Jayco
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| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | recreation vehicles |
| Founded | 1968 |
| Founders | Lloyd and Bertha Bontrager |
| Headquarters | , USA |
| Owner | Thor Industries |
Number of employees | 3,200 |
| Website | www.jayco.com |
Lloyd Jay Bontrager 1967
Jayco RV is a subsidiary of Jayco Family of Companies and an American manufacturer of recreational vehicles. The company manufactures Conventional Travel Trailers, Toy Haulers, Fifth-Wheel Travel, Trailers and Motorhomes (Class A, B, and C). Jayco is based in Middlebury, Indiana, and about three-quarters of its 3,200-person workforce is from the Amish and Mennonite communities of Indiana.
History
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The company was founded in 1968 by Lloyd and Bertha Bontrager. Bontrager developed a unique lifter system for fold-down camping trailers in 1967 and started the business of making fold-down trailers in two chicken houses and a barn. The name “Jayco” originated from Lloyd’s middle name “Jay” and the “co” Buzz Leonard suggested to represent “company”. In the first year of operations, the company sold 132 trailers, and by the end of 1968, it had 15 employees. Lloyd and Bertha consistently would set out extra chairs at the dinner table to host dealers and employees in their home for dinner. Treating employees like family was installed in Jayco from the very beginning. The company continued to grow, building another plant in Harper, Kansas in 1970.
The company was hard hit in the energy crunch of the 1970s and several of its plants were closed temporarily. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the company 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 in 1985, Lloyd Bontrager and his youngest son Wendall were 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.
In addition to the Jayco brand, Jayco acquired Starcraft RV in 1991, Entegra Coach in 2008 and Highland Ridge RV in 2014. In 2016, Jayco reached their 1 millionth manufactured RV milestone and the Eagle line celebrated 25 years, becoming the industry's longest-running trailer brand. Jayco was acquired by Thor Industries in July 2016 for $576 million.
Jayco, Inc. rebranded to the Jayco Family of Companies in 2021 to better encapsulate the four divisions – Jayco, Entegra Coach, Highland Ridge RV and Starcraft RV.
Models
[edit]Jayco is known for their Jay Flight model, which became available in 2001. Since 2005, the Jayco Jay Flight has been the #1 selling travel trailer brand.[1] In 2006, the Jay Flight brand expanded its model lineup with the addition of the seasonal model, Bungalow. As part of an exclusive deal, Jay Flights began featuring tires from Goodyear with Durawall technology as standard. Jay Flight was the first to be listed as a Gold Medal Green Certified RV.
| Model | Class | Fuel | Chassis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Feather Micro | Travel Trailer | Towable | |
| Jay Feather Air | Travel Trailer | Towable | |
| Jay Feather | Travel Trailer | Towable | |
| Jay Flight SLX | Travel Trailer | Towable | |
| Jay Flight | Travel Trailer | Towable | |
| Jay Flight Bungalow | Travel Trailer | Towable | |
| Eagle HT | Travel Trailer | Towable | |
| Eagle HT | Fifth Wheel | Towable | |
| Eagle | Fifth Wheel | Towable | |
| North Point | Fifth Wheel | Towable | |
| Pinnacle | Fifth Wheel | Towable | |
| Seismic | Toy Hauler | Towable | |
| Comet | Class B | Gas | RAM® ProMaster 1500 |
| Swift | Class B | Gas | RAM® ProMaster 3500 |
| Solstice | Class B | Gas | Ford® Transit AWD 350HD |
| Terrain | Class B | Diesel | Mercedes-Benz® 2500 AWD |
| Redhawk SE | Class C | Gas | Ford® E-350 or Chevy® 4500 |
| Redhawk | Class C | Gas | Ford® E-450 |
| Greyhawk | Class C | Gas | Ford® E-450 |
| Melbourne | Class C | Diesel | Mercedes-Benz® 3500 |
| Melbourne Prestige | Class C | Diesel | Mercedes-Benz® 3500 |
| Granite Ridge | Class C | Gas | Ford® 350HD AWD |
| Greyhawk XL | Class C | Diesel | Ford® F550 and F600 |
| Seneca XT | Class C | Diesel | Ford® F550 and F600 |
| Seneca | Class C | Diesel | Freightliner® S2RV |
| Seneca Prestige | Class C | Diesel | Freightliner® S2RV |
| Alante | Class A | Gas | Ford® F53 |
| Precept | Class A | Gas | Ford® F53 |
| Precept Prestige | Class A | Gas | Ford® F53 |
Awards and recognitions
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- 2022
- RV Magazine – Favorite Small Camping Trailer – Gold
- RV Magazine – Favorite Class C – Silver
- RVB – RV Business Top Debut – Eagle Fifth Wheel 335RDOK
- RVB – Top Debut – Terrain Class B Van
- RV Pro – Best of 2022 – North Point 340CKTS
- RV News – Luxury Fifth Wheel of the Year – Pinnacle 38FLGS
- RV News – Type B of the Year – Terrain 19Y
- 2023
- RV Business Top 10 Finalist – RV of the Year
- RV Magazine – Class C Manufacturer of the Year – Gold
- RV Magazine – Small Camping Trailer Manufacturer of the Year – Silver
- RV Magazine – Travel Trailer Manufacturer of the Year – Bronze
- RVDA DSI Towable – Dealer Satisfaction Index Award – Jayco Towables
- RVDA DSI Motorized – Dealer Satisfaction Index Award – Jayco Motorized
- RV News – High-end Fifth Wheel of the Year – North Point 380RKGS
- RV News – Lightweight Travel Trailer of the Year – Jay Feather Volaré
- RV News – Class C/Super C Motorhome of the Year – Seneca XT 35L
- 2024
- Business - Top Debut - Jayco Greyhawk XL 32U
- RV News – RV of the Year – Luxury 5th Wheel
- RV News – Entry Level Travel Trailer of the Year – Jay Flight 235MBH
- RV Magazine – Favorite Fifth Wheel - Silver
- RV Magazine – Favorite Travel Trailer - Bronze
- RV Magazine – Favorite Toy Hauler - Silver
- RV Magazine – Favorite Tiny Trailer - Gold
- RV Magazine – Favorite Class C Motorhome – Gold
- RV Magazine – Favorite 4x4 Motorhome – Bronze
- RVDA’s DSI – Dealer Satisfaction Index Award – Jayco Towables
- RVDA’s DSI – Dealer Satisfaction Index Award – Jayco Motorized
- 2025
- RV Pro (embargoed) – Best of Open House – Jayco Greyhawk
- RV News (embargoed) – RV of the Year: Single-Axle Travel Trailer – Jayco Jay Feather Air 18MBH
- RV News (embargoed) – RV of the Year: High-end Fifth Wheel – Jayco North Point
- RV Business – Top 10 Finalist RV of the Year – Jayco Eagle HT 230MLCS
- RV Business – Top Innovations – Jayco (water filtration system)
- DSI Awards – Jayco Motorized
- DSI Awards – Jayco Towables
International
[edit]Jayco partnered with a UK-based company in the late 1970s and produced a tent camper for the European market.[2] Jayco Australia Ltd was founded in 1975, and production commenced there the following year. Jayco of Australia soon became the largest player in the Australian camper/caravan industry.
References
[edit]- ^ "RV Executive Today: Top-Selling Brands For 2017". RVBusiness.
- ^ "Jayco, Inc. company history". Fundinguniverse. International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 13. traiSt. James Press, 1996. 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
- Axelrod, Karen (2006). Watch It Made in the U.S.A.: A Visitor's Guide to the Best Factory Tours and Company Museums. Avalon Travel. ISBN 1-59880-000-0.
- Plunkett (2010). Plunkett's Automobile Industry Almanac. Plunkett Research. ISBN 978-1-59392-152-1.
External links
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