Don Clark: ‘Motorized Has Always Been on the Table’ – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
Don Clark
In the wake of Wednesday’s announcement by Winnebago Industries President and CEO Michael Happe that Grand Design RV Co. would be entering the motorized segment in 2024, GDRV Co-founder, President and CEO Don Clark acknowledged the expansion had long been a consideration.
“Yes, it was always a possibility. Really, from Day One, motorized has always been on the table,” he told RVBusiness. “It hasn’t been first on our minds. But it’s always been on the table and then when we started our relationship with Winnebago that certainly was an option we felt we would turn to at such a time that we considered appropriate.
“And now that we’ve filled out a good portion of our towable lineup and we’re in a nice place in the marketplace, the timing just seems right for us to explore the motorized segment, and we can do a very good job,” he added. “I’m confident it will be received well by the dealer and retail marketplace very well. And I’m excited about it.”
Toward that end, Clark says Grand Design, which will produce its motorized product lines out of its current Middlebury, Ind., manufacturing campus, is starting to assemble the infrastructure it will need to support a planned motorized expansion that will be led by current staffer Tommy Hall.
Hall, says Clark, is to serve as general manager of the Winnebago subsidiary’s motorized product lines, the timetable for which isn’t being released as yet because Grand Design doesn’t want to “tip off” its competitors, preferring instead to “surprise” them.
Meanwhile, Clark also briefly commented on the announcement by Happe of his 5-year employment agreement extension. “It’s been a very good relationship. Ever since they acquired Grand Design (in 2016), Mike Happe and I have enjoyed a very positive relationship. Mike and the board have been very supportive of Grand Design’s growth and we have an exceptional team here at Grand Design and I feel honored that they asked me to continue leading it.”
Clark said he was glad to do that for a number of reasons, one of which is his interest in continuing to work with son Austin, a current towable RV sales rep for the company.
Source: https://rvbusiness.com/don-clark-motorized-has-always-been-on-the-table/
