Mark WahlbergActor, producer and businessman Mark Wahlberg is growing his automotive dealership footprint with the opening of a second Ohio Mark Wahlberg Airstream & RV dealership. With the main facility currently under construction, the dealership will be the actor’s sixth dealership in Ohio with his business partner, veteran automotive dealer Jay Feldman. The dealership opened on Dec. 1 in a small building and will continue to grow as construction moves forward.
Wahlberg currently owns four dealerships in the Columbus area, including two Chevrolet rooftops, one Buick GMC and an Airstream & RV. In July 2021, they began expanding their Ohio presence with the purchase of Joe Firment Chevrolet in the Cleveland suburb of Avon, renaming it Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet of Avon.
Similar to Airstream, Wahlberg shares a passion for adventure and family. He said, “I like to tackle projects that offer connections to things I cherish.” These common traits are why Wahlberg teamed up with Airstream and launched Mark Wahlberg Airstream Columbus in 2020 and Mark Wahlberg Airstream Cleveland in 2021.
“I’ve grown to love being part of the growing Ohio business community,” said Wahlberg. “We are seeing an enthusiastic spike in RV and automobile sales in the State and we’re glad to help our customers find their dream vehicles in both Columbus and Cleveland.”
According to market research firm Ipsos, RV ownership is at a record high with 11.2 million households owning an RV in 2021, up 62 percent over 6.9 million households in 2001 and 26 percent more than 8.9 million RV-owning households in 2011.
“More and more of our customers are taking control of their vacation plans and hitting the road for travel,” said Feldman. “Our growing roster of dealerships now offer a wide variety of RV options to make these incredible getaways possible.”
The new Airstream & RV dealership is located on 5.8 acres with 31,000 square feet of showroom, service and parts space.
Chris Haydocy serves as managing partner of both Mark Wahlberg Airstream & RV dealerships. He was the previous owner of the Columbus Airstream & RV store and currently serves as president of Road Adventures and Road Adventure Resorts of Columbus.
In addition to being business partners in the dealerships, Feldman and Wahlberg have been friends for several years and partners in several Wahlburgers restaurants, including the nearby Cleveland store. Feldman also owns and operates 13 automotive dealerships in Michigan.
