Heartland Recreational Vehicles

Heartland RVs
Private
Industry Recreational Vehicles
Headquarters Elkhart, Indiana, USA
Key people
 Chris Hermon, President
Parent Thor Industries
Website www.heartlandrvs.com
Side view of a 2011 Sundance travel trailer, built by Heartland Recreational Vehicles
Caravan of Heartland Bighorn RVs on the way to the Summer 2009 Oregon Rally in Winchester, Oregon

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]

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 (56,000 m2). Presently, Heartland produces 20,000 units a year and is the 3rd largest 5th wheel manufacturer and 5th 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.

On September 17, 2010, Thor Industries, Inc. (THO) acquired Heartland Recreational Vehicles, LLC.[6]

On May 29, 2012, Chris Hermon became the President of Heartland RV, replacing retired founding President, Brian Brady.[7]

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
2010 4,659 5,775
2011 6,820 8,532
2012 7,744 8,549

Source: statisticalsurveys.com;[8] 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.[9] 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

  1. 1 2 "RVBusiness, "Heartland Marks Production of 12,000th Bighorn"". Rvbusiness.com. 2010-03-17. Retrieved 2012-01-31.
  2. ↑ "Elkhart Truth article, "Sharing a Dream"". Etruth.com. 2004-01-25. Retrieved 2012-01-31.
  3. ↑ "Statistical Surveys". Statistical Surveys. Retrieved 2012-01-31.
  4. ↑ "article, "Private Equity Firm Invests in Heartland RV"". Rvbusiness.com. 2007-02-13. Retrieved 2012-01-31.
  5. ↑ "article, "Heartland Acquires Fleetwood Towable Brands"". Rvbusiness.com. 2010-02-03. Retrieved 2012-01-31.
  6. ↑ "Thor press release of Heartland acquisition (pdf download)" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-01-31.
  7. ↑ "article, "Thor Names Chris Hermon to Head Heartland"". Rvbusiness.com. 2012-05-21.
  8. ↑ statisticalsurveys.com
  9. ↑ "Heartland Owners Forum User and Forum Statistics". Heartlandowners.org. Retrieved 2012-01-31.

External links

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