Re: A Little Starcraft Forums History
I've been here for 10 years, made purchases here before that.
If I recall correctly, the owners group forums were not even part of the site until maybe '06 or '07.
I think the tech support gurus actually grouped several threads together to create the first ones under the manufacturers heading.
Schrock family has bought Starcraft back. In June of 1996, Brunswick Corp. sold its Starcraft and MonArk fishing boat brands to Starcraft Marine, a newly formed firm whose holders include principals of Smoker-Craft Inc., a maker and seller of aluminum fishing boats.
Today's Starcraft is a company run by the same family that started it all, back in 1903. Four generations of the Schrock family have dedicated themselves to leading the industry in quality and innovation with fun, versatile boats that are well within reach. There's a sense of pride at Starcraft that you won't find anywhere else. Pride in our boats and pride in backing them up. A commitment made from our family to yours.
Lots more here.
http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Starcraft-Corporation-company-History.html
Company History:
Starcraft Corporation, through its joint-venture ownership interest in Tecstar Inc., is a leading supplier to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) automotive supply market. As a "second-stage manufacturer," Starcraft's Tecstar receives new trucks and sports utility vehicles (SUVs) from General Motors and then outfits them with high-end groupings of bumpers, mirrors, wheels, grills, rocker panels, and other items, before returning the vehicles to GM for sale to the public. Starcraft also supplies after-market parts and accessories to wholesale and retail customers throughout North America. Once known for its fishing boats and then for its van conversions, Starcraft has again regrouped and shed those businesses to focus on the OEM market.
Early History
The forerunner to Starcraft Corporation, the Star Tank Company, was founded in 1903 in Goshen, Indiana, a tiny town near the Michigan border. Its founder, Arthur Schrock, first began the business to manufacture metal feeding and watering tanks for livestock. In the 1920s, however, Schrock broadened his manufacturing operation to include aluminum boats, and the company was renamed Star Tank and Boat. In the mid-1960s, the company diversified yet again, entering the recreational vehicle industry with a line of fold-out campers that were sold under the trade name Starcraft. The Schrock family sold the business to a conglomerate in 1969.
In 1977, the company entered a new and rapidly growing market, when it began customizing vans through a newly formed subsidiary, Starcraft Van Conversions Corporation. To convert a vehicle, the company took incomplete van chassis, obtained directly from major automotive manufacturers, and added a variety of customer-chosen features, which might include anything from curtains, to specially built seating, to coordinating upholstery and interior decor.
The vehicle conversion industry had started in the early 1970s and had gathered steam steadily through the middle of the decade. When Starcraft joined the fray in 1977, young recreational users comprised the main market for the vehicles. Starcraft bucked that trend, however. The company targeted an older market, offering an upscale luxury product for middle and upper income buyers.
The company's sales of conversions increased steadily through the 1980s, driven by the growing demand for custom luxury vans. Moreover, the Starcraft name became well-known for high quality in design and implementation. In 1987, Star Tank and Boat's management team acquired the company in an expensive leveraged buyout that left it heavily in debt. The following year, the new management sold off the company's boat-building business, Starcraft Power Boats, to Brunswick Corporation, one of the nation's largest boat and marine engine producers. The financial picture did not improve, however, and in November 1990, Starcraft filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company was auctioned by the bankruptcy court ....
