Thursday, August 14, 2008
WEEKEND WARRIOR IS NOW HISTORY
Bob Ashley
RV Business
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Weekend Warrior Trailers Inc., the Perris, Calif., manufacturer that led the boom in sport utility RVs (SURVs) over the last decade, has ceased operations.
Given the company's production line closures and related layoffs in recent weeks, the news comes as no surprise to most in the industry.
“It's not a bankruptcy, but there is an assignee here who will be selling the assets,” Weekend Warrior founder and President Mark Warmoth told RVBusiness. “It's a voluntary deal, but Warrior is going all the way down. We are liquidating the company.”
An auction is expected within the next two months to dispose of Weekend Warrior's equipment, furniture and raw material, Warmoth said.
“We are still here trying to sort things out for customers,” Warmoth said. “The biggest regret is that I'm leaving a whole bunch of customers out there hanging. I hope the dealers will stand up for the customers, but this industry is a little weak on after-sale services.”
Efforts to find a purchaser for the company failed, resulting in Thursday's (Aug. 14) announcement, Warmoth said.
The auction of assets will be used to pay down first and second mortgages on two Perris factories that Weekend Warrior owns. Two other plants were being leased by the company. Weekend Warrior, founded in 1988, at one time employed about 2,000 people in four plants totaling more than 215,000 square feet of capacity in Perris.
“All-in-all, we did some wonderful stuff in the last 20 years,” said Warmoth, adding that the industry slowdown and internal management errors doomed the company.
“It's a damn shame what's going on in this industry right now,” he added. “I have no regrets at all, except for this short window the industry is in right now. I am in awe of what the current situation is doing to RVs.”
RV Business
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Weekend Warrior Trailers Inc., the Perris, Calif., manufacturer that led the boom in sport utility RVs (SURVs) over the last decade, has ceased operations.
Given the company's production line closures and related layoffs in recent weeks, the news comes as no surprise to most in the industry.
“It's not a bankruptcy, but there is an assignee here who will be selling the assets,” Weekend Warrior founder and President Mark Warmoth told RVBusiness. “It's a voluntary deal, but Warrior is going all the way down. We are liquidating the company.”
An auction is expected within the next two months to dispose of Weekend Warrior's equipment, furniture and raw material, Warmoth said.
“We are still here trying to sort things out for customers,” Warmoth said. “The biggest regret is that I'm leaving a whole bunch of customers out there hanging. I hope the dealers will stand up for the customers, but this industry is a little weak on after-sale services.”
Efforts to find a purchaser for the company failed, resulting in Thursday's (Aug. 14) announcement, Warmoth said.
The auction of assets will be used to pay down first and second mortgages on two Perris factories that Weekend Warrior owns. Two other plants were being leased by the company. Weekend Warrior, founded in 1988, at one time employed about 2,000 people in four plants totaling more than 215,000 square feet of capacity in Perris.
“All-in-all, we did some wonderful stuff in the last 20 years,” said Warmoth, adding that the industry slowdown and internal management errors doomed the company.
“It's a damn shame what's going on in this industry right now,” he added. “I have no regrets at all, except for this short window the industry is in right now. I am in awe of what the current situation is doing to RVs.”
