RVBusiness, January/February 2021
BY JIM MAC Industry Icon Philanthropist Art Decio an RV MH Legend 40 RVBusiness J A N U A R Y F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1 B oth the RV MH industry and the Elkhart Ind community he supported so well lost a longtime friend on Nov 6 2020 when Arthur J Decio former president and chairman of Skyline Corp died at the age of 90 Born in a home on Indiana Avenue in Elkhart Decio maintained deep roots in the town he loved dearly for all his national and international success and recognition Decio is recognized as one of the original pioneers of the modern RV and MH business back in the 1960s along with luminaries like Tom Corson of Coachmen Industries Inc Richard Klinger of Holiday Rambler Corp John Crean of Fleetwood Enterprises Inc and John Hanson of Winnebago Industries Inc He was a 1975 inductee into the RV MH Hall of Fame where the biography on his plaque describes Decio as a marketing pioneer responsible for many inroads to the acceptance of manufactured housing and credited him as a pioneer in the regional production and marketing concept A former president of the Mobile Homes Manufacturers Association MHMA now known as the Manufactured Housing Institute Decio joined Skyline as a 22 year old in 1952 when the small family organization was located in a nondescript Elkhart garage Under Decios leadership Skyline grew into a leading national producer of manufactured housing and towable recreational vehicles Adopting what is now considered modern inventory control and cash management practices Skyline enjoyed profitability every year under Decios leadership from 1952 through 1998 Known as a strong leader he reportedly demanded the most from his employees and from himself Skyline was one of the first RV MH companies to go public It used the proceeds from the 1960 IPO to expand through numerous acquisitions eventually becoming the countrys largest manufactured home builder In 2018 Skyline merged with Champion Home Builders parent company PHOTO BY SHAWN SPENCE
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