FREEDOM IN MOVEMENT

Tom Bateman, Director of Marketing

It really came from when I was a kid. I was born with a disability. I couldn’t really walk, and I couldn’t run, so the bike became very important to me. I would bike everywhere, even two-doors down, I would take the bike. So now, having the van, it’s like an exponential version of that.

These are the words of long-time Coachmen van owner, Dean. You see for him, van-life isn’t a fad, an excuse to post Instagram pictures by the beach, or a cool way to see the county. For Dean, his Transit van is his freedom and relief from a life-long physical disability.

Coachmen RV

in Middlebury Indiana are a world-class builder of recreation vehicles, from vans and Class A motorhomes, to trailers and 5th-wheels. Sure, vans are cool and owning a motorhome is a symbol of the American dream, but what too o en gets overlooked is the type of life can be created with the building of these homes on wheels.

Sitting with Nick Recchio, we were able to get a little more insight on why people have gravitated toward these converted box vans in recent years. Nick comes from the world of Class A motorhomes where he’s working with 300 sq of living space, and yet a er a short time getting to know these Class B vans and leading the division, he put into words what everyone was already feeling. “For the money, there isn’t a better Swiss Army knife in the RV segment.” It’s that simple. In a crowded, busy, loud, and fast-paced world people are craving simplicity and freedom. That’s what Coachmen knows, and that’s what they deliver.

There’s a hand l of premiere van builders, so what makes Coachmen di erent? There’s a lot of quality products coming out of the Elkhart, Indiana area not to mention more across the county, but as Coachmen Class B plant manager, John Frey, puts it, “we wanted to step it up.” John worked as a carpenter before joining Coachmen. That means his love for custom cabinetry, superior wood selection, and the hand-cra ed feel in the coach is obvious and makes for di erent home inside the van. For Nick, his goal has and continues to be adding the very best tools inside his Swiss Army knife. That means staying close to the blogs, the forums, the customer feedback, and quickly implementing what makes these vans the best.

The whole team is obsessed with creating this freedom in movement, and since the owners are the ones in the vans, they’re also the ones with the ideas for improvement. “That’s who we should be listening to all the time”, says Nick. “I talk to them every day and it’s a positive thing. We get the best insight from our owners. It’s awesome that we have this closeness. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

So where does SuperSprings International fit into this journey? How are we contributing to the creation of simplicity and freedom in movement? Nick recalls that when he first joined this division, he crawled under one of the vans and noticed that the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis he was looking had some seriously underwhelming suspension. Especially for a chassis that was about to get everything including the kitchen sink thrown at it. So, after doing his own research, namely talking to his community of van owners, he took a chance on adding SSI products to every single Class B van in his lineup – front and rear. Seems to have worked out too, because as he puts, “We preach the simplicity and effectiveness of the SumoSprings system. It is without a doubt, the best suspension for a Class B”.

And that’s not where it ends for Nick and his team. His passion for creating freedom doesn’t just include 4 wheels, a steering wheel, and pull-out bed. For him, it means creating the single best line of vans that move people to a lifestyle of freedom in movement. “I’ve learned throughout my career that quality is king. It’s time to build the best possible products and make sure our customers are 100% satisfied.” Nick’s passion is building something that gives his customers the freedom they want, and in his book, adding SumoSprings “makes it last a heck of a lot longer."