In the beginning...
History of Roadtrek Motorhomes
(formerly Home & Park Motorhomes)
Jac Hanemaayer, of Dutch origin, has been living in Kitchener, Ontario since 1953. He has become involved
in many businesses including home construction, residential and commercial land development, packaging
equip-ment importation and distribution, and advanced technology to separate liquids and solids.
In 1974, Jac became interested in an RV for personal use. He like the spacious room and comfort offered
by class A and C motorhomes, but didn't want to become a "weekend bus driver". To enjoy the convenience
and mo-bility of a small vehicle, he checked out the class B motorhome (camper van) market. Being
unable to find all the comforts of a larger motorhome within the convenient and efficient size of a van,
he designed one for himself and had it built by fledgling Home & Park Vehicles. When it was finished,
he liked it so much, he bought the company!
After years of personal RVing experience, he completely re-designed the product in 1980 with his now
famous low profile roof, lowered floor and innovative three section floor plan; Roadtrek, Fuel Efficient
Motorhomes You'll Love to Drive, was born! To protect the design, Canadian and U.S. patents were secured
on many of the innovative features incorporated in the Roadtrek.
Jac still participates in the development and refinement of the vehicle he originated.
His son Jeff started as a summer student employee and knows the product and industry inside out.
In his previous position as President, Jeff oversaw the company's growth from 1985 to 2000 and continues
to guide Roadtrek as Chairman while Road-trek's popularity soars to new heights.
With sales to the U.S. starting in 1983, Roadtrek expanded rapidly for the rest of the 1980s.
In 1990, Roadtrek became the best selling North American class B motorhome!
(According to statistics from U.S. Recreation Vehicle Industry Association and Canadian Recreational Vehicle Association.)
With the steady growth of Roadtrek sales throughout the U.S. and Canada, the foundation was in place for a number
of adventurous "Roadtrekkers" to get together and form a North America wide club for Roadtrek owners. With the
ongoing support and assistance of Roadtrek, the hard work by the Charter Members resulted in the crea-tion of the
Roadtrek International Owners Club, an active Chapter of the Family Motor Coach Association, in early 1993.
By the end of the first year, the club grew to over 400 vehicle members (about 830 people). Now it has 2000
vehicle members (about 4000 people) and is one of the largest product chapters (and the only class B motorhome chapter)
within the FMCA. Members meet new friends with common interests and take part in rallies, group outings, tours and
suppers where they exchange Roadtrek experiences and share ideas.
With Roadtrek's continuing #1 selling position, we outgrew our 50,000 square foot plant. In 1993
we moved into a modern 120,000 square foot manufacturing facility to increase production capacity,
lower manufacturing costs, improve product quality and enhance customer service. Employment has
grown from a handful as recently as 1980 to 200 full-time employees. Roadtrek has over 100 dealers from coast to coast.
Old 50,000 square foot plant
New 120,000 square foot plant
In 2001, Roadtrek Motorhomes was the first RV manufacturer in North America to obtain registration to
the rigor-ous international standard ISO9001:2000(E). ISO, the International Organization for
Standardization, is a world-wide federation of national standards bodies. The ISO 9001:2000(E)
standard is a complete Quality Management System Standard with an emphasis on effective processes and continuous improvement.
From 2002 to 2006, Roadtrek employees achieved 1,500,000 hours worked without a "lost time" injury.
That's about 750 "person years" of work without an injury serious enough to prevent the person from working
at least part of the next day. What better evidence is there of the company's and employees' commitment
to safety as their top priority?
In 2006, Roadtrek built its 20,000th class B motorhome, an achievement unequalled in the RV industry.
The first 10,000 took 24 years to build, the second 10,000 only eight years. The next 10,000 will take even less.
The #1 selling North American camper van. Exceptional people. A high quality and innovative product.
State-of-the-art facilities. And a superior dealer network. With this winning combination, Roadtrek will
continue to domi-nate the North American class B motorhome market with unrivalled product value.