Dodgen Industries, Inc.

The year was 1947. A ballplayer named Jackie Robinson broke Major League baseball’s color barrier. A test pilot named Chuck Yeager became the first human being to break the sound barrier. And a nineteen year old salesman named John Dodgen broke into the world of manufacturing when he and his brothers Joe and Jack founded Dodgen Industries in Humboldt, Iowa with just $600 in capital.For the next two decades, Dodgen Industries earned a reputation as leading manufacturers and dealers of innovative farm equipment whose quality was matched only by the trustworthiness of its leaders.By 1969 the percentage of the US workforce employed in the farming industry had fallen from 25% when the Dodgens entered the market to less than 5%. Realizing a need to adapt to the changing times, John Dodgen sought to create a newline of products.The result was Born Free. The first Born Free products consisted of a line of RV campers designed to fit on pickup trucks. After experiencing success with the campers, Born Free expanded its production in the 1970s to include the first Born Free motorhome, a Class C RV built on a Dodge chassis with a 440 cubic inch engine.

Subject ID: 110484

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The year was 1947. A ballplayer named Jackie Robinson broke Major League baseball’s color barrier. A test pilot named Chuck Yeager became the first human being to break the sound barrier. And a nineteen year old salesman named John Dodgen broke into the world of manufacturing when he and his brothers Joe and Jack founded Dodgen Industries in Humboldt, Iowa with just $600 in capital.For the next two decades, Dodgen Industries earned a reputation as leading manufacturers and dealers of innovative farm equipment whose quality was matched only by the trustworthiness of its leaders.By 1969 the percentage of the US workforce employed in the farming industry had fallen from 25% when the Dodgens entered the market to less than 5%. Realizing a need to adapt to the changing times, John Dodgen sought to create a newline of products.The result was Born Free. The first Born Free products consisted of a line of RV campers designed to fit on pickup trucks. After experiencing success with the campers, Born Free expanded its production in the 1970s to include the first Born Free motorhome, a Class C RV built on a Dodge chassis with a 440 cubic inch engine.

Subject ID: 110484

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