About Lee Litchfield and Lee's RV
Lee got his start in the RV business while attending Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, TX. When not working on a double major in Business Administration and Broadcasting/Communications, he sold RV's for Travel Villa in Cleburne, TX and later at their new store in Alvarado. In addition, he worked shifts as a disc jockey at the university's religious format radio station KJCR.
In 1978 he was recruited to Oklahoma City to sell RV's for Cagle and Eaton RV City. By 1979, the RV industry was reeling from the energy crisis. As many RV dealerships were going under, the owners approached Lee about purchasing the 2 1/2-acre dealership. Against the advice of his lawyer, Lee purchased the dealership and in the process became the youngest RV dealer in the nation at the age of 22.
Lee struggled mightily the next year as interest rates soared to 21% and RV financing sources dried up. Lee states, "I bought the dealership with the belief that people would soon realize that fuel was a minor expense with RV ownership - that the joy of traveling and camping in your own RV far outweighed any negatives. I also felt that this was an industry in its infancy and would explode in the next 10-20 years. I didn't anticipate inflation and interest rates to go crazy, but fortunately it turned out to be a small bump in a long road."
By the early 90's, Lee found himself outgrowing his facility."I never intended to get very big, but I found it necessary to keep hiring more and more people to take care of our customers and their referrals. But after a while, we had no more room to grow. For several years, we simply didn't have the facility to properly service our customers. It was a very frustrating time for both us and our loyal customers."
In 1996, Lee's RV broke ground on a new state-of-the-art facility in north Oklahoma City. The 12-acre dealership had its grand opening in May, 1997. RV dealers looking to build new facilities frequently fly in to see the 16 service bay dealership in person and ask questions. They look at the plans and take pictures. Several have built nearly identical facilities with very few modifications.
Lee operated both the original dealership and the new dealership for the first four years. However, he finally decided that his customers would be better served if he only had one dealership. "The stress of trying to be in touch with both employees and customers at the two dealerships was very hard on me and my family. I'm a very hands-on owner and I like to be involved in all aspects of the dealership as much as possible. I have many close relationships with my customers and want to continue to build new relationships. It's hard enough with one dealership and next to impossible with two." In January 2002, Lee sold the original dealership to three employees.
Lee is very involved in his church and his kid's church school. He is a Seventh-day Adventist and that's why he chooses to close his dealership on Saturdays. Lee's also a big sports fan and enjoys watching and playing most all sports. He has a special love for golf, and tries to play when he can to keep his sanity. He has been married to his wife, Patricia, for 26 years and they have 4 children - 2 boys and 2 girls. Preston is 21, Brianna 17, Tiffany 14, and Parker 12. Lee says, "I'm so fortunate to have such a wonderful family and team of dedicated employees. I really look forward to coming to work everyday. I can't imagine a better business to be in than RV's. Everyday we help people realize their dreams of traveling this great country of ours and having the time of their lives with their loved ones! What could be better?"
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