Thunder Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Celebrates Ground Breaking Ceremony For New Dealership Facility

by James Coulter

Thunder Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram recently broke ground for a new state-of-the-art facility that will more than double the dealership’s size and selection when it opens next year.

The current facility, constructed in 1989, stands at 13,000 square feet. The new facility, which will replace the old facility at the same location, will be more than twice the size at 36,000 square feet.

Aside from housing a larger vehicle selection, the new facility will also expand services to customers with its new service and parts departments. These departments will include three service lanes, 23 repair bays, and an inventory of stocked parts worth an estimated $850,000, according to a press release.

The state-of-the-art facility will not only offer better service to customers, but a much more hospitable work environment for its employees, especially it service technicians, explained Richard Bishop, General Manager.

“We will be modern, new, upgraded, and air-conditioned,” he said. “In today’s marketplace, when you have 20 to 25 technicians trying to work in Florida heat in a metal enclosure, it is just catastrophic, so a new store will have fans and air-conditioning and more windows.”

The new facility is being constructed to help meet greater demand from customers, offering them a larger selection of vehicles and services. The refurbishment is part of a move to help enhance the image of Jeep, which has become the number one brand name in the world next to Coke, Bishop said. As such, the new facility will feature a separate showroom for Jeep vehicles.

“The other dealerships are trying to individualize and make a separate showroom for just Jeep customers,” Bishop said. “We will be the first one to build that new image. So our store will be one store, but one store will exclusively for Jeep, and that is a Chrysler first.”

Thunder Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram officially kicked off the construction of the new building with a groundbreaking ceremony hosted on Wednesday morning by the Bartow Chamber of Commerce. The ceremony drew in a large crowd of business owners and city officials, including Bartow Mayor Leo E. Longworth.

Bishop was quite impressed by the turnout, which more than exceeded his expectations. He had never been involved with a groundbreaking ceremony before, so he did not know exactly what to expect from it. As such, the turnout more than impressed him, he said.

“There were quite a few people here,” he said. “I lost track of how many came in, but a lot of people were serious.”

Thunder Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram has previously been under the management of its original owner, Tom Edwards, whose family had owned it for the past 41 years. Wanting to retire, Edwards sold the store to Bishop two years ago since December.

“I’m a Florida boy who was stuck in Georgia and I wanted to come to Florida, so this was an opportunity for me and we took advantage of it,” Bishop said.

Bishop learned that the store had outgrown its current building, so he decided to expand his business by acquiring an additional eight acres of land with plans to construct a newer, larger facility, he said.

“What I expect to get out of it is a good relationship with the community and city because we are all one,” he said. “If we are serving the community right, then you build right, and give want they are supposed to have. Don’t make them leave to another place to do it. It is like a hotel or restaurant. If you don’t have hotels or restaurants, they will go to another town and do it. That is my opinion, so this investment was the right thing to do.”

Thunder Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram is located at 1425 West Main Street, Bartow FL, 33830. For more information, call 863-533-0793, or visit their website at: https://www.thunderchrysler.com/

Take A Gander At RVs At The New Gander RV In Bartow

by James Coulter

When Kiara Hawkins received a flyer about the grand opening of Gander RV in Bartow, along with the many activities provided at the event, she thought it would be a decent outing for her and her 8-year-old daughter, Jacayla.

The two of them enjoyed being able to take a close look together at the different RVs on display, and Jacayla even had the opportunity to have her face painted like the character on her shirt, Princess Poppy from the animated movie Trolls.

Young Jacayla was even able to try her hands at shooting a BB gun at the inflatable shooting range being provided that day by In-Gauge Of Polk County. She was initially shy about the experience, but afterward, she very much enjoyed it, her mother said.

Not only was she able to shoot a gun at the inflatable range several times, but she was also lucky enough to win the raffle ticket drawing for a pink toy BB gun.

“We decided to try the event and see if she was comfortable with a gun,” Hawkins said. “At first, she was scared. But since we have been here, she has shot eight different times. She was drawn to win, and she won a BB gun.”

Jacayla was one of many lucky young people who were lucky enough to win a prize during the raffle drawings hosted on Saturday during the grand opening of Gander RV in Bartow.

The grand opening allowed visitors a close look at the new business and merchandise. They could also engage in many activities, from face painting, corn hole tossing, live musical entertainment, and free food such as hot dogs, chips, soft drinks, and snow cones.

In Gauge of Polk County assisted with the event by providing their inflatable shooting range, where guests young and old could take aim and shoot a BB gun at targets. In-Gauge also offered several raffle drawings for toy BB guns, including the famed Red Ryder BB Gun as made famous in the classic movie, “A Christmas Story.”

Kenneth Henson is the father of two boys who were fortunate to win the drawings that afternoon. His youngest son, John, 10, won a BB gun, while his oldest son, William, 12, won a scooter. Henson took the opportunity to peruse the many RVs on display at the facility. While he’s still searching for what he’s looking for, he certainly appreciated being able to visit the new business.

“It seems like a really nice place,” he said. “I really love the layout they have here, and the selection that they have.”

Formerly Camping World, the facility opened under its new name, Gander RV, earlier in May. While it still offers Camping World brand RVs and gear, it also offers fishing, hunting, and other outdoor merchandise not previously offered, including guns, ammo, kayaks, and paddleboards.

“We are hoping with the additional stuff in stock it will bring more people in and we can cater to a larger crowd,” said Raynette Alexander, Commerce Manager.

The new business still has the same management, including their general manager, Mark Gerdich, who had previously left before returning. Customers old and new can expect to receive the same level of quality customer service as they have come to expect, if not more so, Alexander said.

“We do have a lot of old customers. We try to take care of them and their needs and keep them happy,” she said. “Come visit. We’d love for people to come out and see us.”

Many new visitors already took the opportunity during the grand opening to take a gander at what Gander RV had to offer, and they were not disappointed at what they saw.

Randy Stucky came out from Winter Haven to take a look at the RVs. He is considering purchasing an RV for himself. His needs are simple enough: two bunk beds for his boys and a separate bed for himself. He loved being able to peruse the shop, and his boys especially had fun with the many activities, including the shooting range.

“It is a really nice shop,” he said. “It has just about anything you would need for fishing, hunting, and camping.”

Gander RV is located at 7400 FL-60, Bartow, FL 33830. For more info, call 866-906-9517, or visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/GanderRVBartow/