(BRK.A), (BRK.B)
While much has been written in the national press about the Midwest having been left behind by the economic recovery, Berkshire Hathaway’s Forest River Inc. is actually struggling to come up with enough employees in Elkhart, Indiana, and is moving some of the production of its XLR Boost toy hauler 73 miles down the road to Butler, Indiana.
Elkhart, which is Forest River’s headquarters, has an unemployment rate that is under 3.3 percent.
“We want to continue to keep our quality level high and increase the amount of production. But we can’t do that with the amount of workforce that we have here (in Elkhart). We need a separate facility for the Boost that can bring in good quality workers. All the good quality people are already working here in Elkhart right now,” Brent Stevens, Forest River’s general manager overseeing the XLR models, said in an article in RV Business magazine.
The company will build a 100,000-square-foot facility in Butler, and will employ 150 workers when it is completed.
The XLR Boost toy hauler comes as a 102” wide body travel trailer or fifth wheel that combines traditional trailer living space and cargo areas that have plenty of space as well as a zero gravity loading ramp door for hauling ATV’s, dirt bikes, snowmobiles, bicycles or any other outdoor toys.
© 2017 David Mazor
Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.