The Route 66 RV Network provided its dealer members messages encouraging them to face and overcome challenges to their business today. Paralympian triathlete Melissa Stockwell delivered the message to the 250 attendees in attendance Tuesday morning at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Route 66 also recognized its six new dealers joining the group in the past year and gave out two awards to honor members making a difference to the network.
Co-founder Rob Merrill said, “Are there disadvantages today? Are there challenges? Yes. Are there opportunities? Yes.”
Stockwell lost her left leg in a 2004 roadside bombing while she was serving the military in Iraq. She would recover and move on to become a marathoner and then a Paralympic swimmer in the 2008 games in China. By 2016, she transferred her sport to the triathlon, winning a bronze medal in the Brazil Paralympics.
Stockwell would go on to perform in the 2021 and 2024 Paralympics, finishing fifth both years. She said her message to attendees was to embrace what makes them unique and run with it.
She said, “Life is too short not to celebrate life and the moments in your life.”
Stockwell encouraged dealers to empower their teams and give themselves credit by tapping into their potential by believing they can accomplish great things.
“Try something new,” she said. “You never know what you can do until you try.”
The network recognized new dealers in the morning general session. Those dealers are Miller’s RV, Royal Coach Recreational Sales, A to Z RV Center, Zabukovic RV, Bobby Combs RV Center and County Line Campers.
Route 66 Director of Dealer Support Stephanie Notter was honored for her 20th anniversary working at the network. The group also awarded its Dave Francis Distinguished Partner Award to its own digital marketing team, Ride Digital.
Route 66 also presented information to dealers on new offerings available for F&I training and employee benefits, including health care. The F&I training, led by Director of F&I Training Andres Camacho, began testing with 10 dealerships this year and will be more widely available in 2025. The employee benefits, managed by third-party partner Gravie, will be available as soon as the year’s end.
The Route 66 Rally wraps up today with a general session that began at 8 a.m.
