A new business has come to Florida’s “RV corridor” to focus on sales and service for RV enthusiasts of Tampa Bay and central Florida.
General RV opened Saturday, Oct. 11, in Dover, after about two years of plans and preparations. It is one of two locations in Florida; the other is in Jacksonville.
The Dover store’s general manager, Jason Cohen, has been in Tampa Bay for about 20 years, and for 17 of them, he has worked in RV sales.
“They call it the ‘RV corridor’ over here,” Cohen said. “It’s the RV capital of the world, really.”
Florida has a higher percentage of RV registrations than anywhere else in the country.
General RV has about 150 vehicles for sale on-site, including motorhomes, toy haulers, fifth wheels, travel trailers and pop-up campers. The dealership carries brands such as Coachmen, Fleetwood, Thor, Jayco and many others. But the business also focuses on RV maintenance. Available services include oil changes, paint touch-ups, winterizing and complete trailer maintenance.
“We’re mainly focused on RV service, and we saw that there was a need for that in the area,” Cohen said.
Cohen said one of the reasons he has enjoyed managing the store is that General RV is a family-owned business.
“The customers have really received us well,” he said. “Because we’re family-owned — we’re not a corporation — we’re able to sell our RVs cheaper than other dealers.”
The Dover location has created jobs for 55 employees, including sales consultant Jared Jirau. Jirau is a Plant City native who used to co-own a used car dealership with his father.
“Working in this environment similar to that environment with my dad has been phenomenal so far,” Jirau said.
Jirau also enjoys working with a variety of customers and helping them find products that fit their needs.
“I help people find exactly what they’re looking for, whether they’ve been planning for it two weeks, or they’ve dreamt about it for 20 years, looking forward to retirement,” he said.
Nationwide, General RV has 11 locations, the majority of which are in Michigan. Ambrose Baidas opened General RV’s first location, then known as General Trailer, in 1968 in Southfield, Michigan. Richard Baidas, Ambrose’s son, joined the business in 1972 and was inducted into the RV Hall of Fame in 2009.
General RV offers Deals of the Week that are always changing. To see this week’s deal, visit GeneralRV.com/deal-of-the-week.
GENERAL RV
Location: 13396 E. U.S. Highway 92, Dover
Phone: (813) 305-2500
Sales Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday; No RV service available on Sundays.
Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.
