🠈  Camping World  🠊

Camping World

In this 1940s Charles Garvin bought and began developing Beech Bend Park into an amusement park with RV parking. The first amusement was a pony ride.

In 1966 his son David Garvin began selling RV supplies to the campers. David's enterprise developed into Camping World which is a leading supplier of Recreational Vehicles along with equipment and accessories for RVs.

The company was purchased by Affinity Group, Inc. in 1997. AGI was led by an aggressive venture capitalist named Stephen Adams. AGI had acquired Trailer Life Enterprises which was the principle in the Good Sam Club. The company also purchased Woodalls Camping Directory and a bank called San Francisco Thrift and Loan along with Golf Card International.

In 2006, Camping World acquired a chain of RV dealerships owned by Marcus Anthony Lemonis (1973-present) called FreedomRoads.

AGI did not fare well in the recession. In 2009 the FDIC closed the bank and AGI missed payments on bonds leading a corporate restructuring.

After the reconstruction, in 2011, AGI changed its name to Good Sam Enterprises with Lemonis at the helm. In 2016 CampingWorld held an IPO in which it raised $251 Million. The company trades on the NYSE with the symbol CWH. Its corporate headquarters are in Lincolnshire, Il.

Camping World

References:

  1. Wikipedia - Camping World (Drawn 11/20/2017)

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