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Old 12-11-2018, 01:28 PM   #121
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron in BC View Post
The other factor is that, even now, there is more of a pool of used Escapes for sale than there was even a couple of years ago. Even if ETI went out of business or changed dramatically in a couple of years there would be a pool of trailers available. And buying a brand of f.g. trailer that's not even in production doesn't seem to affect the value of the trailer if you look at what used Surfsides and Trilliums etc. still sell for.
Good point Ron. Those of us on the east coast of the US that may not have the ability to buy new or want to travel 3000 miles to pick it up are privileged to have a used Escape. Still quite rare. We are not worried about having to get it back to the factory for anything. Toyota's slogan for their certified pre-owned program is "the best new cars make the best used cars". Same for trailers.
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Old 12-11-2018, 01:46 PM   #122
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If so I'm sure any classic Escapes will be sought after.
Going to treasure mine even more
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Old 12-11-2018, 02:13 PM   #123
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I look at my purchase as a one of a kind, custom made investment to my liking. Whether ETI stays in business afterwards is of little concern as anything or everything in/on the trailer can be repaired or replaced, very easily. Look the the Boler Rally this summer, hundreds of fiberglass trailers, some of them more than 40 years old, some have been sold several times over and most have been maintained or repaired to a point that could be considered better than new. Most fiberglass trailers increase in value as they age and unlike your money earning little or no interest, a well maintained Escape will hold it 's value and increase probably more if they do go out of business, just like the Bolers did.
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Old 12-11-2018, 02:22 PM   #124
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron in BC View Post
Heck, what will my trailering experiences be in a few years? I look at what the current situation is on products, make a decision and go with it. In this case, once you have the trailer in hand why would I ever be concerned who owns the company down the road?

Or, if a person sits on the fence for years and the price goes way up, well, lot's of folks wish they'd bought Apple stock when it was pennies. You snooze, you loose.

Ron
Good points Ron especially about Apple stocks , my gut told me it was coming back and I could kick myself everyday for not listening to my instincts.
As for Escape I saw the writing on the wall when big changes started , production building, mold changes etc. Doesn't really affect me because I fix most of the trailer myself anyway .
Maybe our "Classics " will be the most sought after when I am done rving . Pat
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Old 12-11-2018, 02:48 PM   #125
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
I look at my purchase as a one of a kind, custom made investment to my liking. Whether ETI stays in business afterwards is of little concern as anything or everything in/on the trailer can be repaired or replaced, very easily. Look the the Boler Rally this summer, hundreds of fiberglass trailers, some of them more than 40 years old, some have been sold several times over and most have been maintained or repaired to a point that could be considered better than new. Most fiberglass trailers increase in value as they age and unlike your money earning little or no interest, a well maintained Escape will hold it 's value and increase probably more if they do go out of business, just like the Bolers did.
Jim, slight correction to "some of them up 50 years old" at least one of them we saw, it was boler #3.
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Old 12-11-2018, 03:28 PM   #126
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Understood, but I have several concerns that I previously did not have. I noticed that for one of the companies KV recently invested in, the owners retired not long after. If Tammy and Reace decide to retire (and I wish them well if they do), what will ETI look like in a few years?
KV Private Equity lists some "Potential Vendor Motivations", and one of them is "Owners seeking an exit from their businesses (e.g. vendor retirement)". That could apply to Reace and Tammy (and again, whether or not it does is none of our business), but since they are both the owners and the management, the only way for KV to get their desired "Ongoing participation of senior personnel and management" is for Reace and Tammy to stay with the company. I think the retirement scenario would most likely apply to owners who are not the critical management team; perhaps that's what happened at the other company.
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Old 12-11-2018, 03:32 PM   #127
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Reace told me what was happening several months ago. Tammy and Reace plan to continue doing what they enjoy, looking after customers and building a quality trailer, without the load of the entire company on their shoulders. They are also looking forward to vacations.
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Old 12-11-2018, 03:47 PM   #128
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Baglo

Thanks for the info Glen, now I feel much better.We ordered our first Escape in the fall of 2004, at the old chicken coop operation.They sure have come a long way.
What sold us was the personal care and attention they lavished on us from the start.
Their advertisement was in that old Buy and sell Paper.Factory direct, built in Chiliwack.
Went out the next day and ordered our 17 on the spot, we liked the product and the
people. No sales pressure, this is what we build.OK, we need it in January, here is the deposit..Wishing them best of luck going forward.
Allan and Raili.
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Old 12-11-2018, 04:02 PM   #129
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo View Post
Reace told me what was happening several months ago. Tammy and Reace plan to continue doing what they enjoy, looking after customers and building a quality trailer, without the load of the entire company on their shoulders. They are also looking forward to vacations.

Thanks, that is reassuring!
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Old 12-11-2018, 04:11 PM   #130
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Congratulations to Reace and Tammy, as a business owner myself I only hope I grow something someone wants to buy one day. Do I think this will change their passion about their baby (Escape)? No but I'm sure they sold more than 50% equity so now what they say really means little once you give up more that 50%.
I think we might see dealers in the future and I think that's a good thing for those of us that already own one. Also I bought an Escape because of this website and I'm sure the people at the firm that bought them have a social media person that monitors this site now.
When we bought are 2014 Escape a few months ago I bought it planning for it to be the last trailer we ever own. Hopefully soon there will be an authorized dealer closer to me that can add solar to it.

Happy and Safe Holidays to all.
Steve
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Old 12-11-2018, 04:39 PM   #131
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Improvements

Hi Steve
When Rita bought the 21 used, it had everything we wanted except for solar. We had two
choices as we saw it. Either drive directly from where we bought it, Tucson, to Chiiliwack and get solar installed, or tow it home to Iowa, outfit it for the way we camp with equipment that was in the 19 and then tow it to Chilliwack and get solar installed. We chose the latter. We made a three week trip out of it, took our grandson along and made some great memories. We’d had such a great experience with the solar they had installed on the 19 that we did not pursue any other alternatives. Many many people have had work done on their Escapes at the factory, either before or directly after the appreciation rally. Anything else that needs to be done in the future I can do at home or at home with the help of my brother so I don’t think we will be going back to Chilliwack anytime soon. Travel, camp, travel, camp and so on as soon and as long as you can. Ain’t no pockets on a casket. See you again next fall if not before.
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Old 12-11-2018, 05:14 PM   #132
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I have been following this thread with a lot of interest and here is my read on it:

At first my reaction was with worry and concern and yup a bump up in blood pressure and heartburn. But wait a minute … Reace and Tammy have produced a quality product for a number of years … that is a known and is recognized by the public - after all look how quickly and for what price a used Escape sells for. This tells me I have made a good investment. As time marches on, Reace and Tammy are still going to need to be paid and now we have KV who is going to have to make money …. that means the price is going to have to increase AND so will the resale value of my trailer. I'm not planning on selling but I'm happy.

Lets say Reace and Tammy retire. Its their business but I THANK them for producing such a fine product with an excellent reputation. Its that 'reputation' that will continue to give us owners a dividend of at least pride and very likely retained value. Thank you Reace and Tammy!

If KV completely takes over and blends Escape trailers into their entire line … we win again. Likely Escape trailers will need to be sold through dealerships and dealerships will need a cut of the profit. The price goes up and so does our pre-buyout trailer resale values.

Reflecting on Ron from BC's comment about buying Apple stock …. I feel like in my own way I have, by buying a somewhat early Escape Trailer. I'm a happy camper. If I was thinking about buying an Escape …. I'd do it right now. For US buyers, you have an excellent exchange rate and for all, an opportunity to buy a quality product with very low depreciation. Owning an Escape is a good investment and I didn't even mention the pride, the fun and the memories - Priceless!

Advice to owners: keep your trailers washed, shinny and well maintained, We all win.

Tom
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Old 12-11-2018, 06:02 PM   #133
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Iowa Dave;
Travel, camp, travel, camp and so on as soon and as long as you can. Ain’t no pockets on a casket. See you again next fall if not before.
Iowa Dave
Dave that is a classic!!
How about ALL of us send Tammy and Reace an appropriate holiday card with a personal note to show our support? I think they would appreciate it. ��
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Old 12-11-2018, 06:17 PM   #134
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Good idea

Quote:
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Dave that is a classic!!
How about ALL of us send Tammy and Reace an appropriate holiday card with a personal note to show our support? I think they would appreciate it. ��
George
That’s a good idea. We have registered for Davy Crockett next fall and hope you have too. In fact I got a Christmas card and note from Escape friends today and it made me feel pretty good so I think you’re right, cards and a notes mean a lot. Practice that Davy Crockett ballad this winter so you’re ready for a shot of karaoke next October.

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Old 12-11-2018, 06:51 PM   #135
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Iowa Dave.. Can I use my Grade seven lyrics for Davy Crocket? Born on a table top in Joes cafe..Gresiest spoon in the USA....You probably know the rest. Cheers
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Old 12-11-2018, 07:11 PM   #136
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I cannot help but feel a certain amount of sadness at the news of this thread. I feel like the Golden Age is now over, but we’re only just beginning to realize it. For what it’s worth, a friend who is knowledgeable about venture capital matters tells me that pretty much without fail, venture capitalists won’t make a deal of this nature unless they control more than 50% of the company. I trust the Harmatiuks. They have earned that. I don’t know that I trust the new partner. They have not earned such. Perhaps they will. One can hope. In any case, I am forever grateful to the Harmatiuks and their team for all they’ve done for so many over the years, and I wish them the best in everything they undertake going forward.
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Old 12-11-2018, 08:38 PM   #137
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Lyrics

Quote:
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Iowa Dave.. Can I use my Grade seven lyrics for Davy Crocket? Born on a table top in Joes cafe..Gresiest spoon in the USA....You probably know the rest. Cheers
You can sing about anything at the Karaoke. A nine minute rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody was a premier performance last year. I’m a great American Songbook guy. You know like
“A turn to the right
A little red light
Will lead you to my blue heaven “
Or something like that.
Iowa Dave
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Old 12-11-2018, 09:23 PM   #138
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Well, here goes….

I can’t tell you how many times we have said “We don’t want to expand” however, in some ways, we look at the business like a mudslide. If you stand still, it will swallow you up, so we keep trying to stay ahead of it…by growing to meet the demand.

Over the past few years, we have had many companies express an interest in Escape however, none with a future plan that interested us. Having a good working relationship with Northern Lite, I received a call from the owner with news that they had sold to KV and they had expressed interest in Escape. After a year of many conversations with KV and seeing how they were working with Northern Lite, we were very excited to work with them.

KV is not your typical investment company that many of you are alluding to. They truly believe in the companies they invest in and are also genuinely interested in the products they manufacture. The goal is not to change what Escape has built, but to make it stronger by collaborating with other manufacturers in our sector in a way that we couldn’t. Why change something that is working well? I saw someone mention that they will probably cancel the rally. Why? It’s a great event that brings many of our customers together and helps to build brand loyalty. My understanding is they plan to attend! Who knows, maybe Northern Lite will start a Customer Appreciation Rally!

Tammy and I have recognized that Escape has so much more to offer, and we don’t know how to get it there. This is where KV has come in to help. This will not only propel the company forward, but it will be the start of us getting a life back. There are a few key roles being added to Tammy’s team at the top end of the business. She is hoping to soon drop down to a shorter work week, but keep mainly focused helping oversee the trailer sales.

For me, I am happiest when I am on the production floor studying and refining our manufacturing processes. I love it! I am fortunate to have a couple of key people join my team which has allowed me to get away from the desk and be where I am most valuable. This is retirement to me!

What’s next? Can’t say for sure, but for our customers, Escape is only getting stronger.

Reace and Tammy
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Old 12-11-2018, 09:28 PM   #139
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Well, here goes….



I can’t tell you how many times we have said “We don’t want to expand” however, in some ways, we look at the business like a mudslide. If you stand still, it will swallow you up, so we keep trying to stay ahead of it…by growing to meet the demand.



Over the past few years, we have had many companies express an interest in Escape however, none with had a future plan that interested us. Having a good working relationship with Northern Lite, I received a call from the owner with news that they had sold to KV and they had expressed interest in Escape. After a year of many conversations with KV and seeing how they were working with Northern Lite, we were very excited to work with them.



KV is not your typical investment company that many of you are eluding to. They truly believe in the companies they invest in and are also genuinely interested in the products they manufacture. The goal is not to change what Escape has built, but to make it stronger by collaborating with other manufacturers in our sector in a way that we couldn’t. Why change something that is working well? I saw someone mention that they will probably cancel the rally. Why? It’s a great event that brings many of our customers together and helps to build brand loyalty. My understanding is they plan to attend! Who knows, maybe Northern Lite will start a Customer Appreciation Rally!



Tammy and I have recognized that Escape has so much more to offer, and we don’t know how to get it there. This is where KV has come in to help. This will not only propel the company forward, but it will be the start of us getting a life back. There are a few key roles being added to Tammy’s team at the top end of the business. She is hoping to soon drop down to a shorter work week, but keep mainly focused helping oversee the trailer sales.



For me, I am happiest when I am on the production floor studying and refining our manufacturing processes. I love it! I am fortunate to have a couple of key people join my team which has allowed me to get away from the desk and be where I am most valuable. This is retirement to me!



What’s next? Can’t say for sure, but for our customers, Escape is only getting stronger.



Reace and Tammy


Confidence: Restored! Thanks for filling us in, Reace [emoji1303]
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Old 12-11-2018, 09:45 PM   #140
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Confidence: Restored! Thanks for filling us in, Reace [emoji1303]
Way to go Reace! I will be following your new journey with much interest. Wishing you and Tammy the best. Now When the dust finally settles how bout that 23 or 25 footer, just sayin.
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