AMSTERDAM - Alpin Haus is making changes that will result in more jobs at its Amsterdam locations.
The RV, boat and ski dealer plans to close its Clifton Park store, where it sells RVs and boats, and move some of the?20 to 30 jobs to its two Amsterdam stores, said Alpin Haus President Andy Heck.
With the restructuring, the company also is expecting more business in Amsterdam and plans to hire 20 additional employees within the next year. About 60 percent of them will work in service and about 40 percent in sales, Heck said.
The company also plans to open two new stores - one at an undetermined site in Saratoga, where the company will sell pools, spas and skis, and one at another undetermined location outside the area, where the company will sell RVs. The store at the undetermined site will hire about 10 to 15 new employees, Heck said. He didn't know how many people would work at the new Saratoga location. The store will open in March or April, he said.
The other new location will open within the next year.
"There are opportunities outside of this area," Heck said, "And we are expecting business to get better next year. We felt [we'd] better act now and take advantage of the upswing."
The company also has a store in Gansevoort, where it sells RVs. The Amsterdam store on Route 30 sells boats, pools, spas and skis, and the Amsterdam store on Route 5S sells RVs.
Alpin Haus employs about 150 people companywide. The Amsterdam locations employ about 110 of the workers.
The company had been looking at consolidating its RV and boat dealership in the Clifton Park area and opening the two new locations since before the recession, Heck said, mainly because having three RV dealerships within 30 miles of each other was resulting in the company competing against itself.
Heck said none of the company's employees will be let go because of the Clifton Park location closing.
"As we consolidate the Clifton Park location, we can move talent around to other stores," Heck said.
The University of Michigan predicts a 27 percent increase in RV shipments to North America, said Phil Ingrassia, a spokesman for the National Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association.
Ingrassia said the industry took a hit last year, but better days are coming.
"People put the brakes on discretionary spending last year, and if the economy improves, as it's expected to and in many cases has, then we expect to see RV shipments pick up and RV sales pick up because people still need to go on vacation," Ingrassia said.
Heck agreed.
"In America, people work hard and they want their vacations. Everything that we sell is a great opportunity for people to do things where they live so they don't have to travel too far," Heck said.
Deborah Auspelmyer, president of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, said Alpin Haus started as a small ski shop and has "expanded to almost anything recreational."
"They invest in their staff, diversify and really try to be creative in their business plan," she said, adding the company sends its employees to staff management training and "really excels in customer service."
Amanda Whistle covers Montgomery County and can be reached at montco@leaderherald.com.