Thor Motor Coach

of its manufacturing campuses. “We will add 25 percent additional manufacturing space and ca- pacity to our current locations by the end of the year,” says Krider. “We also have a couple of new buildings going up on property that’s adjacent to where our current manufacturing space is at, and that is to add sub-assembly lines, like lam- ination facilities or a wire harness shop. Those are all going in as feeder manufacturing spaces into our main, large manufacturing spots.” As the company’s Chief Marketing Officer, Krider explains that Thor Motor Coach’s main marketing focus, these days, is largely digital. “We have found that more traditional routes like TV or radio advertising don’t pan out in any real return on investment for us,” he says. “So, we focus the majority of our advertising at the general public through social media, through our website, and through digital media campaigns and email.We have 450 dealer locations promot- ing our product at the grassroots level.And then we’re pushing those dealerships to consumers looking for our product and enhancing that expe- rience directly from the manufacturer.” Krider believes that the contemporary con- sumers of recreational vehicles are more so- phisticated than they were in the past, which means the way the company sells its products has had to change. “People really sit down and look at the specifications,” he says. “They look at what they’re going to get, what they’re not going to get. They understand quite a bit about the manufacturers and the real value propo- sition that each manufacturer offers. And, like with the auto industry, you get a lot of people that are advertising their pricing on the inter- net. So, people are educated; they understand what the selling price for a vehicle is before they walk in the door, and then they’re trying to put the best deal together for themselves.” Over the next several years, Krider believes that the demographics of RV buyers will also be changing– so the industry will have to change its products to attract the new market. “60-plus Baby Boomers are the majority of our buyers, right now. But over the next five years, we’re going to see a decline in the Baby Boomer mar- ket,” he explains. “We’re going to see an increase in the Gen X market. And we’re really going to see an increase in the millennial market, which is in that mid-thirties range, right now.When we see those people in five years, we are going to be concentrating on getting them excited about getting out and camping. “Also, we want people to see the motor home industry, not only as a way to recreate, but also as a perfect work environment. It allows you to be where you want to be. It allows you to take your work and your home life with you; to connect to the web, to get social media feeds and home entertainment. You’re going to see a lot of the technology that you see in homes, THOR MOTOR COACH