The story
The company was founded by Forest City, Iowa businessman John K. Hanson in February 1958. At the time, the town, located in Winnebago County, Iowa, was undergoing an economic downturn, so Hanson and a group of community leaders convinced a California firm, Modernistic Industries, to open a travel trailer factory in a bid to revive the local economy.
Surviving a rough beginning, the entire operation was purchased by five Midwesterners, with Hanson serving as 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", a strong, lightweight sidewall that was a characteristic of Winnebago products.
In 1966, the first motorhome rolled off the Winnebago Industries assembly lines. These motorhomes were sold at a price approximately half of what was being charged for competitors' models, which led to its ubiquity and popularity in the RV community. The brand name has become synonymous with "motorhome" and is commonly used as a generic trademark for such vehicles, whether they were produced by the company or not.
In March 2015, Winnebago announced that it was opening a production center to employ 70 in Waverly, Iowa, due to labor shortage issues in the Forest City area. The company now employs about 2,400 workers in Forest City, 200 in Charles City and 60 in Lake Mills, plus additional employees in Middlebury, Indiana.
In 2016 when CEO Mike Happe was brought in, Winnebago Industries established their management offices in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. In 2021 the company announced it would be relocating its corporate headquarters from Forest City, Iowa to the Eden Prairie location effective December 1, but that the company's manufacturing presence would be maintained in Forest City.
In 2019, Winnebago Industries acquired luxury RV maker Newmar.
In July 2021, Winnebago Industries announced it would purchase Barletta Pontoon Boats, a privately held maker of pontoon boats, for over $300 million.
Australia (1982–2015)
In July 2012, a Justice of the Federal Court of Australia determined that a Sydney businessman, Bruce Binns, had "intentionally hijacked" the well-known American brand "in a bold attempt to preempt Winnebago's opening its doors here". Versions of Winnebago models were manufactured in Australia by Binns's Knott Investments, using a logo which bore a striking resemblance to Winnebago's U.S. logo, from about 1982. In 1992, Winnebago and Binns signed a settlement for him to stop passing off his products as those of Winnebago, yet he continued to do so. In 1997 he registered Winnebago as a trademark in Australia. The court ordered the cancellation of this Winnebago trademark in Australia.
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On appeal in 2013, Chief Justice Allsop found that "...Knott and Mr Binns had from the outset deliberately sought to obtain some connection with Winnebago and take advantage of any reputation Winnebago may have had in Australia as at 1978. However, the fact that Knott had manufactured and sold RVs under the Winnebago name in Australia for 32 years, 25 years of which was with the knowledge of Winnebago, was an unusual situation which could not be overlooked". Accordingly, Allsop held that it was appropriate that Knott be permitted to continue to use the Winnebago name and logos, provided the distinction between its business and Winnebago's was made clear.
As a result of the case, a disclaimer was required to be made clear on any vehicles made by Knott in the future, and on any advertising and promotional material. Further, all future consumers of Australian Winnebago/Avida products are required to sign a disclaimer declaring they have been made aware that they are not purchasing a United States Winnebago product. The disclaimer reads "These vehicles were not manufactured by, or by anyone having any association with, Winnebago of the United States."
In 2014, Avida RV announced they would reintroduce the Winnebago name and logo to their premium range of RV products. This announcement came just one month before Winnebago Industries announced they were entering the Australian market for the first time. Binns is currently opposing the registration of the Winnebago trademark in Australia, despite having been refused permission to hold the trademark himself.
From Wikipedia’s article on Winnebago Industries, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.8