Thursday, December 9, 2010

Happy Birthday Vaughn!

Today is Vaughn Peterson's 80th Birthday! We wish him a wonderful day and many happy and healthy years to come.

Below is the email Peterson Industries sent out:

Peterson Industries, Inc.

SPECIAL EVENT!

Excel Logo

It Truly Is All About Family!


Our Founder Turns 80

Vaughn
If you come to Smith Center, KS for a factory tour, you're more likely to find Vaughn Peterson in the plant building a jig or refining a procedure than in his office!


Happy Birthday
VAUGHN DEAN PETERSON

BORN: December 9, 1930

MILITARY SERVICE: U.S. Army, 2nd Lieutenant

FOUNDED COMPANY: 1966

MARRIED TO: Duana Jane

September 23, 1983

CHILDREN: Drew, Becca, Randy

I GET THE MOST SATISFACTION FROM: Building a quality product and earning a good reputation!



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Peterson Industries, Inc.

616 East Highway 36

Smith Center, KS 66967

800-368-3759

785-282-6825

www.excelrvs.com

Dear Buffie,
You are invited to come celebrate Vaughn Peterson's 80th birthday celebration Thursday, December 9, 2010 from 1:00pm - 4:30pm.

The reception will be held in our office, featuring punch, cake, cookies and lots of special memories.

SSHHHHH!!! Believe it or not, we're going to try to pull this off without Vaughn finding out (Since he doesn't have email).
Vaughn 1984
It Started With A Dream
After serving his country in the Army, Vaughn became a partner in a private company handling waste removal from military bases. He learned quickly the consequences of getting involved with "High Rollers" and decided that life wasn't for him.

Tired of big city, Vaughn came back home in 1965 with little except his entrepreneurial spirit. He realized if he wanted to accumulate wealth in a small town, his best bet would be to get into manufacturing of some kind.

After sharing his dream with his dad, Leonard, they decided they would like to try building slide-in pickup campers, so off to Colorado they went to visit an established camper manufacturer, Red Dale Campers.

Red gave Vaughn and Leonard a great tour, then they sat and shared ideas. Vaughn still smiles when he talks about Red's parting words. "Vaughn and Leonard. I think you have a great idea about getting into the camper manufacturing business. But the only problem I see is that you're getting in about 10 years too late!"

Not too many years after that, Red Dale ceased operations. Peterson Industries, Inc. is still in business, manufacturing the highest rated "Dealer Based" towable RV's in the industry.

Vaughn has led his company through 3 gas crises, 2 economic recessions, and a fire that completely destroyed his facility in 1983, as well as the recent economic crisis, with strong leadership and integrity, while providing hundreds of employees in North Central Kansas opportunities to succeed in dreams of their own.

Our rural community of Smith Center, KS would not be the thriving small town it is if not for Vaughn's passion!

Birthday Card

Card Shower

Of course you're invited to attend our reception for Vaughn from 1:00pm - 4:30pm on December 9. But if you can't make it, and would like to take the opportunity to wish him a happy birthday, we are having a card shower for him.

Can you imagine how touched he would be to hear from most of our 7,000 family members?

Through Vaughn's integrity, caring of others, and desire to provide a quality product for us all to enjoy through the years, he has touched each of us.

Please wish him the happiest 80th birthday one can have by sending him a card to:

Vaughn's Big Day
c/o Peterson Industries, Inc.
616 East Highway 36
Smith Center, KS 66967

Please mail your card prior to November 30, 2010 to assure it's "On time" arrival. We are going to withhold all of his cards and present them to him at once on his birthday!



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