ETI presentation at Pineknot TX Rally Oct 2019

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

They did that for me too.

But your screen name is your name......///?

[daviddesjardins]

Originally Posted by sclifrickson

Maybe name tags with forum handles on them?

Brilliant idea!

[daviddesjardins]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

Had a great time at the Pineknot rally. Lots of Escapes, 21's outnumbered the others by far.

Karl Kinney and David Desjardins from ETI gave a long presentation and Q&A session yesterday. They laid out their vision for ETI for the future - lots more details than I can cover here but I'll try to hit the high points.

They have a LOT of ideas, and a clear long term plan for ETI. They absolutely intend to keep the direct to customer, build to order with lots of customization model that has made Escape so popular. They are looking, as ETI has in the past, at incorporating frequently requested items as standard or ETI-supplied options, like the Springfield pedestal and Zamp external solar connection. There will be even more options and packages of options, also looking at a more robust off-road 17. Karl and David toured a lot of trailers and probably came away with even more ideas for improvements and additions.

While nothing is final, they are planning on a US Escape rally in 2020, likely in Texas. They also want to have a US delivery and orientation facility open in 2020, again looking at Texas, and then also to provide service and warranty work at that facility. The ultimate goal is to have a US production facility.

Lots of questions about the new 21 floor plan and new 23 model. The new 21 plan specifics will be coming out soon. Details of the new 23 are still being worked out...with a new mold costing roughly $100K, everything needs to be well thought out before finalizing that. Plan is to have a walk-around queen in the front, dry bath and kitchen in the middle, and rear dinette. Lots of logistics to work out with the plumbing, electric, working around wheel wells etc. It will be 8 feet wide and that also presents engineering issues with the shell. Tanks and drain plumbing may be enclosed underneath, different from the current spray foam setup.

Escape's marketing in the past was pretty much exclusively word of mouth. David is building a marketing plan on many fronts, we'll see a lot of new things in the coming months to build brand awareness. And the requirement to provide contact info on the website in order to view the options list has been eliminated, it can now be skipped.

Overall my impression is that ETI is in very good hands. This is looking like a rare instance of a small, unique company expanding significantly while still keeping the quality and culture that made them so successful.

Thank you for the kind words, Dave!

Karl and I really enjoyed the trip, and plan to attend more. Meeting many of you in person and seeing how you customize and personalize your trailers really opened our eyes. A big shout out to Dave & Linda Allen for hosting us (and the Rally), and we look forward to meeting more of you at future rallies. I came away with a lot of great advice, and a lot of ideas for the next rally.

Linda and Joldie were touched by your kind words.

Our 'scouting trip' afterwords is worthy of its own story, and we identified a possible location, about 10 minutes from Oklahoma.

Regards,

David

P.S. I don't remember who encouraged me to try the bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers at the potluck, but they were definitely a highlight for me

[cpaharley2008]

Wait until you try my pennsylvania dutch scrapple served with jalapeño spam.....

[daviddesjardins]

(Runs to Google to find out what scrapple is. I've heard of it, but never experienced it)

Sounds and looks yummy!

[cpaharley2008]

Iowa Dave calls it a "meat cookie".......we liken it to your poutine, very healthy.....NOT!

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

But your screen name is your name......///?

I'm not telling. Gotta keep some things secret.

[Red Dog]

Sounds like the rally was a huge success! We were so bummed out that we were unable to attend this one. Looking forward to next years event!

Fred M.

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by Red Dog

Sounds like the rally was a huge success! We were so bummed out that we were unable to attend this one. Looking forward to next years event!

Fred M.

Any chance you might make it to Matagorda Madness? We'd love to hear all about your big trip!

[Red Dog]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

Any chance you might make it to Matagorda Madness? We'd love to hear all about your big trip!

David, unfortunately, we have no plans to attend that rally. But, we are attending the Guadalupe River Rat Rally (GRRR) next week and then Bluebonnet in April.

Fred M.

[cpaharley2008]

Gee, I never realized Texas had that many rallies going on, is there on place where they are all listed with dates and other information?

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Gee, I never realized Texas had that many rallies going on, is there on place where they are all listed with dates and other information?

Home

[cpaharley2008]

Thanks Dave, big help....

[Brian B-P]

Thanks David.

A small note...

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

Karl Kinney and David Desjardins from ETI ...

It's Karl Kenny... just in case anyone is looking for him and needs the correct spelling of his surname.

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Wait until you try my pennsylvania dutch scrapple served with jalapeño spam.....

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Thanks David.

A small note...

It's Karl Kenny... just in case anyone is looking for him and needs the correct spelling of his surname.

Yes, and it was Reace, not Reese with the original owners....