Company History
1967 - Stoltzfus Trailer Sales was established on a farm about four miles west of Honey Brook, Pennsylvania
1968 - A 2nd Location was established on Route 202 next to the Birmingham diner approximately 3 miles south of West Chester, Pennsylvania.
1978 - 14 acres of property were purchased just south of the Birmingham diner and all operations were transferred to that location, where we are now to be found. We improved the property and built the first building. The size of that building was 100' x 60'. At this point in time we also departmentalized our company into sales, service, and parts departments to continue the business growing progress.
1987 - Boats were added to our product line. At that time we were one of very few combined RV's & Boat dealerships.
1990 - In November of 1990, on the eve of Thanksgiving, we had a terrible fire. We lost our entire building and 37 units, both RVs and boats. It was a horrible experience.
1991 April 15 - We rebuilt and moved into a new 36,000 sq. ft. building. We also acquired a large amount of new specialized equipment and a new computer network with 44 terminals.
1991 – On behalf of his dealership, Earl Stoltzfus won RV Quality Dealer of the Year Award, a highly distinguished national recognition by the Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA) and RV Business magazine published by Trailer Life.
1992 - On behalf of his dealership Earl Stoltzfus won Quality Boat Dealer of the Year, a highly recognized national award by Boat and Motor Dealer Magazine.
1998 - A record setting year for Stoltzfus due to great product lines that we represented, the loyal employees that worked diligently to enhance the company growth, and the large number of customers that have bought from and referred other people to us along the way. We made hundreds of new friends and added tremendously to our customer base in 1998.
2000 - Our best ever growth to date. We had a large increase in gross volume over 1999. We upgraded our computer system with the latest technology. We continued to find ways to operate efficiently, and become more competitive. We updated and upgraded our website www.stoltzfus-rec.com.
2000 – A transfer lot was added with electricity hookups for customer overnight convenience.
2001 - We added more usable display space on our vehicle lot, leveling the ground, and building tiers and stairs to the lower level. We also added a new portable boat lift and protective covers for our boat inventory.
2002 - With a growth rate 18%, 2002 was a great year for Stoltzfus RV's and Marine.
We also made a momentous change in the structure of our company. Earl Stoltzfus, our company founder and owner, instituted an Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP). As part of this major undertaking, Earl sold just over 50% of the company shares to the ESOP. From this point forward, the employees are be allocated shares of company stock as they become vested owners in the company. This plan is a great benefit at retirement contributes to company long-term growth and stability because income received at retirement is directly related to the business value, which is dependent upon the performance of its employees.
2003 - The dealership realized a 22% growth thanks to all our friends having the confidence to entrust us with their business. We increased all our training programs for sales, service, and parts personnel in 2003.
2003 thru 2008 – Stoltzfus RVs & Marine enjoyed 5 years of very steady growth during this period.
2007 - Earl Stoltzfus sold the balance of the company to the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).
We are now a 100% ESOP Company, 100% owned by its employees…see press release below:
Press Release dated 11-1-2008; Special things happening at Stoltzfus RV’s and Marine.
Earl Stoltzfus has transferred his remaining stock in his dealership to the Company ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan). Earl is not leaving the company with that transfer. In fact, one of the main purposes of the ESOP is to transfer ownership of the company to the employees now, while permitting him to remain in a leadership role for the foreseeable future. This is a win-win situation, building on an existing leadership base of knowledge strength while creating a way to insure that the company will remain owned and controlled by members of our community. An ESOP is an employee benefit plan that makes the employees beneficial owners of the company.
2009 - A very difficult year for the national economy. Some of our manufactures were forced into either Chapter 11 bankruptcy, or sadly completely out of business. This made it very difficult to maintain the customer base plus find new friends for future growth. One unforeseen expense incurred was solving customers warranty requirements. We used all methods and sources possible to accomplish all necessary tasks for our loyal patrons.
As an effort to control expenses this same difficult year we did projections by department. We looked at the year that our sales were close to what we projected for 2009. That year was 2004. Using that process we cut our expenses every place possible to match our projected sales level. One overriding goal was to minimized layoffs as much as practical.
2010 - We recovered from the down turn and added quality manufactures such as Tiffin motors to our product line replacing discontinued lines. Our business in 2010 was up 30% from 2009.
2011 - Our corporate year ended October 31 2011 with an 8% increase in business over 2010.
Reasons for creating ESOP at Stoltzfus RV’s & Marine:
Employee benefits grow from the effective labor of loyal people taking charge and advancing the value of the company through steady and innovative work. An ESOP company is a company that gives shares of itself to employees over a period of time, and if the company does well the shares will become more valuable. If the company prospers this increases the stream of income in the form of shares that can be sold back to the company after an individual retires.
Business continuation plans
Earl Stoltzfus desires the business to continue to grow and do well. He wanted to transfer that desire to company employees, thus the ESOP. Sometime in the next ten years he will likely be retiring. To Earl it is very important to have proper business planning for long term success. The ESOP company status facilitates and provides that planning vehicle.
An ESOP company is great for the manufacturers and suppliers that we buy from
Studies have been done by the National ESOP association that say ESOP companies as an average are more productive, more stable and have better longevity then non ESOP companies. Therefore we are likely to do a better job in representing our manufactures and suppliers. Being an ESOP company tells the industry we have a long-term plan, and that’s tremendous for the confidence in our manufactures and suppliers.
Tax benefits in joining ESOP
In joining the ESOP both the company and the employees realize delayed tax benefits. The tax impact is minimized for the company, and the employee owner realizes a retirement benefit.
Our Dealership
The Stoltzfus RV’S and Marine dealership is a full service entity, Sales, Parts, Service, Finance and Insurance.
We have entry level recreational vehicles for interested people new to camping, and the most advanced trailers and motorhomes for knowledgeable and experienced premier campers.
Our staff is expert in the Recreational vehicle and boat industries and will provide leadership and support in solving your recreational vehicle and boat requirements.
The dealership is located on Route 202 (Wilmington Pike), 4 miles south of picturesque West Chester Pennsylvania. We are one of the largest RV and Boat dealerships in the eastern United States. We intend that the ESOP will be a tool to insure that we can continue to grow and support existing and future customers, employees, manufactures and vendors in the Recreational Vehicle and Boat Industries.
We have been in the business since 1967. If you desire more information about Stoltzfus RV’S and Marine please visit our web site at
www.stoltzfus-rec.com.
We welcome all comments, thank our loyal friends of many years, and look forward to generating new friends in the years ahead.
Stoltzfus RVs & Marine
1335 Wilmington Pike
West Chester, PA 19382
800-860-1406
www.stoltzfus-rec.com