Customer Spotlight: Mike Harbordt

My wife, Jackie, and I both grew up in rural East Texas. Her father had a ranch, raising championship bird dogs, and he owned a barber and beauty shop. Jackie grew up riding and showing horses. My father was born in Monterrey, Mexico, and was the East Texas gas field superintendent for Humble Oil. My mother’s family lived in Central Texas, and some of our family lives there now. We moved often, living in three Texas cities before settling in Lufkin, TX when I left a job with Texaco, Inc to work for Temple Industries, later to become Temple-Inland. It was a great place to work where I got to help senior management and the Temple families build an environmental program to meet their environmental goals and governmental expectations. 

Upon retirement, we moved to Nacogdoches to be more involved with activities of Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) where I served the SFASU Alumni Association, Alumni Foundation, as well as in other areas of the University. Jackie and I had traveled frequently over the years with our three children, seeing our country, learning of our country’s history and enjoying outdoor recreation. Luckily, our family’s love of the outdoors aligned with my job with Temple-Inland. And in traveling for work we learned the rewards of finding friendships away from home. So, RVing seemed it might fit right in with those interests as I retired. Coincidentally, the house we bought in Nacogdoches came with covered RV storage and utilities, and with friends’ encouragement, we began to purchase our motorhome. 

One way we planned to use our motorhome was to host tailgate parties at SFASU sporting events. We also wanted to visit our children and grandchildren, travel with friends, and make new friends along the way. We decided though that we needed to “test the waters” by starting small. We thought a Class C would be a good place to start as motorhomes seemed large and complicated. In late 2010, after eight visits to other dealers, we found a 35 ft Super C at Motorhomes of Texas (MOT). It had a diesel GMC 5500 chassis and performed better than a few smaller gasoline powered units that we had test driven. When Stewart Canty took us for a test drive, we thought, “We can do this!” After six months and a few trips, we decided we needed something a bit different, so it was back to Motorhomes of Texas. 

They assured us that they could sell our class C easily and asked us to try a diesel pusher. This did not sound appealing! After all, the Super C already felt large; why go larger? But after a test drive with Stewart, we left MOT with a new-to-us 36 ft 2005 Foretravel. It seemed and was easier to manage; yet we found some issues of complexity still loomed. After six months in the ‘05, we then decided to make another trade for Gus, our current 40 ft 2001 Foretravel that Mel and Stewart found for us. We call it Gus, because it seemed a bit too impersonal to just say “the RV.” Gus is named after the lead character of our favorite book and movie, Lonesome Dove, and also, in a happy coincidence, a super running back for the SFA 1515 technicians who go the extra mile. 

They truly see and live service as an obsession. football team. As my friend, and long-time Foretravel owner, Don Hay, correctly told me at that time: we had a steep learning curve ahead of us. We found several resources with which to climb that learning curve. One was the Owner’s Manuals, and working with MOT another, and we also joined Foreforums.com and became active members. We value the help on that site and the friends we have found among those members and other owners. We have also found new friends in owners or those who ask our opinion when buying a coach. By living in Nacogdoches, we may be their “eyes” by looking at a coach before they come to town though the MOT web site and sales professional would cover it all. This is one way we give back for all the help we have received over the years. When not traveling, we enjoy our local friends, our First United Methodist Church family, and wonderful Nacogdoches and SFASU events. 

Hometown activities, traveling, and connecting with friends made through ForeForum and Motorhomes of Texas Owners Club have made owning a motorhome very rewarding. As local owners, we are also fortunate to have the opportunity to see the continuous improvement that MOT is undergoing. It seems every few months, MOT owners, David and Emily, and their staff find new ways to improve. New employees join MOT as the business grows, bringing their expertise and friendly demeanors to this professional setting. The new facility across the street that MOT is building will help separate sales deliveries and remodeling coaches from the retail service bays, which will pay dividends for us customers. I do not know where we would have been or would be however without the patient foundation of help from the MOT service technicians and their call-in phone line which has never failed us. Without MOT support we doubt that we would have our motorhome for we continue our education in its complexities. I do wonder though, how can these folks keep their good humor and patience? 

I have observed that there is almost a daily struggle, a triage process, to balance helping owners with a technical emergencies, sales deliveries, buyers, warranty work, and scheduled maintenance. I am not sure how MOT technicians maintain a smile, but we experience it firsthand even when we discover our problems were due to operator error. To illustrate, one day as we were loaded and heading out of town, I found a new issue and dropped by at the last minute to ask Service: “What is that noise? It’s a new one. Is it okay to drive?” We appreciate the service and skills of those technicians who keep us in our motorhome, the expertise and personal commitment of the sales team, the Parts Department, and especially shop managers who have helped in more ways than we can repay. There are many technicians who go the extra mile. They truly see and live service as an obsession.