Iowa Winnebago Dealer Announces Major Expansion
The largest single-point Winnebago motorhome dealership in North America is expanding with the stated goal of continuing to provide an RV industry-leading guest experience.
Ron Lichtsinn II, owner of Lichtsinn RV, announced plans this week to more than double the size of the Forest City, Iowa, based facility.
The expansion will include a large indoor RV showroom and fixed operations improvements featuring additional service bays, a large indoor parts warehouse and shipping center, as well as increased parts retail space to better serve their guests. Lichtsinn RV also plans on expanding their camping facilities east of the dealership.
“As the RV lifestyle continues to grow in popularity, our team remains dedicated to making the necessary infrastructure investments needed to serve our guests,” said Lichtsinn RV General Manager Heidi Thompson. “Our focus on guest experience and our dedication to providing strong support to owners through their purchase, delivery and ownership experiences directly influenced the decisions being made for this facilities expansion.”
Lichtsinn RV has been recognized by Winnebago Industries as the North American Top Dealer for six consecutive years. They are also the largest Winnebago parts dealer in the United States.
Lichtsinn RV sells the entire line of new Winnebago motorhomes and carries extensive used inventory.
Ron Lichtsinn Sr. founded the dealership in 1976. Lichtsinn Motors sold a broad line of GM vehicles before they began selling Winnebago conversion vans in 1979, after a handshake deal with Winnebago founder John K. Hanson.
Lichtsinn’s son, Ron Lichtsinn II, met his future wife, Hope, while they studied at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, in the early 90’s. Litchtsinn II graduated with a degree in accounting and Hope with a degree in business management.
After returning to Iowa after successful corporate careers, Ron and Hope bought the dealership in 2001. They went on to build an expansive 26,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility in 2015.
The latest expansion is an investment in the future said, Ron Lichtsinn. “The doubling of our footprint here in Forest City, both in terms of real estate surface and facilities build, provide the capacity needed for current and long-term growth for our guest base, which is the sole reason why we exist.”
Kingland Construction Services of Forest City is the general contractor for the project. Kingland also built Lichtsinn RV’s current facility.