5


                                                                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, Friday, August 15, 2003

COACHMEN INDUSTRIES, INC. DECLARES REGULAR QUARTERLY DIVIDEND

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 September 18, 2003 to shareholders of record
as of August  28,  2003.  This is the 84th  consecutive  quarter  that  Coachmen
Industries  has  paid  dividends.  The  $0.06  rate is  unchanged  from the last
quarter.  Coachmen  Industries has  approximately  15.5 million shares of common
stock outstanding.

Coachmen  Industries,  Inc.,  founded in 1964,  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 one of the largest  systems-built home producers in the nation with its ALL
AMERICAN HOMES(R) subsidiary.  Modular commercial structures are manufactured by
the Company's Miller Building Systems subsidiary. Prodesign, LLC is a subsidiary
that custom  thermoforms  composite  and plastic  parts for numerous  industries
under the  PRODESIGN(R)  brand.  Coachmen  Industries,  Inc. is a publicly  held
company  with stock listed on the New York Stock  Exchange  (NYSE) under the COA
ticker symbol.


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

                                     - END -




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