Country Coach draws lawsuit.

Byline: Tim Christie The Register-Guard

A small Eugene business that makes promotional and marketing materials has sued Country Coach, alleging the RV maker hasn't paid for nearly $100,000 worth of shirts, caps, windbreakers and other accessories emblazoned with the Country Coach logo.

TNT Specialty Advertising filed the breach-of-contract suit Tuesday in Lane County Circuit Court.

The suit alleges that Country Coach ordered $91,734 worth of goods from TNT between June and September. The items included polo shirts, caps, jackets, travel mugs, visors, T-shirts, silk shirts and pins.

The complaint asks a judge to order Country Coach to pay TNT what it is owed for the promotional goods, plus interest and legal costs.

Country Coach spokesman Matt Howard declined to comment on the suit.

Kim O'Brien, president of TNT, said in an interview that her company has done business with Country Coach for about five years, and has had a good relationship with the RV maker. Country Coach orders shirts, pins and caps with the company logo to sell at rallies and other events, she said.

"We enjoy working with Country Coach," she said. "They have not been slow pays before. It does sadden us it had to come to this."

But TNT is a small, family-owned business, and couldn't afford to not get paid, she said. Founded in 1997, TNT has just six employees, including O'Brien.

Like other RV makers, privately held Country Coach, based in Junction City, is struggling in what will likely be the industry's worst slump.

Retail sales of Class A motor homes - the bus-like rigs made by Country Coach - were down 40 percent industrywide this year.