A maker of vehicle accessories and truck bed campers is investing $2 million in its Elkhart County facility that is projected to create up to 50 new jobs by the end of 2023.
According to the Indiana Economic Department Corp., Skinny Guy Campers, which launched in 2020 and operates at 19974 County Road 6 in Bristol, plans its expansion over two phases. Its investment includes equipment upgrades and addition of new equipment.
“We're excited Skinny Guy Campers has chosen to expand operations in Indiana and look forward to supporting the company's continued growth,” said Jim Stanton, interim Indiana secretary of commerce.
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered Skinny Guy Campers up to $400,000 in conditional tax credits based on the company’s job creation plans and up to $130,000 in conditional tax credits from the Hoosier Business Investment tax credit program based on the company's planned capital investment in Indiana, the IEDC said. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning the company is eligible to claim incentives once Hoosiers are hired and investments are made.
The town of Bristol is considering additional incentives, the state said.
Jason Bontrager, founder and CEO of Skinny Guy Campers said, his firm is a design-centric business, which makes products to work with many trucks on the road today.
“The SGC is less a camper and more of a tool that we designed to allow overland truck enthusiasts like us the ability to explore longer and camp farther off the beaten path,” he said. “Constructed of durable marine-grade metals and fasteners, our campers' wood content is less than 1% (so) it’s easy to put on a truck (and) only impact fuel economy by 0.5 miles per gallon (and) easy to set up at camp and is easy to take off, all while maintaining a minimal footprint when in storage.”
Skinny Guy Campers plans to begin hiring this summer. Positions it seeks to fill include engineering, operations and office functions.
Bontrager’s grandfather, Lloyd Bontrager, developed a proprietary lifter system for pop-up campers, which was the invention upon which Lloyd and his wife, Bertha, launched Jayco RV in 1968. After Lloyd Bontrager’s passing in 1985, Bertha and her family grew Jayco into a successful privately held RV manufacturer.
