Gulf Stream Coach Announces Expansion Plans
May 13, 2017 at 3:32 a.m.
Gulf Stream Coach Announces Expansion Plans
By Dan [email protected]
Company President Dan Shea announced the expansion during a pizza party aimed at thanking its workforce of about 130 people at the plant.
They expect to add about 45 more jobs in the coming months as a result.
The decision to expand comes on the heels of strong sales, which have been growing more than 32 percent in each of the past three years.
While much of that is part of a record-setting pace across the recreational vehicle industry, Shea said he believes Gulf Stream is exceeding the industry-wide numbers.
On Friday, as officials announced plans to expand, they celebrated the fact the Etna Green workers have produced 25,000 units in the past 13 years and tipped their hat to the workers with pizza for lunch.
While the brunt of RV manufacturing happens in Elkhart County, Gulf Stream has three facilities, including two in Nappanee plus the Etna Green plant.
Oddly, one of the Nappanee plants is on the south side in Kosciusko County while the other is on the north side in Elkhart County.
They are especially pleased with the performance at the Etna Green plant, where light-weight travel trailers are the focus.
Being outside of the densely-competitive RV environment in Elkhart County has allowed the company to be a little more innovative with its products, Shea said.
“I think it’s been a big advantage to us with this plant down here,” Shea said.
Much of the reason for strong sales is credited to the development of the company’s light-weight trailers, notably the Vintage and the Vista Cruiser that are built in Etna Green.
The total number of units produced at all three plants is about 6,700. The company manufactures motor homes in its plant on the north side of Nappanee.
Other Gulf Stream product include destination trailers and toy trailers.
Gulf Stream expects to manufacture about 6,000 travel trailers in its two Kosciusko County plants this year. That includes about 1,500 Vintage models. Other lightweight trailers made in Etna Green include the GEO, Gulf Breeze, Matrix, Northern Express and Streamlite.
They are especially pleased with sales of the Vintage.
As its name suggests, the design of the Vintage harkins back to the 1950s with an exterior design.
The Vintage is recognized for its single- piece fiberglass roof that stretches from the hitch over the top and down to the back bumper.
Inside, the interior has a classic look of the ’50s, but also includes modern amenities such as USB ports, flat screen TVs and microwaves.
Gulf Stream has been in existence since 1983 and opened the Etna Green plant in 2004 when it acquired the older facility formerly used by Schult Homes, which had expanded into a much larger plant to the east before closing operations just a few years later.
The former mobile home plant suited their needs perfectly, but the big draw was the available labor pool. The company was able to hire some former workers from Shult as well as Trail-Lite.
These days, they attract workers residing in Warsaw, Peru, Rochester and as far away as Marion, Shea said.
The company, though, seems to fly under the radar.
“It’s like a lot of people don’t know we’re here. People in Kosciusko County constantly hear about all the news about all RV manufacturing in Elkhart and they’re not realizing there are 6,000 (units) being built down here (in Nappanee and Etna Green),” Shea said.
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Company President Dan Shea announced the expansion during a pizza party aimed at thanking its workforce of about 130 people at the plant.
They expect to add about 45 more jobs in the coming months as a result.
The decision to expand comes on the heels of strong sales, which have been growing more than 32 percent in each of the past three years.
While much of that is part of a record-setting pace across the recreational vehicle industry, Shea said he believes Gulf Stream is exceeding the industry-wide numbers.
On Friday, as officials announced plans to expand, they celebrated the fact the Etna Green workers have produced 25,000 units in the past 13 years and tipped their hat to the workers with pizza for lunch.
While the brunt of RV manufacturing happens in Elkhart County, Gulf Stream has three facilities, including two in Nappanee plus the Etna Green plant.
Oddly, one of the Nappanee plants is on the south side in Kosciusko County while the other is on the north side in Elkhart County.
They are especially pleased with the performance at the Etna Green plant, where light-weight travel trailers are the focus.
Being outside of the densely-competitive RV environment in Elkhart County has allowed the company to be a little more innovative with its products, Shea said.
“I think it’s been a big advantage to us with this plant down here,” Shea said.
Much of the reason for strong sales is credited to the development of the company’s light-weight trailers, notably the Vintage and the Vista Cruiser that are built in Etna Green.
The total number of units produced at all three plants is about 6,700. The company manufactures motor homes in its plant on the north side of Nappanee.
Other Gulf Stream product include destination trailers and toy trailers.
Gulf Stream expects to manufacture about 6,000 travel trailers in its two Kosciusko County plants this year. That includes about 1,500 Vintage models. Other lightweight trailers made in Etna Green include the GEO, Gulf Breeze, Matrix, Northern Express and Streamlite.
They are especially pleased with sales of the Vintage.
As its name suggests, the design of the Vintage harkins back to the 1950s with an exterior design.
The Vintage is recognized for its single- piece fiberglass roof that stretches from the hitch over the top and down to the back bumper.
Inside, the interior has a classic look of the ’50s, but also includes modern amenities such as USB ports, flat screen TVs and microwaves.
Gulf Stream has been in existence since 1983 and opened the Etna Green plant in 2004 when it acquired the older facility formerly used by Schult Homes, which had expanded into a much larger plant to the east before closing operations just a few years later.
The former mobile home plant suited their needs perfectly, but the big draw was the available labor pool. The company was able to hire some former workers from Shult as well as Trail-Lite.
These days, they attract workers residing in Warsaw, Peru, Rochester and as far away as Marion, Shea said.
The company, though, seems to fly under the radar.
“It’s like a lot of people don’t know we’re here. People in Kosciusko County constantly hear about all the news about all RV manufacturing in Elkhart and they’re not realizing there are 6,000 (units) being built down here (in Nappanee and Etna Green),” Shea said.
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