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MIDDLEBURY -- The story of the demise of fifth wheel RV maker Carriage
Inc. has all the makings of a typical news story on a factory being
shut down.
Nearly 200 loyal, knowledgeable, hardworking employees were battling
to keep their 42-year-old company afloat during the recession and its
aftermath, only to come into work Oct. 17, 2011, and learn Carriage
Inc. was shutting down.
A brief glimmer of hope came in that the Millersburg-based company
might get enough help from a bank to reopen. Then came the word: It
was not going to happen, and it was time to move on.
It might have ended there.
But the management team of Carriage opted to make a pitch to EverGreen
Recreational Vehicles of Middlebury, maker of light, eco-friendly
travel trailers.
The team's timing -- though not perfect -- was pretty darn close.
"Basically they made a presentation that really fits the mold of what
we're trying to do with Evergreen, with the quality, with the green
(segment) and the integrity, and had some good product design
activities," said EverGreen CEO Michael Schoeffler.
Inc. has all the makings of a typical news story on a factory being
shut down.
Nearly 200 loyal, knowledgeable, hardworking employees were battling
to keep their 42-year-old company afloat during the recession and its
aftermath, only to come into work Oct. 17, 2011, and learn Carriage
Inc. was shutting down.
A brief glimmer of hope came in that the Millersburg-based company
might get enough help from a bank to reopen. Then came the word: It
was not going to happen, and it was time to move on.
It might have ended there.
But the management team of Carriage opted to make a pitch to EverGreen
Recreational Vehicles of Middlebury, maker of light, eco-friendly
travel trailers.
The team's timing -- though not perfect -- was pretty darn close.
"Basically they made a presentation that really fits the mold of what
we're trying to do with Evergreen, with the quality, with the green
(segment) and the integrity, and had some good product design
activities," said EverGreen CEO Michael Schoeffler.
