Business College Honors Leader of Luxury Recreational Vehicle Company

The Utah State University College of Business plans to recognize the leader of a company that makes recreational vehicles with its highest honor, the Distinguished Executive Alumnus Award.

The College of Business selected Kay L. Toolson, chief executive officer and chairman of Monaco Coach Corporation, for the honor because of the way he has conducted his successful business career, according to Dean Douglas D. Anderson. Toolson is a 1968 College of Business graduate. The college will honor Toolson at the annual Fall Awards Banquet, Oct. 4.

 

“Kay Toolson has been just the kind of leader we like to hold up as an example,” Anderson said. “He shows consistent respect for his employees, has developed a culture of integrity in his company and he has helped Monaco Coach develop an outstanding reputation for customer service and quality.”

 

The Monaco Coach Corporation, based in Coburg, Ore., makes recreational vehicles that that range in price from $12,000 to nearly $1 million and its custom-made luxury vehicles have gone to celebrities such as singer Dolly Parton and actor Jackie Chan.

 

When Toolson and a partner purchased the company in 1987 it was bankrupt. It has since grown from a small, specialty recreation vehicle manufacturer, recording $17 million in annual revenues to a 5,400-employee company that makes a broad spectrum of recreational vehicles generating annual revenues in excess of $1.3 billion. Toolson bought out his partner in 1993 and is now the company’s largest individual shareholder.

 

Instead of citing such numbers, however, Toolson first points to the employee relationships he has built over the years when talking of the success of the company.

 

“I think what I am most proud of is the opportunity I’ve had to work with some of the greatest people in the world,” he said.

 

Toolson said his company practices what it calls “Peak Performance,” which is a philosophy that encourages employees at all levels to find ways to improve the company’s products and processes.

 

Monaco Coach Corporation is the leading producer of luxury diesel motor homes. The company makes custom-made luxury recreation vehicle models under the Monaco, Holiday, Rambler, Safari, Beaver, McKenzie, R-Vision and Dodge brand names.

 

The Annual Fall Awards Banquet for the College of Business is an event the college uses to honor the donors who help fund the many scholarships available to qualifying students. The college also uses the event to recognize faculty and staff for their achievements.