Driftwood RV Driftwood RV

Dealership-parks Combo
Driftwood rV
The Garden State
dealership thrives thanks
in part its two nearby
campgrounds and its focus
on popular park models.
By STEPHANIE PATRICK
Camping near the shore is a family tradition
for many. The RV and campground
industries understandably
pride themselves on fostering family togetherness
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 flagship
Clermont site in the Cape May area and a
smaller, second location in Egg Harbor Township
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 campgrounds
and are places families return to year
after year.
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.
44 • RV PRo • September 2012 rv-pro.com
Photos courtesy of DriftwooD rV center

“This area, Cape May County, has
over 15,000 campsites alone,” says John
Worthington Sr., Driftwood’s longtime marketing
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 campgrounds.
Driftwood Camping Resort was
purchased by founders Malcolm and Jean
Robertson several years before the dealership
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
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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Driftwood RV
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 Popular
Park models and park trailers by Breckenridge,
Canterbury, Fairmont and Driftwood’s
most-recent inventory addition,
Shore Park, sell well and quickly because they
offer customers affordable options to maintain
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 Midwest
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. Revenue
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 confidence
that 2012 will be another successful
year,” says Joe Skladanek, Driftwood’s chief
financial officer.
Park model sales, new and used, represented
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 carpenters
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
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 longtime
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.
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, statistics
from Cape May County Department
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
46 • RV PRo • September 2012 rv-pro.com

casinos, none of Driftwoods operations
see a lot of customer traffic from the gambling
crowd, Worthington says.
However, he says Driftwood’s campgrounds
and dealership operations are powerful
marketing tools for each other. The
dealership draws customers all year round
from all over New Jersey, as well as Delaware,
southeast Pennsylvania and parts of
Maryland and New York.
“We are a complete 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 campground
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 customer
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 additional
inventory and attract customers,”
Worthington says.
Consignment sales represented 7 percent
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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rv-pro.com September 2012 • RV PRo • 47
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Driftwood RV
changes. When younger customers
requested more towables, the dealership
added more, including Forest River Rockwood
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 outdoor-lifestyle
websites and RV favorites, such
as www.RoamingTimes.com.
Trailer Comparisons Made Easy
With that in mind, as well as capitalizing
on Driftwood’s indoor showrooms,
the dealership introduced the Travel Trailer
SuperCenter concept in 2010. It allows customers
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 specifications.
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 Tony Bogushefsky does repair work on travel trailer in one of the
dealership’s five service bays at its Claremont facility.
Driftwood technician Joe Jones repairs a
generator in the service shop. Driftwood
employs seven technicians who are skilled
in various specialties.
48 • RV PRo • September 2012 rv-pro.com

Driftwood RV parts
specialist Derek
Bond discusses the
latest offerings in
towing products
with Sid Sidman
and Tom Romero,
representatives
for Cequent
Performance
Products.
The Robertsons say the idea grew from
the increasing importance of RV shows,
where shoppers are able to see so many different
makes, models and sizes all at once.
Driftwood doesn’t forget the more traditional
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 undercoating
of RVs.
A Fully Stocked Parts Department
Retail 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 filtration
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.”
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