The following profile is from the RVIA’s News & Insights report.
Claude Donati, managing member at Nexus RV, has been making his mark on the RV industry for almost 30 years.
After graduating from Indiana University Bloomington with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, he initially worked in the winery business. It was during this time he learned the art of selling and managing accounts — an important skill to have in his eventual career path.
Claude set his sights on the RV industry after conversations with his friends who were involved in the sector. “I met with a couple of my friends at a reunion. They were in the RV industry, and they shared the dynamics of the RV business with me,” he explains.
Inspired, Claude made the decision to switch his career and join the RV world. He became part of the sales team at Gulf Stream Coach and spent 15 years with the company.
“At Gulfstream, I started in the sales world and Class Cs in particular. A year into that I was promoted, and I’ve been in management ever since,” Claude explains. “My role at Gulfstream evolved from a Regional Sales Manager to a National Sales Manager to Vice President of Sales to Vice President of the Motorhome Division.”
Claude looks back on this time as a crucial part of his career path: ”While I was at Gulfstream I had the fortunate opportunity to work with the Shea family. Jim Shea Sr., who had passed away during my final few years there, was legendary.”
“Being around those entrepreneurs helped me understand the business, and I learned a lot in those roles. I was in the room and allowed to observe when big decisions were being made, so it was a very rewarding period,” he adds.
In 2010, Claude started a new phase of his career by co-founding Nexus RV with Dave Middleton. “During the recession the whole environment changed dramatically, and it sparked an opportunity for me to consider going off on my own. As the market constricted, I knew that if I was ever going to do it, I should do it then— I was young enough to muscle through the process of starting a company.”
“And so, my business partner, Dave Middleton, who was my National Sales Manager at Gulfstream, went with me to raise capital in the private sector in the middle of the recession.” Claude also notes he had the support of some longtime friends who were also involved in the industry, including Tim Hoffman, one of the founding members of Heartland RV, Joe Luther, an industry veteran who currently works for Keystone and many others.
“We were able to find good engineers, good workers, and good production people,” Claude says. “Although the market wasn’t buying units at the time, we were able to set up the company.”
As a result, for its first eight years, Nexus RV sold units factory direct. “We got to know our customers very well. We understood the dealer network, how to do a deal, and how to handle parts and service.” However, as Nexus RV continued to grow, the company changed its business model in 2018 and transitioned to a dealer model, connected with dealerships across the country.
Now, 15 years since launching Nexus RV, Claude is looking forward to the possibilities ahead. “It feels like there’s been new opportunities every step of the way, from starting the company during the recession to changing from factory direct. And now there’s a second-generation joining Nexus RV who have a real interest in the company.”
