Ridgewood graduate’s company featured on Travel Channel

| November 7, 2013

COSHOCTON – Bill Swails, who graduated from Ridgewood High School in 1979, is part of a Colorado company that recently had the pleasure of being featured on the Travel Channel.

The West Lafayette native is president and CEO of EarthRoamer, which makes four wheel drive motor homes know as Xpedition Vehicles that were shown on the show Extreme RVs.

“It was great to see our product and employees on a national TV program,” Swails said. “We invited all EarthRoamer employees and their families to our factory for a viewing party. We had a great time watching the premier episode on a big projection screen.”

The company was founded in 1998, but at that time Swails focused on adventure travel, writing and photography. According to the company’s website, “At that time Bill was driving a custom expedition camper he built in his driveway to explore, travel and camp in remote locations. In 2002 it became clear that people were more interested in Bill’s custom camper than his photography and writing, so Bill designed the EarthRoamer XV-LT and started manufacturing Xpedition Vehicles.”

There are now seven different variations of the EarthRoamer XV-LT and they can accommodate two to eight people depending on which one you select.

“EarthRoamer XVs are engineered for independent, standalone operation and are unlike any other vehicle in the marketplace,” Swails said. “Unlike conventional RVs that depend on noisy generators and campground electrical connections for power, EarthRoamer Xpedition Vehicles use massive solar panel arrays, huge engine driven alternators and large battery banks to provide quiet and environmentally responsible power. All EarthRoamer XVs feature strong, lightweight, attractive, one-piece molded seamless composite bodies.”

EarthRoamer’s are custom built to order and cost anywhere from $260,000 to $500,000 depending on the options you select.

For more on Swails’ company, visit earthroamer.com. You also can catch EarthRoamer’s Extreme RVs episode again on Wednesday, Nov. 13 on the Travel Channel.

“I grew up working in my father’s auto repair shop in West Lafayette (today my brother Bob run’s the business) and that was the true catalyst for me starting my own business,” Swails said. “When I was very young my father quit a factory job to start his own business and he was clearly the role model for me in starting my own business. I only wish my father was still alive to see the success of EarthRoamer.”

josie@coshoctoncountybeacon.com

Category: Uncategorized

About the Author ()

I started my journalism career in 2002 with a daily newspaper chain. After various stops with them, I am happy to be back home! I graduated from Coshocton High School in 1998 and received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 2002 from Walsh University. I also earned several awards while working for daily papers, including being honored by Coshocton County’s veterans for the stories I wrote about them. I am honored and ready to once again shine a positive light on Coshocton County. I also am the proud mother of a little girl named Sophia!

Comments are closed.

«
»