|
Dealer Resources Group Provides Coverage Throughout the U.S.
Now starting our third decade, Dealer Resources Group was originally formed to provide RV Industry Suppliers with an effective, lower cost alternative to a direct factory sales force. Owned and operated by Jim Stark, Bob Barber, and Garry Weaver, DRG's experienced sales personnel provide intense sales coverage at the dealer level throughout our now 48 State service area.
Within our 48 State territory, DRG works with, and/or on the behalf of, the area distributors and their sales personnel to generate pull-through sales at the dealer level. Training is also an important part of our efforts at both the dealer and distributor levels. Feature/benefit training sessions are conducted on a regular basis throughout the year for all our suppliers. In addition, DRG provides sales coverage for their supplier principles, where applicable, at the O.E.M. level, and maintains a close working relationship with Camping World at both the store and headquarters levels.
Our joint venture with Shepherd Sales, Inc., which began in early 2010, provides our Vendor Partners with a Dealer/WD sales force of over 20 people, located strategically throughout the U.S. The combination of our firms resulted in a sales force that is currently impossible to duplicate. The market knowledge and relationships our people have with their dealer and distributor customers is a significant advantage for our Vendors. This simple fact, along with our combined annual aftermarket sales volume of well over $100 Million at wholesale prices, assures our position as the leading rep firm in our industry, and allows our Vendor Partners to take advantage of our key partnership positions with our Dealer and Distributor customers.
DRG’s Founder/Equity Partners
Jim Stark, a founding partner of DRG, began his RV career with Valley Industries, a towing products company located in Lodi, California. Jim left Valley to join Faulkner Mfg. Company as its Director of Marketing and, after four years with Faulkner, switched to the distribution side of the business by going to work for Mohawk Trailer Supply in Schenectady, NY. When Mohawk was sold to The Coast Distribution System in 1990, Jim was transferred to Tampa and became V.P. and Gen. Mgr. of Coast's Tampa distribution center. In 1994, Jim was promoted to Senior V.P. of Sales and moved to Coast's San Jose, California headquarters. In 1999, Jim returned to the Tampa area and joined forces with David Jones to form DRG.
Contact Information: Jim Stark, 2219 Hickory Ridge Drive, Valrico, Florida 33596 Phone: (813) 956-6828 Fax: (813) 685-3190 e-mail: jstarkdrg@hotmail.com
Garry Weaver, DRG's first sales associate, joined the company in 2000 after over 10 years sales experience with Stag/Parkway's Leesburg, Florida branch as an outside sales representative. In 2002, Garry was promoted to General Manager of DRG's Texas Division and relocated to the Austin, Texas area. In 2006, Garry's efforts on behalf of the firm were again rewarded when he was made a partner in DRG through our newly instituted Partnership Program. He has worked closely with the area distributors and their sales people and has developed an excellent following with the RV dealers throughout the territory. Garry is also an active member of the T.R.V.A. and has served as a member of the organizations Board of Directors. He now serves DRG as V.P. and General Manager of our Texas Division. Contact Information: Garry Weaver, 2510 Silver Spur Lane, Leander, Texas 78641 Phone: (512) 913-1253 Fax: (512) 528-9776 e-mail: drggfw@yahoo.com
Bob Barber, now DRG’s President, accepted an offer to become DRG's Southeast Division General Manager in February, 2005. Bob has many years of experience in the market he serves, as a distributor sales representative with Coast Distribution for over eight years, and with Arrow for the three years before joining DRG. Prior to that, Bob also owned and operated a dealership in Clearwater, Florida and served as Parts Manager for several major RV Dealers, including Lazydays. With a strong history of success, and exceptional knowledge of all aspects of the business, Bob has been a great addition for our current and future vendors, and a highly valued member of the DRG Sales team. In 2007, Bob's commitment to the firm was rewarded by becoming the second sales associate to be made a partner through DRG's Partnership Program. In 2010, Bob was promoted to V.P. of National Sales for DRG, and was named President of the firm in March of 2018.
Contact Information: Bob Barber, 1508 Rush Grove Circle, Dover, Florida 33527 Phone: (813) 760-0255 e-mail: ROBO3@aol.com
DRG’s Regional Sales Associates
Andy Mikesell became General Manager of DRG's Midwest Division in February of 2006 after several years as a Regional Sales Manager for Firestone's Industrial Products Division. His "Key Account" experience with Firestone, and the fact that his new DRG territory included many of the accounts he had worked with for several years, allowed Andy to have an immediate positive impact on the sales in his new territory. His work ethic, product knowledge, and previous "big company" training, have made Andy a key member of DRG's Sales and Management team. Contact Information: Andy Mikesell, 10145 Wildwood Drive, Zionsville, Indiana 46077 Phone: (813) 215-9926 Fax: (317) 873-1048 e-mail: amikeselldrg@hotmail.com
Bill Eckhoff began his DRG career in January of 2007 after serving as a Regional Manager at Pulliam Industries for several years. As Regional Sales Manager for our Upper Midwest Division, Bill has proven himself to be a valuable asset for DRG, its customers, and our supplier companies. His prior industry experience and familiarity with the customers he serves, along with his product knowledge and sales abilities, have made Bill an important addition to the DRG Sales Team. Contact Information: Bill Eckhoff, 46572 250th Street, Colton, South Dakota 57018 Phone: (605) 366-5222 Fax: (605) 446-3747 e-mail: beckhoffdrg@hotmail.com
George Yontosh agreed to join DRG in October of 2007 as Regional Sales Manager for our Atlantic Division, after successfully running his own Rep firm for over five years. George's firm, which also served the RV Aftermarket, wasn't his first experience in the RV Industry. Prior to starting his Rep company, George worked for Stag/Parkway as a dealer sales representative for over eight years and served as the Parts Manager of a major dealership before that. Working with the same dealers, W.D. sales people, and distributors he had worked with for over thirteen years, allowed George to make an immediate impact for DRG and its Suppliers. George's experience, product knowledge, and reputation in the Industry, allowed for an easy and positive transition to his new duties with DRG. Contact Information: George Yontosh, 8121 Olde Hill Court, Raleigh, North Carolina Phone: (919) 418-1927 Fax: (919) 848-8597 e-mail: Gyontosh@gmail.com
J.D. Overstreet joined DRG in the fall of 2009 as Regional Sales Manager for our Central Midwest territory, and moved from Florida to Hannibal, Missouri. J.D. brings many years of experience to his new position and has worked in the parts departments of several large dealerships, has held sales positions with RV Parts Distribution companies, and owned and operated an RV Dealership in Clearwater, Florida. His background and sales ability have allowed J.D. to provide an immediate positive impact for our Vendor Partners.
Contact Information: J.D. Overstreet, 403 Rosewood, Hannibal, Missouri 63401 Phone: (813) 600-0030 e-mail: johnny_overstreet@yahoo.com
George Bilbo became a DRG sales associate in early 2010 and lives with his family in Columbia, Mississippi. George has several years of industry experience, most recently as a dealer sales representative for Arrow Distributing, where he worked out of their branch in Louisiana. He now covers the same territory for DRG that he previously covered for Arrow. His long relationships with the dealers in his area have allowed him to easily make the transition to his new duties with DRG. We’re very pleased that George decided to join us and are very confident that he will be an important part of our future growth.
Contact Information: George Bilbo, 37 Lakeshore Drive, Columbia, Mississippi 39429 Phone: (601) 818-2633 e-mail: gwbilbo@aol.com
John Howlan is one of our most experienced sales associates, with over 20 years experience as a rep in the RV Industry with Shepherd Sales before joining DRG in 2010. John, who previously lived in the Denver area, agreed to become the General Manager of our Northwest Division, and has relocated to Bend, Oregon. While this was a new territory for him, his prior knowledge of our product lines, since DRG and Shepherd Sales have many product lines in common, assured a fast start in his new responsibilities and he quickly became a highly valued member of the DRG sales team and a key asset for our Vendor Partners.
Contact Information: John Howlan, 22970 Superior Court, Bend, Oregon 97702 Phone: (303) 883-9433 Fax: (541) 383-9899 e-mail: jhowlan@netzero.com
Mike Perry joined the DRG Sales Team in July of 2013. With many years of RV experience at both the Dealer and Distributor levels, Mike joined DRG as a knowledgeable RV Industry veteran. He had excellent relationships with the Dealers in his territory since he had been working with them for several years as a sales representative for NTP in the same territory he now covers for DRG. Working for NTP also provided him a great understanding of virtually all our Vendor’s product lines & programs, which allowed Mike to become a very important addition to the DRG Sales Staff from day one of joining the firm.
Contact Information: Mike Perry, 6 Seneca Street, Rochester, NH 03867 Phone: (603) 842-0184 e-mail: mperrydrg@hotmail.com
Marty Jennings began his career with DRG in July of 2015. His 25 years of experience, covering positions in manufacturing, as an RV service tech, retail RV sales, RV dealership parts and service management, and outside sales positions with Stag/Parkway and NTP/Stag, Marty provides DRG’s Vendor Partners with broad knowledge of our industry. The fact he is covering the same territory and dealers he worked with for NTP/Stag has allowed him to have a positive impact from day one. Without question, Marty was an important, and effective addition to DRG’s Sales Team. Contact Information: Marty Jennings, 7995 Heardsville Circle, Cumming, GA 30028 Phone: (404) 425-8948 e-mail: mjenningsdrg@hotmail.com
Steve Roddy joined DRG in December of 2015. He moved to Florida in 1986 and continued his career in the RV Business with key management positions in several major RV Dealership’s Parts and Service departments, including Lazydays. In 1999, he became the instructor for the FRVTA Distance Learning Network to develop RVIA/RVDA Certified Technicians for Dealerships throughout Florida. He is still actively involved with this important program, and in the development of training and testing materials for RV Warranty, Parts, Service Advisor and Service Management personnel with RVIA and RVDA on a national basis.
Contact Information: Steve Roddy, 2751 Huntington Hills Drive, Lakeland, FL 33810 Phone: (813) 494-3654 e-mail: sroddy4drg@yahoo.com
David A. Parker joined DRG on September 1st, 2017 as Regional Sales Manager for Southern California. David has many years of experience in RV Store Operations, plus a very strong sales background. He worked closely with DRG as the Parts Mgr. for a Transwest RV dealership in the Midwest, and previously served as the General Mgr. of Camping World of Little Rock, and Assistant Mgr. of a Wal-Mart store in Bentonville, Arkansas, the companies headquarters town. With his excellent knowledge of our product lines, and Parts Store Operations, David has proven to be a great asset to our dealer customers and Vendor Partners.
Contact Information: David A. Parker, 5060 Lavender Terrace, Chino Hills, CA 91709 Phone: (951) 642-2728 e-mail: David.parker.drg@gmail.com
Jeff Coates, our newest team member, joined DRG on April 1st of 2019 as Southeast Regional Manager. Jeff worked for NTP as an outside sales representative for many years and now is responsible for basically the same territory and dealers that he called on with NTP. We are very confident that Jeff will provide an immediate positive impact for our Vendor Partners. Jeff’s product knowledge and dealer connections will allow him to make a positive impact from day one!
Contact Information: Jeff Coates, 840 Old Clear Creek Rd., Marion, NC 28752 Phone: (828) 442-7523 e-mail: Jeff.DRG@yahoo.com
|
|
DRG Sales Personnel are able to offer FREE, expert assistance to re-merchandise Dealer’s Parts Stores. We are able to plan and execute everything from a complete re-set of the entire store, re-sets of individual store sections, or the creation of attractive end cap displays that provide customer interest and increased sales for the Dealership. Please contact your DRG Sales Representative for more information. |
|
Home |
