A group of former Jayco executives is launching an RV manufacturing company in Elkhart Country called Ember Recreational Vehicles Inc.
The team is led by President and CEO Ashley Bontrager Lehman. Lehman, granddaughter of Jayco founders Lloyd and Bertha Bontrager, previously was the director of corporate marketing at Jayco.
She is joined by three other founding partners: former Jayco Operations Manager Steve Delagrange, former Jayco Senior Director of Product Management Chris Barth and Ernie Miller.
Ember plans to invest $4 million to build an 87,750-square-foot building on 15 acres in Bristol Commerce Park at 1728 Commerce Drive, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC) stated. The manufacturing facility will be equipped with new lamination machines and welding equipment. Construction is expected to be completed by September 2021 with production starting soon after.
“Northern Indiana, specifically Elkhart County, has earned its title as the ‘RV Capital of the World’ honestly,” Lehman said. “The craftsmanship, dedication and work ethic of the local workforce has proven, over decades, to be unmatched. I, along with Ember’s three other founding partners, Chris Barth, Steve Delagrange and Ernie Miller, knew starting our company in Northern Indiana would provide a solid foundation for a successful future. We strongly felt to build a better RV, we need to build a better RV company first. We’re excited to bring a fresh approach to the RV industry and where better to do it than Indiana?”
The company currently operates out of 18,000 square feet of warehouse, production and office space in Bristol. Since its founding earlier this year, Ember RV has grown to 23 employees. The company plans to scale its workforce up to 150 positions by the end of 2023, IEDC stated.
Hoosiers are innovators, launching businesses that are developing new solutions for today’s challenges affecting industries Indiana is known for across the nation,” Jim Staton, SVP and chief business development officer for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC).
“Ember Recreational Vehicles is a prime example of one of those companies, finding success with the support of a strong entrepreneurial culture and a business climate that keeps taxes, expenses and regulations low while providing talent and growth opportunities,” said Jim Staton, SVP and chief business development officer for the IEDC.
Ember said it is entering the marketplace with light-weight, laminated travel trailers featuring off-road and off-grid capabilities, with plans for future product expansion.
“Ember RV will be designing and building innovative, lightweight trailers and will be the first woman-led RV manufacturing company in Bristol,” Bristol Town Manager Mike Yoder said. “We are very excited and pleased that Ember RV has chosen Bristol to construct their manufacturing facility.”
The IEDC offered Ember RV as much as $1 million in conditional tax credits based on the company’s plans to create up to 150 jobs by the end of 2023 and as much as $100,000 in conditional tax credits from the Hoosier Business Investment tax credit based on the company’s planned capital investment in Indiana.
The credits are performance-based, meaning the company is eligible to claim incentives once Hoosiers are hired and investments are made. Bristol will provide additional incentives up to $425,000.
