After 15 years in Evans, Colorado, The Great Outdoors RV (TGORV) hitched up its dealership and built a new multimillion dollar facility nearby that General Manager Matt Brown said leaves customers “in awe.”
Since July, family-owned and operated TGORV has been operating in Greeley, Colorado, on a 15-acre lot that allows capacity for hundreds more units than the dealership housed 5 miles away in Evans. Brown said he expects 200 new units on the lot in the next three weeks.
“We have added our seventh product line in the last 12 months,” Brown said. “We went full into motorized and have an off-grid product that is coming to us from another Denver dealership.”
TGORV set its five-year plan in motion after Brown said business growth required more space. The dealership’s workforce grew from 18 employees to 50 in the less than two years, he said. TGORV Director of Marketing Tara Brossman said the company is considering new job positions “by the week.”
In addition, Brown said the new location brought customers and competition closer. The Greeley facility nears the west edge between adjacent towns Loveland and Johnstown.
“The location is phenomenal,” Brown said. “Customers are closer. They are going to the big guys off of I-25 and then coming here. They walk in and are in awe of the building. After five years of planning, we wanted to design something as if REI, Cabela’s and Starbucks had a baby.”
Brown said customers are “eating up” TGORV’s on-site coffee bar, fireplace and outdoor campsite, where units are staged. In the location’s design process, owner Jeremy Heberer spent ample time on a visiting customer’s experience, Brown said.
“Our parts store has been incredible,” he said. “It is a cross between RV parts and an outdoor lifestyle gift shop.
“We really try to have a unique dealer experience,” Brown said. “In the summer months, we have food trucks, radio stations and bands that come to play. People hang out and have a good time. It is a community experience that is ‘as Colorado as it gets’ – our trademark.”
In addition to attracting more customers, TGORV’s service department has grown. The dealership has capacity for 170 service bays, compared with the 40 maximum that were housed in Evans.
“There has been growth everywhere,” Brown said. “In sales and finance, and the back office too. We have a podcast with a full-time marketing team of four people.”
TGORV initiated a YouTube channel, he added, which has gained around 35,000 followers.
When asked about the pandemic’s effect on the move, Brown said the experience was unnerving initially, but he and Heberer believed it was a “huge” opportunity.
“There was no turning back,” he said. “There was a deciding moment for Jeremy, the owner, and I. We sat down, said prayers, and asked what are we going to do next. We believed it was a unique opportunity to go all-in and double down. We picked up talent from competition that got nervous and had lay-offs.”
Brown said Heberer considers serving his community a reward.
“Our company culture is to go above and beyond, even when it does not make sense,” Brown said. “The only opportunity is what you have in front of you. The future has not arrived yet, but we are certain there will be more growth.”
