ELKHART, Ind. – Founded in 1986, HL Enterprises Inc. started with a single product line under its Hy-Line brand of larger, destination trailers. Now the company builds four brands of luxury destination and handicapped-accessible units with its original Hy-Line, Bridgeview, Georgian Bay and Harbor View models.
Owner, Founder and CEO of the company Peggy Flagler is approaching 40 years with the firm, where she is still at the helm. RVBusiness spoke with the firm’s new Director of Sales Jerrod Ambris about its current unique products and services and how it has evolved.
“We are the only ones who do wheelchair lifts and ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant units for people that want to continue to travel,” said Ambris. “We have the lift units and handicap accessible units. We build units that are built for people and wheelchairs or need extra room to move around. We have roll in showers, dinettes that are at wheelchair height, appliances for wheelchair height and even cabinets. Everything is designed for people who need that assistance.”
He shared that the company also has multiple lines of destination trailers for those who want a residential feel when traveling. Generally, these trailers stay put in one location for a longer period of time. Over the years, HL Enterprises has evolved into a niche serving customers looking for unique floorplans.
“We have our premium lines, our ADA customization lines,” Ambris continued, “but then we also are very heavily in customized units. So, it may sound a bit crazy, but we have nearly 1,000 floorplans that we’ve built over the years because we do so much customization. I believe we are the only ones that do that as well. We pride ourselves in doing customization work. That’s why people come to us. Dealers also like that because it helps them, they can close a sale if they have one of our floor plans online that’s a little bit different.”
He shared there are pros and cons to the customization niche.
“It’s harder for dealers to stock multiples of our units just because we don’t have a normal build schedule like most OEMs. So I would say we’re more of a hybrid company. If you need something done, we’ll figure out how to do it. We have that personal touch for people that most OEMs don’t.”
He said many customers come in and tour the facility and the products as part of the sales and customization process.
“We know them by name and have their cell phone numbers to communicate the build,” concluded Ambris. “That’s just something that we pride ourselves in doing. Talking quality is almost cliché, but that’s what we’re known for.”
HL Enterprises, Inc. will be showcasing its products at the Elkhart Dealer Open House at its headquarters at 5321 Beck Drive, in Elkhart, Ind., off County Road 17.
