With the green movement gaining popularity, Doug Lantz, president and chief operating officer, the "average American camper" can especially appreciate eco-friendly goods.
"They have a commitment to the environment and the outdoors," he said. "That market segment is a little more qualified for green-type products."
Lantz, formerly of Pilgrim, has been working with Steven Crawford, Kevin Slater and Kenneth Mahaffa during the last couple of years to develop an all-composite, recyclable travel trailer. That team, joined by Michael Schoeffler, will manage EverGreen. Automotive and RV industry veteran Kelly Rose will serve as chairman of the board.
From Pilgrim, the new company bought equipment, including the shop tools and office machines, and the prototype travel trailers that had been built before the closure.
The small square sample that Lantz carries with him consists of two slabs of composite material pressed onto 2-pound density foam. It is rigid and seems to weigh no more than a modest pile of feathers. Still, Lantz said, it will wear well traveling down the road at 65 miles per hour.
Company officials courted RV dealers during the 46th Annual National RV Trade Show in Louisville held the first week of December. They hope to start producing travel trailers by February or March and over the year build a workforce of 100. The team also has plans to expand production into fifth wheels.
Along with building units made from the composite material, EverGreen will be instituting production techniques influenced by the car and truck industry. Automation and standardization on the manufacturing line will require higher-skilled workers and will increase the quality of the RV, Lantz said.
Floorplan options and the variety of brands EverGreen can offer will be limited, Lantz said, but the company believes it will ensure quality and advance the technology.
The composite material will also help the overall quality of the EverGreen units. In addition to the green aspect, the composite material, Lantz said, is strong and durable which will help the company meet consumer demand for lightweight, sturdy and functional RVs. So confident are the executives with their units that they will be offering three-year warranties when traditionally most of the industry gives one-year warranties.
EverGreen will also be pushing its vendors and suppliers for green products, wanting to use recycled carpet and wood selectively harvested.
"We want to be good citizens," Rose said. "We love this country as most people do. We feel it is a responsibility for all Americans to look at our environment and protect it for our children and our grandchildren's children."