REGION
Thursday, May 5, 2022
East Oregonian
A3
YouTube provides key platform for Pendleton RV dealer
By JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
PEN DLETON
—
Thompson RV in Pendleton
is dealing with short staffi ng
and supply chain issues, yet
sales are staying hot.
Cor rin Thompson
manages internet sales and
the website for the busi-
ness. She said Thompson
RV does not just rely on the
local population.
“We sell to the whole
country online,” she said.
The business is on Face-
book and Instagram, and
its website remains an
entry portal, but YouTube
is its main sales tool. She
said the businesses videos
on the streaming plat-
form show complete walk-
throughs, from fl oor plans
down to every detail. Trailer
blogs and contacts among
potential customers rapidly
spread the word. She said
Thompson RV recently had
15,000 views in three days.
“People buy our trailers
without ever having been
in one,” Thompson said. “I
just sold a trailer to a guy in
Egypt. He’s heading back to
the U.S. after 10 years.”
The dealership is the
top retailer for Outdoors
RV Back Country trailers.
Outdoors RV Manufactur-
ing in La Grande makes
just 2,000 of the trailers per
year. The “Green Book”
recreational vehicle guide
rates Outdoors models as
No. 1.
The Outdoors models
have higher ground clear-
ance than Airstreams and
are insulated. A 26-foot
Airstream requires two
air conditioners. Outdoors
trailers also cost less.
A 2 5 -fo o t O u t d o o r s
costs $70,000, while an
Airstream of that length
goes for $170,000.
Kathy Aney/East Oregonian
Thompson RV co-owners Carolyn Thompson, Burton Thomp-
son and Corrin Thompson gather Tuesday, May 3, 2022, on a
Pendleton retail lot where they say business is booming de-
spite infl ation and rising fuel prices.
“Our customers are will-
ing to wait for the best,”
she said. “Often buyers are
planning in advance for
retirement, so waiting isn’t
a problem for them.”
Thompson RV parts sales
manager Kelly Fox said that
Rescuers free
driver from
crashed pickup
Hermiston resident
steps into health
leadership role
HERMISTON — Greater
Oregon Behavioral Health
Inc. hired
Lourdes
R e y n a
Alcala to be
its regional
commu-
nity health
development
Alcala
manager. She
started the
position April 11.
“I’m really happy to join
the team,” she said.
GOBHI is an administra-
tive services organization for
Eastern Oregon Coordinated
Care Organization. EOCCO
is a partnership between
local health agencies, which
also includes Hermiston’s
Good Shepherd Health Care
System, Pendleton’s CHI St.
Anthony Hospital and the
Yakima Farm Workers Clinic.
sales in general.
“It’s not as if people shut in
during the pandemic suddenly
decided to buy RVs,” Thomp-
son said. “But it did boost
sales. However, we’ve grown
steadily.”
And like other businesses,
Thompson RV is seeking
more employees.
“We’re short-handed,” Fox
said.
The business already hired
several new people, going
from 10 employees to about
15 or 17.
“We keep growing, but
we have high standards, so
it’s tough to fi nd good appli-
cants,” Thompson added.
The RV business used to
be seasonal, with peak sales in
May to October. Thus, it made
sense to keep fewer staff .
“We just worked harder
during the summer, then
never laid anyone off in
winter,” she continued. “But
now it’s more year-round.”
UMATILLA
LOCAL BRIEFING
WESTON — Rescuers
freed the driver of a pickup
Tuesday morning, May 3,
after it ran off the road near
Weston and crashed.
East Umatilla Fire &
Rescue in a news release
reported it responded to a call
at 7:52 a.m. on Highway 204
for a pickup that ran off the
road and ended up with a tree
against the driver’s side door.
The weather on High-
way 204 was slightly icy and
foggy, according to the news
release. The fire district’s
personnel arrived to fi nd a
pickup nose down in snow
with the rear several feet off
the ground and stuck on a
tree. Airbags in the cab had
opened.
A crew freed the driver
through the front windshield.
The person suff ered minor
injuries. East Umatilla Fire
& Rescue took the person to
a local hospital.
wait time is about a year.
“We’re backlogged,” he
said,
Thompson RV also
sells Keystone trailers. The
company is the top manufac-
turer of towable RVs in North
America. It boasts more than
a million owners, 5,000 team
members and more than a
million square feet of manu-
facturing space in Goshen,
Indiana and Pendleton.
“RV sales are record-set-
ting,” Fox added. “After the
2020 election, sales took off .
Baby boomers are retiring
and selling their houses. Or
people buy an RV, since it’s
cheaper than adding onto a
house.”
While recreational vehi-
cle sales are through the roof,
supply chain issues are hitting
Thompson.
“Supply is extremely poor
depending on the part,” Fox
said, “but overall, we have to
wait months and the prices are
high. They’ve gone up 20 to
30%.”
Still, higher interest rates
and prices haven’t depressed
trailer sales. While demand
for RVs is high regionally and
nationwide, Thompson is
doing even better than trailer
Econo Lodge hotel manager
credits community for award
East Oregonian
Mark Woodbright/East Umatilla Fire & Rescue
In her new position,
Reyna Alcala oversees the
department as it works with
other EOCCO providers in 12
counties.
She said the biggest chal-
lenge of the role is maintain-
ing key community partners
and collaborating on changes
when they are needed.
A recent GOBHI press
release stated Reyna Alcala is
a “familiar face among local
civic and human services
work groups,” as she is a
longtime Hermiston resident.
She said housing and food
costs have been important
to her, and her job includes
working on these issues, as
they relate to health.
According to GOBHI,
Reyna Alcala is fluent in
English and Spanish holds
a bachelor’s degree from
Washington State University
and is completing a master’s
degree in special educa-
tion from the University of
Oregon.
“We’re th r illed for
Lourdes to come aboard and
lead this community role,”
VISIT US ON THE WEB AT:
www.EastOregonian.com
GOBHI CEO Karen Wheeler
said. “Her expertise in collab-
oration with diverse commu-
nities in Eastern Oregon will
help take us to the next level
in uplifting local voices and
improving services for resi-
dents.
— EO Media Group
UMATILLA — The
Econo Lodge in Umatilla
recently won an award,
according to Lynne Kitrel,
hotel manager.
“We’ve received a Plati-
num Award from Choice,”
she said.
Choice Hotels Inter-
national Inc. owns Econo
Lodge and several other
hotel brands. According to
Kitrel, only 3% of Econo
Lodge hotels in the U.S.
received this distinction.
This is a big deal, she
said, for the former Tilli-
cum Inn, 1481 Sixth St.,
Umatilla. Its history under
its former name includes
a fi re in 2017. It was reno-
vated, rebranded and
reopened in 2018, but has
faced recent challenges,
Kitrel said, coming back
from the pandemic.
She said the hotel
received its award based on
customer reviews. On the
Choice website, customers
have given the hotel a rating
of 3.9 out of 5 stars, with
83% of customers recom-
mending it.
Recom mendations
praise the service, comfort,
food and more. Where there
are complaints, including
one issue with cold water
in the shower, management
has responded online with
apologies.
Kitrel said she and her
staff are working hard to
create a positive experience
for their customers, though
she added that the entire city
of Umatilla deserves credit.
“It was very much a
team eff ort,” she said. “If
you look at those reviews,
it’s not just us that made
this. It’s the Bridge Bistro
(& Brews), Java Junk-
ies, Harvest Foods and the
people of this community in
Umatilla.”
She added she could
have “the cleanest hotel in
the world,” and it would
not have mattered if her
neighbors were not stellar.
Thanks to them, she said,
visitors to her hotel are
pleased with their experi-
ence.
“It’s really nice to see
Umatilla sprouting up so
nicely,” she said.
She said the hotel will
soon receive a plaque,
which will be placed in
the hotel.
4/29 - May 5
Cineplex Show Times
Price changes: Adults: $10.00 • Child: $8.00
Senior: $8.00 • Matinees (before 4:00pm): $8.00
Doctor Strange in the
Multiverse of Madness (PG13)
4:30p 5:10p 7:40p 8:20p
extra 1:20p and 2:00p
show 5/6-5/8
The Northman (R)
4:50p 7:50p
extra 1:50p
show 5/6-5/8
The Bad Guys (PG)
3:50p 6:30p 9:10p
extra 1:10p
show 5/6-5/8
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (PG)
3:40p 6:20p 9:00p
extra 1:00p
show 5/6-5/8
wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850
Good Shepherd
Outreach & Events
Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216
EOCI
Hiring
Plumber
May is Older American's Month
Good Shepherd’s Community Health & Outreach
offers free health screenings for community
members of all ages!
Healthy Cooking on a Budget
Must have valid Oregon
Plumber’s License
Second Tuesday of the month (May 10, 2022)
Apply by 5/16/2022
Walk with Ease
odocjobs.com
Search for Oregon Job
Opportunities
$4,772 - $6,978/month
May 23 – July 1, M/W/F
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COMMUNITY HEALTH & OUTREACH
541-667-3509 | healthinfo@gshealth.org