I picked up on this last week and tried - just out of curiosity - to research the closing. I could not find any source of information about it online, including looking at the local news media sites in Humboldt and the area. Go their website and read the "About" or "History" tab ( I forgot what they call it on the site).
My interest is in just being sad at how really great small companies are struggling these days. I owned two Roadtreks over the years and, like Born Free, they were started by one guy and built into a quality product which gained great reputations throughout North America. Age seems to then take over in most of these situations. The next generation of the family takes over, gets older, cashes out to so called "investors" and they often are under capitalized or simply don't grasp the nuances of the industry in which they find themselves. The results are often, sadly, not pretty. As I recall Roadtrek went through three owners in less than five years. Now, it is owned by a large company from Europe.
I spent almost fifty years in finance and had the great privilege of working with a lot of entrepreneurs all over this country who built wonderful companies where service and quality were the touchstones, not increasing next quarter's profits by a fraction of a cent per share. Time marches on and the realities of today's economy are just not kind to these kinds of endeavors. It is a very, very sad passage and the main reason why I hung up my spurs and went to the house as they say in the Southwest.
I hope Born Free finds "the capital" some reports indicate they are seeking. We shall see, but quality custom builders seem to often fall into despair when generations change. The story of Chinook immediately comes to mind.
If it is true that Born Free is now at least temporarily closed, doesn't that only leave Phoenix Cruiser and Coach House? No others immediately pop into my mind.
Paul
