SEFNER, Fla. – Tiffin Motorhome owners were treated to an exclusive evening at the Lazydays RV, Powered by Campers Inn RV, Crown Club Tuesday evening (Jan. 13), where they heard from executives of both companies and were asked to play a role in the future of the iconic Lazydays dealership on I-4 east of Tampa.

Those in attendance were treated to “grazing board” featuring cheeses, nuts, fruit and chilled shrimp followed by a prime rib dinner and black forest cake  or cheesecake with strawberries and chocolate drizzle.

It was a meal befitting the Crown Club, an entity created for luxury coach owners who buy from Lazydays billed as “the most exclusive level of personal and coach service, benefits and amenities available in North America.” Members stay at the club while their motorhomes are being serviced at Lazydays.

From left: Ben Hirsch, Jeff Hirsch, Bob Tiffin and Leigh Tiffin.

Crown Club offers exquisite dining experiences, a private campground, separate swimming and outdoor lounge facilities, a comfortable library, and indoor relaxation all for personal use of qualifying Lazydays buyers. Crown Club membership benefits are applicable for three years on qualifying new coaches and two years for pre-owned, according to Lazydays.

The leadup to the event, of course, was Jacksonville, Fla.-based Campers Inn’s acquisition of Lazydays – announced in September and closed in early December.

Campers Inn, the nation’s largest family-owned RV dealership with 50 stores in 22 states following the acquisition, left the iconic Lazydays name in place, rebranding it to Lazydays RV Powered by Campers Inn RV.

The overarching them of all four execs who spoke – Tiffin Motorhomes Founder Bob Tiffin, Tiffin President Lee Tiffin, Campers Inn CFO Ben Hirsch and Campers Inn CEO Jeff Hirsch – was simple: both companies share the strong values of family ownership and operation and those values will be practiced in the operations going forward at Lazydays and the Crown Club.

Lazydays Powered by Campers Inn RV

And part of that, Ben stated right at the top of his presentation, was getting input from the Tiffin owners in attendance.

“I’m third generation in Campers Inn RV. My grandparents founded the business in 1966. Mr. Jeff Hirsch, my uncle, will actually talk a little bit about our company’s founding and our history here in a little bit. But I’m going to talk about Lazydays Powered by Campers Inn RV, what that means, and also at the end of this, there’s this QR code,” Ben said. “And this is actually really important. So, my ask is for all of the Tiffin owners out there is that we’re actually looking for your feedback. That’s a huge part of what we’re doing tonight because the future of the Crown Club and what it becomes and what it evolves into is very much dependent on the feedback that you all give us. We know that it’s valued, but we also think that there’s some opportunities to make it more of a valued experience for you all.”

Ben explained that Campers Inn decided to acquire Lazydays because, “it was never just a dealership, it was a destination. but, … when we watched the last few years we saw it became just a dealership. And there a lot of pieces to that destination and Crown Club was one of those pieces. A lot of our customers planned trips around coming to this dealership, whether it was the campground, whether it was getting service here. It became part of the experience. It wasn’t just a place to buy your RV. The relationships matter, the employees and the way that the teammates engage with the customers matter. …

“It wasn’t just a transaction, and the amenities did make a difference,” he said. “The feeling was that the RV ownership experience was easier and it was more enjoyable because of Lazydays.”

He then explained that, in recent years, Lazydays starting “drifting a bit” and “here’s where we think it’s kind of gone off the tracks.”

He said the company grew very fast, it scaled, went public and that move created a lot of complexity. Service consistency became harder, he continued, adding that talent was pulled away from Tampa, training became less frequent or was eliminated and experiences like the Crown Club became less clear.

“It still was still special,” Ben said, “but it was more complicated and then several of  the things that made the dealership special were closed. And they were closed quite frankly because, I hate to say it, but basically just looking at the bottom line – the profitability.”

Enter the Hirsch family.

“We’ve built the company since 1966 — three generations,” Ben said. “We’re family-run. We’re relationship-driven. So, part of this experience is we are actually trying to tell you all that we are relationship-driven, it matters to us. The relationships that we have with our customers and relationships that we have with our teammates; people matter.”

The goal now, he said, is to re-institute those special, relationship-driven experiences to the Lazydays Powered by Campers Inn.

In pursuit of that goal, he asked those in attendance to scan a QR code on the screen during his PowerPoint presentation and give their opinions.

“We think that the Crown Club and the benefits that it has are good and solid and it’s a good foundation, but we question whether or not it is exactly what you all as customers continue to want,” he said. “Want to find ways to enhance the value of the Crown Club.”

RV Dealership of the Future

“As usual, you went ahead and stole all my thunder,” Jeff joked as he took the microphone. “I’ll add to what Ben was talking about as far as what’s important to me. So, I have this philosophy that if it’s not important to you, then why do it? And that’s what we want to learn. We want to reimagine an RV dealership. We want to think about an RV dealership of the future. So, if the Crown Club is important, then what are the enhancements that we can make that make it even more appealing?”

He said Campers Inn chose to partner with Tiffin because, “they’re service-minded; they care about their people. And to me, we’re only as good as a manufacturer. So, we take the partnership very seriously. In fact, it’s our responsibility is to go ahead and build upon their brand as it is for them to go ahead and build upon Campers Inn and Lazydays’ brand. So, I want to thank Bob and Judy (Tiffin) for attending tonight.”

He recounted the story from when he was 10 of how his father started selling RVs because a bad experience at a dealership that left the father feeling “disrespected, maybe even a little bit humiliated.” As the family drove away, he remembered his dad telling his mom, “We can do better.” Next thing he knew there were four tent campers parked in his family’s front lawn and Campers Inn was born.

“My dad taught me a lot,” Jeff said. “He taught me about treating people with dignity and respect. And those are the cornerstones of Campers Inn. I am so proud that we’re a family business because the only people that we have to answer to are the ones that look in the mirror.”

He then shared a story about one of his many camping trips.

“I got to Niagara Falls, I’m a little bit tired, but we’re on the Canadian side. We’re looking at the falls, we’re enjoying the falls, and all of a sudden the kids look at me and say, ‘Now what?’ I said, ‘We’re going to spend 10 more minutes looking at the falls. That’s what we’re going to do.’”

But later than night, after other family members were in bed, he was sitting quietly with his daughter by a campfire that was burning down.

“We were looking at constellations, and I was trying to remember when I was a Boy Scout, what was what. I think I got three,” he said, wiping the mistiness from his eyes. “There was a moment of silence, and my daughter said, ‘I love you.’ That’s what campfires do. That’s what RVs are all about. That’s why this industry is so magical.”

He concluded his remarks by thanking those in attendance.

“Thank you for being here tonight and thank you for embracing Lazydays, the Crown Club and what it is that we do,” Jeff said. “But always remember that whether it’s Ben or myself, we want to know what’s important to you. We truly do. Because again, if it’s not important to you, then why do it? So your guidance will help shape the future for us and we’re going to be at the show throughout the week, but we’re available and we’d love to go and hear from you.”

Partnered with a Strong Family Business

Leigh Tiffin told the audience that Tiffin Motorhomes has a great partner in Campers Inn.

“The last couple of years have been pretty challenging,” he said. “I think everybody knew the condition the company was in. So, we’re extremely excited for the Tiffin organization to be partnered with a strong family business that’s been in business since the mid-1960s and it’s run by great people. So I just want to say personally from our organization and on behalf of our customers that all value this market and this experience, we’re very glad to be a part of it, guys. And thank you for having us. Dinner was fantastic.

“And I would just echo,” Leigh continued, “please do the survey because Tiffin benefits greatly from a strong Crown Club. And so, we appreciate the investment you guys want to make in that, and we’re very excited to partner with Campers Inn in this next chapter. I think it’s going to be fantastic. So thank you guys for a great evening.”

For his part, Bob Tiffin said Tiffin truly appreciates all that Campers Inn does and was pleased to be in a partnership with them. He assured them that his company would continue practicing family values and producing quality motorhomes.

“We’ve got some of the best people in the world working for us up there in Red Bay (Ala.). And they’ve been working a long time. And we’ve got four people working named Tiffin,” he said. “And we’re going to be there and as we always have been. I’m 83 years old and I’m not planning to retire,” he said with a chuckle. “I want to thank y’all for coming tonight and we’ll be out at the show tomorrow, so we’ll see you out there. Y’all have a great night. Thanks a lot.”

‘Love the Brand & Love this Place’

Following the event, Tiffin owner Bill Elliott, of Jacksonville, Fla., said he was impressed.

“The Tiffin family has always been truthful to what they say,” Elliot said. “I’ve never had a chance to deal with the Hirsch family before, but A; it’s a family-run business, and B; they bought this monster. They have put a whole lot on the line, and they believe in what they’re going to do, and if they believe it, I do, too.”

He said he’s done business with Lazydays in the past, but in recent years, “they’ve never been able to make a client of us, from an acquisition standpoint. Today, I would reconsider that situation going forward, and I would certainly give them the opportunity to make me a client again.”

Elliott’s wife, Cathy, president of a Tiffin rally club, said she “loves the brand and loves this place (Lazydays). We’re excited to hear what these guys have got in mind and actually excited that they kept the name and didn’t change it. I think that demonstrates that they believe there was a history and a brand that was worthy at one time, and I would love to see them make it worthy again. I wish them nothing but the best.”

Following the event Tiffin owner Bill Elliott, of Jacksonville, Fla., said he was impressed.

“The Tiffin family has always been truthful to what they say,” Elliot said. “I’ve never had a chance to deal with the Hirsch family before, but A; it’s a family-run business, and B; they bought this monster. They have put a whole lot on the line, and they believe in what they’re going to do, and if they believe it, I do, too.”

He said he’s done business with Lazydays in the past, but in recent years, “they’ve never been able to make a client of us, from an acquisition standpoint. Today, I would reconsider that situation going forward, and I would certainly give them the opportunity to make me a client again.”

Elliott said his wife Cathy is president of a Tiffin rally club and that, “she loves the brand and loves this place (Lazydays). … We’re excited to hear what these guys have got in mind and actually excited that they kept the name and didn’t change it. I think that demonstrates that they believe there was a history and a brand that was worthy at one time, and I would love to see them make it worthy again. I wish them nothing but the best.”