Jim "Dandy" Cooley says he was itching to get back into the RV business.Birmingham, Ala.-based manufacturer Storyteller Overland says that RV industry veteran Jim “Dandy” Cooley has joined its newly expanded board of directors.
Known affectionately as Jim “Dandy”, Cooley is legendary in the RV industry, the company says, for having built his Dandy RV retail business from a small operation he and his wife, Tammie, originally operated from their front yard all the way to one of the top 20 largest RV dealerships in the nation.
Throughout his storied career, Cooley, has earned a well-deserved reputation as pioneering leader and innovator in the RV space. Before selling his thriving Dandy RV business to Camping World in 2014, Cooley had scaled the operation to the heights as a true showplace with an 82,000-square-foot main facility with 42 service bays, an expansive indoor showroom, dedicated parts sales and service area, luxurious customer lounge, and a 60-space KOA campground spread over a 39-acre campus strategically located between the lucrative Atlanta, Ga. and Birmingham, Ala. markets.
Following the sale to Camping World a little more than 5 years ago, Cooley and his wife diverted their attention to other entrepreneurial ventures and investments outside of the RV space; but when asked what drew him specifically to accept the invitation to serve on the board of directors with Class B startup Storyteller Overland in Birmingham, Cooley said, “I was itching to get back into some form of the RV Business. The opportunity of joining Storyteller Overland intrigued me personally. The team that CEO Jeffrey Hunter has assembled is outstanding, and after being on the sidelines for five years now I am excited to help them make a positive impact and achieve unparalleled success in this RV business that I have always been so truly passionate about and have deeply loved all these years.”
Added Hunter: “We could not ask for a better partner, coach, and mentor than Jim Cooley to come along at this pivotal point in our growth and help us direct and execute our strategic, long-range plans for Storyteller. Jim’s stellar reputation and history of success in this industry speaks for itself and we are grateful that he has elected to come onboard to help us transform the RV and outdoor lifestyle industries. Our customers, our dealers, our investors, and our entire team will benefit tremendously from his wisdom and influence on our board.”
