The following is a business profile from Daily Press.
Camping World in Escanaba, Michigan, 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.
