campers inn

especially the last five.” Today,Campers Inn RV is a valuable employer and respect- ed name in the industry,with 16 stores in 10 different states and more than 500 employees.Their dealerships sell all types of new and used recreation vehicles– fromsmall pop-ups that morph into hard-sided tents,tomassive, high-end,diesel motor homes. Competition is tough.But theyhave two huge benefits in their favor.Ben explains: “We try to be the trusted resource in each of our local markets. We hold educational seminars,andwe don’t have a high-pressure process.When the customer comes in the door,we trulywant to find them the right RV that fits their needs and budget.All our stores have high service,andwe’re currentlyexpanding our service ca- pabilities in three different stores to keep upwith the demand. Being a trusted resourcemeans taking care of customers through- out their life cycle,not just the first sale.” The second piece that sets themapart fromcompetitors is the Campers Inn RVnetwork.Ben notes,“We have the largest fami- ly-owned-and-operated network of dealerships in the country.There is a larger public company,but we’re the biggest family-centricnet- work.So,customers knowwe’re going to take care of them,wherever theyare.” The Great Recession hit the industryhard,and Campers Inn RVwas no exception.But it wasn’t as devastating for themas it was for manyothers.Ben acknowledges,“It wasn’t themost pleasant experi- AT A GLANCE CAMPERS INN RV WHAT: America’s largest fami- ly-operated RV dealership net- work WHERE: Headquarters in Merri- mack, NH WEBSITE: www.campersinn.com CAMPERS INN RV ence for us,as a company.We didn’t contract stores, in fact,coming out of the recessionwewere one of the first dealerships to expand.But,it doesn’t mean it wasn’t painful going through it–obviouslydemand was waydown.Therewere customers getting their RVs serviced because theywere still using them.For RVpurchases,though,it was a tough time.Being a service-oriented companywas a bonus for us,be- causewe still had the ability to service those cus- tomers,andweweren’t reliant on the sale.” Campers Inn RV is growing at a rapid pace.Anew service center at the Union,Connecticut store is in the final stages of completion.And service capability is expandingwith a newbuilding at the Byron,Geor- gia location.Expansion is also ongoing in northern Virginia.Other facilityupgrades are in progress, as well as some acquisitions cooking on the front burner. Five years down the road,Ben sees a positive future for the company.“We’re going to continue to grow,strategically.What that means is,if we ever find that our customers are being sacrificed because of

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