Michael Happe is leading a resurgence of one of the most famous names in the RV industry.
When Happe became CEO of Winnebago Industries in January 2016 after a nearly 20-year career at Bloomington-based Toro Co., he said the board was receptive to establishing a new direction for the company.
This story by Patrick Kennedy originally appeared in the Star Tribune.
In short order, Happe orchestrated the largest acquisition in the company’s history, increasing Winnebago’s stake in the biggest and fastest growing RV segment, towables. He also introduced several new products and built a new leadership team.
The company, based in Forest City, Iowa, also moved its executive offices to Minnesota, first in a small space in Burnsville and now in Eden Prairie where the company plans to have 100 employees by the end of 2018.
A year ago, Winnebago paid $500 million for Grand Design, based in Middlebury, Ind. Grand Design, which was founded five years ago, had become one of the fastest-growing companies in the RV industry.
The Grand Design acquisition increases the towables portion of Winnebago’s portfolio to more than one-third and improves the company’s profit margins.
In September, at the Open House trade show in Elkhart, Winnebago introduced several new products, including the Revel, a four-by-four RV designed to take outdoors enthusiasts deeper into the wilderness. Also displayed were the Horizon, a Class A diesel motor home that brings new deluxe finishings to the class, and the Minnie Plus fifth wheel, a new towable model. The Grand Design unit showed its latest Reflection unit, the 320 MKS, featuring a rear kitchen and large office area.
With the Grand Design acquisition and Happe’s appointment, Winnebago has quickly stretched beyond Iowa in the past few years, adding manufacturing and service centers in Oregon and Indiana as well as the executive offices in Eden Prairie. Happe said the proximity to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport helps the team stay connected to all its facilities, plus suppliers and dealers.