july2017

140 141 the ground up. “We haven’t done any dealer acquisi- tions,” Baidas says. “In some cases we had a small store that grew to maximum capacity, so we built a bigger store nearby and closed the small one. So it’s all been organic and internal growth.” Baidas maintains that the company’s growth plan has always been strategic, stressing the notion that “bigger isn’t always better –better is better. So, when we look at growth and opportunities, we want to make sure it’s an opportunity to make the company better and that we have the personnel to do it well,”he states.“We’re always looking for opportunities, not just in regional areas within our marketplace, but outside of our current footprint.We get calls from dealers who are trying to sell out, but again, that’s not our growth model. If we find a market that we feel is underserved and a place where GENERAL RV CENTER we can walk in and our services would allow us to be one of the best, if not the best in that market territory within a year or two, those are the oppor- tunities we look at.We’re not just going to grow for growth’s sake.” Baidas believes that General RV Center differ- entiates itself from the competition because of several factors. “The biggest thing is relation- ships,” he asserts. “We have great relationships with our manufacturers, making sure that we get the best product that is available in the marketplace; in negotiating good deals and getting good programs that we can pass along to our consumers. That’s very important for us. The relationship with our employees is also important.We want to provide a great working space for them–not just for today, but for the long term.We have a lot of tenured employees here; we have a couple of people who have been here 35 or 40 years, because it’s a great place to work. The last part is our relationship with our consumers –making sure they have a great experience from the time they walk in the door, to finding the right RV, to delivery, and then to the ownership experience.We’re not just trying to sell you something; we’re trying to help you into a lifestyle and help you enjoy it as