Zoomers RV
Touting its motto, “We make memories affordable,” Zoomers RV opened sales last Friday at its 1905 East Main Street office, former home of Interstate Repair Service.
Operations co-manager Dana Massie proudly displayed Zoomers’ first pair of the initial 70-or-so recreational vehicles that will soon occupy the company’s dual locations in Lamoni’s Industrial Zone, including the second display site immediately south of the Cobblestone Inn and Suites. Hundreds more are promised over the months ahead.
Dana’s co-manager Eric Bockemuehl, like Dana herself, comes to Lamoni from Spokane, Washington, having served as financial manager for the Wabash office several years previously. When CEO Mike Weaver decided to start his second site, he immediately asked Eric to find the best operations manager around to join him, and Dana was the obvious choice.
The company will sell all three types of self-contained homes on wheels. This includes both types of pull-behinds, including “travel trailers” that attach to the bumper of other vehicles and “fifth-wheelers” that sit in pickup truck beds. The third and largest group are the all-inclusive, driver-operated “motor homes.” Trade-ins of all types will be accepted.
Although the company will primarily sell new pull-behinds, its motor homes for sale will largely be pre-owned. Since the service section of Zoomers’ split-use building on its site has 14-foot bays, even the largest motor homes can be serviced indoors (though perhaps requiring airless tires, Dana concedes).
Three newly trained local employees will perform all pre-delivery inspections with needed repairs and appliance replacements prior to sales. The three firm standards that Dana maintains have set the company apart in Indiana will be continued in Lamoni:
- No dealer fees
- No charge for PDIs (pre-delivery inspections) on all RVs sold
- Affordable pricing established ahead of time.
The company has been a price leader in Indiana and is determined to be so in the Iowa market as well.
Zoomers RV was started in Wabash, Indiana, by its owner, Mike Weaver, with a single used travel trailer 11 years ago and has since grown to over 500 RVs. He is also preparing to open the largest RV service facility in Indiana. Lamoni is its second sales location. Lamoni Development Corporation President Jared Doty, who recently visited the Indiana site, confirms its highly successful operation.
There were four special features of Lamoni’s physical environment that contributed to its selection:
- The city sat at the crossroads of four major markets: Des Moines, Kansas City, Omaha, and Davenport.
- Interstate 35 provided easy access.
- The Welcome Center already drew sizable traffic off Exit 4.
- The Cobblestone Inn and Suites could provide comfortable overnight accommodations to buyers.
But describing what really made the difference for selecting Lamoni in its search process, Dana says, “It was by far the most welcoming of everyplace we went. Everyone we met was just tremendously helpful.” She especially cited Shannon Erb of the Decatur County Development Corporation as extremely accommodating. “She sent us videos, documents, housing information, and just gave us incredible attention all the time for every need we had.” Jared Doty provided cost-free access to Graceland’s stock of file cabinets and office furniture. Dana cited several others for their assistance and advice, including Jeremy Sellars, Barb Stuck, Sherry Adams, Jordan Omstead, and Bill Weabler, who picked up his paint bucket and volunteered in restoring the office décor.
Although sales will continue through the immediate future, Zoomers RV has scheduled its Grand Opening for July 14. A memorable celebration is promised.
Freedom Racing Tool and Auto
Freedom Racing Tool and Auto is an industry leading business that sells new and pre-owned automotive specialty tools. To the City of Lamoni, however, it is more than just a successful business, it is an establishment of Pride and Progress.
In 2015, Freedom Racing outgrew its downtown location and expanded to a modern 9,000 sq. ft. facility in the Lamoni Industrial Park. The City’s join efforts (LDC, IADG, INS, GRM Networks, CIPCO, and DCDC) made this expansion possible as Freedom Racing is not only one of the most successful businesses in Lamoni, it also helps lead the charge in inspiring the community to grow the local economy.
With this new facility, Freedom Racing was able to increase its employee numbers from 12 to 22. With the expectation to grow to approximately 30 employees in the next few years, DCDC and LDC assisted in securing financing to again expand Freedom Racing’s building with assistance from CIPCO. The 3,800 sq. ft. expansion allows the business to improve and enlarge the packing area and separate shipping and receiving in order to increase efficiencies and flow. This expansion makes room for more employees to work on processing and shipping orders and accommodates a larger work area for receiving and processing inventory.
Main Street Brick House
This deli sandwich and ice cream shop opened in Leon in May, 2018. As a start up business, the owners took a risk to provide a service missing in the community, a place to buy freshly sliced meat and cheese, and to get ice cream. DCDC assisted with creating a business plan, reviewing financial projections, and financed part of this endeavor in the form of a low-interest loan.