The Pete’s RV Center dealer group is proud to announce their affiliation with the Thousand Trails campground and resort membership network.
With the purchase of an RV from any of their locations, Pete’s RV customers are presented the opportunity to sign up for a one-year, complimentary camping pass.
“We are really excited to be named a national account with Thousand Trails,” says Phil LeClair, Marketing Director at Pete’s RV Center, “Uniting two organizations that promote the family camping experience further enhances the benefits we offer to our valued customers.”
Thousand Trails has been providing families with memorable camping experiences for over five decades. They have one of the most expansive networks of RV resorts in North America, reaching twenty-two states across the US and British Columbia.
With nine locations and counting, Pete’s RV Center Dealer Group provides full service assistance to RVers throughout the United States and Canada. Originally established in South Burlington, Vermont, Pete’s RV Center has proudly been operating since 1952.
On July 22nd, Vermont-based Pete’s RV Center officially assumed ownership of American Family RV with dealership locations in Chesapeake and Salem, Virginia.
Opened in 2012 by Layne and Carol Rowland, American Family RV grew into a reputable dealership for sales and service in the Hampton Roads area and into the Outer Banks of North Carolina. In 2018, American Family RV continued to grow with the opening of a dealership in the Roanoke Valley. The Salem dealership is centrally located on eight-plus acres with twelve service bays, and carrying premier lines including Jayco and Grand Design.
With multiple dealer groups showing interest in acquiring American Family RV over the past year, Layne welcomed this changing of hands, “Pete’s RV embraces the family concept, and is the dealer group we felt would continue to build the existing team–maintaining the values that were intrinsically American Family RV.”
In gaining the Virginia locations, Pete’s RV takes their first step into the lower Mid-Atlantic States. “My business partners Todd McGinnis, Scott Borden, and I relish the opportunity to build upon businesses already well-established in their local and surrounding communities,” added Pete’s RV co-owner Chad Shepard.
American Family RV is Pete’s RV Center’s eighth and ninth dealership locations in seven states. The original location in South Burlington, Vermont has been operating since 1952.
Pete’s RV co-owner Chad Shepard shown in the attached photo (left to right) with Layne Rowland.
For the first time, Pete’s RV Center will be carrying the nuCamp Cirrus Truck Campers in our extensive catalog of RV inventory. The Cirrus 620 and Cirrus 820 are both available now.
Coming in at less than 1,500 lbs, the Cirrus 620 is designed exclusively for half-ton trucks. It has four season functionality, with a converted second sleeping area and hide-a-way cassette toilet. Check out the floor plan:
It also features a 210 watt solar kit and queen sized bed with stargazer window.
The Cirrus 820 is a bit larger, designed for a ¾ ton truck or 1 ton short bed truck. It features a Lagun table option, spacious sleeping area, wet bath with a fold down sink, and a backup camera. Here’s the floor plan:
Pete’s RV Center is proud to have attended the 52nd Annual America’s Largest RV Show in Hershey, Pennsylvania this past week for the first time as a RV Dealership Group.
61,320 people attended the four day show from September 15th – 19th, according to the Pennsylvania RV and Camping Association. This was the second largest recorded attendance ever at the show, close behind the 2017 record. The area around Hershey’s Giant Center was filled with over 1,200 RVs from over 30 different manufacturers.
Pete’s RV Center was stationed next to both the Jayco and nuCamp displays, bringing several dozen RV Lifestyle Consultants in our famous Yellow Shirts.
Both the Jayco and nuCamp RV displays were popular with showgoers, reflecting RV enthusiasts’ taste for the quality craftsmanship and reputation of Jayco, along with the eye-catching and lightweight teardrop trailers by nuCamp.
Some of the most popular RVs on site were the Jay Flight 264BH and 284BHS, the T@G 400 BOONDOCK, the White Hawk 32BH, Jay Feather Micro 199MBS, and several different Jayco Greyhawk motorhomes and T@B Teardrop Campers. This reflected the many styles of RVs at Pete’s RV Center, from teardrops and lightweight travel trailers to couples motorhomes to family style bunkhouses.
“The Hershey Show got positive reviews from industry attendees, more so at this point than most exhibitors could have imagined – the message being that the modern surge in pent-up retail demand is apparently continuing despite the well-known limitations regarding dealer inventories,” said RVBusiness.com, noting that the RV industry hasn’t seen a show this large since fall 2019.
The Hershey Show is unique not only for being America’s Largest RV Show, but for giving attendees the ability to purchase RVs right at the show, and potentially save on transportation costs.
“In addition to RVs, campgrounds, vacation destinations, RV parts, products and camping supplies are also available,” according to the Largest RV Show website.
“Demand is still there,” Jayco President Ken Walters told RV Business, emphasizing that product that could be delivered at the show was a high priority for the customer. “People wanted it, and they wanted it now.”
With Pete’s RV Center’s Pennsylvania dealership located just 27 miles from Hershey in Mountville, Pennsylvania, the show isn’t over. Our Hershey Inventory is still available at our special Showgoer Pricing at https://www.petesrvpa.com/hershey
On September 1st, Pete’s RV Center owners Todd McGinnis, Chad Shepard, and Scott Borden announced plans to start construction on a sixty acre parcel of land located in Saco, Maine.
The Vermont-based company is planning to break ground in January 2022 and be completed in early 2023. The Maine dealership will be Pete’s RV Center’s seventh location, and will be a state-of-the-art facility with a spacious showroom, parts and accessories store, and service center with multiple bays.
Pete’s RV Center – Maine is set to carry a wide variety of travel trailer, fifth wheel, and motorhome brands, including Jayco’s full lineup.
Saco, Maine is just four miles from Old Orchard Beach and 17 miles from Portland, both iconic destinations for RVers.
“Maine is called ‘Vacationland’ for a reason. We’re thrilled to get the opportunity to become a community fixture in the Saco and greater Portland area, plus be surrounded by amazing campgrounds, beaches, and national parks,” remarked Pete’s RV co-owner Chad Shepard.
Along with the flagship store in Vermont, Pete’s RV Center has dealerships in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and South Carolina.
WCAX-TV featured Pete’s RV Center in South Burlington, Vermont this week in an update on COVID-caused supply shortages in the RV industry.
Pete’s RV Marketing Director Phil LeClair explained that the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic shut down RV manufacturing factories for several months, and although they are all back up and running, they’ve fallen behind as orders for new RVs have boomed. While Pete’s RV has many RVs in stock, some still being built will take up to 18 months to arrive.
Interest in RVs grew enormously during the pandemic as a place to quarantine, work remotely, or travel in socially distant comfort. Despite this rush to camp, Pete’s RV Center has created the Express Pick-Up program to speed up the buying process. Select RVs on site at any of the five Pete’s RV dealerships are eligible for the program, allowing customers to view, purchase, and pick-up campers within days.
Despite the obstacles in the industry, customers are in good hands at Pete’s RV. “Some may have to be more patient than others but we’re gonna get them out there camping,” LeClair told WCAX.
For more information on Pete’s RV Center’s Express Pick-Up program, check out our post with details below.
Pete’s RV Center has customer care in mind. With five locations in Vermont, Indiana, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, check us out at petesrvcenter.com today!
2020 marked another year of happy camping for Pete’s RV Center, whose Vermont dealership won seven #1 Dealer Awards from Statistical Surveys.
Despite being closed from mid-March until May 18th 2020 due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, Pete’s ended the year stronger than ever. The Vermont sales team collected seven #1 Dealer awards, including #1 Dealer of All Recreational Vehicles for the State of Vermont. The other #1 Dealer in Vermont awards Pete’s RV received were for motorhomes, travel trailers, fifth wheels, Class ‘A’, Class ‘C’, and towables.
Pete’s RV Center purchased a fifth dealership in Mountville, Pennsylvania just one week before the pandemic hit, and all five locations thrived alongside the original Vermont dealership upon their post-lockdown re-opening.
Throughout the United States, the RV sales flourished in 2020 as other industries withered, with many manufacturers reporting record sales in multiple months.
Pete’s RV Center’s Airstream of Vermont, the exclusive Airstream dealer in Vermont, benefitted enormously from this success, as Airstream reported a 36% increase in net sales in 2020 over 2019, setting a record for the infamous 90 year old company.
Some of the most popular units at Pete’s RV Center in Vermont continued to be Jayco RVs, which the dealership also carries exclusively in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, and alongside other brands in Indiana and Massachusetts.
The high quality customer experience at Pete’s RV Center sets the dealership apart in Vermont. With over 60 five star reviews on Google, customers praise the exception service and sales quality at Pete’s RV.
Located in South Burlington at 4016 Williston Road, Pete’s RV has your back for all your RV sales and service needs. With locations in Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Indiana, we have a RV for every type of camping fan.
The manufacturing delays caused by the Coronavirus Pandemic aggressively affected the RV industry, despite a quick bounce-back of record setting RV sales during the summer of 2020. Some manufacturers have nearly caught up to dealership’s demand for new product, while others, like Airstream, warn of year long delays for consumers between ordering a vehicle and receiving it.
As summer approaches, don’t get stuck waiting weeks or months for your RV to arrive!
At Pete’s RV Center, we have RV’s on the ground ready for purchase, despite all the industry delays. Here’s Chad to tell you more:
Check out some of our most popular express pick-up units here!
Pete’s RV Center has your RV needs in mind, and we know you want to be camping as soon as possible. With locations in Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Indiana, give us a call today, and be camping sooner than ever!
