Two lifelong friends. One legendary camper brand. Meet the new owners of Host and discover how they plan to expand on a tradition of innovation while keeping quality at the core of every camper they produce.

For twenty-five years, lifelong friends Dave Hogue and Mark Storch shaped Host into a leader in luxury truck campers. They pioneered the first triple-slide model, innovated with lightweight aluminum frames and vacuum-bonded construction, and developed standout designs like the Mammoth, Everest, Yukon, Cascade, and Tahoe.

Hogue and Storch’s commitment to building campers to order kept standards high and customers confident, cementing Host’s reputation as one of the most respected names in the truck camper industry.

But every legacy needs a next chapter. This past May, Dave and Mark sold Host Campers to Duane Stevens and Duane Walker, two men with their own lifelong partnership and deep business experience.

Stevens and Walker first met as teenagers at Fly Guard Systems, the company founded by Stevens’ parents. Walker continued at Fly Guard while taking business classes at Oregon State and animal science classes at Linn-Benton Community College. He went on to earn an Animal Science degree and then turned his full attention to Fly Guard.

Stevens attended MIT on an ROTC scholarship, studied mechanical engineering, and served five years as an Air Force Captain before returning to buy Fly Guard in 2004.

Their acquisition of Host came through a financial advisor who knew both sides. Together, they’re committed to maintaining Host’s focus on luxury multi-slide campers, already debuting a new kitchen peninsula option for the Mammoth and Yukon models.

For Stevens and Walker, Host isn’t just a company—it’s a legacy they hope their families will one day carry on. As they take the helm, they’re focused on preserving Host’s quality, listening to customers, and building on the solid foundation Dave and Mark established.

In the interview ahead, we sit down with Duane Stevens and Duane Walker to learn about their journeys, their plans for Host Campers, and what excites them most about the future.

What’s your professional background?

Walker: After I graduated from high school in Snohomish, Washington, I moved to Oregon and attended Oregon State University and Linn-Benton Community College to study business and animal science. That summer—in 1994—I was hired to work for Fly Guard Systems, Inc. That’s where Duane and I first met and began working together as teenagers. Fly Guard was owned and operated by Duane’s family.

Fly Guard covered six western states, so it was an opportunity for me to travel and gain a lot of experience during the summer while going to college. I started out as a production worker, building systems in the shop, then traveling to different states, installing and servicing the systems in various types of barns. I worked my way into a lead position by the end of the first season. I enjoyed the job—traveling to the different dairy farms and horse ranches and meeting so many amazing, hard-working people.

After graduating, I decided to continue my career with Fly Guard—a company with strong values, a commitment to producing high-quality products, and providing excellent customer service. As my career advanced with Fly Guard, I had the opportunity to work in purchasing, sales, marketing, HR, scheduling, and eventually became the General Manager overseeing all business operations.

During college, I also took welding and fabrication classes. I had a small shop where we built truck flatbeds and various trailers. I’ve always enjoyed design and fabrication work, but over time, it became more of a hobby as Fly Guard required more of my attention.

I’ve been at Fly Guard now for thirty years. It requires lots of traveling, and I want to spend more time closer to home with family. Duane and I are in the process of passing Fly Guard on to the employees, who have been loyal to us for many years. It’s important for us to leave Fly Guard in good hands and know our customers will be well taken care of.  We have worked on multiple projects over the years, both separately and together. It’s the right time for us to team up and be a part of the Host team.

Stevens: I started working at Fly Guard when I was fourteen years old, washing trucks and taking out the trash. At fifteen, I was working in the field. Duane Walker and I started working together when I was seventeen and he was nineteen. We’ve worked together for a long time.

I later went to college at MIT on an ROTC scholarship, studying mechanical engineering. When I graduated, I served for five years in the Air Force, separating as a Captain. For all those years, my parents relied on Duane to run the business. Eventually, I had to make a decision to stay in the Air Force or run our family business. That’s when Duane and I became business partners.

I moved back to Sweet Home, Oregon in 2004 and bought Fly Guard when my parents retired. My ex-wife was from Bend and my parents had moved to the neighboring town of Sisters, so we moved to Bend in 2009. By 2011, we planned on moving Fly Guard to Bend and I started investing in commercial real estate. I currently have a little over 140,000 square feet of commercial properties in Bend.

What’s the back story behind your acquisition of Host Industries?

Stevens: In addition to owning commercial real estate, I’ve bought and run other small businesses here in Bend; a construction clean-up business and a wood product manufacturing business that builds custom door and window parts. My financial advisor happened to also advise Host. He was the matchmaker. He works with a variety of businesses, and thought we would be a perfect fit.

Are the founders of Host, Dave Hogue and Mark Storch, still involved in the business?

Stevens: Yes. Dave and Mark are still here full-time for six months. Mark will remain on as our CAD engineer for new model development and future innovations. Speaking of which, we just came out with a new Host floor plan.

Wait. There’s a new Host floor plan?

Stevens: Technically, it’s a new option. A dealer of ours suggested that we add a center kitchen as a floor plan. We decided to add it as an option to our Mammoth and Yukon triple-slide models. We just debuted the center kitchen peninsula in a Mammoth at the Overland Expo PNW. We’re excited to showcase it in Truck Camper Magazine in the near future.

Are there changes in design, materials, manufacturing, or quality control you plan to implement immediately?

Walker: Host is a dialed-in, successful manufacturer, and is very efficient. Processes are in place to ensure that every camper that leaves the factory is in excellent condition. The goal is for our campers to arrive at our dealerships with zero problems. We want to be proud of every camper that comes off the production line, and provide customers with a camper they can enjoy without problems. We will continually look for ways to improve our process and campers, but there haven’t been too many changes yet, and nothing that needs to be implemented immediately.

What message do you have for Host owners about warranty and customer service?

Stevens: Our reputation is incredibly important to us. If something is a little out of warranty, we’re going to take care of it. We want to give our customers what they need. If something is our fault, we want to fix it.

Walker: At Fly Guard, we had customers for decades and enjoyed a solid reputation. If customers had an issue out of warranty, we took care of them. We want loyal and satisfied customers. If something that should last five years is defective after a year, we’re going to take care of it—whether it’s out of warranty or not—because it’s the right thing to do.

Do you plan to expand the Host product line into other types of RVs?

Walker: Not at this time. We want to continue to focus on luxury multi-slide truck campers. The models we have are doing well.

Stevens: We don’t want to dilute our quality by going in different directions. That said, we would love to hear from our consumers about what they want in a future Host truck camper. That’s how new floor plans and options come about.

Where do you see Host Industries in five years?

Walker: Host is now building three campers a week. We could probably build four a week if we hired more people, but we will only grow if we can maintain our quality. It’s a balancing act. We want to keep our skilled employees and not sacrifice an inch of quality or reputation.

Stevens: We are busy learning the company and industry. Our vision is to continue the legacy set by Dave and Mark, continue the remarkable quality they set, and listen to the marketplace for future direction and innovations.

The analogy I always think of is solving a puzzle. There are dealer pieces, customer pieces, and internal team pieces. Our job is to listen and gather those puzzle pieces and look for opportunities when they fit together.

What excites you most about this new chapter leading Host Industries?

Stevens: I think manufacturing is so cool. When I’m on the production floor, I love to troubleshoot and geek out on the advanced technology we’re implementing at Host. That’s exciting to me.

Walker: This is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to continue what Mark and Dave started and make Host the best it can be. Host is an opportunity for us to enjoy life while working. It’s already been great. Being able to manufacture and sell campers is exciting. My kids are sixteen and twenty. I want Host to be something my kids can be proud of, and hopefully someday be a part of the business.

Stevens: My wife and I can also see our kids growing into the business one day. My thirteen year old is already asking to come to work with me and sat in on a production meeting. This is something exciting for our family to be a part of.

Walker: We understand that some might be concerned that the quality will change under new ownership. That is not going to happen. Our number one goal is to continue rolling out high-end Host campers. Quality is our top priority. Supporting our dealers and maintaining excellent customer service is also extremely important to us.

Stevens: That is our highest focus.

Walker: I would also like to mention that we have amazing people working for Host, who are very skilled and work hard every day to roll out our campers each week. It’s been a pleasure getting to know them, and I have really enjoyed my time at Host so far. I look forward to coming to work every day, and a big reason for that is the people I get to work with.

For more information about Host Campers, visit HostCampers.com. Click here to get a free Host Camper brochure.