Bound by the W Means Building Bonds

Bound by the W Means Building Bonds
The Winnie Bs caravan to Charles City for a pre-GNR outing and tour of the Class B factory.
By: Noel Fleming & Chris Miller

Have you ever seen 88 Class B vans caravanning down an interstate? This year, the Winnie Bs traveled to Charles City to enjoy time together and discover a new location.

Each year during July, Winnebago hosts the Grand National Rally, affectionately referred to as GNR. The days leading up to GNR offer an opportunity to gather early and participate in additional community-building events outside the rally grounds. Winnebago collaborates with members of the Winnie Bs to plan a variety of activities. (The Winnie Bs consists of all Winnebago Class B vans: Travato, Era, Paseo, Revel, and Boldt.)

Discovering Charles City, Iowa

Charles City welcomed the caravan of Bs, allowing us to use river-side parking for our overnight stay. The location by the river provided easy access to the main part of town and the nearby river park, while enabling our large group to dry camp together. The Winnie Bs made their way to various lunch spots, discovered historical buildings, biked along the river, and just hung out on blankets and chairs making friends and digging deeper into each other's stories.

The entire posse convened for dinner at the Saint Charles Brewing Company. Bonds continued to build over beers and tacos. Russ Garfin, Director of Product Management for Winnebago-branded Class B vans and Class C diesel products, highlighted his appreciation of our community spirit and the feedback we provide regarding our usage of B-class products. The strong relationships between Winnebago personnel and Winnebago owners continues to hone the products to meet the needs of the people.

Afterward, a few Revel owners set up karaoke on the side of their van. Quickly the small group evolved into a large group of van owners taking their turns on the mic, singing from their seats, or just enjoying the entertaining atmosphere of adults cutting loose and finding a new way to connect.

Behind the Scenes of the Winnebago Class Bs

The following morning, the Winnie B's ventured in caravan fashion again to the Winnebago Manufacturing Facility for Tours of both the Charles City Hardwood Facility and the Charles City Assembly Facility. We were impressed by the clean facilities, the efficient work, and the willingness of the employees to explain their individual roles in the manufacturing process.

The collaborative efforts of the design and assembly teams continue to produce improved motorhomes, such as the Boldt - which took many ideas from the Revel, Era, and Travato to bring the best features into one van. The Boldt features the highest quality insulation to date and was designed to allow year-round usage!

After the tours, we had a chance to sit side-by-side with many of the employees as we celebrated their work with an appreciation lunch. Perhaps the best part of our interactions at the plant was sharing our vans with the employees. Their responses conveyed how meaningful it was for them to see the finished product and the impact their work has on the lives of Winnebago owners.

Winnebago products enable owners to reach destinations. Winnebago communities enable owners to build bonds.

Check out a fun recap of the Winnie Bs Charles City meetup: