by Nancy Rapa |
It’s been thirty-five years since the very first Coleman
production model, a CT-180, rolled off the line at their
newly built manufacturing facility in Somerset, Pennsylvania.
Today, it is the largest factory for folding trailers in
North America--435,000 square feet under one roof. Now owned
by Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc., the company currently employs
over 600 associates, each having an average of 13 or more
years of experience, with less than a one-percent turnover
rate annually.
Not
only is Fleetwood
keeping their employees happy, but their customers as
well. They have more than 41% of the folding trailer market
and produce more than one hundred trailers per day on
average. They stand behind their products, taking immense
pride in their workmanship. Year after year, despite an
increasingly competitive market, they refuse to sacrifice
quality features on even their lowest priced models.
Not only is Coleman
Folding Trailers celebrating their 35th anniversary,
but The Coleman
Company is celebrating its 100th birthday as well.
In 1901, a young man named W. C. Coleman saw a brilliant
gas powered lamp in a drugstore window that inspired him
to start a lighting service. After purchasing the patent
from the lamp’s inventor, he moved his business to
Wichita, Kansas, where he began designing and selling
lamps that were far superior to other lamps at the time.
In 1914, he introduced the country’s first outdoor
all-weather lantern, which steadily gained popularity
and was declared an “essential item” during
WWI. Before long, Coleman was producing both indoor and
outdoor stoves and various other household gas appliances.
During WWII, Coleman developed the famed GI Pocket Stove,
which, along with the Willy’s Jeep, often were cited
as the best non-shooting equipment with commercial value
to come out of the war effort.
After
the war, people were ready for some fun, travel and exploration.
Roadside parks and campsites began springing up everywhere,
as “car camping” became increasingly popular.
W.C.’s son, Sheldon, who joined his father’s
business in 1920 and became its president in 1951, recognized
the trend as a key to the company’s future and focused
in its direction. With a steadily growing line of outdoor
recreation products such as lanterns, stoves, coolers,
tents and sleeping bags, Coleman was well on the way to
becoming the largest manufacturer of camping gear in the
US.
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