TCM interviews Larry Baab, the new CEO of Four Wheel Campers, on where he’s taking the company. The pace of innovation at Four Wheel Campers is about to increase.
In late 2016, a private equity company, Salt Creek Capital, acquired Four Wheel Campers. In the eight years since, Four Wheel Campers has introduced CNC equipment and instituted 5S lean manufacturing (2018), debuted the industry-changing Project M camper topper (2019), led the industry with COVID response and reopening plans (2020), moved to a 140,000 square foot facility (2021), made easily the most incredible list of model year updates in Four Wheel Camper’s history (2023), and announced the Orvis Special Edition (2024). These accomplishments are in addition to accelerated growth and market expansion thanks to one of the most aggressive marketing and show teams in the business.
A few weeks ago, the team at Four Wheel Campers informed us about their new CEO, Larry Baab. We immediately requested an interview to learn more about Larry’s vision for the stalwart brand, product, and company. Then we did some homework on Larry and discovered a resume that stretches far from the boundaries of our industry including household brands like Lowes and Stanley Black and Decker. To say it’s unusual for truck camper industry leaders to have such a broad professional background is an understatement.
After reading about Larry, my first question was how his extensive resume led him to Four Wheel Campers. Fortunately, he accepted our interview and was eager to answer.
Prior to joining Four Wheel Campers as CEO, you were a Division President at Johnson Outdoors responsible for their camping (Eureka and Jetboil), and watercraft (Old Town and Ocean Kayak) divisions. You also serve on the Board of Smith’s Products (knives, tools, and sharpeners), and have leadership and marketing experience at Lowes, Igloo, and Stanley Black and Decker. How does all that lead up to becoming CEO of Four Wheel Campers?
All of the businesses you mentioned are consumer durable goods and that’s the industry that I’ve focused on. As a hands-on person, tangible and functional products have always interested me.
I have led many functions of a business throughout those years. I started in sales and then transitioned to marketing for many years. I’ve led research and engineering with a focus on innovation for about twenty-five years. I’ve led supply chain and manufacturing and, for quite a while, had full profit and loss responsibility for a business.
At this point in my career, I sought to lead a business with passionate customers and a brand where innovation and great products truly impact the customer and their families positively. I’m excited to contribute my diverse experience and personal interests to Four Wheel Campers.
Do you have a personal background in the outdoors, camping, or RVing?
My passions include many outdoor activities; running, cycling, hiking, and especially camping. While I don’t have extensive experience with truck campers yet, I am eager to gain it and look forward to the journey. I’ve been around camping and overlanding for many years with my past professional experiences and it’s been exciting to expand my knowledge about venturing deeper into remote areas with the benefits of a truck camper.
What do you see as Four Wheel Camper’s most important competitive advantage?
Four Wheel Campers is the pioneer of the pop-up truck camper and we’ve been in business for over fifty years. That legacy is more than just a badge; it’s a testimony to our brand awareness, authenticity, and team expertise. Speaking of the team, they are as passionate as our customers and want to deliver excellent service.
Our Four Wheel Camper community is vibrant. We have an active presence in the outdoor space. We have owners’ rallies and environmental clean-ups. These events not only engage our customers but give back to the great outdoors that we all love.
When combined, this gives Four Wheel Campers a competitive advantage that’s hard to beat.
Do you have plans to make changes to the Four Wheel Camper product?
There will not be fundamental changes to the product as our focus is to grow our leadership position in pop-up campers. We’ve always been known for our innovation and quality. Maintaining that status will require strong focus from our team.
We’re committed to delivering continuous product updates and improvements every year. My focus is also on driving innovation and introducing exciting new features to our product line every year or two. We’re actively designing and developing some awesome advancements that will be unveiled over the next few years.
Will we see any of these announcements in 2024?
In 2025.
What’s your plan to help Four Wheel Campers continue to grow?
One part of our high-level plan is to expand our dealer base. It’s important to our customers to personally step inside a Four Wheel Camper to understand what model and technology works best for them.
Another that I mentioned earlier, is bringing consumer innovations to market in the form of product lines every year or two. That will really help our business and deliver a better product to our customers.
We’re certainly going to be very focused on elevating our digital marketing. We will be developing an industry-leading purchase journey. This will help us increase our dealer productivity and create a more seamless interaction for our customers.
Operationally, we’re looking at ways to increase our manufacturing capacity and efficiency. We want to prioritize exceptional customer and dealer customer service and measure it against any industry standard that’s out there.
Will you be bringing in additional equipment and technology to the manufacturing process?
We’re in the early stages of evaluating what future manufacturing technology makes sense for our business. We’ve used CNC for years, but there are other technologies and automation opportunities.
Exploring ways to increase our capacity with technology is a promising approach, as it also helps us build and maintain a stable team that learns and grows with our business.
What is something you hope to change at Four Wheel Campers at this juncture?
I want to foster more creativity, accountability, and decision-making within the team. We’re refining our processes and enhancing our project management and internal communications.
Our goal is to excel in product innovation; from idea generation, to design and development, to quality assurance. We need to have tremendous new product launches that are well coordinated and resonate with our customers.
If someone on the management or production team has a product idea, are they encouraged to present it to the leadership team?
Without a doubt, everyone on our team has a voice at the table. We’re being more inclusive in the types of meetings we have. We’re creating a list of all the ideas, small and large, operational or product innovation, and we are vetting those ideas together to prioritize effectively.
With your experience with other heritage outdoor brands, will you be pursuing more collaborations like the one Four Wheel Campers recently announced with Orvis?
Strategic collaborations make sense in today’s marketplace. We are actively seeking more opportunities. Our partnership with Orvis was particularly extensive. It involved product adjustments specifically tailored to flyfishing customers. The depth of future collaborations will vary depending on the partner and whether the collaboration focuses on product development or a brand and experience initiative.
Where do you envision taking Four Wheel Campers five years from now?
Four Wheel Campers has had continual growth for the past decade, so our foundation is strong. My focus will be on enhancing that performance by refining the strategies, improving the customer purchase experience, identifying growth opportunities, driving innovation, enhancing processes, and empowering our team.
I will personally focus on making sure our employees have a safe and friendly work environment with long-term opportunities for growth and development. I’m committed to making that happen.
I was in discussions with Salt Creek Capital for several months prior to my start date. We talked in detail about the possibilities for the business. We believe there is a significant opportunity for the business, and I’m actively working through how to bring that belief to life.
You’ve been at the helm for nine weeks. How’s it going so far?
I’ve been asked that question by business colleagues, friends, and family several times. It’s what I hoped for. I’m part of a talented and passionate team with enthusiastic customers who are very engaged. We have several new and exciting initiatives that are already under development, and the team is very eager to improve. I haven’t met all of our dealers yet, but I’m looking forward to meeting them. Salt Creek Capital, our ownership group, has been very supportive. I’m looking forward to continuing the success of the business and I’m enjoying every second.
Next week I’m heading to Tahoe for a couple of days. I’m taking a camper to one of our environmental events in which we’ve teamed up with the nonprofit Clean Up the Lake. It’s a fun opportunity to meet more customers, give back to the environment, and experience what it’s like to camp in a Four Wheel Camper.
Click here to request more information about Four Wheel Campers. To visit the Four Wheel website, go to fourwheelcampers.com.
