Pop Up Times Message Board wrote: FTCA, INC., MANUFACTURER OF FLEETWOOD® FOLDING CAMPING TRAILERS,
ANNOUNCES LICENSING AGREEMENT WITH COLEMAN
SOMERSET, Pa., Aug. 5, 2008 FTCA, Inc., the manufacturer of North America’s best selling folding camping trailers, today announced that it has signed a trademark licensing agreement with The Coleman Company, Inc. Originally a division of Coleman, FTCA’s folding camping trailers will once again feature the Coleman brand under the terms of this
agreement.
Pretty cool!
Me (69), DW (69), DD (95), DS (00), DS (01) and 1 camping toy fox terrier (08)
06 Aerolite Cub 23BH, '00 Chevy Suburban LT 1500
It's just a name! I have that name on my camper too, but it is just a name, it doesn't mean a thing because Fleetwood built it not Coleman. Coleman hasn't built a camper since they sold out to Fleetwood years ago!
Sorry, didn't mean to offend. I'm just glad to see it coming back. I actually thought that this might mean Coleman might take an active role since FTCA was once a division of Coleman.
No, FTCA was NEVER a division of Coleman. Read the history of the company. Coleman built camping trailers in their plant in Somerset, PA until 1989. Coleman owned and operated the plant. In 1989, they sold the plant and all operations to Fleetwood Folding Campers, a division of Fleetwood RV. Fleetwood RV licensed the name "Coleman" from Coleman (which is now just a brand name that is owned by a huge congolmerate, First Brands or something like that now, and they don't make anything. Everything is made by someone else and just has the Coleman name stuck on it).
There was a lawsuit over the royalties to be paid for the use of the name, and Fleetwood had to quit using it, but it could not be licensed to anyone else either for a camping trailer.
Fast foward to 2008, FTCA, a division of BlackStreet an investment firm, purchases the Fleetwood Folding Camper division from Fleetwood RV. As part of the agreement, Fleetwood settled the case about the use of the Coleman name. It is now avaiable to be used on a camping trailer again. FTCA is lisencing the right to put that name on their campers. Coleman will not be building them.
So you think the announcement is false? It says FTCA was once a division of Coleman.
I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm honestly just curious as to why they would say that if it's false.
I know the whole Fleetwood/Coleman history (and also about the myriad licensing agreements with Coleman for everything under the sun), but I will admit that I know nothing about this FTCA.
I'll still be glad to see the Coleman logo on campers again, though!
The press release is misleading. FTCA is a company that was formed by BlackStreet Capital, LLC to buy the Fleetwood Folding Trailer company. Said company was formed in late 2007 or early 2008 when the sale went through. FTCA is part of a holding company. If you go back and find the earlier threads about the sale (around March or April I believe) you will have a better understanding of the nature of the business now.
About Blackstreet Capital Blackstreet Capital Partners, LLC (www.blackstreetcapital.com) is a Bethesda, MD based private equity firm with $88 million of capital under management. Blackstreet focuses on control buyouts of companies that are either underperforming, in out-of-favor industries or are undergoing some form of transition. Blackstreet seeks investments in a range of industries, including manufacturing/distribution, restaurants, specialty retail, business services and health care.
While fleetwood did build Coleman Popups, many of the features of the old coleman remained the same. I think it will be nice for the Coleman name to be back on campers.
Jeff, Please read this for little more details on the sale and the need to rename the company.
Ruide
Fleetwood Evolution E3 - Yellow (DW let me get a Yellow one since she wanted an E3 with a slide out )
Hummer H2 - Black (DW vetoed the Yellow one, but I got two Yellow Hummer Folding Mountain bikes )
I'm not sure it says that FTCA was originally a division of Coleman. Look closely at the sentance again. One possible interpretation is that "FTCA's folding camping trailers" were originally a division of Coleman. Technically correct... the folding trailers, and the manufacturing plant that they are now making were once a division of Coleman. It is a phrase that could be taken several ways, and for now I'll give FTCA the benefit of the doubt that they weren't trying to give themselves a perceived boost of credibility in the RV biz with that phrasing. BUT I'VE GOT MY EYES ON YOU FTCA!
As for the return of the coleman decal... big whoop. For now it's just a slight change to the graphics on the trailer. We'll have to wait til next year's models come out to see what direction FTCA will be taking them. Will they lower quality with cost cuts, in order to boost profits so they can dump the company with a nice gain? Or, will they push new R&D, trying to increase sales with innovative new ideas, (in order to boost profits so they can dump the company with a nice gain? Sorry, the cynic in me keeps trying to get out! ) Can't really tell til next year.
FTCA has a license agreement with Fleetwood. It lasts as long as the agreement states or is renewed. The company (FFT) changed names the second FTCA, INC bought FFT, the license agreement allows FTCA to continue to use the Fleetwood name.
The new release claims FTCA was founded in 1966, no it was not, Coleman created a division to build PU in 1966.
If these Colman Trailers are like the rest of the******Coleman sticks it name on, quality will be the first thing to go.
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