The RV Industry Association published the following profile of Don Clark, the co-founder of Grand Design RV and an industry veteran of more than three decades.
Family means a lot to Grand Design co-founder and CEO Don Clark. You can hear it in his voice when he talks about his children; he values his time with them, and he is proud of their independence and accomplishments. You hear the same pride when he talks about his employees – for the same reasons.
Don and his co-founders, brothers Bill and Ron Fenech, knew that family was going to be an important part of Grand Design’s culture when they launched the company in 2012. The three friends had begun their careers together at Coachmen RV in the mid-1980s and then at Keystone before it was acquired by THOR Industries. Each stayed on with the company for another ten years, growing into executive management roles that resulted in Don being named president of Dutchman; Bill being named president of Thor Motorcoach; and Ron becoming president of THOR’s RV umbrella unit.
While the three had great respect for THOR and still have many friends at the company, they began to envision a different kind of company – one that focused on a limited line of upscale travel trailers and fifth wheels, provided top-of-the-line customer service, and valued and empowered its employees to succeed.
“It was exciting and terrifying at the time,” says Clark about starting a company from scratch. “But I never wanted to look back at my career with regrets over what I could’ve or should’ve done.”
Click here to read the entire profile from the RVIA. Click here to listen to Clark as a guest on the In Tow with RV PRO podcast.