General RV Center in Wixom has broken ground on the company’s first store in North Carolina, a $25-million Supercenter located in Salisbury, northeast of Charlotte, in Rowan County.
The project announcement comes weeks after construction began on a second General RV Center in Utah. The company states it is the nation’s largest family-owned RV dealer.
Founded in Michigan in 1962, General RV Center operates 14 full-service dealerships in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Virginia, Florida, Utah, and Pennsylvania. Each location offers a large selection of RVs for sale, RV service facilities, and retail RV parts and accessories.
With an investment of $25 million into the Rowan County community, General RV anticipates construction and associated development projects will create nearly 70 jobs immediately within the surrounding North Carolina community. Once opened in fall 2024, more than 150 full-time jobs with an average salary of $65,000 will be based at the dealership.
“This has been about a five-year project for us to try to find the right location, (and) the right community that would serve as our home base in North Carolina,” says Loren Baidas, president of General RV.
The 71,000-square-foot facility will be General RV’s 16th Supercenter nationwide and will offer a wide range of RVs, in addition to outdoor products and accessories. The dealership will have more than 30 service bays, including a six-bay body shop, with enough space to house 700 RVs on the lot. In addition, the family-owned dealership will be the largest RV Supercenter within approximately 400-500 miles in the state.
“What we’re seeing here with all the jobs and investment is really exciting for us. But when I think of campers and RVs, I just honestly think about memories that are made with families. General RV is such a big part of that,” says Greg Edds, chairman of Rowan County Board of Commissioners.
Other businesses in Rowan County are expected to benefit from General RV’s estimated 10,000 annual customers who will spend an average of six hours in the community’s shops, restaurants, and attractions. The result for the local area will be approximately $740,000 of annual visitor spending.
In late June, General RV broke ground on a Supercenter in South Weber, Utah, approximately 30 miles north of Salt Lake City. The Supercenter will house a 65,000-square-foot facility with 30 service bays, including a body shop, and will have the capacity to hold 450 RVs. The store is expected to open in 2024.
For more information, visit generalrv.com.
