Nexus RV: direct to your driveway

It’s a good thing Claude Donati and Dave Middleton didn’t heed the conventional wisdom about the direction of the RV industry.

Had they looked at drooping RV sales figures, or listened to the doomsayers who proclaimed the industry all but deceased, they might not have established their startup, Nexus RV, at Innovation Park at Notre Dame. Tapping the intellectual resources available at Innovation Park, they developing a strategic game plan for a whole new RV enterprise rooted in the pioneering concept of building and selling motor homes from the same facility.

The two lifelong friends were so confident their unique factory-direct business model would be a success, they thought it would practically sell itself.

Turns out they were right.

By the time Nexus RV “graduated” from Innovation Park in October 2010, they had already lined up a major contract that promises to keep their 17 (and counting) employees working for some time to come.

“We think factory-direct is really the next logical step for the RV industry,” says Donati, president of Nexus. “It allows customers to save money and get exactly what they want, because they can go to our website, schedule a virtual tour of any model in our showroom, customize their vehicle and have it delivered to their driveway.”

Nexus vice president Middleton adds that another unique aspect of the Nexus business model is the handling of every step of the process from a single location.

Claude Donati, president, and Dave Middleton, vice president, Nexus RV

“We’re focusing on using technology and social media to drive customers to us,” Middleton says, explaining customers can visit the Elkhart location either in person or online to get a virtual tour of the company’s 25,000-square-foot showroom and adjoining 86,000-square-foot manufacturing space. There, every step of the process is carried out from start to finish, from initial customer contact to designing the vehicle to service and support.

“We’ll even fly our customers out here at our expense so they can spend a night or two in the vehicle of their choice, just to make sure it’s exactly what they want,” Middleton says.

To get their new venture up and running, Innovation Park was the ideal location and environment for several reasons: It removed them from the close-knit RV community for a time and afforded them opportunities to attract capital investment. In addition, Innovation Park personnel helped them develop their business plan and hone their vision.

“I’ll always be grateful for the help we received at Innovation Park,” Donati says. “It really accelerated the startup process for us.”

At the company’s formal graduation ceremony, Innovation Park president and CEO David Brenner lauded Donati and Middleton as “true innovators” because they weren’t put off by declining RV sales reported in media accounts.

“Nexus exemplifies the work and services of the Park,” he added. “They came in for a short period of time, accomplished their milestones and relocated to a facility that would allow them to expand their business.”

In addition to producing vehicles to fulfill customer demand, Nexus RV has focused its energies and resources on marketing efforts, including editorial and advertising placements in key trade publications.

The centerpiece of their marketing effort is the Nexus RV interactive website, which went live in mid-February 2011. Featuring multiple photo galleries, floor plans, videos and the virtual tour, it offers everything potential customers need to research and purchase a vehicle from anywhere in the country.

“Our goal is 100 percent customer satisfaction,” Middleton says.

Learn more about Nexus RV at www.nexusrv.com.