Jayco RV is an American manufacturer of
recreational vehicles. The company is based in
Middlebury, Indiana, and about three-quarters of its 3,200-person workforce is from the
Amish
The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...
and
Mennonite
Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...
communities of
Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
.
History
The company was founded in 1968 by Lloyd and Bertha Bontrager.
Bontrager developed a trailer fold-down system in 1967 and started the business of making
travel trailer
A caravan, travel trailer, camper, tourer or camper trailer is a Trailer (vehicle), trailer towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent (although there are popup camper, fold-down ...
s from two chicken houses and a barn. In the first year of operations the company sold 132 trailers, and by the end of 1968 it had 15 employees. The company continued to grow and in 1970 built another plant in
Harper, Kansas
Harper is a city in Harper County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,313.
History
Harper was founded in 1877 by a colony from Iowa. The city of Harper, like Harper County ...
.
The company was hard hit in the
energy crunch of the 1970s, and several of their plants were closed temporarily.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s they also suffered another slowdown due to the high price of gasoline.
The company recovered to become the second largest U.S. manufacturer of towable products by 1995.
On Easter Sunday, 1985, Lloyd Bontrager was killed when his small airplane crashed in the vicinity of Muncie, Indiana. His wife, Bertha, became chairman of the board at Jayco, and later her sons Wilbur and Derald assumed leadership roles within the company.
Jayco was acquired by
Thor Industries in July 2016 for $576 million.
Lloyd Jay Bontrager 1965
File:Jayco pup up 2006 tent camper.jpg, Jayco camping trailer 2006
"pop-up" model
File:Jayco camper trailer floor plan.jpg, Jayco camping trailer
floor plan
File:Jayco tent camper pop-out bedroom.jpg, Jayco camping trailer
"pop-out" bedroom
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
* {{Official website, http://www.jayco.com
Jayco factory tour (4 minutes)
Recreational vehicle manufacturers
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1968
Manufacturing companies based in Indiana
Companies based in Elkhart County, Indiana
1968 establishments in Indiana
Caravan and travel trailer manufacturers
2016 mergers and acquisitions