RVTimes tells MHProNews.com the RV/MH Hall of Fame Museum in Elkhart, Indiana, has managed to keep its doors open despite a debt of nearly $5 million as of last April when Tom McNulty took the reins as executive director. He says, “There are some good things happening and actually our cash flow is better than it’s been in a couple of years. Attendance during the summer was 100 to 150 people a day and we are seeing greater returns from our convention center.” Noting that while continuing to operate in the red, he adds, “At times we think we see the light at the end of the tunnel, but then someone turns off the switch. It’s very frustrating to say the least.” The museum has a $900,000 line of credit with First Source Bank. The family of the late Boots Ingram, who founded Teton Homes, loaned the museum $3.1 million. Both loans were made when the economy was in better shape. Bill Garpow, chairman of the Hall of Fame, says discussion is ongoing with the Ingram family to help resolve the debt, and the convention center already has $100,000 in bookings for 2012. He notes, “The good news is that it’s hard to find anybody that doesn’t say we need the hall, that we need to support it, that it’s a good endeavor. That tells me that if people start feeling better about their situation, then our situation could also improve.”
