Winnebago Industries Inc., (NYSE: WGO), is the leading manufacturer of motor homes, otherwise known as recreational vehicles or RVs, in the United States. [1] It is based in Forest City, Iowa. A public company usually refers to a company which is permitted to offer its securites (i. ... The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), nicknamed the Big Board, is a New York City-based stock exchange publicly held and listed under the symbol NYX on its own exchange. ... Forest City is a city located in Iowa. ... February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Look up slogan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A website (or Web site) is a collection of web pages, images, videos and other digital assets and hosted on a particular domain or subdomain on the World Wide Web. ... The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), nicknamed the Big Board, is a New York City-based stock exchange publicly held and listed under the symbol NYX on its own exchange. ... Recreational Vehicle (RV) is a broad term used to describe a large enclosed piece of equipment with wheels designed to be moved from place to place for people to temporarily live in and be protected from the elements while away from their permanent domicile. ... A camper built on a light truck chassis. ... Recreational Vehicle (RV) is a broad term used to describe a large enclosed piece of equipment with wheels designed to be moved from place to place for people to temporarily live in and be protected from the elements while away from their permanent domicile. ... Forest City is a city located in Iowa. ...

The brand has become so popular, that many still refer to recreational vehicles, and in particular motor homes, using the generic term, "Winnebago."

Corporate History

The company was founded in February 1958 by businessman John K. Hanson in Forest City, which is located in Winnebago County, Iowa. At the time, the town was undergoing an economic downturn, and Hanson and a group of community leaders convinced a California firm to open a travel trailer factory, in a bid to revice the local economy. For other uses, see February (disambiguation). ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Forest City is a city located in Iowa. ... Winnebago County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. ... A travel trailer or caravan is a small trailer in which people can live and travel simultaneously. ...

Surviving a rough beginning, the entire operation was purchased by five Forest City residents and Hanson became president. In 1960 the name of the company was changed to Winnebago Industries.

To improve quality, Winnebago Industries manufactured furniture and other components designed specifically for its travel trailers. One such innovation was the "Thermo-Panel," which was a strong, lightweight sidewall that was a characteristic of Winnebago products.

In 1966 the first motor home rolled off the Winnebago Industries assembly lines. These motor homes were priced to sell - at approximately half what was being charged for competitors’ models. With the combination of innovative designs, and an improved price point attractive to consumers, Winnebago pioneered the RV industry. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ...

In 1970 Winnebago Industries moved to a new and expanded manufacturing facility, and the company began being listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Going public proved to be a winning strategy: in 1971 the stock appreciated 462 percent. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), nicknamed the Big Board, is a New York City-based stock exchange publicly held and listed under the symbol NYX on its own exchange. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ...

As of 1977 Winnebago Industries built its 100,000th unit - the first RV manufacturer to reach that production level. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...

The company continued to grow in the 1980s. In 1986, the company celebrated 20 years of motor home production, and appeared on the Fortune 500 list of corporations, at a ranking of 340. The Fortune 500 is a ranking of the top 500 United States corporations as measured by gross revenue. ...

2007 Models

The 2007 line up of Winnebago recreational vehicles includes the following models:

View Aspect Access Outlook Vista Sightseer Voyage Adventurer Journey Tour Vectra

Criticisms

Given that many of the Winnebago products are very large vehicles, recreational vehicles have been criticized as using too much fuel and are more broadly seen as evidence of over-consumption, particularly in the United States and Canada where they are predominantly sold.

Winnebago vehicles in popular culture

A Winnebagos appears in the 1975 film Escape to Witch Mountain, and is made to fly in a memorable sequence. A spacecraft made from a RV that appears very similar to a Winnibego, appears in the Mel Brooks spoof Spaceballs. 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... theatrical poster (1975) Escape to Witch Mountain was originally a science fiction novel written by Alexander Key in 1968. ... Mel Brooks (born Melvin Kaminsky on June 28, 1926) is an Academy Award-winning American actor, writer, director and producer best known as a creator of broad film farces and comedy parodies or, as he says, spoofs. // Born Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn, New York to Russian-Jewish parents Maximillian Kaminsky... This article is about a motion picture. ...

See Also

Jack Rebney, the "Winnebago Man."