Heartland Recreational Vehicles, LLC
Heartland RVs is a manufacturer of Recreational Vehicles located in Elkhart, Indiana.
On March 17, 2010 it produced its 12,000th RV off the Bighorn assembly line.[1]
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Company history
Heartland RV was founded in December 2003 by a group of RV industry veterans led by Brian Brady, formerly President and CEO of Damon Corp.[2] The company started production in March 2004 with a 5th wheel under the Landmark brand name which was introduced in December 2004 at the Louisville Show.[1] Landmark was introduced with industry first features such as a Universal Docking Center (UDC), Texas-sized unobstructed pass through storage, and a patent pending front cap design for an 88 degree turn with a short box truck. The first Landmark floorplan was the Golden Gate model (a 36’ 3-slide unit).
The founding partners that joined Brady were Tim Hoffman, VP of Sales; Douglas Lantz, VP Administration; John Rhymer, VP of Engineering; Scott Tuttle, VP of Marketing and Dealer Services.
As of 2010 Heartland has 1100 employees, and 11 facilities supporting customer service, subassembly, and full unit manufacturing. Total manufacturing capacity is 600,000 square feet. Presently, Heartland produces 20,000 units a year and is the 3rd largest 5th wheel manufacturer and 7th largest travel trailer manufacturer in the United States.[3]
Catterton Partners, a Connecticut-based private equity firm that focuses on consumer business, made an equity investment in Heartland in February 2007.[4]
On February 2, 2010 Heartland RV acquired the remaining active trademarks of the towable brands of Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc. Fleetwood has some of the most recognized and iconic brands in the industry.[5] The brand names include Prowler, Terry, Mallard, Pioneer, and Wilderness.
Annual Sales in United States (units registered)
| Calendar Year | Travel Trailer | 5th Wheel |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 393 | 4,240 |
| 2008 | 1,399 | 5,364 |
| 2009 | 2,697 | 4,481 |
Source: Statistical Surveys, Inc.; reports are subscription based
Heartland Owners Club
In November 2008, Heartland RVs formally launched an RV Lifestyle owners club called the "Heartland Owners Club". The club covers North America and has 24 chapters. The club is managed fully-online. The club is currently headquartered in Elkhart, Indiana.
Heartland Owners Forum
In October 2004, as brand enthusiasts, two Chicago-area Heartland RV product owners created an online community called the "Heartland Owners Forum". The forum listed 7,659 total members and over 117K posts as of April 12, 2010[6]. The forum is now owned and operated by HEARTLAND RVs. Day to day management is done by volunteer moderators and is overseen by a system administrator.
References
- ^ a b RVBusiness, "Heartland Marks Production of 12,000th Bighorn"
- ^ Elkhart Truth article, "Sharing a Dream"
- ^ Statistical Surveys
- ^ RVBusiness.com article, "Private Equity Firm Invests in Heartland RV"
- ^ RVBusiness.com article, "Heartland Acquires Fleetwood Towable Brands"
- ^ Heartland Owners Forum User and Forum Statistics
External links
- Heartland RVs company website
- Heartland Owners Forum
| Heartland RVs Model and Innovation Timeline | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 2000s | 2010s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5th Wheel Class | Landmark | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bighorn | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Big Country | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ElkRidge | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sundance | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Greystone | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cyclone | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Road Warrior | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Trail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Travel trailers | Edge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MPG | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Focus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Country | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country Ridge | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Original Trail Runner | Trail Runner Relaunched | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Caliber | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Categories: Companies based in Indiana | Recreational Vehicles | Recreational Vehicle manufacturers
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