Founded in 1963 as Thetford Engineering in a garage near Flint, Michigan, Thetford makes sanitation and refrigeration products for recreational vehicles and travel. Its history includes the first slide-action valve for RV holding tanks, development of RV toilets and tank treatments, and the 1997 acquisition of Norcold, an RV refrigeration manufacturer.
RVIA Master Technician Certification (training course credit)
SuburbanSince 1947, Suburban has made the furnaces, water heaters and cooking appliances that bring the comforts of home to RVs, manufacturing from its longtime base in Dayton, Tennessee. The company began with gas space heaters and entered the RV market after adapting a greenhouse heater for 12-volt motorhome use, a practical origin that still shapes its focus on RV climate control, water heating and indoor and outdoor kitchens. Suburban became part of the Airxcel family in 1998 and remains one of Dayton’s largest employers.BELTSVILLE, MD
Empire FaucetsSince 1950, Empire Faucets has supplied specialized faucets and plumbing accessories for recreational vehicles and manufactured housing, with its products finished and tested in its own Cleveland, Ohio, factory. The company serves RV and manufactured-home OEMs as well as the aftermarket, drawing on more than 70 years of experience and millions of faucets sold. Empire is also associated with American Brass Manufacturing Company and was led by U.S. Marine Robert C. McConville as company president in 1972.CLEVELAND, OH
Refrigerated Transport Electronics, Inc. (RTE)Founded in 1981, family-owned and operated Refrigerated Transport Electronics (RTE) develops and manufactures technology for refrigerated transport and the cold chain. The McGraw, New York company is known for pioneering reefer monitoring and electronic reefer-controller remanufacturing, and its products serve operations from marine terminals to product-level shipments.MCGRAW, NY
The Restroom KitClinton, Maryland-based The Restroom Kit makes compact travel hygiene kits for cleaner, more comfortable public-restroom use, centered on a patented oversized toilet-seat cover. Founded by veteran-owned product-development company TimeAway LLC in 2012, the business was created by husband-and-wife team Bill and Sonia Massey and has since focused on its signature Restroom Kit while helping other entrepreneurs develop products. The refillable tri-fold kits are designed for travel, group outings and everyday preparedness.CLINTON, MD