Millican RV in Alabama Looks to Turn Tragedy into Triumph – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
HANCEVILLE, Ala. – Millican RV America has been a successful mom-and-pop dealership in Hanceville, just off Interstate 65 for more than 25 years.
But recently the dealership was shaken to its core when owner Tom Millican passed away in November and then sales manager Leonard Greene passed in July.
Millican’s widow, Connie, knew she was at a crossroads. The dealership had a great location, but had operated out of a simple double-wide trailer for its entire existence.
So did she want to close the business or sell it to another entrepreneur? Or did she want to invest in the future and build on the property her husband had put in a lifetime’s work leveling the ground and making the dealership profitable with a loyal following?
Thanks to a mutual acquaintance in the industry, Millican was put in touch with Tim Hopkins, an industry veteran. After much consultation and planning, Millican hired Hopkins as the store’s general manager and decided to build a new facility in place of the double-wide and see how much she could grow the business.
“I found out about Tim and we talked and decided it would be a good match. And here we are,” Millican said. “My plans are to build and grow the company and continue to grow. We have about a total of 8 acres here on I-65.”
Hopkins said that the location of the dealership is critical to the potential growth.
He said the site has 100% visibility from the nearby interstate and really couldn’t be a more positive location.
He credited Tom Millican for being ahead of his time when he bought the property and for the amount of work he put in leveling it out and making it suitable for an RV dealership.
In addition to the new facility, Millican’s is taking on several new Forest River lines and a couple of Keystone lines that already have been added to the inventory
“Even with the construction, we’re placing the units to get ready for our spring business,” Hopkins said.
Part of the new building will be dedicated to bringing the service part of the business indoors.
The current configuration only has two outdoor service bays.
“Her son Keith is the service manager and he’s known nothing but to work outside,” Hopkins said. “We’re going to have two indoor service bays and a gift shop with the parts department.”
Plans are to migrate everything into the new building as soon as it’s finished so the current double-wide trailer can be removed and additional parking space added.
Being able to get more attention from the interstate could add to the customer base.
Hanceville is a community of just over 3,000 people north of the much larger Birmingham.
Hopkins describes the town as hard-working people with a median household income of about $50,300.
He said a number of large manufacturers have moved in in recent years and created decent-paying jobs for the community.
Both Hopkins and Millican said they are excited for the future.
“For me, this is a personal victory for a family,” he said. “To then watch it take off with the right staff, the right inventory and the right building – they’ve been at this for a long time and this is a huge step for them.”
“This will be better all the way around,” Millican said. “It will be better for sales people and the service techs. It should increase our sales. It just excites me to know the future looks bright.”
Hopkins particularly looks forward to a growth in walk-in customers.
He said the indoor service and the parts shop are things the dealership has never had before and that the new building will have rows of inventory that will capture consumer attention.
“It’s a golden opportunity for this store to rise and shine,” Hopkins said. “To be honest, it never has. It’s always been kind of a second-row player. With bringing in some new brands and building this facility, it’s going to be a game-changer.”
