to get on camera, you know,
because she's, like, very specific about everything and all that, but she looks great there.
When I see, I'm her husband.
I'm married to her.
Whenever I see her, no, she's so cute.
Don't tell her I said that, though.

(43:09):
She she does a lot of the leg work.
Yes.
She does.
Yes.
Yes.
I'm for I'm fortunate, man.
I'm fortunate, man.
Play I'm trying to play all my cards rightwhile I'm on air.
Yeah.
Gotcha.
Yes.
You know how it goes.
You're a fortunate man as well.
You have a beautiful only.
Yeah.
Thank you

(43:29):
for very much.
Yeah.
So, let's see.
Let's get back to some of these here.
We're actually burning through time really fasthere So I'm gonna try to hit all the questions,
and then we'll get on to some other stuff here.
Kelly Courtney says first time listening topodcasts.
Watch your YouTube all the time, looking intoCoachmen Beyond.
I'm learning a lot.
Thank you for all your time and informationdedicated to educating us newbies.

(43:52):
That's important.
That's important.
Let us know what we can do.
Absolutely.
You know, and and having partners, having likeSunshine State RV And Coachmen, be our partners
helps us a lot to be able to do that.
So, you know, it's not just me.
Mhmm.
If there's any question that the dealer cananswer, you know, a lot often, you guys know

(44:13):
all my sales team, you and Lola, often, thesales guys have talked to the dealers Hank
talked to the customer way before the dealersever met him.
So If you want to, we've got reps that coverthe east, mid south.
Mhmm.
And, west, Get them on the phone.
Ask the questions.
Maybe that you're not getting from your localdealer or we're maybe we're we might be missing

(44:37):
some information on our website.
Mhmm.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
The it all becomes part of this network, Ithink, that you need if you're doing this.
Right?
Who you buy from, make sure you vet who you buyfrom, and they're not just, like, interested in
selling something to you, that they really knowabout what they're selling that it fits for you
and that they'll be there when you have issues.

(44:59):
Cause inevitably, no matter what, you're gonnahave some some issues, and the that dealer is
the first part And then, also, more thanlikely, stuff is gonna happen to you, and
you're out on the road traveling.
So, you do want to know, who do I go to if I'mon the road and it's happening?
The company itself that you're buying from,makes a lot in that, and I I could tell you you

(45:20):
guys firsthand, not just because Nick is hereor because these guys support what we do, but I
took a long time watching them, and they reallycare about their customers.
And they put a lot of effort, Nick.
I don't know, Nick.
I I know, I don't want to say that othercompanies don't care about their customers,
because they do.
But I don't often see the general manager ofother places that make class Bs, especially the

(45:46):
big guy Right?
I don't see that general manager out theretalking to everyone that owns 1.
So this would be a big
problem too.
I will give a shout out.
I heard something this past 2 weeks ago.
Russ Garvin, I know spends a lot of time withhis customers at his events.
I don't know if he's GM position, but it'ssomewhere similar.

(46:07):
From what I understand, I don't know if Ishould be saying this, but I understand Russ is
hiring.
So he's done an amazing amazing job.
Who who does he work with?
I think he's the designer for, like, all thesmall vis over at Winnebago.
Oh, okay.
Real quiet gentleman.
Very knowledgeable.
His ideas know, I'm I'm giving my competitorkudos, but, hey, that's sometimes you gotta,

(46:32):
you know, so, I seen him work work events, butit's personal to us.
We are still a child.
I we're 60 maybe seventy people in this wholedivision.
And I wanna be out there.
It's not easy.
Trust me.
It's not easy, but when some time management,setting some things aside, knowing what you're

(46:55):
walking into, making sure we're communicatingto all of our customers, I I wanna be out
there.
And I I learn more.
I learn more being around my customers.
And if I can't carve out 2 weeks, know, let'scall it Ocala and coachman owners rally.
And I can't carve out 2 weeks for my customersthen.

(47:19):
Maybe they should have some somebody else heresitting in my seat, but, I enjoy it.
Look, I don't I'm fifty.
About 5 years ago, I stopped wanting friends.
Right?
You you
just get Okay.
You know, you just get to a point where you'recomfortable with the people around you.
And I've through work.

(47:40):
This is crazy.
Just not my direct work, folks.
My team, I've made I mean, you see all thepeople we talk to.
Yeah.
We got 25 more people in my cell phone than IHank, and we're close.
You know,
Can I just tell a little story?
Can I just tell a little story about the theowner's rally?
So there's a big dinner.

(48:01):
Oh,
I I you can You can get mad at me later.
So there's a big dinner at the end of all ofthis, right, where the president who I met,
when I was there, very nice guy, Bob, Heactually he actually recognized me because I me
and and Lola scooted past him and our littleelectric scooters, and then he came up and he
goes, hey, I'm Bob.
I'm the president.
Very nice guy.

(48:22):
So he gave this speech, and he was thanking allof the the different, general managers.
Coachman's got a lot of stuff that you guys arebuilding over there, and he was thanking
everyone and we're, you know, I'm sitting I Isat down with, mostly class b people.
We try to mix it up a little bit, but we're allwaiting for you, and he didn't mention you.
He goes through all these different guys.

(48:43):
He didn't mention you.
So then everyone starts rumbling and grumbling,like, you know, my thought was what the heck is
going on here?
Did they is recchio no longer working here?
And everyone's rumbling, and he goes, okay.
I deliberately did it mention this guy untilthe end because I just wanna see the class b
people carry on about this.

(49:04):
And then he says Nick Rekio, and everyone getsup and starts screaming and clapping and all
that.
It went kinda nuts.
And, I was looking at the other guys that youwork with who are all all cool guys, and they
were like, wow, these people.
These people are pretty, you know, they'repretty boisterous.
So that was great.
That was a great moment for you.
Right?
Yep.

(49:24):
When they when Bob said a's, b, a's, c's, thenskip me.
My daughter kinda gets b's that I l b's.
Mhmm.
She looked at me and goes,
did you did you?
Like like, kind of the same.
Did you are you not getting mentioned?
Did you get fired?
What's going on?
Even my wife was something's wrong here.

(49:46):
But, you know, that is that is a treat.
I tell you what, there's nothing like it.
I'm not Joe Dimaggio.
I don't hit 1000 back average.
I make a lot of mistakes back here at work.
But it's us.
It's us and the customers.
And we take Carrie like family, and that's nojoke.
I wouldn't say that if, I wouldn't say that ifI couldn't.

(50:09):
Mean, if I wasn't treating people like family,I I I couldn't say it because I'd be called out
on it.
And, you know, we had 2 service guys working onSaturday, 1st, it pardon me.
They took Saturday off after the long week.
We're back at it Sunday.

(50:30):
I called them in Sunday.
Actually, I didn't have to call them in.
I don't know why they were even around thecomplex.
They showed up to the complex.
And, this
is when everyone was cheering for you.
The way, I'm throwing that up.
Lola sent this to me.
She told me she gotta share this.
That was it.
It's fantastic.
A lot of happy faces.
I'm proud of that.
That means, we're trusted, and that's just nota reflection to me.

(50:53):
That's a reflection of the team.
Yeah.
But we Hank we had Rhonda Fitzpatrick justleft.
Mhmm.
So people were here all week through 4th July.
So very busy time.
It's such an honor to have that kind offollowing.
And, again, I talk to my team all the time.
It's not me guys.

(51:14):
I just do some of this stuff.
You guys are the heart and soul that put thesmiles on the faces.
And,
yeah, you guys work very hard.
You said I think you said Jeff, Paul, Paul.
I think Paul had his son, Cohen.
Was that this meant?
And then you, I mean, you got a whole team ofguys.
I saw, I can't I don't remember all guys.

(51:34):
You you can shout the guys out if you want.
Miranda was checking in.
Folks, she's our parts manager.
Miranda does things that we love to see.
She's very direct in line prepared.
The guys know, hey, when we're dealing withMiranda, we better have our P's and Q's H And O
she won't put up with it.
Mhmm.
Jake and Jeff just don't stop.

(51:55):
Cohen is somebody.
Hopefully, we can have him here when he'sready.
And Paul Paul takes care of all customerservice, and it's not easy.
We get we get some strange ones.
We get some strange events.
Not not talking to people.
Just strange happening.
No pun.
No pun intended.

(52:16):
Yeah.
No.
No.
I mean, just how how could that possibly havehappened?
And, you know, it takes patience to workthrough somebody.
These expensive vehicles, tools like I like tocall them.
And, I just gotta give kudos to everybody.
Everybody.
Remember how I somehow mysteriously broke myfridge?
And you guys were like, how was that We'venever seen anyone break.

(52:37):
No.
I not even break.
I cracked it.
Yep.
I take pride.
I take pride in that.
I'm proud
of that.
Novakul owner.
I mentioned that to him.
I enjoy talking to him.
He's he reminds me.
I think he should be from Middleberry.
He is Canadian.
I mean, he's it's just like he should be fromMiddlebury's attitude and his wonderful

(52:58):
personality.
I showed him that and he goes, Well, it lookslike everybody had their beer on the top shelf.
And I just started laughing, and, he goes,we'll get it.
We'll get it.
Well, let me take a look at it, and I'llUh-huh.
We'll we'll get you figured out, Nick.
But,
it has nothing to do with how fast I drive,Nick.
Not Probably not.
Probably not.
To do with that.

(53:18):
No.
Absolutely not.
Nothing nothing to do with that.
Okay.
Kipp says we are looking at possibly ordering a2024 Beyond 20 to CLI 3 and have heard that the
inverter has been moved, so will the emptyspace be used under the couch to be used for
doubling the lithium?
Is that true?
The

(53:38):
inverter is it on a 20 22 c, I think, was upthere.
Yeah, 22 c.
Yeah.
Mhmm.
Yep.
The inverter will be in the jump seat, clearingany obstacles for, heat damage, Strange.
You know, we wanna make sure we can storesuccessfully back there.

(54:01):
We still wanna only guys that gives you passthrough storage on the c models, meaning Mhmm.
We don't hard hard partition all of, pardon me,on the c we do, hard partition, but it's like
on some of the gallery as we still have passthrough.
But inverter in the jump seat?
Yes.
Mhmm.

(54:22):
Okay.
Alright.
Travel dreamer says 60 years is a bigmilestone.
12 60 option is awesome.
And, let's see.
This is from nomadic flag folder, says I can'twait for Hershey Hershey Super Show.
And he says, Hank, long things.
So shout out to you.

(54:42):
What's up?
He says, I'm ready for Key West in October.
There you go.
I think I know who this I know who this is.
Yeah.
I know who this is.
This is this is someone that I've spoken tooffline.
Key West is what gives me the clue.
And, Stormy Medley says weighted to go ondoubling the lithium, how exciting And, yeah, I

(55:07):
think nomadic flag folder says looking for aNova 20d, the NOVA.
20.
Okay.
They're out there.
They're out there.
We just shipped, July.
May we ship a bunch of, 20 d.
So you should see out there.
We're already seeing some retail, 8, 9 days ininventory.
I think we did a really good job on that floorplan.

(55:29):
And, very versatile.
Very versatile.
It gives you a great kitchen.
Awesome floor plan.
Okay.
So let's, we you know, we've got, like, 7minutes here.
I can't believe how fast the is going.
I wanna hit certain things.
Let's talk a little bit about the future here.
I know you talked about pop tops in in all thatkind of stuff.
But, future things that we can look forward tohere, specifically, Lola brought up the Transit

(55:56):
Strange.
That's very fan that Ford announced kind ofindicating how popular this class b thing is.
Right?
Ford wants to get in on this and kind notreally make their own RV, but do some things to
to one go a long way, making that van offroadable, and then ready to be converted to
either a weekend or or full RV.

(56:18):
What's your thoughts on this?
Got to see well, first of all, we were supposedto have, supposed to see physically the transit
trail in January.
And I understand with any product launch,things get pushed back.
I had the opportunity ago to go visit thefacility in which they upfit the Strange trail.

(56:38):
So Ford ships them, Chassis, they finalmanufacturing, suspension wheels, some bumper
work.
So it was quite impressive.
So I'm very eager.
I I saw my chassis sitting there Okay.
Come and I want it.
So you have one.
I have one on order.
Okay.
Not, you know, it's not in Elkhart County yet.

(57:00):
So that's when I will really have it.
I called Dibs.
I called Dibs right now.
That's official and recognized.
In the United States of America under, commonlaw.
And we're gonna we're gonna do somethingdifferent, and we're gonna take our time on
this.
And, of course, there's some people out there.
We can copy doing adventure vans right now.

(57:23):
But, we're gonna we're gonna come out with somethings that, you know, you have mentioned and
brought up to me and, just taking every littlejust like you create a story, take in every
little bit of what you do well or the thingsthat are important to you with your product,
and we're gonna implement it.
And it's not gonna necessarily look like ourcurrent B bands, but you'll be able to it will

(57:46):
have the best componentry, the bestrefrigerators the best brands in the class b
segment, sometimes in order to get the bestbrands in the class b segment, you gotta pay it
a couple bucks Okay.
So we'll we'll we'll probably see in that sinceI don't even have it now.
Mhmm.
6 to 8 months.

(58:06):
We're not gonna rush it.
You know, some of these guys are just waitingto build on it tomorrow when they get it.
And that's just we're we're gonna take our timewith it.
You do a lot of research on this, anddevelopment and stuff like that.
You're, you know, you you don't necessarilyhave a big team like some of the other guys do
like we we mentioned Winnebago, and they do alot of, research and development.

(58:26):
They put a lot of money into that, and and Ithink that works well for them.
Right?
But you, but you also, on your own, you'rereally into this and you're, you know, I think
you're gonna have some cool things that folkswill enjoy when when they see it.
Well, sometimes you gotta do it yourself totrust it.
You just can't rely on a salesperson per se.

(58:47):
So that's one seen about Coachmen B vans.
I think we're up to about 6000 salespeople inour little Facebook groups.
Mhmm.
That's a lot of salespeople.
And You know, we we gotta make sure we'remaking the right decisions for them to keep
them in the wheelhouse of of backing ourproduct.
And, yeah, so Strange Strange.

(59:09):
And and one one of the things I do wannamention in the time that we Hank, so there's a
video coming out of you driving an electricvan, which I'm taking all the credit for.
You should.
Because I I put a lot of work into this Ibought an electric van just to, you know, just
to push you in that direction.

(59:29):
And so come on.
Go ahead.
Go for it.
In the week in the week, he comes here to dothis.
I'm like, oh, gosh.
I'd not this week with this electric van stuff.
I just not this week.
I got so much to do.
So, of course, you can't take you can't takethat stance.

(59:49):
So I called up a work cohort and said, hey.
I need to need transit from goshen.
Well, okay.
I'll bring one over for you.
I owe you big time.
And then when you showed up, you're prettypretty surprised by it.
And then the next step, we did a little planttour, that we can't elaborate on because it's
proprietary.
Mhmm.
You signed your life away on

(01:00:10):
Right.
Right.
It was awesome, though.
It's awesome to see what what you what uppeople in, another not your division or doing.
Yeah.
It was amazing.
Mhmm.
I mean, I ran I ran back to the certain area inthat plan.
I left Hank and everybody.
I knew two things I wanted to see.
I I was just sitting there and ask Hank.

(01:00:31):
I was just sitting there with my mouth opengoing.
Yeah.
Unreal.
Now there's a lot more to it.
We we talk about battery range all the time,but I've gotta be able to do this.
So,
so you see the possibility.
I'm not trying to pin you down, but at leastsome prototype coming at some point here in

(01:00:51):
future with the electric vans?
Definitely not in a year.
Okay.
Definitely.
I okay.
Definitely not let's say a year just because ifI get it done in a year, I'll look great.
I could use to look better.
I'm getting older nowadays.
So, it's something we know we can do is theresupport for it?

(01:01:17):
We will have to change our build.
Right now, I'd build nothing with a cassettetoilet.
And when I say cassette toilets to our type ofcustomers, I hear groans.
That was one thing in the q and a.
They're like, we, you know, electric.
Okay.
Yeah.
We're talking electric, but we can't go downthrough the floor, like a traditional
residential style plum toilet, we're gonna haveto do a cassette or rating or come up with

(01:01:44):
something, not that we can't.
But it's it's it's radically different.
Yeah.
We'll have to we'll have to come up with somethings.
I think I think we're here.
I think my personal opinion, we're gonna seethis happen.
The cyber truck is coming out soon from Tesla.
That platform will be used to build a van, soTesla is on it.
I'm not saying we're gonna see that anytimesoon here either, but I think that the Ford,

(01:02:08):
It's pretty awesome.
I drove it today with my son.
It's very quiet.
People don't realize how much difference itmakes when you're driving a quiet vehicle.
It's actually goes easier on your brain andmakes you feel more comfortable because you're
not hearing all this noise, although I'll tellyou I'm a car guy.
The noise sounds great.
But just that difference of the quietness, thepower, the immediate power, and all that kind

(01:02:30):
of stuff, the Strange is really well done.
I haven't seen the Sprinter electric yet, butwe're we're here.
It's gonna happen.
The power of that transit was crazy.
Yeah.
That etransit.
Just Yeah.
It was it was crazy.
We we we put the wood to a pretty good testingit out.
And, I think god's security didn't find us.

(01:02:52):
I know.
I'm gonna put this video out there.
Nick asked me to hold on a little bit.
So I think I'm past any moratorium on that.
Right?
I could put that video out now.
Yep.
Yep.
Yep.
Yeah.
And so it was a fun video because we aretalking about a old school dude here.
Okay?
He's he's in a in a good way.
He's old school.

(01:03:13):
So the last thing he ever wanted to do wasdrive, like, an electric anything.
Was that your first electric car you drove?
That was my first electric car.
I was very, very sense.
You know, obviously, I'm not gonna dwell on thenegatives.
Mhmm.
Or what are the some of their concerns?
Obviously, everybody knows that.

(01:03:33):
But there's, you know, right now, I think thepositives far outweigh the negatives.
Mhmm.
And, you know, you just gotta think about wherethis is gonna be placed, where where where an e
vehicle like the transit can have its mostsuccess as a B van not just as a UPS Amazon.

(01:03:53):
And I mean, that's that's the part.
Mhmm.
How you know, We don't want people doing timemanagement trips every day figuring out how
much they're gonna charge their van.
Mhmm.
Yeah.
You know what I mean?
Like Yeah.
Absolutely.
I don't wanna I don't wanna see that in theitinerary every single day charge van.
Okay.
But next day charge van.
Next day charge van.
So, and maybe we'll have to.

(01:04:15):
Hopefully, it gets maybe every 3 or 4 otherdays, but we got some ideas.
And, we're always listening.
Always watching YouTube.
For ideas.
It's it's just, drinking from a a fire hosewith, all the ideas out there.
And, you know, we get a lot of our good ideasoff some of the custom builders.

(01:04:35):
I made mention of a guy, that I look up to thathas a YouTube channel, Humble Road.
He does some really cool stuff and he does itright methodical.
And there's other guys.
I'm not just picking him out.
You know, I can go on and on about some of mypreferred off road guys, that I like to watch.

(01:04:56):
We're just watching them this weekend.
So, they know they're out there.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
Okay.
So we're kind of at the end here.
We are gonna wrap it up.
We have a lot of people here with us, and Iappreciate everyone smashing the thumbs ups.
We've got a pretty good turnout.
I'm gonna try to get to some of the commentshere as quickly as I can.
If that's okay with you, Nick, I know we'veAbsolutely.
We we can go a little longer.

(01:05:17):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Let me get comments and questions in as fast asI can.
Living, working outside the box says hello fromOrlando area for, for a seat for sleep for
recommendation, pop top, or without, are theremultiple options?
So so we kinda covered this.
Mhmm.
Living working outside the box.

(01:05:38):
Yeah.
If you would take a look at our what I wanna dowith the pop top.
I wanna offer it on existing floor plans first,okay, in the Dodge Nova lineup.
And that would be perfect for the 20 d Mhmm.
Brand new floor plan, 20 RB not so much the 20c because you're not gonna get I don't know if

(01:06:05):
you're seating 2 and an additional 4.
But if you're sleeping, if you're carrying 2driver pass Mhmm.
And buckling 4 children Mhmm.
And buckling 4, that d with the 20 d that whereit was just mentioned in a comment that's out
in the field, take a look at that, and if youcould just be patient, we're gonna Hank, a pop

(01:06:30):
top on that September time frame.
If not, earlier.
Okay.
Very good.
Let's get to, Vanna.
Let's see.
Here we go.
Vanna Nanajee says love our coachman Beyond Deewhere can I find the procedure for, descaling
my TRUMA heater?
The manual is vague.
I am not on Facebook, Frank Hanks and Lola, forall you do.

(01:06:52):
Descaling.
Oh, okay.
So I'm not even sure what descaling is.
What is that?
So I think if what she's talking about, scalecan, on old hot water heaters, there used to be
an anode rod, and that anode rod was made outof something I can't remember, but you pull it

(01:07:14):
out into 2, and it breaks down over time.
And I think it breaks down due to preventingscaling from hurting your regular, hot water
tank.
Oh, right.
I have not heard of any I've not heard of anydescaling procedures on the truma.
So what I'd like to do, I will get back answersto these.

(01:07:35):
Mhmm.
In a forum where you and Lola can maybe breakthem down or a little, short or something.
Yeah.
But I do want to Yeah.
Follow-up.
Great question.
Yeah.
And we're also working on getting Truma to comeon the podcast.
Just so you guys know, I think Lola hassomething scheduled.
I can't pin it down until you guys exactlywent.
We are working on that.

(01:07:56):
So far as Truma, because you've got the theheaters that go in the vans.
You've got the ACs, which I have one here.
So we'll we'll have them come on.
I'll
get sacked you on there.
Yeah.
Diane Jimenez says, yes, I agree with you,Hank.
The bathroom in the back is best.
Yeah.
I'm wondering why that's not in a Galleria.

(01:08:18):
You don't Hank it's up to you if you wannaanswer that or not because it's for me.
That's a question for me.
Yeah.
Evidently, there is a current manufacturer
Mhmm.
That is small they're out of Florida Mhmm.
That has a quote unquote, patent on a rearbath, full bath.

(01:08:45):
Mhmm.
And I think them and another main factor goingaround circles on this.
It's kinda RV drama right now.
But I don't get a lot of Hank for the sprinterMhmm.
It'd be a pretty cool floor plan because it's 4feet bigger than the than the Dodge of chassis.
You could Mhmm.
Do some things to it.

(01:09:05):
Maybe we'll look at it on paper, you know,never say never.
Right?
Mhmm.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You never know.
Nomadic flag folder says, Nick, I look forwardto buying a 20 D, sir.
Thank you for making an amazing class B van.
So there you go.
No, man.
A flag holder.
Thank you for that.
That means a lot.
Welcome to the family.
Let us know what we can do for you.

(01:09:26):
Absolutely.
Travel Dreamer says, are you adding more USB Cconnections?
So there you go.
How's the first one?
We were the first one to add these thingsbecause of, oh, he's if I get his wife's name,
I definitely know Rick Car Graves yelled at me.
I we need to USB Cs.
Well, how many things do you got that don'tcharge off USB C?

(01:09:48):
So I think year, we started putting in, a 2port USB C in two locations.
We've got USBs everywhere.
But finally, what I'm seeing is a lot moreoutlets that we can buy with more, USB C
options built in instead of just us and docigarette lighter, type USB C everywhere.

(01:10:12):
Hey.
I'm with you.
I'm with you.
You'll see more USB Cs from us.
More than we already have.
Okay.
Very cool.
Let's see.
Glenper Jan says, I love my CDs, especiallywhen you're out in the day it.
You don't have Wi Fi.
You can't stream.
So that's one for you, Nick.
Hey, Glenn.
I need to meet you, dear.

(01:10:33):
Don't tell my Wi Fi
Yeah.
Don't tell him this.
Don't tell him this when, you know, we justconvinced him to switch over.
Yeah.
Okay.
Let's see what else we got here.
I'm trying to get these all in.
Good afternoon.
Yeah.
Living, working outside the Bob if we ever geta class B, it will be with Nick at Sunshine
State.
There you go.

(01:10:54):
Alright.
Cool.
Cool.
Good choice.
Good choice.
Yeah.
So logs them on says, what is your opinion?
What is the best class B van with a cassettetoilet?
No Mercedes Benz.
Okay.
This is what our opinion I I'll let you gofirst on this, Nick, because you guys don't
make one.
So that's gonna be interesting.

(01:11:17):
So That's a really good that's a really goodquestion.
So I think the one that, isn't so mainstream,and I'm I could be wrong with the cassette
toilet part.
But Embassy
Okay.
Makes a pretty cool van.
Mhmm.
I know they're trying to get in the mainstream.
Mhmm.

(01:11:37):
Panoramic up in up in Canada.
Does some good products, some
new Mod vans.
Mod vans has a a cassette style toilet.
They make a good if you're if
you're interested in
a transit van, that's a good van, in myopinion.
Honestly, I haven't found the perfect cassettetoilet operation.
And what I would like to try to do, and this isa try for the transit

(01:12:04):
Mhmm.
Is I want a regular small type apartment showerbecause this is gonna be a little shorter
chasty.
And then to the rear, have 2 opposing benchesMhmm.
And have that toilet be able to come out andstow that cassette toilet to be able to come
out and stow.
Okay.
Meaning, I can have it in my shower, and then Ican close it.

(01:12:27):
And I don't have to worry about water and itgets that toilet all the way out of the way.
Oh, I guess.
Right.
Okay.
I've seen I've seen someone do that in a selfbuild.
I don't know.
I think I sent you a video about that.
Yeah.
That's a good idea.
Could be.
Yeah.
I'm getting a lot of the o's.
I'm getting a lot of the the partitioned, doorin the bathroom separating Hank and shower.

(01:12:50):
That's gonna be a little bit more of a feat.
Mhmm.
But I'm getting all kinds of, yeah.
If you had a jump seat, like, I I we did avideo with a with a guy who built his own van,
and he had a jump seat right next to theshower.
So that jump seat can kinda go the, thecassette toilet can kinda go under that.
So that's cool.
Yep.
Camping coasty says hot Hello, Hank and Nick.

(01:13:12):
What's up?
What's up to Camping Coast?
Hey.
Uh-huh.
Hey.
What are you guys doing?
How's spike?
Yeah.
What were you gonna point out?
I know we've I'm trying to, like, get to thebottom of this here.
I just got an email.
I don't know if Ford's watching podcast or notHank or what strings you just pulled in this.
If you've done anything with Ford Previous tohaving me on, but I just get an email.

(01:13:35):
From here, it'll be loaded and shipped toCoachman.
I'll provide an update tomorrow.
Oh, awesome.
Strange
the trail will be coming this week to startsniffing around.
Make sure you take care of my Strange Trailbecause, like I said, those Dibs are official.
Avalanche Gray.
Those Dibs that
I just put down here That's on the record.
That's legal.

(01:13:56):
Shell Aaron.
Shell Aaron says I no longer have a coachman,and I am still part family.
So there you go.
Mister Sheldon, how are you doing?
How are you and the wife?
It's been a long time, sir.
Yeah.
So I'm trying to go through this here.
I Hank, uh-uh, Stormy Medley says, thank you,Nick, and Hank and Lola for very informative

(01:14:16):
and a helpful podcast.
Much appreciated.
Have a lovely rest of your day.
We've got lots of kudos going through here.
Just gonna throw those up here.
As much as I possibly can.
But, yeah, you know what?
That's what I last thing I want you to do,Nick, for the folks out there watching this, if
they wanna get more info.
I would invite them to go look at our videos.

(01:14:36):
We have a lot coming out, but if people wantto, communicate with you guys, what is the best
way for them to do that?
Why don't we do this?
Why don't we get a complete breakdown ofnumbers?
Mhmm.
Something for a little list Tommy Kyle Josh insales, Paul, and customer service, Brandon
Bill, Miranda, should anybody need our numbers?

(01:14:59):
Number 1, start at coachmanrv.com.
Mhmm.
Or call in to coachman.
Our direct number is 18 103537383, ask forsales and class b's.
And the guys really enjoy making sure you havea majority of those questions answered before

(01:15:19):
you even reach out to the dealership.
Make you a better customer, get you moreprepared.
Absolutely.
And if we missed your question or comment here,don't despair.
We're gonna have Nick back, and we're gonnakeep doing this, on Thursdays at 2.
You know, we've got lots of other folks comingon, but we will have Nick Rekio of Coachmen

(01:15:39):
class B coming back on here.
Big thanks to you, Nick.
I appreciate over the years, been a couple ofyears now that we've known each other.
Yeah.
And, you know, I really appreciate how hard youwork for the folks out there who are buying
these vans from you, and and I know that itreally means something.
You know, I I would just say this, man, ifanyone's looking, a coachman, when you have

(01:16:03):
employee who takes the company that they workfor, like, it's, like, they own it.
Like, it's their family business, and they havethat approach with it, you know, where they
work all the time, and they really care aboutthe customer, and they put this month, much
energy and effort into it.
You really gotta to appreciate that person.
And, Nick, you're one of those guys, man.

(01:16:25):
You know, what you do for coachman is awesome.
So thank you
I'm very lucky to work here.
I work around great people, great community.
It's just a little bit different up here.
And, I appreciate all of our customers.
You guys great.
Hank and Lola, thank you so much, for this.
And, you guys mean a lot to us, and weappreciate it.
Okay.
Awesome.
Stay right there, Nick.
Okay, guys.

(01:16:46):
We will see you next week.
We are out of here.
Thanks so much for joining in guys.
We appreciate you.
Peace.
See you.
Peace.