Claude Donati: Making a Difference in the RV Industry – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a News & Insights report by the RV Industry Association (RVIA).
Claude Donati, Managing Member at Nexus RV, has been making his mark on the RV industry for almost 30 years.
After graduating from Indiana University Bloomington with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, he initially worked in the winery business. It was during this time he learned the art of selling and managing accounts—an important skill to have in his eventual career path.
Claude set his sights on the RV industry after conversations with his friends who were involved in the sector. “I met with a couple of my friends at a reunion. They were in the RV industry, and they shared the dynamics of the RV business with me,” he explains.
Inspired, Claude made the decision to switch his career and join the RV world. He became part of the sales team at Gulf Stream Coach and spent 15 years with the company.
“At Gulf Stream, I started in the sales world and Class Cs in particular. A year into that I was promoted, and I’ve been in management ever since,” Claude explains. “My role at Gulf Stream evolved from a Regional Sales Manager to a National Sales Manager to Vice President of Sales to Vice President of the Motorhome Division.”
Claude looks back on this time as a crucial part of his career path: ”While I was at Gulf Stream I had the fortunate opportunity to work with the Shea family. Jim Shea Sr., who had passed away during my final few years there, was legendary.”
“Being around those entrepreneurs helped me understand the business, and I learned a lot in those roles. I was in the room and allowed to observe when big decisions were being made, so it was a very rewarding period,” he adds.
In 2010, Claude started a new phase of his career by co-founding Nexus RV with Dave Middleton. “During the recession the whole environment changed dramatically, and it sparked an opportunity for me to consider going off on my own. As the market constricted, I knew that if I was ever going to do it, I should do it then— I was young enough to muscle through the process of starting a company.”
“And so, my business partner, Dave Middleton, who was my National Sales Manager at Gulf Stream, went with me to raise capital in the private sector in the middle of the recession.” Claude also notes he had the support of some longtime friends who were also involved in the industry, including Tim Hoffman, one of the founding members of Heartland RV, Joe Luther, an industry veteran who currently works for Keystone and many others.
“We were able to find good engineers, good workers, and good production people,” Claude says. “Although the market wasn’t buying units at the time, we were able to set up the company.”
As a result, for its first eight years, Nexus RV sold units factory direct. “We got to know our customers very well. We understood the dealer network, how to do a deal, and how to handle parts and service.” However, as Nexus RV continued to grow, the company changed its business model in 2018 and transitioned to a dealer model, connected with dealerships across the country.
Now, 15 years since launching Nexus RV, Claude is looking forward to the possibilities ahead. “It feels like there’s been new opportunities every step of the way, from starting the company during the recession to changing from factory direct. And now there’s a second-generation joining Nexus RV who have a real interest in the company.”
As for what’s on the entrepreneurial horizon, Claude explains: “We are considering getting into the towable market or the commercial vehicle market. As a smaller company we can pivot quickly, and, with this second generation joining the company, it makes sense to expand our portfolio into the towable market.”
“Our vision is becoming longer-term in terms of product offering— Nexus RV has taken the last year to improve every product we make with new interiors, new paint schemes, better floorplans, and higher quality components, while lowering our prices.”
Currently, as Managing Member of Nexus RV, Claude oversees the entire company through a group of directors and a general manager. “This includes sales, production, finance, dealer network, investments, real estate, vendor relationships, product direction,” he says. He gives credit to the company’s five directors, who do “outstanding work”: Cindy Hathaway, Parts and Service; Rachel Baird, Director of Finance; Alexis Yeoman, Director of Purchasing and OPS; Rick Potter, General Manager; and Gary Yeoman, National Sales Manager.
In addition to his responsibilities at Nexus, Claude is eager to become more involved with the RV Industry Association. “I have been a huge supporter of the Association’s activities both early in my career and now as the owner of Nexus RV. Our company became a member of the Association almost immediately.”
He continues: “I have a great relationship with their team. I’ve been super supportive of all the initiatives the Association put together. There are some awesome things that they’ve helped us accomplish in terms of their advocacy efforts, as well as with their advertising and industry awareness campaigns. I would love to become more involved.”
Additionally, Claude and Nexus RV are eager to make a difference in the local Elkhart community by supporting the YWCA and its Safe Haven program. The service provides a range of supportive resources for women who are experiencing domestic violence. “For us, it’s a big priority, partly because 50% of our workforce are women,” he says. “When we first introduced our involvement with the YWCA, the feedback I received was very rewarding.” He adds that he is currently a board member at the YWCA and a few Nexus RV employees are on committees there.
Ultimately, Claude aims to bring more awareness to domestic violence and provide women and children access to assistance in Elkhart through YWCA’s Safe Haven women’s shelter. His strategy for achieving this is a simple but effective one: “I would like for there to be a little pamphlet— the size of a business card— in the stall of every woman’s restroom in Elkhart county. It would have information to help women who are experiencing domestic violence— or a woman who knows someone experiencing it— and the sheet is discreet enough to hide in a pocket or shoe.”
“I’d like us to start with Elkhart because this is the home of our industry,” he says. “Everyone— whether an operator, general manager, or company owner— can get on board with this effort. We’d like to see this idea expand and gain traction.”
