General RV Center will expand its Pennsylvania operations by acquiring Stoltzfus RV’s and Marine.
Stoltzfus was founded by Earl Stoltzfus in 1967. The dealership is based in West Chester, Pennsylvania, less than 10 miles north of the Delaware border. The store will be General RV’s second in the state, joining its Elizabethtown Supercenter near Harrisburg.
General RV President Loren Baidas said, “As a long-time, family-owned business, we are committed to strategic growth and further enhancing our current and new customers’ purchasing and ownership experience. This means identifying new locations and acquisitions of dealerships who share our operational values. This location and the current team there align with our goal to not only grow in key markets but continue to be the leader in the RV industry on all levels – customers, employees and community.”
Stoltzfus RV’s and Marine is unusual among RV dealerships because it had been employee-owned since 2007. Earl Stoltzfus sold part of the company to an Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) in 2002 and the rest to the ESOP in 2007.
As part of the acquisition, the company’s ESOP shares were bought and the program has been dissolved. Employees who shared in Stoltzfus’ ownership through the ESOP, a retirement plan that makes employees company owners, were paid through acquisition proceeds.
Among the employees remaining after the acquisition is President and General Manager Bob Cox. Cox has worked at Stoltzfus for 51 years and will be General RV’s operations manager.
Existing Stoltzfus employees will remain with General RV, the dealership group said.
“There are plenty of reasons why we are excited to join the General RV family,” Cox said. “In the process of considering a transition, we wanted to partner with a company that had a great reputation in the industry and held the same values as our family. General RV was the obvious choice.”
Stoltzfus RV’s and Marine has 16 acres of new and used RVs in inventory. The store has two buildings housing a parts department, a dedicated pre-delivery inspection facility, a showroom, 21 service bays and two wash bays.
The store is General RV’s third new location disclosed this year. General RV broke ground on a second dealership in South Weber, Utah, and its first Supercenter in Salisbury, North Carolina. Both locations are expected to open in late 2024.
