Profile: Tom Raper RV.

Richmond? Oh, that's where Tom Raper is.

When Tom Raper set up his first business in April 1964, he rented a lot for $40 a month so he could peddle six cars and a couple of trucks. Now, the lifelong Richmond resident boasts an empire of manufactured housing and recreational vehicles that

His influence reaches even beyond the United States. Clients come from all over the world and have included a prince from Saudi Arabia as well as Europeans who bring their own interpreters. Closer to home, customers from neighboring Ohio travel to Richmond to shop, passing up native Buckeye businesses. "Dealers in Ohio can't compete," Raper says.

Douglas Peters, president and CEO of the Richmond/Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, says he attends meetings all over the country. When people find out he's from Richmond, there's one standard reply: "'Oh, that's where Tom Raper is.'" Peters credits Raper's far-reaching advertising for bringing business and tourism to the Richmond area.

Raper's business includes three divisions: Tom Raper Inc., the recreational-vehicle division; Tom Raper Homes Inc., the manufactured-housing division; and a not-for-profit organization, Tom Raper Foundation Inc., which supports religious activities. The recreational-vehicle division sells motor homes, travel trailers, fifth wheels, tent campers, truck campers, cargo trailers and truck caps. Manufactured housing includes mobile homes (14 to 16 feet wide and up to 80 feet long), modular homes (two or four parts set in place with a crane) and sectional homes.

Dispelling the myth that only retirees give in to wanderlust and buy recreational vehicles, Raper says customers in their mid-20s provide a viable market. "Different people buy different-priced units," he says. He offers used trailers for as little as $2,000 or $3,000 and motor homes for up to $250,000.

"We have some customers who sell their homes, buy a nice motor home and travel for five years," Raper says. "They make a lot of friends doing that." Vacationing families enjoy both the luxury and convenience of these vehicles' sleeping areas, refrigerators, microwaves, VCRs and especially, Raper notes, bathroom facilities. "You don't have to stop at every exit."

Raper's corner on the market is the trophy of a hard-fought and hard-won success. The Richmond High School graduate spent nearly two years at the University of Cincinnati, then returned to his hometown when he lost his co-op job at the National Automatic Tool Co. factory. Employment prospects were no better there.