NC Dealer Refuses to Lower Giant American Flag
Camping World and Gander RV’s Marcus Lemonis says his dealership’s 40-by-80-foot American flag is a tribute to military veterans and that he will not take it down, despite the threat of thousands of dollars in fines.

A 40-by-80-foot American flag continues to fly over Gander RV of Statesville, N.C., despite protests from city leaders.
Photo courtesy Camping World
STATESVILLE, N.C. — The chairman and CEO of Camping World is attempting to rally the community of Statesville, N.C., to the side of Gander RV, where a massive, 40-by-80-foot American flag has flown since 2015. Marcus Lemonis, who also serves as host of CNBC’s “The Profit,” took to Facebook this week to protest an injunction filed by the city that would fine the dealership $50 per day retroactive to Oct. 15, 2018 — more than $11,000 total, if collected.
Because Gander RV sits within 100 feet of a highway, the largest flag its owners can legally fly would be 25 by 40 feet. City leaders have offered Lemonis a compromise, allowing a flag larger than 1,000 square feet, but he refused.
Lemonis was born in Lebanon and adopted by an American family. He worked at one of his grandfather’s South Florida Chevrolet dealerships before and after it was purchased by AutoNation in 1997. In the early 2000s, family friend and mentor Lee Iacocca staked his launch of an RV company that would merge with Camping World in 2006.
Lemonis told a North Carolina ABC affiliate that the Statesville flag continues a tradition his company began at a Florida dealership.
“I don’t care if it goes to $500 a day,” Lemonis told KIRO 7. “It’s not coming down.”
Originally posted on Auto Dealer Today
More Industry

Nebraska Rooftop Changes Hands
The Gregg Young Automotive Group has sold its second dealership to Janssen Auto Group, both in Plattsmouth, Neb.
Read More →
Penske Auto Group Deal a Record
The deal to take the dealership and transportation services company private sets a new pace for industry buy-sell transactions.
Read More →
War Toll a Damper on Used Auto Prices
Cox Automotive found wholesale depreciation to be elevated in September amid high fuel prices and this year's unusual hurricane season.
Read More →
Bridge the Maintenance Gap
With many drivers missing recommended maintenance, service departments offering transparency and efficiency have a better chance of reaching financially strained consumers.
Read More →
California Store Has New Owner
The longtime dealership in the northern part of the state is known for robust fleet sales and has served the state capital for 115 years.
Read More →
BMW Plant Pursues Cleaner Energy
BMW Group Plant Leipzig has utilized hydrogen to help power its production since 2013, but a new pipeline is planned to take it to another level.
Read More →
Auto Affordability Inches Up
The latest Cox Automotive and Moody’s Analytics index shows a slight increase in new-vehicle affordability despite high prices.
Read More →
Ohio Auto Group Under New Ownership
After 79 years with the Schluter family, Mansfield Auto Group has been acquired by Missouri-based Clement Auto Group.
Read More →
RV Group Expands Carolina Footprint
Blue Compass RV Columbia Northeast is the 13th RV dealership owned by Blue Compass in the Carolinas.
Read More →
Agent Acumen
An Agent Summit panel of people who’ve been supporting auto dealers for years gave both timely and timeless advice for those starting out or mulling the prospect.
Read More →