Architectural millwork firm expands into new market: Turning vans into RVs

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. - Wisconsin-based custom architectural millwork firm ConceptsWorks has launched a new business venture: Building cabinets and furnishings for a company that transforms vans into "camper vans."
 
Adam Schneider leads ConceptWorks, which manufactures commercial interiors and retail exhibits for a wide variety of businesses. He recently formed CWUPfits, a new business that has partenered with Van Horn Automotive Group to build cabinets and millwork for compact RVs called camper vans.
 
Currently trending, camper vans offer a smaller alternative to RVs and consume less fuel.
 
Van Horn produces a line of camper vans called ProCamp, which are upfitted with amenities like an adjustable bed, convertible bench seat, galley kitchen, and creative storage.
 
“We were selling a lot of ProMaster vans to people who were customizing the interior for living on the road,” says Adam Gaedke, vice president of dealership operations at Van Horn. “After seeing a few designs and considering our resources, I had the idea that we could do this ourselves.”
 
Gaedke turned to Schneider, a childhood friend, for help. Schneider and CWUpfits provide the van's plywood wall framing, vinyl plank flooring, laminated walls and ceiling, maple cabinetry, electrical wiring, and more.
 
“I saw the ProCamp as a great showcase opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities,” Schneider says. “We took a utilitarian approach to the build. Everything was designed with intention and foresight.”
 
 
 

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Robert Dalheim

Robert Dalheim is an editor at the Woodworking Network. Along with publishing online news articles, he writes feature stories for the FDMC print publication. He can be reached at [email protected].