From Design to Construction
 Nearly two years ago a retired entrepreneur from America arrived on these shores with an idea. This idea was kicked around and once he realized the potential he started the wheels in motion. The idea was to start building mobile home trailers or Recreational Vehicles (RV) for the tourism industry. An RV is a self contained house on wheels allowing people to travel wherever they want to taking their own house with them. The man in question was Richard Debski (Rick) and having himself worked in the RV business in the USA for over five years for America’s largest manufacturer he brought with him the experience and knowledge to achieve this. From designing to construction all was in his capabilities. This seemed like a great idea for a country that lacked a strong industrial base other than the garment industry. As Cambodia looks to the tourist trade to boost it’s economy, this idea seemed to be a way of contributing to this in a big way. This will also add much needed revenue to help improve the countries infrastructure. With nearly 80% of the production being geared towards the export to other countries in Asia this will have a major effect on the economy. As RVs are little known in Asia, this would (seem to) give Cambodia an edge in providing the region with a product that one no one else has and it would make traveling easier and more fun.
 
 Creating a New Industry
 Creating this new industry has not been an easy task. Lack of quality materials to build a product able to meet American standards was the main concern. But with hard work and some perseverance the items needed were sourced from various countries including the USA, Australia and Thailand. Once they arrived here there were more hurdles to clear namely the customs made it very frustrating and expensive to release them to us. The next challenge was finding skilled craftsmen i.e. Carpenters, electricians, plumbers, cabinetmakers, and fiberglass technicians. But this was overcome by employing Motodops to be trained in these fields under the supervision of Rick. Rick has nothing but praise for these men saying “The thing that gives me the greatest joy is to see my trained workers, who have had little or no formal education become the creative, hard working and loyal people they are today. They have been able to produce workmanship to the highest standards and with giving them the opportunity to use their own ideas and initiative in the building of our campers has instilled a sense pride in what they have produced. All of which has surpassed all expectations. “
 
 Quality Products Built in Cambodia
 A few officials from various ministries and very large company managers have visited the factory in recent months and most can see the potential for this industry in Cambodia. One distinguished gentleman remarked “I cannot believe that such a quality product could be built here.”
 
 The RV industry can create many other opportunities for other businesses to open. The possibilities are the creation of campgrounds (a piece of land to rent to people where you can park your vehicle and use the electrical supply and water, with other facilities like swimming pools, restaurants, grocery shops etc.) The company has had to get quite a lot of the parts for this manufactured locally and this will continue according to Ben Brett a Director and Rick’s right hand man he said “The whole idea of this project is to try and keep all parts manufactured here in Cambodia, therefore many people (In Cambodia) can take advantage of the growing industry and their business can grow alongside ours.” He continued “The main reason we are here is to create jobs, there will be jobs here for anyone who wants to work, as we can train them to be a part of this. As this industry grows we hope to take over from the garment industry as Cambodia’s biggest exporter. We are looking into setting up a trade school in Phnom Penh to train people in the artisan trades to world recognized qualifications, we can then use the factory to offer day release for the students to gain experience in a different atmosphere than that of a classroom. The school will have its own equipment for all the trades as well as western instructors. The knock on effect will be that there will be many people qualified to help rebuild the countries infrastructure and improve workmanship.”