Crusader scoops Industry awards

Melbourne's Crusader Caravans has added to its trophy cabinet by picking up two trophies at the Victorian Caravan Industry Hall of Fame & Business Awards Gala event held in Melbourne last week.

The big-selling caravan manufacturer won the George Pantazopoulos Young Achiever Award, which was awarded to Michael Valentino, the son of Crusader founder Serge Valentino.

Crusader also won the Excellence in Caravan & RV Manufacturing award; the second time it's won a Best Manufacturer award.

Other winners on the night included Victorian Caravan Industry president and NCE managing director Nat Schiavello, who received the Charlie Tebb Service to Industry Award, and Masterpiece Caravans' General Manager Bobi Petrusevski, who won the Manager of the Year trophy.

The Col Parrot Media Award went to David Mann of Mann Productions, and the Excellence in Dealer/Retailer trophy to Award RV Superstore. Our Van RV won the Excellent in Service & Repairer award, while also going home with a trophy were Purple Line's Vernon Bruce (Employee of the Year- Service & Repair) and Carac's Judith Allison (Employee of the Year - Retail).

Ray Foley and Wayne O’Brien, who were described by the CIV as "two pioneers and legends of the caravan industry", were also inducted into the Victorian Caravan Industry Victoria Hall of Fame.

“The Awards evening demonstrated again the outstanding calibre of our members' businesses
and their people, the way in which they pulled together in such challenging circumstances in the
past 18 months is a testament to how they worked together as a team,” CIV CEO Rob Lucas said.

With a theme of 'Strictly Caravanning', the evening event was held at the The Centre Ivanhoe and attracted more than 370 members, Hall of Fame inductees, Life Members and other guests.

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