Left to Right: Christy Jenkins, Office Assistant, Mark Mallard, Owner, Jennifer Roberts, Office Assistant, Sharon Mallard, Office Manager, Wayne Stevenson, Service Manager
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Left to Right: Ben Mallard, Service Tech, John Ross, Customer, Mark Mallard, Owner, Wayne Stevenson, Service Manager
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Mark Mallard and Wayne Stevenson adjust a rear deck
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Lowell Goold Transportation delivers a load of Northstar Campers
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Customer Alvaro Torres's Northstar Adventurer 8.5 and Ford F250
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Customer Ed Kirkland's Northstar 850SE pop-up and Toyota Tundra
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Customer Todd Rightsell with his Northstar in South Dakota
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Another photo from customer Todd Rightsell in South Dakota
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Customer JC Bailey and his Arctic Fox 990 and Ford F350
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We were introduced to Mark Mallard, Owner of A&M Services, by Rex Willett of Northstar Campers at the 2008 Mid-Atlantic Truck Camper Rally. In separate phone conversations after the event, Rex and Mark told me how much they have enjoyed working together over the years. As with any industry, good attitudes and positive relationships are so important in the truck camper business. From what I heard, Rex and Mark have that down.
This story is more than a truck camper dealership introduction. Mark has answers to two questions in particular that should be of interest. One, is there really a market for truck campers in North Carolina? And two, how can we all get better fuel mileage with our truck camping rigs? Let’s hear from Mark.
TCM: What are your earliest memories that involve RVs?
Mark: My family’s first camper was a 1971 Starcraft pop-up. We camped at a local lake and went fishing throughout my entire youth. My parents also had an old Western Wilderness which we took down to Hattaras Island. On Hatteras we would go surf fishing when the Bluefish were running and spend time on the beach.
TCM: Do you go truck camping?
Mark: Yes. I’ve gone out in Northstar and Arctic Fox campers as well as a few other brands that we’ve taken in on trade. Truck campers are hard to beat. I can park anywhere I want to without issues.
TCM: What do you like to do when you go truck camping?
Mark: We like camping at the local lakes. We can get to them quickly and they’re great for boating and fishing. We also like to go to the beach at least twice a year. Because of the dealership, we don’t get to camp much in the summer. I like cat fishing and bass fishing and I used to do a lot of deep sea fishing. I hope to get back to that this year. I miss it.
TCM: Why did you open your own dealership?
Mark: I was running a plumbing, heating, air conditioning, electrical, and refrigeration company with thirty-five employees, seventeen trucks on the road, and 24-hour service. Late one Friday, I had left UPS, a customer that was always stressed out. UPS always needed me after hours to fix their conveyor systems and air conditioning units. When I returned, I saw that I had a yard full of campers to work on and that I didn't need to be on the road anymore. So I made up my mind to stop the mobile services and get into the camper service full time. We have always serviced air conditioning, heating, electric, and refrigerators on campers.
We went from thirty-five employees and seventeen trucks to five employees and four trucks. I felt like someone had lifted a weight off of me. I don’t miss the stress. And I really like the people who go camping. They’re relaxed and know how to have a good time.
TCM: If you went back in time to when you started A&M, would you have any advice for yourself?
Mark: Save up more money. I jumped in without a whole lot of thought. It was a last minute decision and it put my family on a roller coaster. If I had to do it again, I would be more organized and talk with my wife a little more. That being said, this is a better life for us now.
Growth challenges have been more than expected. We have doubled every year since we opened. A lot of that is from our huge parts business.
TCM: What do you actually do day-to-day?
Mark: I don’t ever do the same thing twice. I work in the service department and make a mess of the cash register and get in the way of our employees. I’ll sweep the floors, wash the campers, turn wrenches, and work with customers. I wear a lot of different hats. I’m very hands on and would go crazy if I had to sit behind a desk all day.
TCM: How many truck campers do you keep in inventory at any given time?
Mark: We keep about four Northstar campers, four Arctic Fox campers, and three Sunlite campers in inventory. For Northstar, we try to have an 8.5 Adventurer, 9.5 Igloo, 850SC pop-up, and a 850SC XB pop-up. For Arctic Fox, we try to have two 811 campers (one long bed, one short bed) and two 990 campers (one with a generator, one without). We also carry the Sunlite 865 in three different versions.
When I met Rex Willett, we jumped in with Northstar. Northstar campers are a superior product. And the way Northstar handles customer service is unbeatable.
I had been looking at Arctic Fox for a long time but the freight from Oregon was high. When Ron Nash opened a plant in Winchester, Virginia I told him I would carry his campers immediately. We’ll take any Northstar or Arctic Fox on trade without thinking about it.
The Sunlites are less expensive entry level campers. They’re not Northstars but they’re good campers.
TCM: Is there a healthy demand for truck campers in North Carolina?
Mark: Absolutely. We go to bass fishing shows, saltwater fishing shows, and other places people don’t expect to see campers. By increasing the knowledge about truck campers, we have done very well. This year we’re going to motocross races and other places we haven’t been to.
TCM: What do your customers do with their campers?
Mark: We’ve had two bass pros buy Northstar campers and another bass pro bought an Arctic Fox. Several customers use their campers for mud racing and four-wheel drive rock crawling. Other customers use their campers for dog shows and hunting dogs. We have customers pulling race cars and bikers pulling bikes. A lot of customers tell me that they enjoy visiting family without having to stay in their homes.
TCM: Does A&M Services handle warranty repairs and service?
Mark: We have a really strong service department. We can fix anything in a camper including structural steel and aluminum. We can weld and fabricate what we need.
We also do a lot of truck modifications and are a Banks dealer. We can do a lot to a truck to increase fuel mileage. I really enjoy taking a stock truck and running it up to 600 horse power and getting fifteen to eighteen miles to the gallon.
TCM: You can do that?
Mark: Absolutely. We look at getting air into the motor and out of the motor by changing the air intake and exhaust. And we have found that some modifications work better than others. For example, for twelve or twenty-four valve Dodge Cummins trucks, we use Banks products. With an air intake and high flow exhaust you will get at least three miles per gallon better. We also use K&N and Magnaflow products.
TCM: What’s your vision for the future of A&M Services?
Mark: This year we’re going to clear more space for campers as we’re out of room here. We just purchased more property. By the middle of summer we hope to have campers lined up on both sides of us.
For more information about A&M Services, visit their website, www.campersplus.com
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