Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 16, 2026

Forest River (company)

Forest River Inc. is an American manufacturer of recreational vehicles, cargo trailers, utility trailers, pontoon boats, and buses.

Last revised
Jun 16, 2026
Read time
≈ 5 min
Length
1,069 w
Citations
27
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Forest River
Company type
Subsidiary
IndustryRecreational vehicle products
FoundedJanuary 26, 1996 (1996-01-26)
FounderPeter Liegl
Headquarters
Elkhart, Indiana
,
United States
Number of locations
More than 100 Plants
Key people
Doug Gaeddert (CEO)
Number of employees
11,000
ParentBerkshire Hathaway (2005-present)
Divisions
List of Divisions
  • Prime Time Manufacturing
  • Coachmen RV
  • Shasta RV
  • Palomino RV
  • Forest River RV
  • Dynamax Corporation
  • Glaval Bus
  • Elkhart Coach
  • Starcraft Bus
  • AmeraLite
  • Cargo Mate
  • Continental Cargo
  • Haulin Trailers
  • Lightning Trailers
  • Rance Aluminum Trailers
  • US Cargo
  • Berkshire Pontoon
  • South Bay Pontoon
  • Trifecta Pontoon
  • Qualridge
  • Rockport Commercial Vehicles
  • Berkshire Coach
  • East to West
  • Battisti Customs
Websitewww.forestriverinc.com

Forest River Inc. is an American manufacturer of recreational vehicles, cargo trailers, utility trailers, pontoon boats, and buses.12

History

Forest River, Inc. was founded in 1996 by Peter Liegl3 after purchasing certain assets of Cobra Industries,4 where CEO Peter Liegl worked from 1985 to 1993. The company started by manufacturing tent campers, travel trailers, fifth wheels, and park models under the model lines Salem, Sierra, Sandpiper, Wildwood, Rockwood, Flagstaff, Summit, and Quailridge. Later that same year, they began producing cargo utility trailers as Cargo Mate.5

In 1998, Forest River Launched Forest River Marine and began producing pontoon boats.6 That same year the company purchased certain assets of Firan Motorhomes to begin manufacturing class A motorhomes.

In 2001, Forest River acquired Starcraft Bus7 and Glaval Bus.

In 2005, Forest River, Inc., was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway.89 As the Wall Street Columnist Ben Cohen noted:

"Liegl came to him (Warren Buffett) with a price in mind: $800 million. So he did some basic diligence. The next day, Buffett made an offer. The next week, Liegl came to Omaha. They met for 20 minutes and shook hands on a deal."1

Forest River continued to expand with the acquisition of Rance Aluminum Fabrication and Priority One Financial Services in 2007.10

The following year, the company acquired assets of Coachmen RV, a subsidiary of Coachmen Industries1112 and a manufacturer of class A motorhomes, class C motorhomes, travel trailers, fifth wheels, tent campers and sport utility trailers.

In 2011, Forest River acquired Dynamax Corporation,13 which builds motorhomes (class C and super class C).

In 2014, the company expanded with production facilities in Silverton, Oregon,1415 Hemet, California,1617 and White Pigeon, Michigan.1819 That same year, the company acquired StarTrans Bus.20

In January 2017, Forest River launched its new line of luxury buses, Berkshire Coach.21 In June of the same year, Battisti Customs was acquired.22

In May 2020, Forest River acquired the REV Group shuttle bus brands Champion, Federal Coach, World Trans, Krystal Coach, ElDorado, and Goshen Coach.23 In 2020, they closed the Federal Coach, Goshen Coach, Krystal Coach, and World Trans brands soon after acquisition.

In 2022-2024, they shut down Battisti Customs, Berkshire Coach & Elkhart Coach bus brands.

In January 2024, Forest River acquired the school bus manufacturer Collins Bus from REV Group.24 Later, the company acquired another school bus manufacturer Trans Tech.

Forest River Bus & Van acquired L.A. West Coaches in January 2025.25

In March 2025, co-CEO David Wright announced his retirement from Forest River, Inc., citing the recent passing of his longtime friend, mentor and Forest River founder, Pete Liegl.26

Subsidiaries

Forest River, Inc., though known best for its recreational vehicles, sells a wide variety of products including cargo trailers, buses, and pontoon boats. Below are the subsidiary brands of Forest River, Inc.:

Buses

Vans

  • Forest River Vans
  • Mobility Trans
  • L.A. West Coaches

Cargo Trailers

  • Force Trailers
  • Restroom Trailers
  • AmeraLite
  • Cargo Mate
  • Cargo King
  • Continental Cargo
  • Haulin Trailers
  • Lightning Trailers
  • Rance Aluminum Trailers
  • US Cargo

Commercial Trucks

  • Rockport Commercial Vehicles

Park Models

  • Cabins and Suites
  • Summit
  • Quailridge

Pontoon Boats

  • Berkshire Pontoons
  • South Bay Pontoons
  • Trifecta Pontoons
References

References

  1. Cohen, Ben (February 28, 2025). "Warren Buffett Knew Nothing About This Business. It Made Him Billions". The Wall Street Journal.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  2. "Our Story | Forest River Inc., A Berkshire Hathaway Company".
  3. "Liegl Conveys Gratitude on Forest River's 20th". RV Business. Archived from the original on February 11, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  4. (RV Business Vol 56, no. 9 pg 38)
  5. "Cargomatetrailer.com-AboutUs". www.cargomatetrailer.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  6. Pontoons, South Bay. "South Bay Pontoon - a division of Forest River, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company". www.southbaypontoon.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  7. "Forest River Buys Starcraft Bus Business". RV Business. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  8. "Berkshire Hathaway Annual Report-2005" (PDF).
  9. "Billionaire Buffett Operates on 'Gut Instinct'". RVBusiness. November 18, 2005. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  10. "About Priority One: History". www.p1fs.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  11. "Coachmen and Forest River Working out the Details". RV Business. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  12. "Coachmen RV - Manufacturer of Travel Trailers - Fifth Wheels - Tent Campers - Motorhomes". www.coachmenrv.com. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  13. "Liegl Expects Few Changes at Dynamax Corp". RV Business. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  14. "New business could add up to 70 jobs in Silverton". Statesman Journal. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  15. "Our Town – Silverton, Mt. Angel & Scotts Mills » Blog Archive » Match made: Forest River expands manufacturing operations into Silverton". ourtownlive.com. October 15, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  16. "HEMET: First trailer rolls out of new manufacturing plant". Press Enterprise. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  17. "Hundreds of Jobs Expected as Major RV Manufacturer Opens Plant in Hemet | Patch". Banning-Beaumont, CA Patch. December 15, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  18. "RV makers, dealers on roll as show opens in Novi". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  19. "Nearly 400 jobs coming to St. Joseph County as RV maker Forest River Manufacturing expands". MLive.com. January 27, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  20. "Forest River Acquiring Startrans Shuttle Bus Unit". Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  21. Tribune, Lincoln Wright South Bend. "Forest River launches luxury bus line". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  22. "Forest River Acquires Battisti Customs". RV Pro. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  23. "Forest River acquires REV Group's shuttle bus business". Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  24. "Forest River Acquires Collins Bus, Strengthening Position as America's Premier Shuttle and School Bus Builder". businesswire.com. January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  25. "Forest River Bus & van Acquires L.A. West Coaches, Expanding van Portfolio".
  26. "Forest River Co-CEO Wright to Retire; Gaeddert Sole CEO - RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News". March 24, 2025.