How One Family Road Trip Helped Save the Bowlus American RV Icon
In this episode, we sit down with Geneva Long, CEO of Bowlus, to talk about legacy, passion, and the unexpected path that led her to revive one of America’s most iconic RV brands.
Nearly 100 years ago, the original Bowlus Road Chief helped inspire Airstream and changed the way the world thought about travel trailers. For decades, Bowlus existed mostly as legend. Today, it has been reborn as a luxury, design driven, off grid capable trailer that honors its past while embracing the future.
Geneva’s connection to Bowlus began long before she became CEO. As a young girl, she traveled with her parents in a lovingly restored 1935 Bowlus, an experience that sparked a lifelong love for the brand, the open road, and the craftsmanship behind it. That childhood journey stayed with her through a world class education at the Wharton School, and eventually led her back to Bowlus, not as a nostalgic fan, but as the leader guiding its next chapter.
We recently did a full walk through review of the stunning modern Bowlus trailer, but after hearing Geneva’s personal story, we knew it deserved its own spotlight. This conversation goes beyond RVs. It is about choosing legacy over convention, passion over the expected career path, and how one family road trip helped bring an American icon back to life.
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CEO
As the industry leader, Bowlus Founder and CEO, Geneva Long, is driven in her design and innovation work to ensure that Bowlus delivers supreme comfort and maximum performance in 2011.
Geneva's passion for the Bowlus combines her excitement for adventuring with her mission to create meaningful, user-centered, sustainable design. Her deep appreciation of craftsmanship includes using the highest-quality materials, honest processes, and a fanatical attention to detail.
Geneva’s adventures with Bowlus began almost two decades ago when her family celebrated their personal restoration of a 1935 model with a 3000-mile North American trip.
Geneva leads with a vision to create a sustainable movement in the RV industry. Designed and built to last for generations, every Bowlus is restorable in the future based on proprietary design and production methods. To date, Bowlus has achieved many industry firsts that include:
The first RV with heated floors and life-work solutions that include charging stations/routers/wifi amplifiers for personal technology
The creation of the ultra-luxury market for travel trailers
The first lithium-powered RV with sophisticated power management systems enabling two weeks/two nights off-grid
T…
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