Jerry Edwards founded Roadmaster Distributing Company in 1970 by selling awnings in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. But 10 years after Edwards started distributing products, the awnings were not as profitable as they once were. Edwards sold Roadmaster Distributing Company to Coast RV but kept the Roadmaster, Inc. business name.
When Darrel Davis approached Edwards with an idea for a tow bar in 1982, Edwards purchased the patent and started making Roadmaster, Inc.’s StowMaster tow bar. Edwards bought booth space at the next Family Motor Coach Association rally, where the StowMaster took off.
As Roadmaster grew and its vendors could not keep up, Edwards instilled a “no outsourcing” policy. Roadmaster became its own supplier for many products. Today, Roadmaster products are designed, engineered and manufactured at its Vancouver, Washington plant.
