Reprinted from RV Business
February 1995

As a life long RV enthusiast and the beneficiary of the family RV dealership, it was perhaps predictable that Mark Bretz, President and General Manager of Bretz RV and Marine, would someday be a strong contender for Quality Dealer of the Year.  Predictable for everyone but Mark himself.

Based in scenic Missoula, Montana, Mark Bretz acknowledges that their location has been a definite plus in helping sustain RV sales since his father founded the business in 1967.  Mark comments, “I’m an ardent RV’er, I’ve logged as much as 20,000 miles in one year.”

RV’ing is fun, but I never thought I would be RV’ing for my livelihood. I was going to be a banker.  “I grew up in the business,” Mark observed. “When I was six years old my parents bought their first RV, and when I was asked what I wanted for my birthday, I said I wanted to go camping. So I started with an enthusiasm for RV’ing, but really didn’t think that one day I’d be running the largest RV and Marine dealership in the Northwest. I never dreamed I’d be presented with Quality Dealer of the Year award, awarded to me by my peers in the RV industry.”

When Mark entered College, he had planned for a career in banking, but when he found that his parents needed some help with the family business, which was going through some tough times, he changed his plans. Mark remembers, “I finally came to the point where I decided that we were going to make a success of our business or get out of the RV business altogether.”

Destiny appears to have guided Mark in the right direction.  Since taking over the reins of the family business in 1982, the company has enjoyed steady growth and success. Today, Bretz RV and Marine has between 50 and 75 employees seasonally and an inventory that has increased tenfold in the last ten years.

The secret of Bretz’ success is very simple. Mark explains, “My philosophy is to always operate with both hands on top of the table and treat the customer honestly and fairly.  At the same time, we strive to be very aggressive in pricing our RV’s and boats against the competition.  We can, and do, give our customers the lowest prices they will find on a similar product.

We spend a lot of money on advertising to encourage new people to come and try the RV lifestyle.  Many do and are hooked for life. What better way to grow with your family than on RV’ing vacations?  And what better way to spend your retirement than having the freedom to tour the country in your very own motorhome or travel trailer?”

Being the largest RV and Marine dealer in Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas, Idaho and Eastern Washington has its responsibilities, too. Bretz RV and Marine has a twenty six-bay service center specially designed for the repair and maintenance of large RV’s and has a parts department worth more than most other dealerships’ total unit inventory value.  Bretz is continually training and certifying their technicians so customers can be assured they have the best people working on their RV. In fact, the Bretz reputation is known all over the country. Many RV’ers plan their trips through Missoula just so Bretz RV and Marine can check and service their rigs.

Mark realized early on that if the family business was going to grow, he needed to know more about the RV industry.  Since there are no college courses on running an RV dealership, Mark contacted a consultant to help him out. The first thing the consultant did was send Mark to a large dealership in Arizona. Mark worked there as a salesman and learned a lot about meeting customers’ needs and managing a large, successful RV operation.  Mark came back with an “I can do that, too” attitude. The rest is history.

Knowing the RV industry needed new people with fresh ideas, Mark accepted a position on the RVDA national board of directors. One of the areas Mark has been most active in is the program to offer certification for RV technicians.  Mark felt that the RV’ing public needed some way to judge the quality of RV service centers.  A national certification program was designed and Bretz RV and Marine was one of the first to send their service personnel to be certified. Today, Bretz RV and Marine employs more certified personnel than all other dealers in the state of Montana combined.

Mark has also served on the board, and was past president of the Montana Manufactured Housing and Recreational Vehicle Association. During his terms on these state and nation boards, he has helped to 1) kill a federal sale tax on RV’s and 2) keep RV licensing in Montana affordable.

The family tradition began in 1967 when Frank and Vi opened a travel trailer rental business. It became very popular. By 1970, Bretz needed a building to house the growing concern.  It was built that year near Missoula’s main Post Office on Kensington.  The grand opening and the move to their first building was a dream come true. Before long Bretz needed more room, so an addition was built.

When Mark decided on a career in the family business, things started to grow again and it wasn’t long before they received their first national sales award as on of the top ten Prowler dealers.

When Frank, Vi and Mark had the opportunity to buy a huge warehouse building on Mullan Road and open an indoor RV showroom, they jumped at the chance.  Hard work and determination helped turn the new building into one of the largest indoor RV and marine showrooms in the Northwest.

But even a 10,000 square foot building was not enough. Bretz RV bought more land at the site and added an eight-bay service center and a drive-through RV parking.

Finally, in March of 1999 a project that had been in the works for over 8 years came together – a new 30-acre site and a 34,000 square foot building.  In 2003, additional service bays were added to the building, bringing the total to 26 service bays.