You can’t miss the big blue building with a gigantic billboard right off exit 231. Now, Burton Campers is an exclusive Jayco dealer where they once sold several other brands. Over the years the one thing that hasn't wavered, is the quality that is Jayco.
RVs have come a long way in the last 40 years. From small pop-up style campers to fully loaded camping homes. Standard options on an RV today were a luxury several years ago. At the campsite, you no longer have to miss the big game. Take the day to go fishing and then you come back to your RV to sit in your electric recliner chair with heated seats and watch your favorite football team on your smart tv with your family. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Burton Campers has been riding the wave of camping for a long time.
They have seen years of recession as well as the years of huge progress. When Covid hit, jobs were lost, money was tight, and everyone thought the first to go would be luxury purchases including RVs. What we didn’t expect is the RV market to burst wide open. People who had never considered buying before were now waiting in line at the door for their new RV.
What changed the market for camping? In the midst of the pandemic, everyone was worried about traveling for work and vacation. We were all locked in our homes for months, years for some, only able to leave for work and essential errands. But people had lives they wanted to live and vacations they didn't want to cancel. Traveling became a dangerous game.
One contaminated hotel room led to weeks in bed and confinement and exposure to loved ones. It wasn’t long before people were looking for options to keep some normalcy in their lives and everyone realized that RVs were the answer they were looking for. You could travel with the safety and peace of mind that you were limiting your exposure to the public.
The calls started pouring in, RV dealerships started filling up and inventory slowly started to dwindle. That trip to the beach was enjoyed from the RV park instead of the condo. Careers that involve traveling could still go to work. Before we knew it, everyone was running out of inventory. We had wait lists of customers expecting their camper to come in any day. Some even waited months for the perfect RV because options were far and few in between. At one point, Burton Campers had a total of 15 RVs to choose from on their lot. How did they stay in business with so little inventory and such a high demand?
Customer service. RVs are for everyone, from camping in, to living in, to vacationing in. They will help you find the perfect RV no matter your needs without the pressure. Take a stroll around their lot and see for yourself the Burton Campers difference. Everyday Burton Campers goes the extra mile for their customers, even the ones who don’t buy. And it starts with great leadership.
Mickey Price has been the sales manager at Burton Campers for 15 years.
They have some customers who are buying their sixth RV from them because they treat them like family and friends. Mickey takes extra care in remembering everyone who sits in his office whether they are looking to buy, consign or just visit. Yes, you read that correctly, just visit. Some customers feel so much like family they regularly stop in for a visit with Mickey and he takes the time with each and every person that sits in front of him. “We just believe in doing the right thing,” Mickey always says.
Jody Garner, the general manager, regularly meets with staff to form solutions and work with team members one on one.
He has worked in our PDI department, service department, parts department and now regularly in our sales department. He wanted to learn what it was like to do each job, so he could better help Burton Campers and its employees succeed. He enjoys meeting new customers and helping in any way that he can. This past year, in October 2022, Burton Campers ran in a charity run for Magic Moments and Jody was there right alongside other employees running to the finish line.
But great leadership doesn’t end there. Burton Campers is a family owned and operated business.
The owner, Lisa Burton, and her daughter, Laurie Garner, are there every day working alongside other employees making sure everyone is working cohesively. It is not unusual to see Lisa or Laurie pass through the sales office to check on things or to visit. No one tenses up and mutters, “the boss is coming!” when they are on their way. It’s an environment where everyone feels like family.
Several of their employees have been with Burton Campers so long because of this. One employee, Carol Moore, has been with Burton Campers for 35 years as a sales associate and plans to retire with the company. The finance manager, Loray Lamar, has been with them for 16 years. If you bring your RV in for service, you probably know Lyle Thomas, the long-standing service manager that has been with the company almost as long as it has been open in Calera.
It speaks volumes for a company to have so many long-standing employees. It's what sets them apart from other RV dealerships. The secret is in the sauce. Burton Campers is an example of if you take care of your employees, your employees will take care of you. And that is exactly what they have done.
Excellent customer service, happy employees and great leadership is the Burton Campers formula to a successful business that will withstand through the eb and flow of any market. And now Burton Campers sits with over 150 campers on their lot ready to take on the next year.
Written By
Alexis Haynes