How did they get to where they are today…?

In 1966, Irene and her late husband Victor Sturzenegger immigrated to Canada. Originally from Switzerland, the couple left their homes to discover a whole new world. They landed in Montreal, where they were overwhelmed by the beauty of Canada and kindness of Canadians. They were lucky to be there to celebrate the Canadian Centennial Year and Expo 67. Although Irene and Victor enjoyed their stay in Montreal, many of their friends, who had been working at the Expo exhibition, had lost their jobs and were striving to discover a new part of the beautiful country of Canada. At the time, the whisper in the town of Montreal was “Go West Young Man” and Irene and all her friends decided to do just that. They landed in Vancouver, Stanley Park, on a rainy October day. This was the first day of a new beginning.

Once they settled in Vancouver and found employment, Irene and Victor purchased a pick up truck and camper. They spent every free weekend and holidays traveling and exploring North America and passionately fell in love with their new home. 1975 was the birth of the RV Rental industry. Two Ford dealers and CP Air started promoting this product to the European market and Irene was lucky to get a job with one of the dealers. Four years later, she was convinced that she could offer an even better product to her customers.

In the early 1980s, Irene and Victor decided to start their own company and chose the name GO WEST, very appropriate for customers coming from Europe. They are still to this day talking about ‘The West’ picturing the Pioneering times and Cowboys, but most of all the beautiful nature of Canada. Irene wanted to offer tourists coming to BC the best possible home on wheels. She certainly had the perfect attributes: growing up in Switzerland she learned to put emphasis on quality. Irene and Victor started the RV Rentals with leasing privately owned RVs and renting them out to tourists. They put all their energy and countless hours into their business. Finally having their own fleet available, they sold rental holidays to European Tour Wholesalers who already knew them. As a matter of fact, right from the start and to this day, Go West was and is considered a 5 star rental company. Over the past 26 years, the number of rental units expanded from 13 to 300. Everything is geared towards providing the best possible product and service. This starts with a vehicle maintenance program that is second to none. All vehicles are meticulously maintained by Go West staff on a regular basis. All rental return units are thoroughly inspected for mechanical problems and every detail is looked after, so clients will have a worry-free vacation. Cleanliness is also of utmost importance and every unit leaves the lot in spotless condition.

In 1988 Go West opened a station in Calgary, which offered the possibility of one way rentals. Then, Go West formed an alliance with Owasco RV Rentals in Toronto in order to offer stations in 3 major gateways to Canada: Vancouver-Calgary-Toronto. GO WEST and OWASCO are the longest established rental companies in Canada.

Go West has grown from a tiny business into a very successful RV Dealership – selling, renting and repairing RVs. The passion of the people at Go West to offer outstanding service is the same as it was 26 years ago.

Download The Go West Story as a PDF

32 Fawcett Road, Coquitlam B.C. V3K 6X9, Canada
T. + 1 604.528.3900 or 1.800.661.8813
F. + 1 604.528.3901
www.go-west.com