Trailer maker plans to add 100 jobs in Peru

The IBJ

Peru recreational vehicle maker Riverside Travel Trailer Inc. will expand its Miami County operations, creating 100 new jobs by 2011, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. announced Wednesday morning.

The company, which launched in June, will invest more than $1.1 million to purchase equipment and make upgrades to its 130,000 square-foot facility, which formerly housed Adventure Manufacturing Inc.'s RV-making operations.

Riverside Travel Trailer now employs more than 30 former Adventure Manufacturing workers. The company plans to continue hiring manufacturing and assembly staff as market conditions allow. It expects to double current employment by the second quarter of 2010.

"The RV business is entering into a recovery phase, and it is here to stay. Indiana is the heart of the RV industry and as such it is the place to be," Mark Gerber, vice president of sales and finance at Riverside Travel Trailer, said in a prepared statement.

The company, which is working to establish a dealer network, shipped its first product in July. At full capacity, Riverside Travel Trailer will be able to manufacture up to 6,000 units annually.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered the company up to $265,000 in performance-based tax credits and $45,000 in training grants based on the company's job creation plans. Miami County will provide additional property tax abatement at the request of the Miami County Economic Development Authority.