Wilkins RV Expands To Six Locations, Purchases Great Outdoors RV

BATH, NY – Wilkins Recreational Vehicles, Inc announced that it has completed an agreement to purchase Great Outdoors RV and will soon acquire their operations located in Fulton, New York, and Clay, New York.

“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. From a strategic standpoint, this move allows us to increase our presence in the Syracuse market and better serve our current customers in that market.”

“It truly has been an honor to have been a part of the Central New York recreation market for over three decades,” said Bill Clark, president of Great Outdoors RV. “Our employees have always been the driving force behind our success and of utmost importance was to seek a suitor with the same culture, reputation, and customer service. As we vetted prospective buyers, Wilkins RV was consistently at the top of our list. Wilkins has dominated the Western RV market for well over 70 years and I could not be more pleased to pass the baton on to Brian and his team as they take what we started to the next level. I want to thank our many customers for choosing us as their RV dealer through the years. I am confident Wilkins RV will continue to meet your needs moving forward. I would also like to add my appreciation to Jesse Stopnitzky from Performance Brokerage Services for his expertise and experienced approach with facilitating our positive outcome.”

Both Wilkins and Clark expect to see the transaction completed approximately October 31.

Wilkins RV was founded by Charles Wilkins in 1936 in Hornell, New York, as an auto detail shop. Charles and his son, Ronald, started selling RV’s in the fifties and Ron ran the business until selling it to his son, and current owner, Brian in 2004. Wilkins RV moved from Hornell to a 50,000 square foot dealership in Bath, New York, in 2006, expanded to its second location, in Churchville, New York, in 2011 and their third and fourth locations, in Victor, New York, and Brewerton, New York, in 2017.

The Great Outdoors Recreation Center was started in 1988 when Bill Clark and Jerry Fitzpatrick purchased Ralph Bubbs Sport Center, a recreational dealership in Fulton. Clark and Fitzpatrick brought over 20 years of retail recreation experience with them and have since provided thousands of Central New Yorkers a taste of the RV lifestyle for the past 33 years. The Great Outdoors Fulton location is well known for its unique rural setting with ponds and rustic décor. The dealership increased its CNY footprint in 2019 by opening an indoor RV showroom in the former Toys R Us store in Clay.

This is the Great Outdoors’ second year-round climate controlled indoor RV showroom in the Central New York market, the other is located adjacent to The Bass Pro Shops in Auburn. Together, these two indoor facilities can display up to 150 Recreational Vehicles year-round in climate-controlled environments.

The main dealership in Fulton spans 25 acres on state Route 57 between Fulton and Phoenix and features Campers Village, a unique “outdoor showroom” where over 50 new and used RVs are displayed in a wooded campground setting surrounding a pond. Clark has recently taken over as sole owner after Jerry’s passing in July of this year.

For more information, please visit http://www.Wilkinsrv.com/.

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