NMMA, RVIA hosting manufacturing roundtable Thursday

The National Marine Manufacturers Association and the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association are hosting a manufacturing roundtable with Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., Thursday, as she visits Elkhart, Ind., to showcase the RV and recreational boating manufacturing industries in Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District and their impact on the local community and state, as well as the national manufacturing economy.

The roundtable will take place at the Lexington Engineering Center in Elkart, Ind.

“Champions like Congresswoman Walorski, who recognize the importance of domestic manufacturing, help to ensure that businesses have the ability to invest in local communities like Elkhart, provide thousands of jobs, boost the economy, and produce innovative products in outdoor recreation for all Americans to enjoy,” said NMMA President Thom Dammrich. “We look forward to welcoming the Congresswoman to Elkhart and showcasing one of boating’s strongest manufacturing regions in the U.S. and one of our nation’s uniquely American-made industries.”

“Since the end of the Great Recession, the RV industry and Elkhart, Indiana have come roaring back with RV shipments up more than 125 percent since the market bottomed in 2009,” said RVIA President Frank Hugelmeyer.  “As a longtime friend and advocate of the RV industry, Congresswoman Walorski has a deep appreciation for the outdoor recreation industry, the important role it plays in the larger national economy, and how it has helped drive an economic rejuvenation in Elkhart.”

In Indiana’s 2nd District alone, recreational boating supports 1,700 jobs across 76 businesses and contributes $321 million to the district’s economy annually. Recreational boating in the state of Indiana has created nearly 12,000 jobs across 430 businesses statewide and contributes $2.3 billion to the local economy annually, according to NMMA.

Indiana is also the capital of RV manufacturing with 80 percent of all RVs built in the state.  The RV industry contributes a total direct economic statewide output of $6.8 billion through the work of 481 businesses employing more than 22,400 people. The bulk of that economic impact is generated by RV-related businesses located in Indiana’s 2nd district, home to 157 businesses employing more than 14,200 workers and generating a total economic impact of $4.6 billion.

Rep. Walorski is scheduled to see the latest products at Dynamax’s facility and meet with several other manufacturers to address topics including trade, regulation, and the upcoming election. NMMA and RVIA manufacturing members in Elkhart have been invited to attend and include Dynamax Corporation/Forest River Inc., ASA Electronics, Bennington, BJ Thompson Associates, Dicor Corporation, Furrion, Godfrey Marine/Highwater Marine, Kropf Industries Inc., Lippert Components and Transhield.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button