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                                                                EXHIBIT 99.1


                           COACHMEN INDUSTRIES, INC.
           2831 DEXTER DRIVE O P.O. BOX 3300 O ELKHART, INDIANA 46515
                        o 574/262-0123 o Fax 574/262-8823


                                  NEWS RELEASE


For immediate release Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2003

COACHMEN INDUSTRIES, INC. DECLARES REGULAR
QUARTERLY DIVIDEND; APPOINTS NEW BOARD MEMBER

ELKHART,  IND. - Coachmen Industries,  Inc. (NYSE: COA) today announced that its
Board of Directors  has declared a $0.06 per share regular  quarterly  dividend.
The dividend will be distributed on March 13, 2003 to  shareholders of record as
of February 20, 2003.  Coachmen Industries has approximately 16.0 million shares
of common stock  outstanding.  The Company also  announced that it has appointed
Rex Martin, Chairman,  President and Chief Executive Officer, of NIBCO, Inc., to
Coachmen's Board of Directors.

Claire C. Skinner,  Chairman,  Chief Executive Officer and President,  remarked,
"We are very  pleased to declare our 82nd  consecutive  quarterly  dividend.  In
August,  we  increased  the  dividend  by 20 percent as we  continue to focus on
increasing shareholder value. Additionally, we are delighted that Mr. Martin has
agreed  to serve on our  Board of  Directors.  He is an  extremely  accomplished
businessman   and  his  expertise   will  be  beneficial  to  Coachmen  and  its
shareholders."

Mr. Martin  currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors and President
and Chief Executive  Officer of Elkhart,  Indiana-based  NIBCO,  Inc. NIBCO is a
worldwide manufacturer of flow-control systems solutions for the residential and
commercial  construction markets for almost 100 years. He was appointed Chairman
of the Board in 1995.  Mr.  Martin has held the positions of President and Chief
Executive  Officer since 1992 and was first named President of NIBCO in 1986. He
joined  the  Company  in 1975  and  served  in a  variety  of  marketing,  plant
management  and executive  positions  until his  appointment  as President.  Mr.
Martin holds a bachelor's  degree from Indiana  University and a master's degree
in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  He is a member of
the Board of Directors  of First  Source Bank and chairs their Audit  Committee.
Mr. Martin also sits on the Advisory  Council for the School of  Engineering  at
the University of Notre Dame and is actively  involved on the Boards of numerous
charitable organizations.

                                     -MORE-

                    Dedicated to the Enrichment of Your Life


  6



Coachmen Industries, Inc. Declares Quarterly Dividend; Appoints New Director
Page 2
February 5, 2003

Founded  in 1964,  Coachmen  Industries,  Inc.  is one of the  nation's  leading
manufacturers  of recreational  vehicles with  well-known  brand names including
Coachmen(R),  Georgie Boy(R),  Shasta(R) and Viking(R).  Coachmen  Industries is
also the largest  modular  home  producer  in the nation  with its All  American
Homes(R)   and    Mod-U-Kraf(R)    subsidiaries.    Modular    commercial    and
telecommunications  structures are manufactured by the Company's Miller Building
Systems  subsidiary.  Prodesign,  a custom thermoformer of composite and plastic
parts,  supplies components to numerous industries.  Coachmen is a publicly held
company  with stock listed on the New York Stock  Exchange  (NYSE) under the COA
ticker symbol.

THIS  RELEASE  CONTAINS  FORWARD-LOOKING  STATEMENTS  WITHIN THE  MEANING OF THE
PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995. INVESTORS ARE CAUTIONED NOT TO
PLACE  UNDUE  RELIANCE  ON  FORWARD-LOOKING  STATEMENTS,  WHICH  ARE  INHERENTLY
UNCERTAIN. ACTUAL RESULTS MAY DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THAT PROJECTED OR SUGGESTED
DUE TO  CERTAIN  RISKS  AND  UNCERTAINTIES  INCLUDING,  BUT NOT  LIMITED  TO THE
POTENTIAL  FLUCTUATIONS IN THE COMPANY'S OPERATING RESULTS, THE CONDITION OF THE
TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY WHICH PURCHASES MODULAR STRUCTURES, THE AVAILABILITY
AND THE PRICE OF  GASOLINE,  THE  COMPANY'S  DEPENDENCE  ON  CHASSIS  SUPPLIERS,
INTEREST RATES, COMPETITION,  GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS,  LEGISLATION GOVERNING THE
RELATIONSHIPS OF THE COMPANY WITH ITS RECREATIONAL  VEHICLE DEALERS,  THE IMPACT
OF CONSUMER  CONFIDENCE  AND ECONOMIC  UNCERTAINTY  ON  HIGH-COST  DISCRETIONARY
PRODUCT PURCHASES AND OTHER RISKS IDENTIFIED IN THE COMPANY'S SEC FILINGS.


For more information:
        Joseph P. Tomczak
        Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
        574-262-0123


                                    - END -