It is a bit early in his five-month tenure at Newmar for Pat Carroll to talk about retirement. Retirement day is on the horizon, but Carroll has a few more things to accomplish first.
In late May, Carroll brought his 46 years of motorhome design experience to Newmar. The longtime Entegra Coach executive found the new home after Thor Industries moved Entegra’s Type A diesel model business to Tiffin Motorhomes.
“Many of the brands that I helped develop were more or less gone,” Carroll said. “It was like looking at a sandcastle you worked hard building, and you turn around, and the next thing you know, a big wave came up and just wiped it right off the beach. I did not want to leave my career on such a flat note, so I jumped at the opportunity.”
Carroll, a 68-year-old industry veteran, said retirement’s approach is not a surprise.
“As we all get older, we always wrestle with that fact,” Carroll said. “I really love the motorhome business. I love product development. This is my passion, so I guess I am not ready to hear that door closed one last time.”
Before that day, Carroll is focusing his design queue on Newmar’s 2028 Type A diesel motorhomes. He said many 2027 pre-production models are being built as we speak for the company’s upcoming annual dealer meeting in February, so design was finalized prior to his arrival.
“Working at Newmar, we have an incredible number of legacy players,” he said, “and we have some new team members with forward thinking and creativity. It is a great integration of old and new that has meshed together quite nicely. I really feel like I am back at a motorhome company again.”
Carroll said he was fortunate to ride “in the golden age” of diesel motorhomes with Monaco Coach for 16 years in the 1990s and 2000s before joining Jayco and overseeing Entegra’s diesel motorhomes.
“The Great Recession blew Monaco off the map,” Carroll said. “Lucky for me, I have had a lot of luck in my career. In 2012, Wilbur Bontrager (former Jayco chairman) reached out to me and said, ‘Pat, we know a lot about towables, but we don’t know much about motorhomes.’ I did not have them on my radar to even talk to them because they were pretty much a towable company. I worked with a wonderful P.D. team there working on all the Jayco and Entegra motorhomes, with the highlight developing the infamous ‘C’ lights in the product design, which is now the Entegra Coach logo.”
Carroll gives consumers most of the credit for his success through the years. He said he always puts stock in suggestions from motorhome owners because they are the ones using the RVs regularly in various situations and assorted situations.
Carroll said the motorhome user experience is one thing that sets Newmar apart. Executives throughout the company regularly drive Newmar motorhomes and use motorhomes at various events with our owners.
“They have a passion for learning and are not afraid to drive the product,” Carroll said. “Our whole management team can provide feedback on the motorhomes.”
Carroll said he is excited by the similarities he sees between Monaco and Newmar. He said both manufacturers are willing to invest time and resources to develop new technology and push industry boundaries. Newmar was the first manufacturer to introduce motorhome slide outs.
The RV industry will have to wait a bit to see how Carroll’s influence manifests itself in Newmar’s design.
“My proudest one?” he said, “You haven’t seen that yet, but it’s coming.”
When the time does come for Carroll to drive off into the sunset, he will do so in a Newmar motorhome.
Carroll said, “Casey (Tubman, Newmar president) has told me, ‘You are going to get one.’ I just want it to be one with a little bit of my design touch on it.”
That means retirement will have to wait at least a few more years.
