Forest River Inc.

About Forest River Inc.

Forest River, Inc. was founded in 1996 in Elkhart, Indiana by Peter J. "Pete" Liegl, who bought the former assets of Cobra Industries — the RV maker he had co-founded in 1985 and left before its bankruptcy — and built on them one of the great growth stories in the industry. Operating through dozens of largely autonomous divisions, Forest River evolved into the largest manufacturer of recreational vehicles, cargo trailers, pontoon boats, buses, vans and trucks in North America. In July 2005 Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway agreed to acquire Forest River — then a $1.6 billion company with 60 plants and 5,400 employees — after a famously brief courtship; Liegl stayed on as CEO and the company remained headquartered in Elkhart. Under Berkshire, Forest River kept expanding, acquiring Coachmen Industries' RV business in 2008 and Dynamax in 2011, on top of earlier additions like Palomino (2002). Liegl led the company until his death in November 2024, when longtime general manager Douglas Gaeddert was named CEO. Today Forest River employs more than 14,000 people across 100+ facilities concentrated in northern Indiana and spread over a half-dozen states, and holds roughly a third of the North American RV market. Its stable of consumer brands includes Coachmen, Palomino, Prime Time, Dynamax and East to West alongside flagship Forest River lines such as Rockwood, Flagstaff, Salem, Wildwood, Cherokee, Cedar Creek, Sunseeker and Georgetown, plus pontoon brands (including South Bay and Berkshire), Forest River Bus, and Rockport work trucks. RVs are sold through independent dealers across North America, with warranty terms varying by division.

How they build

Decentralized, entrepreneurial divisions competing across every RV segment — high-volume value manufacturing concentrated in northern Indiana.

• Largest RV/cargo/pontoon/bus maker in North America
• Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary since 2005
• Dozens of brands incl. Coachmen, Rockwood, Salem, Cherokee
• Pete Liegl's handshake deal with Warren Buffett
• 100+ plants and 14,000+ employees

Milestones

1. 1996Pete Liegl founds Forest River in Elkhart, IN on former Cobra Industries assets
2. 2002Acquires Palomino RV
3. 2005Berkshire Hathaway acquires Forest River ($1.6B sales, 60 plants, 5,400 employees)
4. 2008Acquires Coachmen Industries' RV business
5. 2011Acquires Dynamax Corp.
6. 2024Founder and CEO Pete Liegl passes away; Douglas Gaeddert named CEO