Where Are We Today
(click on pic to enlarge)
Working At CanAm RV and the People
That I Meet
Even though I officially retired last
year, I do work part time at CanAm RV, if you count doing a lot of talking
work. What do I really do? We call it "orientation", when a customer
comes to take delivery of a trailer that they have purchased, we show them
through it and explain how everything works including a hitch demonstration and
test drive. Depending on whether it is their first time buying an RV or not,
every customer gets an orientation. Whatever time it takes for them to
understand all that we show them is the time we spend with them, there is no
time limit.
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| CanAm RV, a very busy place this year. |
I have a good basic knowledge of
travel trailers and 5th wheel trailers, but there is always something new to
learn and that is one of things that I like about this job. Before I do the
orientation, I set the trailer up and go through it myself to make sure that I
know where everything is and how it operates. Even then there can be something
different and the new owner and I are learning something new. When it comes
right down to it, there are only so many manufacturers of RV components but
many different models of those components. That's where you need to recognize
the different ones and familiarize yourself with them.
There is also a difference in the
manufacturers of trailers. How they design each model of their trailers and
incorporate each component is interesting. Each year new models come out and
new technology in construction and the components becomes available. That is
what makes this an ever changing aspect to the job of orientation.
Another part of this job is
interacting with the techs, the guys that make sure your purchase has been gone
over top to bottom and everything is in working order. There are over 30 techs
and parts people that are behind the scenes that you never usually see. They
have been a valuable source of information to me in explaining how something
works in these trailers and also how to fix, repair and do preventive
maintenance on our own 5th wheel. I am also able to learn some things that
don't necessarily apply to the orientation, but help me understand certain
processes, like how a hitch is installed so that the weight is distributed
evenly to make the trailer and tow vehicle ride level.
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| Hitch Set Up in Progress |
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| Water Heater Repair |
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| Brake Job |
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| Cleaning |
There are also the gals that clean
the inside of the trailer and the guys that wash the outside before you take
delivery. As well, there are the service techs that take your calls and set up
service for when you need it, the finance gals, the sales reps, receptionist
that you see as soon as you walk in the door and all the people behind the
scenes that keep a dealership running. There are over 50 people employed at
CanAm.
I have often wished that I had gotten
into the business at some capacity when I was younger.
The second half of this post is about
the people that I have met, without them; I won't be able to do any of this.
Since April when we returned from our winter away, I have done somewhere
between 25 & 30 orientations and delivered 4 trailers to parks. Some of
these customers are first time buyers, never owned, borrowed, pulled or backed
up a trailer and there are those who have had more than one and have many years
experience RVing.
I have tried to keep a list all of
their names, but you know how that can go. I am now trying to take a picture of
them with their purchase so I can remember them that is if they want their
picture taken.
Here is a list of some them.
The Harris' and their 2010 Cougar.
The Fitzpatrick's' and their Northern
Express
Taube/Smith and their 2016 Vista Cruiser
M. Harvey and her 2016 Airstream
Sport
Christian and Reiner and their 1984
Airstream
The Saunders' and their 2017 Mobile
suite
The Mudrys' from Albert and their
2017Airstream Flying Cloud
G. Cote and his 2017 Airstream Sport
from Quebec
S. Elder from Victoria B.C. and her
2017 Alto.
The Boschs' from Tiverton and their
2015 Element
The Busby's' who asked for me to do
their orientation. When I asked them how we knew each other, they replied that
they follow our blog post and were not far away from us last winter down south.
They have a 2005 Carriage.
The Howitt's and their 2018 Grand
Design Solitude
The Grey's and their 2018 Airstream
Flying Cloud
The Cadue's and their 2011 Heartland
North Trail
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| The Greys |
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| The Cardues |
These are a few of the people who
have kept me busy two days a week since we have returned this spring. Some of
them, that have come from a distance away, stay overnight in the parking lot in
their new purchase, we call this CanAm Camping. As I stay overnight also, we
have got to know each other better over a glass of wine and traded stories of
our experiences. RVer's are a great group of people who are always willing to
lend a hand and share experiences. Thank you to all of you that I have had the
pleasure to meet through this job and to all the others I have met along the
way.
In closing I would be amiss in not thanking
Phil, who I report to, and Andy and Kirk Thompson the owners of CanAm for
asking, having the faith in my ability and teaching me new things in this
industry.
I know this is long winded, so I
thank you for following along. If I have mentioned you and you do follow along,
please leave a comment or drop us an e-mail. Until the next time, take care and
be safe.
