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It would be easy for many to believe the cratered economy has kept customers out of dealerships in droves, but at Wilkins RV in upstate New York, that wasn’t the case in 2009. Unit sales were up dramatically compared to 2008 and owner Brian Wilkins is hiring staff. The reason, he says, is because people still want to go camping.

Wilkins RV, which began life as a detail and body shop started by Wilkins’ grandfather in 1936 in Hornell, N.Y., was on track in late 2009 to sell almost 700 motorhomes and towables by year’s end, or almost 100 more than it did in 2008, but he can’t put his finger on the exact reasons for the increase.

“Why are we doing more units? We just saw stronger interest this year than we did last year. I don’t know if it’s because in this area the economy may have bottomed the second half of last year or what it was,” says Wilkins, who also serves as general manager of the dealership that’s been located since 2006 on a 27-acre site in nearby Bath.

The turnaround began at a Syracuse RV show just after New Year’s Day 2009, and demand has remained high.

Read more by clicking on the following link: http://rv-pro.com/article/wilkins-rv-shows-winning-ways.