Editor’s Note: The following column by Country Coach Corp. President and CEO Ron Lee, appearing in the company’s e-newsletter, offers a look at the history of the iconic brand in the wake of news that its Junction City, Ore., facility has been sold to Winnebago Industries Inc. Lee resurrected the company following its closure during the Great Recession.

As we enter this holiday season here at Country Coach, we also enter a season of change. As most of you know, I have spent most of my adult life growing, nurturing and eventually rescuing the Country Coach brand that I love. I am very proud of what Country Coach came to represent, but I am even more proud of work the core group I assembled after purchasing the intellectual property of Country Coach has accomplished.

From the start, my goals were to resurrect Country Coach in the spirit in which it was created – to produce the finest motor coaches available. As you know, we have continued to work on the next generation of Country Coach product in the design and prototype stage and to transfer that work to reality of a product, actual production requires much more.

To do that I needed to find the right resources to augment and grow what we have started. To that end, I have been working diligently for the past two years. Of the options I had to choose from I have made what I consider the very best choice for Country Coach for both service and production.

I am pleased to announce that I have sold the Country Coach Campus and intellectual property to Winnebago Industries. I have worked with Winnebago to ensure that Country Coach moves forward and work will begin in earnest to assemble the infrastructure that will lead to Country Coach production. Winnebago will also bring production of some of its current diesel motorhome offerings to Junction City.

Please note that future Country Coach products will not be rebranded Winnebagos, but products specifically designed and built to the exacting performance, amenity and standard levels that have always defined Country Coach. Obviously, this process will take time but everyone involved is committed to making Country Coach the premier motorcoach offering available.

I made this decision because I believe that Winnebago is the best fit for Country Coach and that their, culture, dedication to design and build quality closely mirrors the standards I have set. This transition includes a change for me also as I will step down from the day to day operations. But rest assured, I intend to be the leading Country Coach brand enthusiast so you can expect to see and hear from Cookie and I from time to time as we travel around the country in our 2016 Country Coach Allure.

As I write this, I am recalling designing the first Country Camper Class A, I used a lower front from a Winnebago Class A to mock it up. We have come full circle.