R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press Service Technician Andrew Larson re-caulks the roofline of a travel trainer that has been brought to Camping World by a customer for service.

By R. R. Branstrom

rbranstrom@dailypress.net

EDITOR NOTE: The Daily Press will be featuring a series of articles on local businesses, highlighting their history and what makes them unique. The series will run on a regular basis in the Daily Press.

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ESCANABA — Camping World in Escanaba sells, services and refurbishes new and used campers and motorhomes. Their retail store is full of camping accessories like Blackstone grills, folding chairs in a variety of styles and weight classes, plus parts that people may need to upgrade their recreational vehicles (RVs). Camping World, which began in 1966 in Kentucky, purchased the Escanaba family business Hilltop RV Superstore in 2021.

In 1972, Kenneth and Theresa Swanson founded Hilltop Camper, which was located on Danforth Road. It began as a manufacturer of campers, truck caps and other items out of a metal building a quarter mile past the Hilltop Drive-in theater. During the just shy of 50 years that the business operated under the Swansons — Ken and Theresa and their sons, Steve and Dan — several shifts and additions were made.

In 1985, Hilltop moved to 2905 N. Lincoln Rd., where Camping World is today. “Family Travel RV Center” was a name under which business was transacted beginning in late 1986. In 1988, the addition of a new sports center was woven into the RV business with the help of Bay Marketing. Clothing and equipment associated with baseball, softball, tetherball, croquet, soccer, football and basketball transformed the retailer to “Hilltop RV and Sport Center.”

A press release from 1995 mentioned that “Hilltop RV and Marine” had recently completed a large remodel that doubled the interior space and that it had expanded on eight separate occasions. At the time, it sold fishing boats, pontoons and jet skis in addition to campers, and even held annual boat shows.

In April of 1998, Hilltop RV held a celebration for the opening of a 6,500-square-foot addition. Later that year, they began operating as “Hilltop RV Superstore.”

Meanwhile, Camping World was growing. Its founding by David Garvin in 1966 was incited by an opportunity to serve people visiting a large campground at Beech Bend Park, owned by Garvin’s father, outside Bowling Green, Ky.

The company has since been assembling a portfolio of a network of RV retail locations.

Marcus Lemonis became the CEO of Camping World in 2006. In 2010, Camping World and Good Sam Enterprises joined together. Good Sam, a benefits program that reportedly has over 2 million members, offers several levels of membership that RV owners and others can utilize — insurance, service plans, roadside assistance, cash back rewards, etc.

For retailers to meet the standards and values of Camping World Holdings, Lemonis has said, “I always look for three things: People, Process and Product in relation to enhancing our Camping World and Good Sam presence.”

In the spring of 2021, Hilltop RV Superstore made the cut, having caught the eye of Camping World Holdings for its prosperous operation and physical position — “Michigan is consistently a strong market for the RV and outdoor enthusiast,” Lemonis said in a press release. “This acquisition expands our reach into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and allows us to bring our assortment closer to the consumer to fulfill their needs.”

Hilltop was then operating two locations — the one on Lincoln Road and another at 600 U.S. Highway 41 West in Ishpeming. The Ishpeming Camping World closed about two years ago and construction of a Kwik Trip in its place is set to begin next month.

The transition at the Escanaba store was pretty smooth.

“Things did change, but not drastically,” said Fixed Operations Director Michelle LaCosse, who started as a parts associate at Hilltop in ’99. She said that as Camping World, they got more items into the store, and the computer systems changed, “but the core values of our customer service stayed the same.”

Some expansions to their offerings included products that are exclusive to Camping World from brands like Coleman and Eddie Bauer and Campsite Reserve.

Though the retail store is surprisingly large, the biggest part of the Escanaba Camping World’s business is the RVs and campers. There are A-frame travel trailers, which get pulled on a ball and come in a variety of lengths, from 13 feet to over 40; fifth wheels, which get pulled on a king pin hatch behind a pickup truck; and drivable RVs, which come in A, B, and C classes in a range of styles and sizes.

Sales Manager Marc Yander, who relocated from another Camping World store in upstate New York a year ago, said that the variety and selection at the Escanaba location makes it “worth the trip” for shoppers, letting them see a lot of models in one place. He said that camper and RV manufacturers have really listened to their customers in recent years, evidenced in their options and the differences between brands.

“10, 15 years ago, everything was cookie-cutter. Every brand had the same floor plan,” Yander said. “Now, when you walk in, you’re like, ‘Oh, this is a Salem. This is a Flagstaff.’ They’re all setting themselves apart. It’s kind of cool. ”

There all still basic packages, or the option to get all the bells and whistles. Yander said that more people today want solar panels and the option for a vehicle to be able to pull off anywhere in the wilderness and not be reliant on a hookup.

Destination trailers, sometimes called park models, have become more popular the last few years, too, said LaCosse.

“A lot of people are buying property on lakes and in the woods and things like that. So we do a lot with destination campers…it really took a rise in COVID,” she said.

Those models are larger rigs with more sleeping and gathering room.

Inside the store, the area that performs the best is the one that sells parts for repair and replacements, said Retail Sales Manager Jeff Weeks.

“Spring is coming up. There’s gonna be people who didn’t drain all the water out of their campers, and a lot of your toilet parts are going to break and crack,” Weeks said.

LaCosse said there’s always an influx of customers when the units kept at the fairgrounds in the off-season come out of storage.

Elements to upgrade are also sold and equipped at Camping World. People shop for additional solar panels, backup cameras, and more. The store carries generators, small propane tanks, refrigerators and microwaves.

In addition to selling both new and used trailers, Camping World buys and refurbishes models right on site. With 12 service bays on the premises in Escanaba, they offer all kinds of service work for all brands and models, including those not sold on the lot.

A learning lab for employees is on site; LaCosse said that technicians regularly need to take classes. Additionally, trainings on products and Good Sam memberships are sometimes held at Camping World headquarters in Lincolnshire, Ill.

There are about 30 people on staff at Camping World of Escanaba in a number of departments — parts and service, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts, sales, sales development, finance, retail.

The retail area is always changing. Multiple employees said it’s a great place to go Christmas shopping.

Upon entering the store, a customer is usually greeted at reception, and/or a sales associate will be on hand to see if there’s anything they’re looking for or want to be directed towards, “but you’re welcome to come in and wander and see all the cool stuff we have,” LaCosse said.

Camping World of Escanaba is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. six days a week, with the exception of Sunday, when hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.