Brian Wilkins and Wilkins RV have closed on the purchase of Great Outdoors RV from Bill Clark and the Fitzpatrick Family. The acquisition includes two dealership locations in Fulton and Clay, N.Y., and expands Wilkins RV’s portfolio to six dealerships.
A sale price was not disclosed.
Great Outdoors RV was established in 1988 in Fulton, N.Y., by Bill Clark and his late business partner, Jerry Fitzpatrick. Together, they served central New York’s RV community for more than 33 years.
The Fulton location is on 25 acres and is the home of Campers Village, an outdoor showroom that displays RVs in a campground setting as they were intended. In 2019, Great Outdoors RV expanded its footprint, opening a location in Clay. The facility features an indoor showroom that can display up to 75 vehicles year-round in a climate-controlled environment.
In honor of Fitzpatrick, who was an avid Disney fan, the RV Dealers Association of Syracuse planted a tree at the Fulton dealership with a quote by Walt Disney that reads, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”
Performance Brokerage Services played the role of advisor on the sale.
“Finding Jesse Stopnitzky and Performance Brokerage Service was the key to selling my RV dealership,” said Bill Clark, president of Great Outdoors RV. “Jesse was vested in a positive outcome from the start and never took his eye off the ball! His expertise brought me a deal within weeks and closed 90 days later. The time he took to get to know my family and me was an added bonus. Jesse’s integrity, perseverance and sense of humor sets him aside from the rest. I highly recommend Jesse Stopnitzky and the Performance team to anyone considering selling or buying in the RV market.”
Over the past five years, Performance Brokerage Services has advised on the sale of more than 250 dealerships. This year, it expects to consummate more than 70 transactions, marking a record-breaking year.
Charles Wilkins founded an auto detailing shop in Hornell, N.Y., in 1936. He began selling RVs in the 1950s alongside his son, Ronald Wilkins, who took over the business in the early 1960’s and changed the name to Wilkins RV.
In 2004, Ronald sold the business to his son, Brian Wilkins, who is credited for the growth and expansion of Wilkins RV. Outgrowing the facility in Hornell, Wilkins RV built a 50,000-square-foot facility on 25 acres and moved the dealership to its current location in Bath.
In 2011, Wilkins RV opened a second location in Churchville, and in 2017, expanded to its third and fourth locations with its acquisitions of Ballantyne RV in Victor and Caps and Campers in Cicero.
“We are proud and excited to take over and build upon the proud heritage that has been built by Great Outdoors RV and its employees,” said Brian Wilkins, president of Wilkins RV. “They have a great customer following and we look forward to supporting that customer base and continuing the growth they have experienced for over 30 years.”
